Side Story 1.1 – The Mischievous Genius Mage, Philly 

Elena and Felix spent their days joyfully with Philly, who had returned to them. Taking care of a newborn was more challenging than expected, but with the help of many others, they managed to get through it.  

Philly, as if aware of how much he was loved, always smiled brightly and grew up adorably.  

Sometimes, his image overlapped with the Philly who had visited them in the past, bringing tears to Elena’s eyes.  

He was the same yet different from the child who had come from the past.  

Elena often regretted not treating the Philly who had traveled to the past in search of his mother with more care. Because of this, she tried harder to pour all her love into him.  

Felix, too, took great care of Philly.  

Although he had been somewhat curt with Little One who had come from the future, he now worked hard to be a kind father to Philly.  

“Even so, taking care of a child isn’t easy.” 

Felix admitted.  

“Of course not. Did you think it would be?” 

Elena replied.  

“Not really, but I thought I’d be more used to it since I looked after Little One for a while. But it’s completely different. Taking care of him for a short time isn’t the same as parenting.”  

Elena glanced at Philly, who was sound asleep, and tapped her stiff shoulders. Felix gently pushed her into a chair and began massaging her shoulders.  

As she stretched her sore legs while receiving the massage, she recalled the past ten months, which had felt like a war.  

‘It was so hard I could cry.’

She thought.  

Philly had turned her life completely upside down.  

Of course, meeting Philly again had been indescribably wonderful. His birth was a miracle and a source of immense joy.  

However, after his birth, Elena had to give up more than she had anticipated.  

First, she had to take parental leave. When she initially decided to take leave, she had planned to develop toys at the mansion during her free time.  

But that had been a big misconception and arrogance on her part. She had underestimated parenting because taking care of Little One in the past had been manageable. Parenting, however, was no easy task.  

‘The Philly I met during Saint Esna’s Festival was older than I had realized. And we only spent about a week together.’ 

Even with the nanny, Felix, and the maids, parenting was full of challenges.  

She had to feed Philly every two to three hours, and his short naps left her with almost no personal time.  

Naturally, her opportunities to meet friends dwindled. Although Alice and other friends occasionally visited her at the mansion, they couldn’t stay long.  

As the days passed like a battlefield, ten months flew by. Philly had started sleeping through the night and transitioned to eating formula and baby food.  

This meant Elena was beginning to have some free time.  

It was then that Felix made a suggestion.  

“This weekend, I’ll take care of Philly by myself. Why don’t you go meet Alice?”  

Elena eagerly took him up on the offer.  

“Really? Are you sure it’s okay?”  

“Of course. You’ve been saying you miss Alice. Go spend the weekend with her—stay overnight if you want.”  

“Overnight? What about Philly?”  

Felix, holding Philly and patting him, replied confidently.  

“I told you, I’ll take care of him.”  

“Hmm.”  

Elena hesitated for a moment.  

She was Philly’s primary caregiver. However, Felix had also been actively involved in parenting.  

He had taken six months off work immediately after Philly was born to help raise him. It had been such an unprecedented move that it was still talked about in the Knight Order.  

Thanks to their shared parenting, Philly was very attached to Felix. Even when Elena left Philly with Felix to work in another room, Philly didn’t search for her.  

‘But staying apart for a whole day and night is a different story.’

After some hesitation, Elena nodded. Felix had already pushed her to go, so there was no reason to refuse.  

Besides, she felt that Philly would likely play well with Felix and not miss her too much during the short time apart.  

“Alright, I’ll go then.”  

When the weekend arrived, Elena waved goodbye to Philly, who was sucking on his pacifier in Felix’s arms.  

“Philly, Mommy is going to visit Aunt Alice and play for a bit. Stay with Daddy and have fun, okay?”  

“Mm.”  

Not understanding what was happening, Philly smiled with his eyes crinkled. Elena stroked his chubby cheeks.  

“You’ll be okay with Daddy, right?”  

“Baa.”  

Philly, oblivious to the fact that he would be apart from her for the day, was simply cheerful. Seeing this made Elena feel a little sad.  

Of course, it would have been a problem if Philly had cried and thrown a tantrum about being separated from her. Smiling and parting was much better than tears.  

She understood this logically, but emotionally, it was hard to accept.  

This was the first time she would be apart from Philly for an entire day!  

She fiddled with Philly’s tiny hands and asked persistently,  

“Philly, are you okay with not seeing Mommy until tomorrow? Won’t you be sad?”  

“Ma-ma.”  

“Are you really okay? If Mommy leaves now, you won’t see me until tomorrow.”  

“Gyaa?”  

Felix, unable to watch any longer, grabbed Philly’s hand and waved it.  

“Philly is saying goodbye and telling you to have fun. Honestly, it seems like you’re the one who doesn’t want to leave more than Philly. Do you not want to go?”  

“It’s not that…”  

“If it’s not, then stop worrying and just go. It’s only one night. I can handle it fine. The nanny and the staff are here too. What are you so worried about?”  

“Alright, fine. I’ll go. Philly, Mommy’s leaving now.”  

“Ba-ba!”  

Reluctantly, Elena climbed into the carriage, her steps heavy. Even as the carriage departed, Philly continued to smile brightly.  

* * *

“Elly, welcome!”  

As soon as Elena stepped out of the carriage, Alice hugged her tightly. Seeing her friend’s bright smile instantly lifted Elena’s mood.  

“It’s good to see you, Alice. How have you been?”  

“Oh, come on. You talk like we haven’t seen each other in ages. Didn’t we meet just recently?”  

“Did we?”  

Elena laughed sheepishly.  

“Well, that’s true.”  

Alice lived in the capital, just like Elena. Although their homes weren’t close enough to be considered neighbors, they frequently kept in touch.  

Alice often came to Elena’s house after work to hang out, and Elena occasionally visited Alice’s home with Philly.  

“I guess I’m just excited about spending a night together. It’s been so long since we’ve had a sleepover. Isn’t this the first time since graduation?”  

“That’s true.”  

Laughing like schoolgirls, Alice grabbed Elena’s hand and led her inside the mansion.  

“Let’s have a pajama party. I’m so excited!”  

“Me too. It feels like we’re back in school.”  

“But where’s Philly? Didn’t you bring him?”  

“Yes, I thought about bringing him along, but Felix said there’d be no fun if Philly came, so he told me to go alone.”  

“Well, that makes sense. But it’s a little disappointing. I even bought toys and pajamas for Philly, just in case he came.”  

Alice led Elena into the living room and pointed to the boxes stacked in one corner. When Elena opened them, she found gifts that Alice had clearly put a lot of thought into selecting.  

Among them, Alice had purchased matching yellow pajamas for Elena and Philly. The set looked adorable, and Elena thought it would look perfect when worn with Philly.  

“Wow, these are so cute. Philly will absolutely love them.”  

“Right?”  

“Yes. But don’t be too disappointed. I’ll bring Philly along next time.”  

“Deal.”  

The two of them chuckled as they looked at each other. It truly felt like they had gone back to their school days.  

***

Felix was thankful that Philly didn’t cry even after Elena’s carriage had completely disappeared from sight. Instead, Philly smiled brightly as Felix kissed his forehead.  

“Good boy. Now, let’s take a nap.”  

“Byaa.”  

It was just about time for his nap, so Philly fell asleep without much fuss.  

Two hours later.  

“Mya!”  

Philly woke up from his nap and began to roll over, looking for his mother.  

“Myaaa!”  

Usually, when he cried out like this, his mother would appear with a bright smile. But instead of Elena, the door opened to reveal Felix.  

“You’re awake?”  

“Mua!”  

“Mommy went to Aunt Alice’s house, remember?”  

“Ah?”  

Philly rolled his big eyes, trying to grasp the situation. But no matter how long he waited, his mother didn’t show up.  

“Maaa!”  

“You saw Mommy leave earlier, Philly. She’ll be back tomorrow.”  

Tears quickly welled up in Philly’s round eyes, and he soon burst into loud sobs.  

“Hold on a second. Daddy will get your food.”  

Flustered, Felix hurriedly left the nursery. Watching his father’s retreating back, Philly panted heavily in his crib.  

He didn’t want Daddy. He wanted Mommy. Little One smacked his lips.  

• Philly, Mommy is going to visit Aunt Alice and play for a bit. Stay with Daddy and have fun, okay?  

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.  

When Felix returned with baby food a moment later, the crib was empty.