Side Story 16

Versha looked at Agnita with a serious gaze.  

“It seems my heart has decided. I can never win against you, Miss Agnita. In fact, it tells me I’ll lose 100% of the time.”  

He swallowed the words, ‘The one who falls first is the one who loses.’  

“I’ve lost to you since the first time I saw you, Miss Agnita.”  

Yes, perhaps the reason he couldn’t take his eyes off her from the beginning was because his feelings had started the moment he knew her.  

“What?”  

“I’ve completely lost to you, Miss Agnita. I can never win against you.”  

Agnita recalled the story Juan had told her before. Florence’s Knight Captain Versha was incredibly strong. If Juan acknowledged his strength, then he must truly be a formidable knight.  

But such a strong person, someone she had never even fought before, claimed to have already lost to her? That he would lose no matter what? That he would lose 100% of the time in a sparring match? It didn’t make sense.  

Agnita tilted her head in confusion. 

Why would someone lose without even fighting? Was he really trying to make me the Knight Captain? Was I truly that skilled?

Agnita looked at Versha with curiosity.  

“Miss Agnita, what kind of food do you like?”  

“Strawberries.”  

“Is there nothing else?”  

“Wait a minute, Captain. I didn’t agree to have dinner with you!”  

“If you don’t come, you won’t become the Knight Captain.”  

“I don’t want to be Knight Captain!”  

“You’re already above me, Miss Agnita.”  

Agnita responded with a puzzled expression.  

“Why am I someone above you, Captain?”  

“If you want to know the reason, have dinner with me once, and let’s spar afterward for digestion. Would you agree?”  

Agnita wanted to spar with the strong Versha. It was certainly better than smashing dummies! However, she also felt uneasy about having dinner with him.  

“Let’s go, Miss Agnita.”  

Versha, showing a kind expression and smile, naturally escorted Agnita as she hesitated and kept her guard up. When their fingertips touched, his heart leapt.  

Beyond the sound of “thump-thump,” it felt as though lightning was striking violently inside his chest.  

“You’ll really spar with me, right?”  

“Yes. As much as you want.”  

“Alright.”  

***

Every time Teida Florence ran to his beloved mother’s room, Butler Venable would appear out of nowhere, scolding him not to run.  

“But Mother’s room is so far away…”  

Teida explained why he had no choice but to run.  

“Even so, you must not run, Young Master.”  

“Tsk.”  

Knocking on his mother’s door, Teida opened it to find, as expected, his father there. His father was always the one interrupting his time with his mother.  

As a mature young boy, he had to endure it.  

“Teida Florence.”  

Of course, enduring didn’t mean his dissatisfaction disappeared.  

“Why are you always in Mother’s room, Father?”  

Teida Florence, now four years old and in his rebellious phase, was the son of Meia and Theodore. He had inherited Theodore’s black hair and Meia’s blue eyes and beauty.  

“Teida, husbands and wives are supposed to sleep together.”  

“I want to sleep with Mother every day!”  

“At four years old, you should learn to sleep alone.”  

“But Father, you always monopolize Mother every day! I’m told to sleep alone! I’m four years old, and you’re older than me, Father, so the one who should sleep alone isn’t me but you, Father!”  

“When you get married, you’ll end up like me.”  

Theodore raised one eyebrow and smirked. That expression seemed to tease him, and Teida almost burst into tears.  

“I’m different from you, Father! I’ll give my wife to my son when I’m older!”  

“Alright. That’s something for your future self to decide. But until Meia and I leave this room, it’s our time as a couple, so go out now.”  

“No! I want to stay with Mother!”  

“Teida Florence.”  

“Both of you, be quiet.”  

Meia, awakened by the commotion between Theodore and Teida, scolded them both.  

Back in his room, Teida was comforted by Venable and Venable’s grandson, Fayrun. Fayrun, now fourteen years old, was being rigorously trained by Venable to become the next head butler.  

“Father is so unfair. I just want to sleep with Mother…”  

“Young Master.”  

“Yes, Venable?”  

“A noble must resolve matters nobly.”  

“Nobly?”  

Teida tilted his head at Venable’s words.  

“Even if you don’t get along with someone, you must handle things gracefully, like the Grand Duchess. You must negotiate to bring the other party to your side.”

“Like Mother? Bring them to my side?”

“Yes.”  

At the mention of Meia, Teida’s blue eyes sparkled.  

“It’s not right to hurt each other with words just because you’re upset. You never know what might happen with that person later.”  

“Uh-huh.”  

“A wise noble negotiates rather than argues.”  

“Like Mother!”  

“Exactly. Like the Grand Duchess.”  

Though he didn’t fully understand the words yet, Teida listened intently to Venable’s advice.  

“In that case… I’ll negotiate nobly with Father! But what’s negotiation? How do I do it?”  

“Don’t worry. Fayrun.”  

Venable called Fayrun.  

“Yes.”  

“Assist the Young Master in negotiating with his father. A butler must always do their utmost to ensure their master’s wishes are fulfilled.”  

“Understood.”  

The next day, Teida carefully opened Meia’s door and climbed onto the bed. Waking up, Theodore met Teida’s gaze.  

“Teida, isn’t it time for you to give up?”  

“I’m not arguing with you today, Father!”  

Seeing a different side of Teida, Theodore sat up and looked down at him.  

“I have a request for you, Father!”  

“A request?”  

Teida’s words left Theodore speechless, though he couldn’t help but smile.  

“Alright, Teida. Let’s hear your request.”  

“From Monday to Thursday, I’ll sleep with Mother.”  

“Teida, does that mean I only get three days—Friday to Sunday—with Meia?”  

At Theodore’s complaint, Teida rolled his eyes before speaking boldly, as if he had made up his mind.  

“Yes! Actually, I wanted to sleep with Mother all week, but Venable said you can’t sleep without Mother, Father. So I’m being considerate.”  

“Alright, Teida. What benefit do I get from accepting your proposal?”  

“That’s…”  

“I don’t have to accept your terms, you know.”  

Teida began to pout, his lips trembling.  

“To negotiate, you have to persuade the other party that there’s something in it for them. But your proposal doesn’t seem to offer me any benefit, does it?”  

“Sniff…”  

Teida’s eyebrows drooped, and he looked as though he might cry.  

“Theo, isn’t that a bit harsh? At his age, it’s normal for him to want to sleep with his mother.”  

Meia, who had been lying beside Theodore, laughed as she sat up, having overheard their conversation.  

“I can’t sleep without Meia beside me. So, Teida.”  

“Yes…”  

“I can’t accept your proposal.”  

At those words, Teida’s eyes filled with tears.  

“Mother…”  

He buried his face in Meia’s arms, large tears rolling down his cheeks.  

“I just want to sleep with Mother! I hate you, Father!”  

“Don’t cry, Teida.”  

Meia stroked Teida’s back as she held him, then glanced at Theodore.  

“But Meia! How can I go four days without sleeping next to you?”  

“Father, I go three days without Mother!”  

Teida and Theodore began bickering again.  

“Alright, both of you, quiet down.”  

At Meia’s words, both of them fell silent.  

“Here’s what we’ll do. For three days a week, the three of us will sleep together.”  

“Father too?”  

“Yes.”  

“Meia…!”  

“Theo, we’ll talk later.”  

Meia smiled sweetly.  

“For three days, we’ll sleep together as a family. If you don’t like it, I’ll reject this proposal too.”  

Teida didn’t hesitate.  

“No! I’ll take it.”  

“But only on the agreed days.”  

“Yes!”  

“We’ll decide the days after breakfast.”  

“Understood, Mother! Hehe. Mother, you’re the best in the world!”  

Teida happily snuggled into Meia’s arms, rubbing his face against her. Theodore squinted as he watched the scene.  

After Teida left, Theodore frowned.  

“Meia, why did you make such a proposal to him?”  

“Think about it. If Teida comes unannounced every morning, wouldn’t it be better to have set days? Mornings will be much more peaceful… especially for things like the couple’s time you want.”  

“That’s a great idea.”  

Theodore nodded enthusiastically at Meia’s suggestion. He had been unable to enjoy mornings with Meia because of Teida’s interruptions.  

“This will also teach Teida the importance of keeping promises and the consequences of breaking them.”  

They agreed that Teida could sleep with them for 12 days a month. Any tantrums or unannounced visits would result in a penalty—no sleeping together for a month.  

“I’ll follow your lead, Mei.”  

For Theodore, Meia’s words were always right.  

However, Theodore’s rosy future and Teida’s happy mornings came to an end with Meia’s second pregnancy. Nine months later, a beautiful daughter, who looked just like Meia, was born.

[Side Story: The Grand Duke Only Seeks The Lady] The End