57: Two Unstoppable Fathers

Today marks the 100th day since the triplets were born. The Hormons couple had fervently wished for one thing: an end to the parenting war. Their prayers were answered, and they were finally freed from the hellish chaos of raising the triplets.

The triplets, who used to cry incessantly day and night, now slept peacefully as if nothing had ever happened. Watching this, the couple was so moved that tears streamed down their faces.

“Kael.”

“Ella.”

“You did well.”

For the first time in 100 days since the triplets were born, the couple could finally embrace and share a kiss.

“Her Majesty the Empress must be just starting now.”

“Hehe.”

“Ka-Kael, are you laughing right now?”

“I just can’t wait to see how His Majesty the Emperor will handle the next 100 days, especially after mocking me so much.”

As Aella watched her husband laugh, he seemed a bit devilish, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘His Majesty the Emperor and my husband have surprisingly similar personalities, just like me and Her Majesty the Empress. If I were to say this out loud…’

Knowing how much the Emperor and her husband disliked each other, Aella decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

“Kael, time really flies. Autumn is already over, and winter is just around the corner.”

“Indeed… It feels like we just celebrated the New Year’s Festival, yet here we are.”

“Yeah.”

Leaning against Kael’s shoulder, Aella gazed at the stars in the night sky and suddenly recalled a dream she had.

‘Now that I think about it, that dream must have been a premonition about the triplets’ birth. Perhaps the divine spirit sent me a message through that dream…’

Smiling softly, Aella met Kael’s eyes and tightly held his hand.

“What’s wrong, Ella?”

“Kael, you know, I think our triplets…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud explosion echoed from inside the mansion, and both Kael and Aella rushed inside without hesitation.

Black smoke was rising from the room where the triplets were sleeping.

“Kids! Kids!”

“Ella! Calm down. Stay here. I’ll go in.”

“Ah, Ka-Kael…”

Kael comforted his trembling wife, who was shaking like a leaf, and entrusted her to the elderly couple who had come running. He then entered the smoky room.

‘This smell… tear gas! D*mn it!’

Kael’s sneezes and tears blurred his vision, making it hard to see even an inch ahead. But soon, he heard faint groans.

“What’s that?!”

“Ugh… Ugh… S-save me…”

“!”

Kael couldn’t believe his eyes. A sturdy adult man was flailing in mid-air, while masked intruders lay unconscious on the floor near the triplets’ beds.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

“…Ayla…”

Sitting on the bed with her pacifier in her mouth, his eldest daughter Ayla stretched out her tiny hands. It seemed like her hands were holding the man suspended in mid-air.

“Ayla.”

“Ugh!”

As soon as Ayla spotted her father, she extended her arms toward him, causing the man writhing in pain to crash to the floor.

“Ayla, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Kyah! Ugh~ Bah!”

Ayla snuggled into her father’s arms and acted cute. Then, she pointed to her sleeping siblings and the unconscious intruders before patting her chest.

“Are you saying you protected your siblings from those men?”

“Kyah! Ah~ Bah-bah!”

“Haha, hahaha! That’s amazing. Ayla, you are your father’s greatest pride. Thank you, Ayla, for protecting your siblings. I’m counting on you in the future too.”

“Ah!”

Ayla raised one hand high, and Kael kissed her forehead before handing her over to his wife, who was supported by Natasha and Matteo.

“Don’t worry about the kids, dear. Our Ayla protected them brilliantly.”

“What?”

“Oh my goodness! Madam, look at the floor!”

“…”

Seeing the unconscious men on the floor, Aella turned to her daughter, who was giggling in her arms.

“Ayla, did you really do this to those men?”

“Kyah~ Bah-mah~ Bah-mah! Ah!”

Aella hugged her laughing daughter tightly, her heart filled with relief.

“Thank you… Thank you so much, Ayla. Sob. I’m so glad you’re safe, my baby.”

“Dear, I’ll t*rture these men to uncover the root of this evil and eliminate it completely. Don’t worry.”

“Kael… Don’t overdo it.”

Kael responded with a smile and kissed her forehead before summoning the knights.

“Lock all of them in the underground prison.”

“Yes!”

“Ian.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“While I interrogate these men, I’m entrusting my wife and children to you.”

“Of course, my lord.”

As Kael left the room, Aella couldn’t help but feel that her husband seemed unusually unfamiliar that day.

That night, the underground prison of the Hormons estate echoed with chilling screams.

—

As it turned out, the mastermind behind the attack on Ayla was none other than Marquis Kalman, whom Kael had respected second only to his father since childhood.

“Why? Why would you target my daughter?!”

“If I hand over your daughter, I’ll be granted as much life as I desire. Why would I refuse that? Kael, you have two other children anyway! Isn’t your greed excessive…?”

Kael mercilessly ended the senile old man’s life and wiped out the entire Kalman family, with whom he had shared a long-standing friendship.

Kael used this incident as a warning. Anyone who dared to threaten his precious family would face absolute annihilation. He wouldn’t just punish them—he would erase their existence entirely.

This brutal warning ensured that no one dared to target Ayla again. Those blinded by greed knew that crossing Duke Hormons, a terrifying protector of his family, meant certain death and ruin.

Afterward, peace returned to the Hormons estate.

Time passed, and a new year began with the New Year’s Festival, dedicated to the divine spirit.

“Your Majesty the Empress!”

“Aella!”

The two women, who had been too busy with parenting to meet often, immediately clasped hands and jumped in place like excited girls. Feeling the eyes of onlookers, they moved to a quieter spot.

“How are the triplets?”

“They’re at home. We hired three nannies starting yesterday.”

“Hoho, I see. Oh, I heard the kids were very attached to you.”

“They wouldn’t even let me go to the bathroom for 100 days, but now they smile and cuddle with anyone. It’s a bit worrying.”

“Hoho, I see.”

As they chatted and laughed, Elena brought up an idea.

“Would it be okay if I brought Terry to visit your estate sometime?”

“You’re always welcome, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Duchess.”

“Think nothing of it.”

While the wives enjoyed their warm conversation, their husbands exchanged cold glances.

“If you have complaints, why not say them outright?”

“Haha, would I dare have complaints about His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Ha! Spare me the false politeness, Duke.”

“Your Majesty must have little to do these days.”

“What?”

“Judging by how you have time to idle with me.”

“You insolent—!”

Unable to hold back, Julius drew his sword, and Kael followed suit.

“Oh my goodness! His Majesty the Emperor!”

“And Duke Hormons too!”

The wives were shocked to see their husbands pointing swords at each other without regard for the spectators.

“Dear! Stop this at once!”

“Your Majesty! Your actions are inappropriate! Sheathe your sword immediately!”

“This man provoked me first, Empress!”

“This man? Are you going to keep this up? Then…”

Fearing things might escalate further, Aella approached Kael from behind and began smacking his back loudly.

“Ah! Ella!”

“I told you to stop! What kind of embarrassment is this? Ugh!”

“Ouch! Ella!”

“Hmph. Serves you right!”

Julius, feeling the sting of pain on his back for the first time in his life, let out a groan.

“Her Majesty the Empress is hitting His Majesty the Emperor’s back…”

“Oh my goodness.”

While everyone was frozen in shock, Elena continued to scold the Emperor.

“Do you even realize you’re the Emperor? Acting like this in front of everyone—what a disgrace!”

“Ugh! Alright, Elena! I get it, so please… just don’t hit me there! Please!”

“Haha! Ouch! Ella!”

Kael, who had been laughing at Julius’s predicament, soon felt even greater pain himself.

The attendees of the New Year’s Festival couldn’t stop talking about the rare sight of the Emperor and Duke being scolded by their wives.

For a while, Julius Albazar, the Emperor, and Kael Hormons, the Duke, couldn’t show their faces in public without embarrassment.

—

As the triplets began babbling, rolling over, and learning to toddle, Aella warmly welcomed Elena, who visited the estate with her son Terry.

“Prince Terry grows more beautiful every time I see him.”

“Hoho, doesn’t he? Sometimes I wonder if he was meant to be born a girl but ended up as a boy.”

As the two women chatted, the babies observed each other. Ayla, uninterested in the handsome prince, headed for the toy box, with Noah crawling after her.

“Ugh…”

Wanting to play but feeling left out, Prince Terry’s face fell. Claire crawled over to him and handed him her toy.

“Boo! Boo-boo!”

Claire’s invitation to play brought a smile to Terry’s face, and the two quickly bonded, playing happily together.

“Oh my! Aella, look behind you.”

Turning around, Aella saw her youngest daughter Claire and Prince Terry playing together, their faces lit up with joy.

Seeing the harmonious scene, Aella smiled and turned back.

“Doesn’t it feel promising?”

“Hoho, yes, I was thinking the same thing.”

“Now we just have to wait for the day we become in-laws.”

Watching Elena’s excitement, Aella nodded but sighed when she spotted her husband glaring at Prince Terry from afar.