Noel, his lips stretched into a long smile, spread his arms affectionately. Seemingly delighted by his appearance, the two children approached him familiarly, raising their hands and laughing brightly.

“Daddy Noel!”

“Dada!”

At some point, Edwin had begun calling all three brothers “daddy.” With three people he wanted to call father, adding their names before “daddy” appeared to be his own method of distinction. 

Since “daddy” was the word Edwin used most frequently, the second child had also made his first babbling sounds resembling “daddy,” keeping smiles constantly on the brothers’ faces.

Though Lyrica had worried that Edwin might become confused, so far there were no signs of that. Anyway, since they were technically uncles by family relation, Noel and Lucas insisted that fathers were fathers, and Lian simply chuckled at their attitude, letting them do as they pleased.

“You’re here?”

Noel walked toward Lyrica with a child in each arm. The sight of him casually holding the two exceptionally fast-developing children like sandwiches always amazed her.

“Were you watching both of them by yourself? Where’s the nanny?”

“I sent her to rest. These two play so well together that it’s not really difficult for me.”

“That’s good then.”

As Noel bent down to kiss her, he straightened back up when he felt a familiar tug on his head. Theo, grinning happily at his elevated view, was pulling Noel’s black hair. With his black hair and blue eyes, the baby looked exactly like Noel’s son.

When the child was born with his blue eyes, Noel had been overjoyed to the point of tears. 

Though the child resembled Noel so perfectly, whenever he laughed with his distinctive chuckle, Lyrica’s features also flashed across his face, which had long since captivated Lian and Lucas as well.

“Dada!”

“Theo!”

Edwin reached out his hand to stop Theo. Despite the surprising strength from such small hands, Noel spoke with the indulgence of a doting father.

“With strength like this, he already shows talent for swordsmanship.”

Lyrica gently shook her head with a smile that took on a deeper hue in the tilting sunset light. Seeing her particularly bright smile, Noel’s mood lifted too, and after putting down the squirming children, he caressed Lyrica’s cheek.

“Did something good happen today? Why are you smiling so beautifully?”

“Good things happen every day. But today something especially good did happen.”

“You’re pregnant.” 

Helena’s voice still seemed to ring in her ears.

It had been a leisurely morning when she woke up late. Wanting some time to herself, Lyrica had pulled the bell rope to have breakfast brought to her bedroom. 

The moment she took a spoonful of soup, she put down her spoon and frowned at the familiar yet strange sensation.

“Why does it smell like this?”

The head chef wouldn’t make mistakes, and the taste lingering faintly on her tongue was the same as before, but why did it feel so unpleasant…

Lyrica suddenly raised her head, got up, and called for a maid. Kelly, flustered by the unexpectedly quick summons, hurried in.

“Shall I clear away your meal, my lady?”

“Yes. And please call Helena for me.”

Is she ill? Kelly glanced at the barely touched plate, bowed her head, and began clearing the table. After she left, Lyrica sat on the bed, nervously fidgeting with her feet until she heard Helena’s knock.

“You called for me, Duchess.”

“I think I might be pregnant. Can you check for me?”

Helena snapped to attention and hurriedly approached to check Lyrica’s pulse. After examining her for a while and rolling her eyes upward to assess her condition, she nodded and spoke.

“That’s right. You are pregnant.”

“Really?”

A flush of joy spread across Lyrica’s face. Seeing Lyrica place her hand on her still-flat lower abdomen and rejoice like a child, Helena couldn’t help but sigh.

“But it’s too soon, my lady. The second young master was born not long ago. I’m worried that I shouldn’t have said it was alright for you to conceive again.”

The thought of being reprimanded by the three Valter brothers already made her head throb. Whether or not she understood Helena’s concerns, Lyrica smiled brightly and shook her head.

“I promised this would be the last one anyway. It’ll be fine.”

Once Theo had grown somewhat and Lyrica had recovered her strength, another round of not-quite-arguments had broken out. 

Lyrica, who had struggled to persuade the brothers who insisted on having no more children, was only able to change their minds after promising this would be the last one. 

Not long after that, this child had arrived. Recalling the morning’s events, Lyrica unconsciously placed her hand on her lower abdomen and became lost in thought.

‘But I didn’t expect it to come so quickly.’

Considering how many times they had made love, neither Edwin’s nor Theo’s conceptions had been particularly quick. There were times when Lian, Noel, and Lucas had been deeply concerned because she worried there might be something wrong with her. 

Though she did conceive Edwin not long after, she had secretly worried that being of nymph lineage might cause problems with pregnancy and childbirth.

After giving birth to Edwin and Theo, as those concerns began to fade, this child that came so quickly felt like an assurance telling her not to worry anymore, making this pregnancy especially joyful. Seeing her particularly clear expression, Noel tilted his head curiously.

“I’m curious what happened to make you smile so radiantly.”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Lyrica looked at Noel with a mysterious smile. Seeing her playful demeanor, Noel laughed softly and kissed her pink hair. 

The sound of children’s laughter rang pleasantly along with the chirping of insects that had begun to sound against the dimming sky. It was an exceptionally happy day for the Valter ducal family.

fin.