Side Story 4

As her belly grew, her body became increasingly strained, but her heart was happy, and she always felt buoyant.

Dunswell, who had visited the castle after a long time, was also very pleased.

“Finally, we will see the heir of Liwonoc! You’ve done well, my dear.”

“Thank you, Father. But we still don’t know the baby’s gender.”

With the medical technology here, it was not possible to determine the fetus’s gender in advance. However, Evelyn didn’t care whether it was a girl or a boy.

She just hoped that the little one inside her would come out into the world soon.

“Haha. The gender doesn’t matter. But I’m worried. You’re so thin; will you be able to give birth safely?”

“There are people thinner than me who have given birth just fine.”

“Yes… That’s true.”

Even as he answered, Dunswell looked a bit somber. He seemed to be thinking of his late wife, Chloe.

Both Dyffrin and Dunswell had trauma regarding childbirth because of Chloe.

Trying to change the subject, he asked brightly,남자면 엘리노어라고 지으려고요. 

“Have you decided on a name?”

“Yes, we have.”

In fact, they had decided on the baby’s name quite a while ago.

“If it’s a girl, we’ll name her Ellia, and if it’s a boy, Ellino. Both names mean ‘God’s blessing.’ We chose them to express our gratitude to God.”

“Those are beautiful names.”

For the next week, Dunswell stayed at the castle, sharing various stories from the almshouse with Evelyn.

He said that as the former Duke of Liwonoc, he had taken the lead in doing hard work, and some nobles had followed his example.

Not only nobles like the elderly Earl Aldres, who truly had a sense of purpose, but also young nobles had started to volunteer at the almshouse, making it a badge of honor among them. They even boasted about their volunteer work at social parties.

Evelyn enjoyed chatting with Dunswell and having a good time. After a week, Dunswell packed his bags again.

“Eat well, and if you need anything, let me know anytime. I will return to the castle when it’s time for the baby to be born.”

“Yes, Father. Take care of yourself. If I feel better, I will visit the almshouse.”

“There’s no need to come. It’s not an ideal environment for a pregnant woman like you. There are quite a few patients too.”

Dunswell said, laughing heartily.

His kind laughter, combined with his untrimmed beard, made him look like a monk who had left worldly affairs behind.

After Dunswell left, the days passed peacefully. They had hired a midwife, and Merrilyn was excited about becoming the nanny.

The servants were already looking forward to the birth of the little master, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Only Dyffrin couldn’t hide his anxiety as the due date approached. He would sometimes take out whiskey late at night and drink alone.

Evelyn cautiously approached and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Dyffrin… Are you worried about the childbirth?”

“It’s not an easy thing.”

“Nothing will happen. I’m someone who came back from death, remember?”

But when the time for childbirth came, Evelyn’s mind went blank from the pain she had never experienced before.

At that moment, all she could do was grip the blanket underneath her tightly.

“Ugh…”

The unbearable pain made it hard to breathe. Though not clear, she thought she heard Dyffrin’s sharp voice questioning the doctor and midwife.

After a long struggle, a loud cry was heard.

“Waa, waa!”

The midwife wrapped the baby in a cloth and showed it to Evelyn.

“It’s a beautiful princess.”

Evelyn had thought it would be a boy because of the loud cry, but it was a girl.

She had thought of teaching her swordsmanship from a young age if it was a girl, and she seemed to be strong enough to do well.

With that thought, Evelyn closed her tired eyes.

When she opened them again, she saw Dyffrin’s face. He was holding her hand tightly.

“Dyffrin…?”

Dyffrin heaved a sigh of relief, his chest rising and falling heavily.

“You’ve been asleep for a long time.”

“Really…”

Evelyn sat up. Her whole body felt sore as if it had been bruised.

“What about the baby?”

“Merrilyn is taking care of her.”

“How is she? Isn’t she beautiful?”

“I can’t tell. She just looks so small and fragile.”

Dyffrin looked a bit confused. Evelyn wasn’t disappointed by his reaction.

He had never seen a newborn baby before, so it was natural for him to feel unfamiliar.

In time, he would surely find her adorable and lovely. After all, she was their child.

Soon, Merrilyn came in with the baby. Evelyn held the baby and grasped her tiny, wiggling hand.

“Ellia…”

Dyffrin, quietly watching the scene, murmured.

“Blonde hair and blue eyes.”

Evelyn lifted her head and smiled.

“I hoped she would resemble you if she were a girl, and it seems God has granted my wish.”

“He didn’t grant my wish.”

Dyffrin had hoped the baby, whether a girl or a boy, would resemble Evelyn.

“But she’s so pretty. She’ll surely become a beauty who will captivate the empire.”

Evelyn’s prediction turned out to be accurate.

Ellia grew up to be adorably cute and beautiful, to the point where Evelyn wondered if she found her lovely just because she was her own child. But seeing the maids who were eager to see Ellia every day, it seemed it wasn’t just her own thinking.

Ellia’s features became more defined as she grew, and she looked just like Dyffrin. She seemed like a proud princess.

Precocious and intelligent, she was already studying subjects far beyond her age, even at five years old.

However, she had inherited Dyffrin’s quiet and reserved nature.

One difference from Dyffrin was that Ellia was very shy and would hide somewhere when she saw strangers.

Because of this, they had to play an unexpected game of hide-and-seek today as well.

“Ellia, Grandpa has gone back to the almshouse. So come out now.”

Evelyn sighed and spoke towards the window, where a small figure was wriggling behind the curtain. Soon, Ellia slowly emerged from behind the curtain.

Ellia walked over and clung to Evelyn’s skirt. Evelyn hugged Ellia and sighed.

“What are we going to do if you’re so scared of Grandpa?”

Dunswell adored Ellia, but Ellia still found him unfamiliar.

Because of this, Dunswell returned to the almshouse with a sullen face again this time.

“Grandpa is scary because he looks like Dad…”

Evelyn held her forehead. This was actually a bigger problem.

Ellia was afraid of her father, Dyffrin. Although he hadn’t been particularly strict with Ellia, he hadn’t been particularly kind either.

When he scolded Ellia as he did with Evelyn, Ellia would shrink significantly.

Even if his words were filled with concern and love, a child couldn’t distinguish the emotions.

‘This is Dyffrin’s fault.’

He was still inexperienced in expressing his feelings.

Aware of the issue, Dyffrin had spent time alone with Ellia at Evelyn’s suggestion, but it only had a negative effect. Ellia was too stiffened to spend any proper time with Dyffrin.

However, she was fine when she was with Evelyn. With Evelyn around, Ellia didn’t seem to worry much about Dyffrin.

“Dad loves you so much, Ellia.”

Of course, Dyffrin loved Ellia.

He had confessed that having more people to protect was both frightening and joyful.

However, Dyffrin didn’t know how to handle the small and fragile-looking Ellia. Maybe he was a bit nervous, which made his actions unnatural and his tone sharp.

‘Dyffrin finds children difficult.’

There had never been such a young child around him. Although he had seen Isaac at Ellia’s age, he hadn’t paid much attention to him at that time.

“No, Daddy only likes Mommy…”

Mom belongs to Elia. 

Elia muttered with a sullen face.

“Why didn’t Mom, who is a princess, marry the prince of the Sunshine Kingdom…?”

Ellia asked seriously, with calm eyes. Evelyn found her so adorable that she hugged Ellia tightly.

“Daddy is also a prince. He’s just a bit scary.”

Although she was her own child, the overwhelming cuteness was sometimes hard to handle.

Ellia squirmed in her arms.

“Ugh, I can’t breathe.”

“But I won’t let go.”

Evelyn held Ellia quietly for a while. Although Ellia pretended to dislike it, her cheeks turned rosy.

In the evening, when Merrilyn took Ellia to put her to bed, Evelyn pulled Dyffrin’s arm and led him to the castle garden.

“Dyffrin, we need to talk.”

Dyffrin followed her silently. Once they sat on a bench in the garden, Evelyn spoke first.

“Today, Ellia said something shocking. She said Grandpa is scary because he looks like you.”

“She got the order wrong.”

“Yes. Technically, you look like Grandpa. But that’s not the point right now.”

Dyffrin sighed, leaned back against the bench, and relaxed his stiff posture.

“Maybe Ellia and I will always be like this.”

“Do you really want that?”

“Of course not. But I don’t think anything will change even if I try.”

Dyffrin’s tone carried a hint of self-deprecation. Evelyn felt sorry for him.

“Dyffrin…”

“Love Ellia for me too. I’m satisfied just protecting you and Ellia.”

Dyffrin spoke bluntly, as if resigned. But Evelyn didn’t want to conclude it that way.

‘Ah, this won’t do.’

Evelyn shook her head.

“No, Dyffrin. I’ll help you.”