At dinner that evening, Leonard served a stew that he had made with his own hands. No wonder Tenere was so impressed.

“You really made it yourself?”

“I’m not sure if it suits your taste, but please enjoy. It’s getting cold.”

At Leonard’s words, Tenere quickly picked up the spoon. In truth, she was glad that he had made food for her, so she was willing to pretend it was delicious, even if it was a bit tasteless.

“…Oh my.”

But the moment she lifted the spoonful of stew to her mouth, her resolve was undone.

“It’s delicious. How…….”

Tenere covered her mouth in disbelief and looked at Leonard. Joshua, too, was diligently moving his spoon around as if he were trying to taste what his father had made.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

Joshua replied with stew all over his mouth, and Laura quickly wiped his face. Of course, once he started picking up his own utensils, it didn’t matter how many times she wiped it off, he’d get it all over again. Leonard put his mouth to Tenere’s ear as he watched.

“I cut the eggplant small on purpose.”

“Oh.”

“Did I do a good job?”

“Yes.”

Tenere nodded quickly. Leonard held up his spoon with pride. Eric watched them for a long moment, then chuckled and asked.

“Be honest with me, Empress. Which do you think tastes better, the one I made or the one His Majesty made?”

Tenere laughed, a small smirk tugging at her lips at the question.

“Well, to be honest, I think I’d have to apologize to my brother.”

“Perhaps it tastes better because it’s made with the Emperor’s love and care.”

In truth, the ingredients were of much higher quality than they were used to in the north, but Eric didn’t bother to say so. The two of them were looking at each other affectionately, and it was lovely to see. After watching them for a while, Eric picked up his spoon and nudged Laura.

“You should come over to the mansion next time. I’ll make you something better than this.”

“……Oh.”

Laura glanced over at Tenere and gave a small nod.

* * *

Tenere’s workload was reduced by more than half. Even that was the result of persuading Leonard, who tried not to allow him to enter his office during his term of office. Though Leonard looked a bit sullen, he eventually nodded at Tenere’s suggestion that she might get bored.

The news that the Empress was expecting a second child brought congratulations from many. Joshua was the most excited of them all. He was especially excited to spend more time with his mom now that she was free.

“I’m going to be a big brother, Josie!”

One of Joshua’s daily routines was to hold Tenere’s hand as they walked around the palace and bragged about having a little brother. There wasn’t a soul in the palace who didn’t know about Tenere’s pregnancy, but most people acted as if it was the first time they’d heard the news.

“Oh, my dear, is the prince going to have a brother?”

“Yes! Here, in my mother’s womb.”

The cheerful answer brought a few chuckles.

“Are you happy to have a little brother?”

“Yes!”

“What will you do when the second prince is born?”

“Um, I’ll play with him. I’ll teach him how to play ball.”

“Oh, playing ball? What else?”

“I’ll let him play with my toys. I’ll even share snacks…”

Whether these plans would actually materialize after the sibling was born remained to be seen, but upon hearing these words, everyone couldn’t help but admire how adorable the young Crown Prince was, bursting with excitement.

“Our Crown Prince, why are you so well-behaved?”

It wasn’t just for show; Joshua was indeed trying to behave much more properly since the news of his sibling’s arrival. When Leonard gently stroked Tenere’s belly, he would lecture him about being gentle because there was a baby inside, and when Tenere, now more sleepy, nodded off, Joshua even offered his lap for her to rest her short legs.

He would even bring his favorite snacks to Tenere’s tummy to share with his brother, which was adorable to watch. Of course, there’s no way he’s going to eat the treats while he’s still in his stomach, so Joshua’s pretense of sharing doesn’t diminish his share, it just gets him praise.

“Josi, Josie stayed here when he was a baby.”

“That’s right. I cherished our Crown Prince dearly.”

“Hehe.”

It’s always nice to hear that you’ve been loved by your mother, and Joshua smiled wryly, no matter how many times he’d heard the same thing.

“I was also in Mom’s tummy.”

She doesn’t know if it’s because he’s happy to say it over and over again or because he wants the whole world to know it.

Although her belly swelled faster and became uncomfortable and tiring, whenever Tenere saw Joshua, who was following his father’s lead to kiss her belly every day, she couldn’t help but smile with even more happiness than before.

Would he still love the baby this much after it was born? Looking at Joshua, who held her hand tightly, Tenere thought about holding the hand of the unborn baby. It was both joyful and somewhat regretful to see how quickly the little one would grow.

* * *

Tenere wasn’t the only one who was getting more time with Joshua. Whenever his mother took a nap, Joshua would trot over to his father’s office, and Leonard would take a few moments to play with him.

“Kyaa!”

Leonard lifted Joshua higher as he burst into laughter. He swung his tiny body from side to side so that his legs moved like clockwork.

“More, Dad, more.”

Joshua was lucky to have a physically fit dad. Joshua, who was once too scared to go down the slide, is now quite the thrill-seeker. His eyes would light up with anticipation as he got higher and higher, and then he’d burst into giggles when he’d pretend to drop him down.

After his whole body had been raised, lowered, shaken, and flipped, Joshua sank to the floor in satisfaction. Leonard sat down beside him and wiped the beads of sweat from his small forehead.

“Do you want some water?”

Leonard gestured, and the servant quickly brought him a glass of cold water. Joshua clutched the cup with both hands and gulped it down. When he finished, he let out a cool “kaah” sound.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The servant happily accepted the empty glass, then turned to face the child.

“Your Highness, why don’t you go to the Empress now?”

The servant’s question was for the Emperor, who had spent half a day with the child. Leonard was fairly fit for a young man, but when he spent time with the child, he tended to play with him, using his body in unorthodox ways. He would play ball, run and jump, engage in light wrestling, and even pick him up, shake him, and toss him around to keep him occupied.

But the child’s resilience is uncanny, and even when he is exhausted and panting, a glass of cool water is enough to get him up and begging to play again. The imperial family was worried that the emperor’s exhaustion would interfere with his affairs.

“But she said she wants to sleep.”

“You should say she’s sleeping.”

“She is sleeping.”

“Then why don’t we have His Highness wake her up, since it’s almost time to eat?”

“Umm…….”

Joshua stretched his lips out as if considering something, then nodded. Then he glanced quickly in Leonard’s direction.

“I’ll take my father, too.”

“I… Your Highness. His Majesty is in the middle of his duties…”

“Is that so?”

The servant tried to interrupt, but Leonard rose to his feet as if he had been waiting. Joshua jumped to his feet too, clutching his father’s hand in excitement. There was a collective sigh from the aides.

* * *

It was only natural that the fuller she became, the less active she became and the more she slept. At full term, Tenere spent her days sleeping, reading, or making maternity clothes and dolls for her unborn child. The happiest moments of her peaceful life were, of course, when she saw her beloved husband and child.

“What are you doing here? I thought it was time for you to take care of government affairs.”

Tenere asked as she greeted Leonard and Joshua as they entered the bedroom. Leonard quickly walked over to her and kissed her on the lips, then her stomach.

“Josie said she wanted to see her mother.”

It was his way of saying that he couldn’t help it, but it was the second time he’d come to Tenere during office hours with the same excuse that day. Tenere lightly rolled his eyes and quickly hugged Joshua.

“Welcome, Josie. You should say hello to your brother.”

“Mmm, brother, come here.”

Joshua kissed Tenere’s belly, just like his dad had done. She’d explained to him long ago that if it was a girl, It will be a sister not a brother, but apparently Joshua wanted a brother, unlike his mom and dad.

“You’re bored without a nanny, aren’t you?”

It was the fourth day since she’d given Laura a leave of absence in anticipation of the birth of her second child, and she knew she’d be busy for a while, so she wanted her to get some rest before then.

Normally, Laura would have stayed at the palace and gone out only occasionally. But when Eric heard the news, he came to visit her and took her back to the marquis’ mansion. He said that if she stayed at the palace, she wouldn’t be able to rest properly because she would be constantly worrying about the prince.

“It’s cool, I’m having fun with my father.”

Joshua said with a smirk. Leonard looked at Tenere with pride. He looked like he was expecting a pat on the back, and Tenere chuckled, but then swallowed hard and looked up at him.

“You’ve done a good job, and now I’ll take care of Josie, so you can get back to work.”

“…….”

The voice was sweet but firm. Leonard lowered his head, looking a little hurt.

“You’re kicking me out?”

The pitiful tone in his voice suggested that he had intended to play a joke, but after hearing his aide Delus whine a few times, Tenere was no longer amused.

“You know. Even if you act pitiful… Some things just can’t be done.”

“…….”

Her voice was cautious, but her determination to send him away was clear. Leonard pursed his lips as if looking for an excuse, then turned his head toward Joshua.

“Josie, should Daddy go?”

As he held the child and asked, Tenere’s eyes narrowed again. She could see Leonard using that as an excuse to sit down. Tenere opened her mouth to speak, but Joshua was quicker.

“Yes.”

“……?”

At the unexpected answer, Tenere and Leonard turned to look at the child at the same time. Joshua blinked wide-eyed, then laughed again.

“My father played a lot of fun.”

It was unclear whether he meant that his father had had enough, or that he should stop playing and get back to work. Either way, it was clear that Leonard’s intentions weren’t working, so Tenere turned her head and laughed.

“Josie, your father played with you like that earlier…….

Leonard said in a wistful tone, and Joshua quickly ran to his father and threw his arms around him. But it was only for a moment, and then he pulled away, as if he’d done his job.

“Josie gave me a big hug, so I can go now.”

“…….”

Leonard looked at Joshua in frustration, but the kid just chuckled and hugged his mom, as if his father’s reaction was amusing.