Huh…? 

Hearing such a baby-friendly word in Cedrion Norhart’s voice…?

“Your mother’s ears are hurting, so how about stopping now?”

Even his tone was a few notes higher than usual?

“Waaahhh…!”

“Oh dear, Angie, Angie. Father isn’t scolding you, okay?”

Had his awkward attempt at soothing her only provoked Angie further? She began wailing, almost screaming.

“Ahem”. 

A somewhat embarrassed Cedrion cleared his throat.

“I’ll calm Angie down, so could you do something about that cat?”

I gestured toward the calico. At that moment, our eyes met.

Well, calling it ‘meeting eyes’ might not be quite right, but it felt that way. Those teal eyes were staring straight at me.

A sigh passed through Cedrion’s nose. He then swiftly strode over to Mathias, who was still struggling with the cat.

“Y-Your Grace…! This one is quite fierce.”

“Step aside.”

Cedrion moved Mathias, who had a fresh scratch of honor across his cheek, out of the way and grabbed the calico by the scruff of its neck with a firm grip.

“Nyaaah!”

After successfully dodging Mathias’s hands, the cat seemed caught off guard and was easily captured by Cedrion. The calico, now looking around in confusion, seemed completely dumbfounded.

“Hiccup.”

Angie’s hiccup broke the silence. Looking at her, I realized Cedrion’s gaze was not on me, but slightly to the side—on Angie.

Was he suggesting that her crying had been excessive, considering she was only scared of the cat?

Under his gaze, Angie pursed her lips between her chubby cheeks and then…

“Hing, hngh…”

“Oh, Angie. Father said that because he’s worried your throat might hurt, okay? You’re such a good girl.”

Tears welled up under her big, round eyes again.

Was he seriously scolding a baby just because his baby talk didn’t work?

When Angie, who had finally stopped crying, began to whimper again, I shot Cedrion a glare.

Running his hand roughly through his hair in frustration, he stepped forward and took Angie from me, almost as if snatching her away.

“Hwaaah…?”

As Angie, now abruptly separated from me, wiggled her tiny fingers that had been clutching my collar, about to start whining again—

“These past few days, you’ve been giving your mother a hard time. Do you realize that?”

“Hic, hngh.”

“And today.”

Cedrion lowered his head and whispered something into Angie’s ear. His voice was already low to begin with, so when he spoke even softer, I couldn’t hear a word.

A moment later, as Cedrion lifted his head away from Angie—

“Huuuh.”

Whatever he had told her, Angie let out something like a sigh.

Then, she stopped fussing. She didn’t whimper or let a single tear fall.

What… was that?

Regardless of any divine connection, wasn’t it possible that Cedrion and Angie were actually related by blood? The way they seemed to understand each other so easily was almost uncanny.

As I stood there, bewildered, staring at Angie nestled in his arms, Cedrion spoke up.

“You, make some time for me tonight. There’s something we need to discuss.”

“Something to discuss…?”

“I’d love to have dinner with you after so long, but I don’t have the time. I’ll come by tonight, so let’s at least have a glass of wine together.”

His voice carried an urgency, as if he really needed to leave right away.

Well, that made sense. Lately, Cedrion had been swamped with work, as if all his postponed duties had suddenly come crashing down at once.

As I hesitated, distracted by the weary look on his face, he quickly added,

“I’ll drink the wine alone, so don’t worry about that. As for Angie…”

“It’s usually her sleeping time around then.”

Cedrion met Angie’s gaze once more, as if conveying a silent message. Angie’s lips jutted out in a pout.

“Um, you know.”

“Hm?”

“I have something to say too.”

Cedrion’s brow furrowed slightly.

“No, I mean, there’s something I want to hear from you.”

“……Ah.”

As if he had grasped the meaning of my words, Cedrion’s well-shaped lips stretched into a slow smile.

“This is perfect timing.”

His voice carried a hint of relief.

It was understandable—Cedrion had always wanted to tell me about my childhood.

It was connected to his desire to reveal the truth about Lure’s rebellion.

‘Just how significant was that event for it to be intertwined with Lure’s rebellion…?’

Come to think of it, considering that Michael had placed a barrier around the Blue Roof Manor after that incident, it was clear he was deeply entangled in it as well.

And yet, unaware of all this, Odelia had set her sights on the position of Crown Princess.

‘So, if she were truly the real Odelia, she would have been heartbroken upon learning the truth.’

But for me, it wasn’t my life.

No matter what had happened, it wouldn’t affect me emotionally.

***

For some reason, Angie had fallen into a deep sleep in her own bed for the first time in a long while.

It had been absurdly easy to put her to sleep compared to the past few days, so both the nanny and I could only exchange dumbfounded chuckles.

“What on earth did you do to persuade Angie earlier?”

Given the situation, it was only natural that I asked Cedrion about it the moment I saw him.

“I simply played the role of a father for a change.”

“A father’s role, you say.”

Cedrion’s nonchalant remark made me let out a small laugh. Of course, judging by tone alone, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of playfulness in his quiet voice.

“She seemed to be displaying some regressive tendencies because she didn’t want to be apart from you, so I advised her that you prefer mature babies.”

“…Regression, you say?”

What kind of regression could there be for a baby barely five months old…?

Even though Cedrion phrased it that way, I was certain he had clumsily strung together baby talk just for Angie’s sake.

“You’ve had a tough time because of Angie lately, haven’t you? Let’s take it easy tonight.”

We were on a balcony close to the Grand Duchess’s chambers. It was said to be the largest balcony in the east wing, offering a perfect view of the moonlit central courtyard of the Grand Duke’s castle.

“Take it easy? Didn’t you call me out at night to discuss something serious?”

“That’s unfair. I merely wanted to spend some quiet time with my beloved fiancée after days apart. Besides, didn’t you say you had something to discuss as well?”

Cedrion’s attempt at joking with his usual stern expression made me chuckle despite myself.

“And who was it that just earlier rushed through his business without even taking a breath?”

“The faster I finish my work, the longer I can spend time with you.”

His voice was as low and dry as always, yet perhaps because he was deliberately playing the role of a teasing fiancé, it felt oddly affectionate.

…I needed to steel myself. Odelia’s heart was weak, so even my thoughts needed to remain strong.

Otherwise, between the serene beauty of this moonlit night and his false tenderness, I’d end up deluding myself into something ridiculous.

“But why are there two glasses? Didn’t you say you’d be drinking wine alone?”

I changed the subject to lighten the mood.

On the table in front of our sofa, a kind of light meal had been prepared.

“I got permission from your physician for a small amount of alcohol.”

“You met Dame Gwendolyn in the meantime?”

I had stopped Dame Gwendolyn from requesting a meeting with Cedrion—so had he taken the initiative this time?

Sensing the sharpness in my tone, Cedrion spoke in a soothing manner.

“I didn’t pry about Lure’s secrets. I simply thought it might help your health, so I arranged access to the herbal greenhouse and introduced her to some herbalists.”

“Oh.”

Dame Gwendolyn had specifically asked me for that, yet Cedrion had already taken care of it himself.

I felt guilty for doubting him unnecessarily.

“…Thank you.”

“I didn’t meet her directly, so don’t be too wary.”

“Ugh.”

Had I failed to hide my expression? Or was Cedrion just holding a grudge?

“I only asked Franz to check the menu because I wanted to eat something other than those so-called health foods with you.”

Now that I looked, the silver platters held an elegant arrangement of cheeses, dried fruits, figs, strawberries, and chocolates—an assortment of delightful treats.

And, of course, the garnet-colored wine that Cedrion poured into a glass.

Wow, how long has it been since I last had a drink?

The moment I became Odelia, I was given a terminal diagnosis, so I hadn’t even dared to dream of it.

Not that I was a heavy drinker in my past life, but after a long, exhausting day at work, taking a sip from a four-pack of beer I had bought in advance felt like heaven.

And now, here I was, drinking wine that would have been unimaginably expensive in my previous life, while gazing at a breathtaking night view.

Yes. No matter how many times I thought about it, this reincarnation—no, this possession—was truly a blessing.

‘I shouldn’t get too carried away, though. Taking care of Odelia’s affairs is just a small price to pay. I shouldn’t overthink it.’

With that thought, I kept taking small sips, all the while watching Cedrion’s expression, waiting for the right moment to bring up my own topic.

“You know.”

“…I, you.”