Calliphe happily checked the system message.

[Filial Piety Quest Complete!]

[You have provided Noah with a foundation to execute his plan.]

[Gain 10 Filial Piety points as a reward.]

[Current Filial Piety: 33]

“Good, good.”

Another awaited reward came.

[Congratulations! Achieving 30 Filial Piety points has slightly increased some of Noah’s stats.]

[Noah’s Swordsmanship increased by 20.]

[Noah’s Swordsmanship stat: 95]

Noah’s stats automatically increased again.

“Swordsmanship went up again this time.”

Perhaps because Noah showed the most interest in swordsmanship?

Plus, his previous swordsmanship stat was 30, but now it’s 95. Even excluding quest rewards, it increased by 45.

It seemed that lessons from Lynen, the hidden swordsmanship master, had an incredible effect.

‘Wait. Wasn’t the condition for winning the first harvest festival in <Marino> having stats above 100?’

Since the original story hasn’t even started yet, he might have a shot at winning?

‘No, no. Noah is still small, he might get hurt if he competes recklessly with bigger kids.’

Well, starting from next year’s harvest festival would be enough.

Calliphe cheerfully entered Noah’s room.

But the child was nowhere to be found.

“Where did he go?”

“Ah, if you’re looking for the young master, he’s in the Duke’s bedroom.”

Lina informed her.

“What? Why there?”

“Why, my lady.”

Lina covered her mouth daintily with her fingertips and chuckled. Her eyes held a subtle mischief.

“You’re a couple-to-be but you’ve been sleeping in separate rooms until now. It’s about time you slept together!”

“W-what nonsense are you spouting? Want to get hit?”

It was quite vexing to be teased by someone who knew their engagement was fake.

When Calliphe punched Lina’s back repeatedly, Lina twisted her body and said.

“My lady, watch your wrist! Heeng… Should I call the young master back?”

“That’s… fine.”

Though it was startling, Lina was right. To avoid unnecessary suspicion, they needed to show they shared a room.

‘No need to think too deeply. He probably won’t think anything of it either?’

Just holding hands while sleeping.

‘No, we don’t even need to hold hands. Noah will be between us!’

Good. With a shield(?) in place, we’re all set.

Don’t be scared!

Calliphe strode into Lynen’s bedroom with the momentum of a general heading to battle.

She met eyes with Lynen, who sat with his arms crossed even more firmly than usual, resembling an iron wall.

“You’ve come to sleep together?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get it over with.”

“That’s what I want.”

The two walked briskly to the bed in a combative manner and lay down, their bodies rigid like they were in a narrow coffin.

Noah, slightly bewildered, looked back and forth between them before taking an equally rigid posture.

Calliphe and Lynen had an ‘oops’ moment.

“You can lie down comfortably.”

“No need to be tense.”

They both placed one arm over Noah’s stomach.

Their arms overlapped due to moving simultaneously.

“……!”

With Noah between them, their eyes met directly.

Through their touching arms, they could feel each other’s stiffness.

“……”

“……”

For a moment, their eyes searched each other’s thoughts.

‘Could they have frozen up because they dislike me?’

Their thoughts seemed telepathically connected, thinking the same thing.

If either showed signs of dislike, they would glare right back, but they just stared at each other with surprised faces, making it increasingly awkward.

The body heat where their arms touched felt strangely hot.

“It’s warm.”

At that moment, Noah’s satisfied mumble released the tension between them.

“I-is that so?”

Oh right, Noah was here too.

Saved!

“Do you need anything else?”

“Nnn.”

Noah closed his sleepy eyes.

“I want to sleep. Good night.”

“Huh? Sleep?”

Thump.

The two felt a crisis.

“It’s still early.”

“Y-yes, that’s right. Let’s talk a bit more before sleeping.”

“……”

“Noah?”

“……”

“Kim Noah!”

A desperate Calliphe grabbed Noah’s shoulders.

Kim Noah? She could feel Lynen’s questioning gaze, but that wasn’t important right now.

“How can you sleep before me? Even water has its proper order. Wake up, quickly.”

“……?”

Noah forced his sleepy eyes open. He didn’t quite understand Lady Calliphe’s words.

In times like this, the Duke usually stepped in with an objection, so Noah looked at Lynen.

But surprisingly, Lynen agreed with Calliphe.

“Since we’re spending time together, I’d like it to be more meaningful. Yes. It seems like a good time for reading.”

“But it’s too late―”

“There’s no wrong time for learning.”

Lynen said strictly and brought a fairy tale book.

Noah, who had been slightly sulky, brightened his eyes at Lynen’s next words.

“Calliphe and I will take turns reading to you. Just listen if you’re sleepy.”

“Really? …You’ll read to me?”

“Yes.”

Calliphe nodded too. But she didn’t want to force Noah if he really didn’t want to.

“We can do it next time if you’re sleepy. If you’re really really truly unbearably sleepy, just say so… Are you sleepy?”

Shake shake!

Noah quickly shook his head.

How envious he had been whenever he saw pictures in orphanage storybooks of parents reading bedtime stories to their children.

But now he was the main character.

Noah eagerly opened the fairy tale book.

“Please read.”

And so Lynen’s storytelling began.

“…The cat said: Master, if you give me a pair of boots and a sack, I’ll make you rich……”

“Lynen. Are you reading an accounting report? I said make it more engaging. Wake the child up completely!”

Calliphe interjected.

Lynen glanced down at the expectant Noah and cleared his throat embarrassedly. Then he started acting more dramatically.

“Master! If you give me a pair of boots and a sack, I’ll make you rich… meow.”

“Pfft. Ahem. Puss in Boots told the youngest son to go bathe in the river when the royal carriage passed by. The youngest son did as he was told. Then…”

“Calliphe, more dramatically.”

“Then! Would you believe that Puss in Boots stopped the royal carriage and shouted like this?”

“Disaster! My master, the Marquis of Carabas, has fallen into the water! Please help! …meow.”

As Calliphe and Lynen took turns giving passionate performances, Noah focused with eyes wide like an excited cat.

Seeing the child’s enjoyment, the two gradually began to take on a professional attitude.

“And so, Puss in Boots arrived at the ogre’s castle and came face to face with the ogre alone.”

“Calliphe, wait.”

“The ogre… hm?”

When Calliphe turned around, Noah was already sleeping soundly.

“I guess we’ll have to save the ending for next time.”

“Indeed.”

Lynen carefully laid Noah’s head on the pillow.

The two found themselves facing each other again with Noah between them.

After extinguishing most of the candles they had lit for reading, leaving only a few, the flickering candlelight created dancing shadows across their faces.

Perhaps because they had made such a commotion earlier, they didn’t feel the same awkwardness as before.

But their behavior was clearly different from usual.

For instance, the fact that they were maintaining eye contact without speaking for dozens of seconds.

“…Why do you keep staring?”

Calliphe’s voice was low, whispering to avoid waking the child.

“You’re one to talk.”

An equally whispered baritone.

Calliphe propped her head on one arm like a pillow and looked at Lynen.

‘He’s quite handsome, come to think of it.’

His blue-gray eyes, slightly tinged with orange, were calm and composed.

Calliphe knew he was also slowly examining her forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, nose, and lips, but she let him be.

She was doing the same after all.

‘To think that face was just giving such a passionate performance.’

He seemed like someone who would never do such a thing, yet he could be surprisingly gentle.

‘Like when he jumped underground to save me that time.’

Remembering Lynen’s urgent expression from then made her toes tingle.

“Ahem.”

Pretending to fix her hair while covering her face, she frowned at Lynen.

“You’re staring too intensely. It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“Are you uncomfortable?”

Lynen moved his lips quietly.

“Good.”

“What?”

“I’d rather not be comfortable.”

Blue-gray eyes containing even the candlelight’s heat gazed at Calliphe.

“Especially in the same bed.”