It was at that moment that Cedrion, who had been patting the baby, spoke.

“Angie. Quiet.”

“S-Sii, waaah…!”

“Angie.”

“Huuah, huaaang…!”

He pulled Angie away from his embrace, so their faces met. Two golden eyes locked at close range.

“No matter how much you cry, nothing will change. You’ll only make things harder for your mother. If you want something, say it later.”

Later?

Later, when…?

Just as I was trying to calm my startled heart, I was once again dumbfounded by Cedrion’s words.

Had a brief moment of silence fallen?

Wait, did she really quiet down?

“Hic.”

Only Angie’s hiccups echoed in the stillness, her crying having stopped before I even realized it.

“Do you understand?”

“Hyu.”

“Answer me.”

“Uung.”

Did she… understand…?

The moment Angie nodded her little head, covered in silvery fuzz, I was utterly stupefied.

“Well done.”

Murmuring so, Cedrion patted Angie’s head three times in steady intervals.

Though she had stopped crying, Angie’s expression, as she glared over Cedrion’s shoulder at the cat Raven… almost looked as if she were grinding her teeth.

‘I thought it would be nice for her to develop a bond with animals, so I let the cat follow us…’

That thought crossed my mind as I reached out to scratch the chin of the calico cat purring at my feet.

“Noo!”

Angie’s scream rang out.

***

“Dame, I was wondering…”

It happened during Dame Gwendolyn’s evening checkup.

“Is it normal… for a baby to stand up before turning one?”

Angie was still standing while gripping the railing. As if she were keeping watch, she hadn’t taken her eyes off the calico cat that had settled in my bedroom and started kneading.

Angie loathed the cat to the point of having a fit, so I had chased it out multiple times, yet it kept finding its way back into the room. Even when Cedrion used a magic portal to send it to Meldorf, the cat returned just as the portal was closing.

‘They said it was a stray that roamed outside the manor, so why won’t it leave now?’

Perhaps due to her still-weak legs, Angie would plop down now and then, only to grab the railing and stand right back up, glaring at the calico once more.

It was almost as if she had resolved to keep it in her sight at all costs.

Yes, a determined will…

From a baby not even six months old…

“Buwe.”

Angie’s face remained tense with hostility toward the cat.

“Angie, the cat is a living being just like us. You shouldn’t hate it so much.”

“…Hush.”

At my attempt to teach her some kindness, Angie puffed up her cheeks in an aggrieved pout.

“I was curious too, so I’ve been searching through Norhart’s library to see if there are any books on babies with such rapid development.”

“So it’s unusual, right? It’s something strange?”

“Normally, babies start walking around one year old, but at this rate, she might start running tomorrow.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

It seemed that even in this world, human development followed the same pace as my past life.

“Look, she’s already got two more teeth.”

I gently pulled down Angie’s tiny lips, revealing four small bottom teeth neatly in place.

Oh, she’s adorable, even this part of her.

Dame Gwendolyn observed Angie for a while, as if assessing something.

“There are times when I feel like the baby can actually understand you, my lady.”

“With me?”

“A four-month-old baby shouldn’t be able to understand speech this well.”

“I knew it… right?”

She often complied when I asked the nanny to be alone with her. And she seemed to grasp Cedrion’s words particularly well.

Dame Gwendolyn hesitated briefly, then carefully spoke.

“Would it be alright if I examined her?”

“Examined?”

“Yes. Since she’s still a baby, even small traces of external magic or divine power could cause issues, so I need the guardian’s permission.”

“The guardian….”

Should I ask Cedrion?

‘Since I’m just a temporary guardian.’

As I fell into thought, Dame Gwendolyn must have sensed my hesitation, for she quickly added,

“Cases of accelerated growth usually occur in children with a high affinity for divine power or those who inherit the First Blood of Arcadia. But don’t worry—the magic or divine power I use for the examination won’t harm her.”

“Inheriting the First Blood of Arcadia?”

“It means being born with enough magical power to use spells. Just like how direct descendants of Arcadia’s royal family or Norhart’s lineage can all wield magic.”

“Well, since Cedrion’s child would be a direct descendant of Norhart…”

As I said that with a teasing grin, Dame Gwendolyn chuckled along with me.

After all, neither of us truly believed that Cedrion was Angie’s real father.

“Those who are not royalty or from Norhart but are born with magic power strong enough to wield spells are said to resemble the First Blood of Arcadia. They are the ones who enter the Mage Tower and become mages.”

Dame Gwendolyn, having said this, adjusted her glasses and hesitated for a moment. As if deliberating over something, she moved her lips slightly before reluctantly adding,

“…Like you, my lady.”

“Me?”

“Yes, my lady was also born with magic power. Though it is gradually fading away.”

Dame Gwendolyn lowered her voice as if revealing a secret.

Come to think of it, the surroundings had grown quiet. At some point, Angie and the cat’s gazes had turned toward us.

***

The gardener returned to Norhart early the next morning through a magic portal created by Cedrion.

‘If my body were intact, would I have been able to use magic like this too?’

As I watched the gardener and the workers pass through the portal, I reflected on Dame Gwendolyn’s words.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

Cedrion, who had accompanied me, leaving behind Viscount Nielsen’s tearful protests, asked.

“Just that no matter how many times I see it, magic always amazes me.”

“…Is it that amazing?”

Repeating my words as if tasting them, Cedrion’s expression darkened for some reason.

“There’s no other meaning behind it. I truly just find it fascinating. It’s incredible.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Though he said so, his gloominess remained, making it clear that he had not truly understood.

As if there was some story behind it.

Not knowing the details, I tried to lighten the mood on purpose.

“Oh, right. Dame Gwendolyn asked me to check with you about something.”

“Your physician?”

“Yes. She says Angie’s development is extremely fast… could it be some kind of Norhart secret?”

“There is no such thing.”

“Really? I thought someone as tall as you must have been born sturdy from the start.”

I jokingly sized up Cedrion, who was a head taller than me, recalling how he had already been my height when he was in his early teens.

“…I was just normal.”

After a brief pause, Cedrion answered while staring at me intently. His golden eyes were unusually subdued.

“Oh, when you were in your early teens….”

That was when he had known Odelia.

I suddenly felt that I had made a mistake. This man often looked back on his memories with young Odelia with a face full of guilt.

“I’m sorry, for… not remembering.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“…That may be true, but.”

It wasn’t my fault, nor was it Odelia’s.

But Cedrion looked so troubled that I felt the need to apologize.

“Anyway, about what I was saying. Dame Gwendolyn wants to examine Angie.”

“Examine her?”

“She says she needs a guardian’s consent because it involves channeling divine power.”

“No.”

“What?”

Cedrion cut me off before I could even finish my sentence.

Startled, I quickly added,

“She assured me it’s completely safe. A child with rapid development like Angie likely possesses great magic power… Well, since she’s your daughter, she must have inherited the First Blood of Arcadia. If that’s the case, there should be no issue.”

“That’s not the issue. Either way, no.”

“But why?”

His abrupt and absolute refusal left me baffled.

“Does this have something to do with the paternity issue? Speaking of which, we agreed to confirm it at the Grand Temple once we arrived in Norhart. That still needs to be done.”

“Yes. Everything will be resolved once we visit the Grand Temple. So just tell your physician not to worry about it.”

“Resolved…? Is this another Norhart secret? While we’re at it, when will you finally explain everything?”

Caught off guard by his response, I let out my frustration. Cedrion gazed down at me for a long moment before slowly replying,

“That will also be settled once we visit the Grand Temple. Just wait a little longer. Once things are sorted out, we’ll go together.”

“Things need to be sorted out?”

“For you to access Norhart’s secrets, our engagement must first be formally recognized.”

“Then, about that…”

Fearing others might overhear, I trailed off instead of saying “contract.”

“That is a personal matter between you and me.”

“But Viscount Nielsen knows about Angie’s situation, doesn’t he?”

“The Nielsen family is an old vassal house that swore a blood pact with Norhart at the temple.”

Cedrion’s response felt more like a riddle.

At the same time, I sensed that the secret was being treated more seriously than I had thought. This wasn’t just an excuse he was making up.

After studying my reaction, Cedrion spoke again in a measured tone,

“Since we’re on the topic, I would prefer to hold the engagement ceremony immediately, but that’s not feasible right now.”

“That’s fine. We can just keep it simple…”

“Simple?”

Cedrion raised an eyebrow as if intrigued.

He let out a brief, almost imperceptible chuckle before leaning in toward me.

Once again, I felt the fine hairs on my nape stand on end.

“You may think of this as something fleeting.”

Since we couldn’t openly acknowledge that our engagement was a contract, he was whispering.

Even though it was purely a practical arrangement, my heart still pounded foolishly every time he did this.

W-Well, his handsome face was just too close….

“But there is no such thing as simple in Norhart.”