SIDE STORY 4 (Part 1)

“Luca.”

So cute…….

She loved this time spent watching the baby lying next to her. She could smell the sweet scent of the baby and hear the gentle sounds of breathing. She played with the baby’s tiny hands, exchanged playful gestures, and looked into his eyes.

“M-ma.”

He was still a long way from speaking, but somehow it came out.

“My little Luca has such big eyes and such big pupils. They’re like the color of the night sky, just like his dad’s.”

He also has black, wavy hair.

Most of Dian’s wishes had come true. The baby was thankfully born healthy, and the process had been relatively smooth. Of course, it was incredibly painful, but the labor was short.

Everything was fine, but if there was one thing that hadn’t come true…

‘I hope the baby looks a lot like Rienn.’

The baby took after Dian entirely, not her. It wasn’t just the color of his eyes and hair, but the distinctive features of his tiny face. From the shape of the face to the eyebrows, the long, narrow eyes, the high nose, and the full lips; the baby was all Dian.

It was Dian’s wish that the baby look like her, not hers though.

She loved that the baby looked like Dian, and every time she looked at his face, she smiled because he was so cute.

“Luca, are you sleepy?”

The baby blinked slowly, he’s three weeks old now. He could only nurse and sleep for now, but he sometimes stared at her and Dian intently, occasionally smiling with various expressions. If something bothered him, he would frown and cry, and if he was sleepy, he would blink his eyes or yawn.

Nevertheless, her daily life wasn’t much different after caring for a newborn. She slept a lot to recover after childbirth and had nutritious meals. She mostly rested lying down, occasionally taking light walks in the garden for exercise.

Regarding childcare, all she did was breastfeed and play with the baby. Dian took care of everything else. He changed the baby’s diapers, bathed him, comforted him, and put him to sleep… The baby basked in his father’s love.

“Rienn.”

Dian walked into the nursery and stood beside the bed. He leaned over and kissed her cheek and met her eyes.

“The Marquis and Yan are almost here, I’ll go get them.”

“Yes!”

He smiled slightly, straightened his clothes, and left the room.

“Luca, it’s the first time you’ll meet your grandfather and uncle.”

It was the first time her family members would visit after her childbirth. The chaotic time had passed, and she needed time to recover, so they arranged it in three weeks.

“Shall we get up and wait for them?”

She got up from bed and picked up the baby. He was so small and light. She hadn’t been sitting on the couch long when she heard several quick footsteps. Her heart raced, and her father appeared through the open door.

“Dad!”

She smiled widely and reached out her arms. Her dad approached confidently, lowered himself, and met her gaze.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m good!”

Her dad hugged her with one arm. He didn’t glance at the baby yet but seemed to be conscious of the baby in her arms as he hugged her before letting go. Only then did he look at the baby.

“….”

“This is Luca. Hold him, Dad.”

Her dad looked confused as he picked him up, but he quickly and carefully and held him upright.

“I want to see him too! I washed my hands before coming.”

Yan rushed over and stood next to her father. The moment he saw the baby’s face, he burst into laughter.

“Oh, this is really fun, haha.”

“Why are you laughing?”

She knew why…

As Yan continued to chuckle and clap, he glanced at Dian.

“Hey, Dian. Wasn’t the first time we met when you were seven or something?”

“……Yeah.”

Dian looked unusually nervous.

“I never got to see you as a baby, but I don’t miss it one bit. I’m watching it now.”

She couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. It was obvious to everyone that the baby resembled Dian. Dian looked puzzled and waited. 

“They say a baby’s face changes many times as it grows up. Right now, he looks more like me, but Rienn’s features will gradually show up.”

“Well, it looks like you, through and through. At the very least, those deep blue eyes and black hair won’t turn into light blue eyes and blond hair no matter how much he grows.”

“According to ……eye color can change.”

“Hmm.”

Dian stood nearby, studying her father’s expression.

“Rienn’s features will show up soon.”

No, her Dad didn’t say anything, but Dian sounded apologetic.

“Dian, there’s no need for that.”

“I can’t find any resemblance to my daughter.”

“Dad!”

“Hahahaha!”

Yan laughed again, and Dian looked at her dad, unsure of what to do.

“If you look closely at the baby’s feet, it looked like Rienn’s.”

Even the baby’s feet seemed to resemble Dian’s, but he was insisting on this as if it were his last hope.

“Feet? They do resemble her quite a bit.”

“If the feet resemble hers, then that settles it.”

“…The baby could still change a lot since he’s still young.”

It was rare to see Dian so flustered although her Dad and Yan were just teasing him. He was about to apologize before getting up from his seat.

“But the baby is still so cute, right? Healthy and gentle.”

Luca wasn’t crying, just staring up at Rienn’s dad.

“Yeah, he’s sweet.”

A smile spread across her Dad’s face.

“You’re a grandfather now. Luca, say hello to Grandpa.”

“Just when I thought you were just a kid, and now you’ve grown up and had a child.”

“I didn’t have any, Dad.”

Yan muttered quietly as an unmarried man

“As long as you’re healthy, it’s all good. Luca Rion Hidesen.”

“Yes.”

Luca Rion Hidesen.

Dian and she had thought long and hard about the name.

“May I hold him, Father?”

“Sure.”

Her dad handed the baby to Yan.

“Oh, he’s lighter than I thought.”

Yan clumsily held the baby, not used to it. The tiny baby seemed even tinier in the arms of his tall family. He was the size of one arm.

“Even though he’s a boy, he is as pretty as a girl. Is it because Dian looks so handsome?”

“…….”

Dian, who had relaxed as the conversation shifted, seemed tense again. Yan didn’t miss that.

“It’s a shame he doesn’t have our family’s glorious blonde hair and azure eyes.”

“Yan!”

She felt embarrassed by his boasting.

“Well, it’s not bad to resemble Dian either. Looks like he inherited the strong blood of the Hidesens. He’ll probably wield the sword well in the future.”

“…….”

She stiffened at the sudden thought. Reflexively, she looked at Dian, and he looked at her.

“Rienn?”

She pursed her lips in confusion before shaking her head.

“No.”

At that moment, the baby burst into tears.

“No, no, baby, don’t cry.”

Yan panicked and hurriedly approached.

“Do something, why, why is he crying?”

Dian took the baby in his arms and checked the diaper.

“The diaper’s fine, but he seems sleepy…”

“He’s probably tired. He seemed sleepy a while ago.”

She regained her composure and spoke. Dian nodded and skillfully comforted the baby. As he lifted him up and patted his bottom, the crying quickly subsided, and he became quiet. Yan let out a relieved sigh.

“Phew, I thought it was because of me.”

His voice softened, as if worried about waking the baby.

“Maybe your nonsense irritated the baby…”

She replied, also lowering her voice.

“I think we should put Luca back to sleep.”

Dian said to her dad, patting the baby’s butt regularly.

“Alright.”

Dad stared at the scene, then turned to her.

“Get some rest. I’ll go greet the Duke at the nearby mansion.”

“Yes, Dad. Let’s have a meal together after putting the baby to sleep.”

“Sure.”

“I should also greet him after a long time. Let’s go, Father.”

Yan ran out of the bedroom.

When it was just her, Dian, and the baby again, he held the baby up on his side and rocked him steadily. The baby’s eyes were closed like he was about to fall asleep.

“Let’s go to bed.”

“Okay.”