Side Story 4

At last, a grand wedding was held in the garden of the Perschtmann Duke’s mansion. Rumor that the Emperor and Empress would attend brought a flood of nobles hoping to be seen, and the vast garden was filled with guests.

The two sisters, who had begun staying at the mansion since yesterday, eagerly helped their youngest sister Aness prepare. The Baron and Baroness held on tightly to mischievous Ian’s hands from both sides so he wouldn’t ruin the event.

Because of this, baby Ian was annoyed that he couldn’t disrupt his father’s wedding. He wanted to make his rival Caron, who was showered with his mother’s love, suffer a huge embarrassment, but he was powerless and felt terribly frustrated. As much as he hated to admit it, the male lead of the day was not himself, but his father Caron.

The Emperor and Empress were amazed by Aness, who appeared in beautiful attire, and gave her their blessings. Dressed in a white gown adorned with lavish ruffles and lace, Aness drew the overwhelming attention of the crowd.

The Empire’s ladies, considering Aness a rival for stealing the love of Duke Perschtmann, flocked to see just how beautiful she was, only to find themselves unable to deny her charm. Rather than beautiful, she was simply lovable. With her small, white face framed by thickly braided brown hair and her large, lovely eyes, Aness shyly glanced around before meeting her husband Caron’s gaze and feeling reassured.

Caron approached and linked his arm with hers, smiling. At his charming smile, the ladies squealed in unison, only to be scolded by their parents.

Now, Duke Perschtmann was officially the husband of one woman, a married man, so drooling over him was improper.

Soon, the high priest arrived and had the couple exchange vows of love before everyone, and the crowd erupted in loud applause.

Caron lightly kissed his wife Aness, sealing his final pledge of love. The Emperor and Empress sincerely congratulated them and presented a vast fortune in jewels and land as wedding gifts.

For the Duke, already the richest in the Empire, such gifts meant little. But the gifts didn’t end there.

“Caron, in recognition of your achievements and with gratitude, I will reduce your workload for a while. So enjoy your honeymoon to the fullest.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Duke could not hide his joy at finally receiving the gift he wanted. He had been unable to be close to Aness because of his busy work, so he planned to stick to her as much as possible to make up for lost time.

After the grand ceremony ended and the nobles departed like the ebbing tide, only the three family members remained in the garden. Aness’s quick-witted family had already left, so the young couple could enjoy their time alone.

“Aness. You are truly beautiful today.”

Caron, who had been gazing at his bride with intense eyes, now could not hold back and hugged her tightly from behind.

“Oh, the maids are coming and going, please not here…”

Aness shyly grasped Caron’s hand as he embraced her. She, too, was gazing at her husband Caron, dazzling in his tuxedo, as if bewitched.

She disliked the way noble ladies kept glancing at her husband, so she had waited eagerly for the ceremony to end. She wanted to have this man all to herself.

“Since we’re tired today, let’s go to bed a bit early.”

Caron’s hand slyly caressed his wife’s chest. Aness, startled, giggled and gently pinched Caron’s hand.

Caron laughed softly, then, unable to resist, bent down and kissed Aness’s cheek. From afar, a few maids witnessed the scene, their faces turning red as they watched in delight. But then, someone suddenly crashed into the beautiful moment.

“Mama!”

Ian, who had just returned from having his sticky hands and feet wiped by a maid, urgently called for his mother. In the blink of an eye, his father and mother had become one again.

“Oh, Ian, come here. No more pie. Too many sweets aren’t good for you.”

Aness hugged her beloved baby tightly and rubbed cheeks with him. Caron, as if someone had just snatched away his bread, stepped back and stared intently at Ian.

As expected, Ian, nestled in his mother’s arms, stuck out his tiny tongue at his father Caron—bleh!

Caron frowned and let out a low sigh. Like father, like son—he looked exactly like Caron did as a child.

Because of his antics as a baby, his parents hadn’t been able to share a bed for years, enduring a difficult time. This must be what they mean by “you reap what you sow.”

‘Hmm, but Ian. You can’t beat me. I know exactly what’s going on in your head. Hmph.’

Caron gave a ruthless smile to the baby, who was grinning in victory from his mother’s arms.

***

Duke Perschtmann graciously yielded his wife Aness to their son. Ian, delighted by his victory, fell fast asleep in his mother’s arms that night.

There was one thing baby Ian could never beat his father at, no matter what—and that was physical development.

In other words, as a baby, Ian was bound to fall asleep at night and needed plenty of rest, with a body far weaker than his robust father Caron. He could never win against him.

That night, Caron came to see Aness, who was putting Ian to sleep. Aness was singing a lullaby in her clear, gentle voice as she soothed the baby to sleep. She kissed her beloved Ian’s forehead and, about to close her eyes beside the peacefully sleeping child, Caron appeared, pulling back the bed curtains.

Aness, rubbing her sleepy eyes, gazed at the imposing Caron standing before her as if mesmerized. He was, without a doubt, her handsome husband—someone it was impossible not to fall in love with. Only then did she recall with emotion that she had married this man.

“Oh, Caron!”

In bed, she called him by his name rather than “Duke.”

“Aness, I’m not a very patient man.”

Caron whispered as he pressed a warm kiss to her neck. He wanted to keep her by his side every day and hold her whenever he wished. Having awakened to love late in life, even an hour apart felt like a loss.

And Aness felt the same. Ever since she had experienced that pleasure, she found herself having vivid dreams more and more often. It was becoming harder to handle her own increasingly passionate body.

“Ah, Caron. I’ve been waiting for you.”

In truth, she had wanted to run to him the moment Ian fell asleep. Sleep had nearly overtaken her, but seeing her handsome husband again made her instantly alert. As she was embraced by his strong body, she felt herself growing warm and sensitive again.

“Hold me. Now.”

Aness, now free of embarrassment, threw herself into her husband’s arms. Caron held his lovely wife tightly, kissing her, then glanced down at their son Ian, who was sleeping soundly nearby. The baby, who looked just like him, was so innocent and lovable as he slept.

‘Son, do you understand now? The difference in our bodies is huge. You need to sleep more than ten hours a day to grow up strong. If you want to challenge your father, you’ll have to eat well, sleep well, and grow a lot.’

Caron looked down affectionately at his sleeping child and hugged his beloved wife Aness even tighter. Since she had given him such a wonderful son, it was obvious to whom he owed his greatest loyalty.

***

Ian woke up late in the morning and was very pleased to see his mother still lying beside him.

“Mama, mama!”

He shook his sleeping mother’s shoulder with his tiny hand, but Aness was fast asleep, completely worn out. It was no wonder—she had only just returned from spending a passionate night in her husband’s bedroom at dawn and was utterly exhausted.

Young Ian didn’t suspect a thing about why his mother had become such a sleepyhead. He played with her hair and, with the maids’ help, ate breakfast before Aness finally managed to get up. For some reason, even in the morning, her face was flushed as she ate only a bowl of soup and some salad, then returned to the bedroom.

Their family always had dinner together with the father. At those times, Ian would stick close to his mother to distract her, but his parents exchanged subtle glances from across the table.

The father gazed at his wife with intense eyes, while the mother, shy yet unable to help herself, kept stealing glances at her husband. They were still in the heat of their passion for each other.

Regardless, Ian firmly believed that the only time his father and mother officially met was at dinner.

So, he confidently made faces at his father Caron, trying to tease him, but Caron only smiled back indulgently, showing no reaction at all.

The Duke was so reserved and unsentimental that even if he seemed distant with his young son, the servants and maids thought nothing of it.

No one could have imagined how passionate he was in the bedroom, or how much he adored his wife.

Then, exactly one month later, the time came for baby Ian to experience a shock.

It was discovered that his mother Aness was pregnant.

***

“A sibling?”

“Yes! Young master, you  are going to have a little brother or sister!”

The maids couldn’t hide their excitement, each one thrilled. The Duke, who had seemed destined never to marry, had suddenly wed, produced an heir, and now another baby was on the way—the entire household was overjoyed.

Aness had been suffering from morning sickness since breakfast and eventually had to stay in bed, with Caron personally attending to her.

Ian was thrown into confusion, sitting in a corner of the room, deeply troubled. He felt as though he had been dethroned from his role as the main character.

Everyone was rushing to his mother, already guessing whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. The entire household was so excited that they seemed to have forgotten about the lovable Ian entirely.

Deeply dejected, Ian hid in a corner, clutching his small head in both hands and groaning. When did this happen? He had kept a close watch on his parents whenever he was awake. That meant history had been made while he was asleep.

So adults can live without sleep! Shocked, Ian couldn’t hold back his tears and began to sob.

Now, no one would pay attention to him. The new baby might become the true star of the family. Even now, his cold father never once gave him a warm look—what was he to do?

Saddened, Ian waddled on his short legs to the back garden. There was a nest where he used to play in the dirt with his mother.

“Sniff…”

He sat clutching a stick he’d played with and wiped his tear-stained eyes with his sleeve. Then, he wrote his name in the soft earth. Ian was a genius—he could read and write his name without anyone teaching him. It was his own secret that he’d never told anyone.

“Sniff, I’ve been abandoned…”

As Ian cried alone, lamenting his abandonment, a large shadow suddenly fell over the little boy from behind.

“Who would abandon you? You’re such a precious son.”

“!!!”

At the familiar voice, Ian turned his head sharply. Standing before him was his father, the Duke, always so stern and cold.

“Papa?”

Ian looked up at his father with a face stained with tears. He looked like a piece of bread that had been soaked and left to swell up, and Caron couldn’t help but smile.

“Come here, my son.”

Caron opened his arms, and Ian, as if he had been waiting for this, bounced into the wide embrace with his short arms and legs. He was not a baby who would miss such an opportunity.

“Ian, your father will always love you. I promise that will never change.”

Caron knew better than anyone what Ian was worried about. Just as he himself had once been troubled as a child, this boy must have a lot on his mind.

“Papa, I love you!”

Ian seized the chance to hug his father Caron’s neck tightly. His father’s embrace was definitely different from his mother’s. Unlike his mother, who was soft and warm, his father was hard but dependable and endlessly broad.

***

At the beginning of the following year, Aness gave birth to a tiny, adorable daughter. Unlike when she had Ian, this time she gave birth happily, surrounded by the support of all the maids, servants, her husband, and her son.

Ian, held in his father’s arms, watched the wriggling baby with wide, amazed eyes. Even though he was still a baby himself, he now had a baby sister.

“Ian, your little sister’s name is Ella. How do you feel about having a sister?”

Caron gently stroked Ian’s head as he asked. Right now, the one who needed love most was not the newborn, but the eldest son Ian. He was at an age to realize many things.

“Papa, she’s so pretty!”

Ian beamed and kissed his baby sister on the forehead. Aness, still sweaty from childbirth, watched her husband and eldest son with a happy face.

Could there be greater happiness than this? Aness was happier than anyone else in the world.

And she would continue to live happily ever after.

With her husband Caron, who gently stroked her forehead, and her son Ian, who was delighted with his baby sister.

– The End

The Chaste Knight Commander [Side Story]