By the time Ernst’s pronunciation of ‘Valetta’ had become fairly accurate, her belly had begun to swell noticeably. Needless to say, Leonard’s worries grew by the day.

“Valetta. I think we should call a midwife and have the doctors ready as well.”

“There are still three months to go.”

“But your belly is already so big…”

Although Valetta’s belly was clearly growing, it wasn’t as noticeable as other expectant mothers’. In fact, hers was smaller than average.

“There are still three months to go.”

“But…”

“Leonard. Everything will be fine, so don’t worry.”

At Valetta’s firm words, Leonard furrowed his brow. While she was filled with growing excitement every day to meet the baby, Leonard had been plagued by nightmares every night.

For a woman, childbirth was a life-threatening event. He was gripped by the fear that his beloved would become one of those tragic stories.

“Valetta… if something happened to you, what would Ernst and I do?”

He asked as if troubled, running his hand over his face in fear. Valetta shook her head, wondering how he could even ask such a question.

“I would never leave my child behind. I’ll live to see Ernst married and the baby in my belly grow up.”

“What about me?”

His eyes seemed almost puppyish, asking if she wouldn’t make such a promise for him as well. Would the world ever know that the fearsome Grand Duke Carnies – who could make anyone shrink at a glance – was a man who followed his wife around like a lovesick puppy?

Well, he was known for being a devoted husband.

“If anything happens to you, I…”

“Even if something happens, you still have to bring up the children with care.”

It was at moments like this that Valetta seemed like a different person. She had been so gentle and soft-spoken, incapable of harsh words – but as a mother she was stronger than anyone in the world.

“……”

When Leonard didn’t respond immediately, Valetta took his hand and put it on her belly. Immediately, the baby began to move, tapping gently against his palm. Valetta smiled kindly at him, sensing the unease he couldn’t shake.

“Must be taking after you. Judging by how active they are already in the womb.”

“……”

“This is your child.”

“……”

While Valetta waited for his answer without blinking, Leonard let out a deep sigh. Just as he was about to say something –

“Auntie! Look at the acorns Ernst found!”

The door burst open and Ernst burst in. He had been out collecting acorns with the servants and must have had a great time, for his face was as red as a summer’s day.

“Wow! Ernst, it must have been so much fun collecting acorns!”

“The baby can’t collect acorns, can he? But I can! This is the most beautiful acorn in the whole world!”

“It really is! It’s so round and sweet!”

“Auntie, this is a present from me.”

With his trademark smile, Ernst held out four of his favourite acorns to Valetta. She blinked in surprise.

“Oh my, are they for me?”

“Yes!”

“Thank you, Ernst. These acorns are so pretty, I think I’ll put them in a little glass cup.”

“A squirrel might come looking for the pretty acorns and sneak into your room. Make sure to keep the window tightly closed.”

“I’d better do that. Our Ernst has such a sweet heart.”

“Since I gave you the acorns, you can’t throw me away, okay?”

At that one sentence from Ernst, both adults’ faces turned ashen. Valetta and Leonard, clearly shocked, exchanged glances. Leonard was the first to speak.

“Ernst. Why would we ever throw you away?”

“Uh… when the baby’s born, I won’t be needed anymore.”

“Oh dear…”

Valetta let out a sigh of despair. As the mood suddenly turned serious, Ernst looked visibly uneasy. Leonard quickly picked him up and sat him on his lap.

“Ernst. Is that why you asked me when acorns would be ripe the other day? Because you wanted to give them as a present?”

“Yes…”

Valetta squeezed her eyes shut. She had never imagined her nephew thinking like that. She’d thought they’d showered him with love and affection, taken good care of him – but she hadn’t realised he was worried, just like she had been when she was little, afraid of being abandoned, watching the expressions on the adults’ faces.

Her chest hurt so badly she thought she couldn’t breathe. She and Ernst had so much in common. Both had been brought up by their aunt and uncle after losing their parents. She had tried so hard to make sure Ernst didn’t feel neglected or unloved, but…

“Did anyone else tell you that you had to leave when the baby was born?”

Ernst shook his head. It seemed he had been frightened by the memory of how his birth mother had abused him and then abandoned him after the birth of his half-sibling.

Valetta hated herself for not paying attention to Ernst’s trauma sooner. How could she have been so careless? She mentally berated herself for being so naive.

Just then, Leonard whispered to Ernst in a low voice.

“Ernst. Even after the baby is born, you’ll still be here. You’ll still be riding on my shoulders, and in winter we’ll have snowball fights just like always.”

“That’s right. Even after the baby is born, we’ll still bake cookies together, share grapes and play hide-and-seek.”

“Really? But I’m not your son…”

“Ernst, you’re the son of my brother. You know that, right?”

“Yes…”

“Which means, since your real dad isn’t here, your aunt and uncle are your mom and dad now.”

“H-Huh…? Really? I’m your son too?”

“Of course. Uncle only gives shoulder rides to his son.”

Leonard was just as serious as Valetta. The fact that the son of his late best friend was thinking such thoughts tore him apart. His chest had been swelling with anger—though that anger was directed at himself.

“Ernst, the baby is your younger sibling. Do you know what a sibling is?”

When Ernst shook his head, Leonard explained,

“Ernst, it means… you’re getting a subordinate.”

“A subordinate?”

“Yes. A subordinate should follow their commander, and a commander must protect their subordinate. You’re that commander.”

Ernst’s eyes lit up at Leonard’s words. Slipping out of Leonard’s embrace, Ernst hopped over to Valetta and gently patted her tummy with his small, tender hands.

“Baby, come out soon, OK? I’ll give you my acorns and even share my chocolate with you.”

Valetta breathed a sigh of relief at the excitement in Ernst’s eyes. But it still didn’t ease the sinking feeling in her chest.

From that day on, the couple paid more attention to Ernst. As first-time parents, they were clumsy and often overlooked the finer details.

Leonard talked about Friedrich at every opportunity, saying that they were like brothers and that Ernst was like a son to him. He said it so often that he wore out his tongue.

The servants could only shake their heads. Leonard, cold and distant by nature, now treated Ernst as if he were made of glass.

Surprisingly, the one who didn’t do anything was Valetta. Although she had been hurt by Ernst’s initial reaction, she already showered him with more than enough affection in their daily life. There wasn’t much more she could do.

So time passed and winter came. As the year ended and a new one began, Ernst, born in winter, turned five.

“He’s just a nephew, so how can he love him that much? Anyone would think he’s his real son.”

“He acts like a completely different person when it comes to family. But I wonder… will he still love Ernst that much after the baby is born?”

That was the topic of conversation among Amelie and the other maids. Amelie recalled the first time she had seen Ernst. Back then, he had been a shy boy who feared adults and avoided people. But now, he had that unmistakable glow of a child who had grown up surrounded by love—bright and healthy.

“Steward, what do you think?”

“I’m not the steward anymore.”

Paul had stepped down from his duties as steward and now spent only the mornings as Ernst’s caregiver. Having raised grandchildren of his own, Paul was an essential figure for the inexperienced Valetta and Leonard.

“Stop with the nonsense and get back to work.”

With that, Paul wrapped up the chatter and headed to the playroom, carrying snacks for Ernst. Now that it was the dead of winter and too cold to go out, Ernst was more or less stuck indoors.

Ernst, reading a picture book on the carpet, jumped up the moment he saw the snacks in Paul’s hands.

“Paul!”

“Young master, have your snack first.”

“You eat some too, Paul.”

Before taking his portion, Ernst broke his snack in half and handed it to Paul. That simple gesture, filled with pure thoughtfulness, touched Paul’s heart.

“You first, young master.”

“You’re not eating? If you don’t, I won’t either.”

Faced with Ernst’s insistence, Paul had no choice but to accept the cookie. Ernst was a precocious and clever child. Though he ran and played like any child his age, his occasional comments or actions revealed a rare maturity.

As he chewed his snack, Ernst glanced at Paul and spoke up.

“Hey, Paul.”

“Yes, young master?”

“Well… the baby’s going to be really cute, right?”

“Certainly, very lovable.”

“Like, sky-and-earth levels of cuteness, right?”

“Yes. Are you excited to meet your sibling?”

“Yeah. I’m excited. But… I’m also a little scared.”

Ernst pouted slightly. Paul gently asked.

“Why are you scared?”

“Paul… what if Aunt and Uncle stop loving me because of the baby?”

Paul felt like he couldn’t breathe, overcome by how pitiful and dear the young master looked. Just gazing into those clear eyes brought on a wave of helpless affection.

“Young master, that will never happen. His Grace and Her Ladyship love you very much.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I promise you.”

Just then, a commotion rose outside the door, followed by it flying open as a maid burst in and shouted at Paul.

“Former Steward! Her Ladyship, the Duchess, has gone into labor!”