Side Story 6 – A Peaceful Daily Life (Part 2)

The delightful tea time came to an end as the sun began to set. They had been so engrossed in chatting that they hadn’t realized how much time had passed, and it had gone on later than expected.

While Serena and Katrina adjusted their attire and prepared to leave, Ria went inside the palace to gather the children. Fortunately, when she reached the second floor where the children’s rooms were, she found Selenia standing right by the stairs.

“Selenia, here you are. Why are you out here alone?”

“Linok went to the restroom. The older brothers are inside solving a puzzle.”

“I see. Your mother is waiting for you, so shall we go down? Why don’t you say goodbye to the older brothers first, and I’ll bring Linok down?”

“…”

“Selenia?”

Selenia, who had been speaking clearly and cheerfully, didn’t respond to her next words. Instead, she stared at Ria as if scrutinizing her.

In that moment, Ria thought of both Ennen and Serena. Bloodlines truly couldn’t be ignored.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Ria, who had been awkwardly smiling, responded with a curious “Hm?” when Selenia called her. The child’s expression was so serious that Ria wondered what she was about to say. What came next was entirely unexpected.

“How can I become like you, Your Majesty the Empress?”

“Huh?”

“Brother Lion—no, Brother Lionel said he likes you, Your Majesty. He said he wants to marry you. But I don’t know how to become the Empress.”

Goodness! How could anyone be this adorable? 

Ria almost burst out laughing. But she held it in, knowing it might hurt the little girl’s feelings, and bent down to meet her gaze.

“Well, maybe Lionel likes me because I’m his mother. Selenia, you love your mother a lot too, don’t you?”

“But I’ve never thought about marrying my mother.”

Looking at Selenia’s sparkling, determined eyes, Ria blinked. Then she remembered what Serena had said during the tea time earlier. Apparently, until a year ago, Selenia had been adamant about marrying her father but had recently become infatuated with Lionel, much to Ennen’s dismay.

“Hmm, what about your father?”

At Ria’s question, Selenia thought for a moment before replying.

“I used to feel that way before I met Brother Lionel, but not anymore.”

Why did she look so adorable? 

Ria chuckled inwardly. Her sons were wonderful, but having a daughter would have been lovely too.

“Maybe it’s the same for Lionel. He just hasn’t found anyone he likes more than his mother yet, like you with your father.”

Ria gently tucked Selenia’s hair behind her ear and smiled warmly.

“So, why don’t you show Lionel how amazing you are? Bright and bold Selenia is so cute and lovable.”

Her soft, kind eyes and warm brown gaze made even young Selenia stare in awe. For a moment, Selenia thought she understood why her older brothers loved their mother so much.

Blushing shyly, Selenia smiled brightly. The little girl, whose goal had been to become a woman as cool as her mother, now added becoming someone as warm as the Empress to her dreams.

***

After seeing Serena and Katrina off, Ria returned to the palace. The twins had initially planned to join her in bidding farewell, but when they returned to the room, they had fallen asleep with Sezrian, so they couldn’t.

It seemed that when Linok and Selenia had left the room, Sezrian had woken up crying, and while trying to put him back to sleep, they had ended up dozing off together. The children always played energetically when their friends gathered, so they must have been exhausted.

Quietly entering the room where the children were asleep, Ria carefully tidied up the toys scattered across the floor. Finally, she moved the half-finished puzzle to the side without disturbing it and sat on the spacious bed prepared in the room.

The bed had been set up for occasions when the children might nap after playing, and Ria thought it had been a good decision. The children had grown so much over the years that it was no longer feasible for her to carry them around in her arms.

Ria stroked the heads of Rizer, Sezrian, and Lionel one by one, giving each a kiss on the cheek before standing up. However, Lionel grabbed the hem of her dress.

As Ria, who had just started to rise, turned her head, she saw Lionel rubbing his eyes and sitting up. Feeling as if she might have woken him, Ria leaned back onto the bed to settle herself comfortably and lay Lionel down, lying beside him as well.

Lionel snuggled into his mother’s embrace with a contented smile, the composed demeanor he showed to others nowhere to be seen. He was just a child seeking comfort from his mother.

Feeling the gentle hand stroking his back, Lionel murmured softly as he began to drift back to sleep.

“Mother, what did you say to Selenia?”

“Hm? Oh, just a little something. Why do you ask?”

“Well… she didn’t come back to the room for a while, and then suddenly she came in and said she thought she understood why I liked someone like you.”

Lionel nuzzled his head against Ria’s chest, acting spoiled. His mother always carried a sweet, floral scent that made him feel good.

“I don’t like it when your kindness goes to other people. You’re mine, Mother.”

It had long been a well-known fact within the Imperial Palace that her three sons were extremely attached to their mother. Naturally, Ria herself was very aware of this.

Sometimes, she wondered if she had raised them to be too clingy. Yet, seeing how their behavior mirrored that of their fathers, she couldn’t help but smile. Still, she occasionally worried ahead of time, wondering what would happen when they brought home women they loved more than their mother.

“My dear Lionel, how will you manage at the academy if you’re this clingy?”

“I won’t go. I’ll do fine without going…”

As Ria gently patted his back, Lionel’s eyelids began to droop. His murmured complaints grew quieter and less coherent until they were no longer understandable. Just before he fell into a deep sleep, the last thing Lionel heard was his mother’s soft voice wishing him sweet dreams.

***

After finishing their respective tasks, the four men returned to the palace. Upon hearing that Ria and the three boys were not in the dining hall but in the playroom, they headed there.

However, the room they entered was silent. Exchanging glances, they quietly stepped inside and made their way toward the bed.

The canopy was neatly tied to the posts, but from the doorway, it was impossible to see if anyone was on the bed. Nevertheless, their first instinct was to check the bed—a habit formed from years of helping Ria care for the children.

Thanks to this, they were able to witness a heartwarming scene.

Their three beloved children and their precious wife, whom they cherished more than their own lives, were all asleep together.

Their hearts swelled with warmth and emotion.

The feelings they experienced from their family were entirely thanks to Ria being by their side. 

The precious emotions and dreamlike daily life they had come to know through her were filled with unforgettable moments. Surely, this scene would become one of those unforgettable memories.

A gentle breeze seemed to blow through the hearts of the four men. That breeze swept away the last remnants of anxiety and fear that had lingered.

Seven years. Even after everything had been resolved, it took seven years for them to fully accept that a peaceful daily life had finally arrived. They no longer had to worry about losing her or feel sudden pangs of unease.

Ria would remain by their side for a long time. She would never leave.

It was the day when the beasts, finally feeling complete security in the leash firmly tied around them, found peace.

<Please Do Not Let Go of That Leash> Side Story, The End