“I was so surprised because I’ve never seen him throw such a tantrum before.”

Joshua stopped crying after he was carried out of the bedroom in Laura’s arms. He cried for a long time after they left the room, and she had a hard time soothing him.

“It must have been a big shock. He’s been looking forward to meeting his little brother every day.”

After Joshua left the room, Lucas, who had been fully fed, was fast asleep. Tenere stared at him for a long time, then looked up.

“Hey, Laura, with all that crying……, do you think he might have gotten a bite or two…….?”

“No way, he’s not even out of diapers.”

Laura shook her head firmly. But still, what if the baby didn’t like it when they tried to feed him? Hesitating, Tenere spoke cautiously.

“But animals sometimes bite more than once or twice… Even though I have two… br*asts…”

“I won’t allow it. Even if dirt gets in my eyes. You don’t have twenty br*asts.”

Tenere nodded, a little smugly, at her adamant demeanor. Laura nudged her.

“He’s just jealous, because he thinks his brother stole his mom from him.”

“I know that, but…….”

He was such a gentle child. Of course, as a child, he had his moments of throwing tantrums or being stubborn, but crying so much that it was difficult for three adults to handle him was unprecedented. Feeling sorry for the child who cried so sorrowfully, Tenere’s heart was filled with pity.

“Didn’t this happen to you before……?”

“There were, but it wouldn’t have helped much. Lady Francia was, to put it nicely, a very… firm person. She just ignored crying, saying to do so. A baby only has milk to drink, but would she let him starve just because the older child doesn’t like it?”

“Ah…….”

Tenere let out a short sigh. She wasn’t entirely wrong, but it still felt harsh. Especially since she didn’t have a favorable image of the self-taught nanny.

“Don’t worry too much. His Majesty has said he’ll be spending more time playing with Prince Joshua, and the Marquis has said she’ll be here more often, too. I’ll take good care of Lucas too, so it’s best if you don’t show any signs of not feeding him.”

“……I see.”

Tenere nodded slowly. Lucas was asleep, oblivious to the world.

* * *

It wasn’t that Joshua hated Lucas; he had been waiting for him for ten months, and every day he would visit her, stroke his head, and talk to him. He would say things like, “You’re pretty,” “You’re cute,” and laugh softly.

However, whenever they tried to send Joshua away momentarily to breastfeed Lucas, he somehow sensed it like a ghost and threw a tantrum, crying and fussing. Laura, Leonard, and even Eric tried to comfort him and play with him, but it seemed to be of no use.

“A baby can’t do anything alone. Our Prince Joshua can already hold a spoon, a fork, and eat pumpkins so well on his own.”

“Mmm.”

“Prince Lucas only has milk to drink, so Her Majesty needs to help him.”

Laura said sweetly, but Joshua pouted his lips in disapproval.

“But still…”

“Our Prince Joshua was like that when he was a baby too.”

Still, not bursting into tears was considered a great progress. Laura hugged the sulking prince affectionately.

“Now that our prince is a big boy, he does a lot of things babies can’t do, right? He plays tricks, he plays ball, he eats delicious chocolate.”

“…….”

Joshua glanced up at the last word. Seeing the anticipation in his eyes, Laura gave a small smile and called for a maid. JNo matter how sulky Joshua was, he couldn’t resist delicious snacks, so eventually he chuckled and nodded.

* * *

Tenere did not rise from her seat for over a month.

It wasn’t that she was slow to recover, but that Leonard was too restless to take her for even a short walk.

After hearing the warnings about the consequences of not properly recovering from childbirth from the court physicians and Evelyn, he not only prevented Tenere from getting up but also made sure she couldn’t even hold utensils properly during meals. Moreover, even when she tried to read a book, he would stick close, turning the pages for her, leaving Tenere wondering if she had given birth to a baby or become one herself.

Meanwhile, Lucas’s cheeks were plump with milk, and his once bumpy skin was now smooth. The umbilical cord, the last vestige of his connection to his mother, had dried up and fallen off. Though he hadn’t yet made eye contact, he had all the virtues of a baby: he ate well, slept well, and swaddled well.

“Luca sleeps all the time.”

Joshua came to visit Tenere several times a day, sometimes with a nanny, sometimes alone, and sometimes with Leonard.

Joshua had been told many times that he shouldn’t push his mom too hard yet, so all he did when he visited Tenere was eat a snack with her or peek in on Lucas as he slept.

“It’s because he’s a baby. Babies need to sleep a lot to grow up.”

Leonard replied as he patted Joshua’s head. Joshua pouted again, not satisfied with the answer. Tenere laughed and soothed him.

“My Josie slept through the night when he was a baby, too.”

“I hope Luca grows up soon and…… becomes a big brother like Josie.”

Joshua mumbled as he leaned his face against the bassinet’s railing. His chubby cheeks pressed firmly against the railing.

“Why do you want him to be big?”

“So we can play together. We can play hide and seek in the Rose Palace, and we can eat snacks together.”

Of course, Joshua wanted to play with his peers, but there was also a part of him that wished Lucas would grow up quickly so he wouldn’t have to stick to his mother’s side. Tenere quickly stretched out her arms.

“Come here, Josie.”

Joshua hopped onto the bed and sat down, resting his head under his mother’s shoulder. His body language was much more cautious than before, knowing that his mother’s body was not yet fully recovered.

Leonard sat down beside Joshua, holding a basket that had been on the shelf. Inside were dolls that Tenere had made occasionally during her pregnancy. Joshua’s eyes widened in excitement. Whenever something familiar appeared, the child’s voice tended to get louder.

“This is what my mother tried to trick me into giving her the baby!”

“So, you made it to attach to Lucas Mobile, right?”

Leonard brought back about twenty small dolls. Joshua fiddled with them excitedly as they spilled onto the bed. Bears and rabbits and horses, colorful balls and butterflies, birds, clouds and fruit…….

“There are too many dolls. Which ones should I choose for Joshua’s mobile?”

“For Joshua?”

“Yes. About six or seven of them, and…….”

Leonard smirked and nudged Joshua.

“Give me the prettiest one. I’ll bring it to your mother later without her knowing.”

Joshua’s eyes widened at his father’s words, and he glanced back at Tenere. Tenere glanced at Leonard.

“What secrets are you telling him?”

“Hey, did she hear everything?”

Leonard whispered, and without answering, Tenere bent down and put his mouth to Joshua’s ear.

“Let’s give the three prettiest ones to Josie, and the next prettiest one to Lucas. How about that?”

“Yeah, I like that.”

Joshua excitedly began to look at the dolls one by one. “This one is for Josie, this one is for the baby.” He even muttered to himself.

After a while, Joshua picked up a particularly squishy rabbit doll.

“This one looks funny.”

“It seems you have an eye for it. Your father made this one.”

Leonard said, stroking Joshua’s head. He had snuck in when Tenere was making a doll for the baby.

Leonard, who wanted a daughter who looked like Tenere, had tried to make a very cute rabbit doll while waiting for their child to be born. But what he ended up with was a strange bunny with a squashed right face, a lopsided left eye, and ears of different lengths. He knew something was wrong when he was making it, but when he tried to fix it, he couldn’t get it to look like he wanted it to, so it ended up looking like this.

“Why does Father make such weird dolls?”

“…That’s a good question.”

Leonard said bitterly, and Joshua chuckled in amusement. Then he put it on my leg.

“I’ll take this one for Joshua.”

“You don’t choose pretty things.”

Originally, it was a doll that Leonard wanted to throw away because he thought it wouldn’t be good for the child’s emotions, but he couldn’t throw it away because of Tenere’s opposition. Did the child think about her father’s feelings? Or is there less clumsiness in a child’s eyes? Joshua answered, looking at her expectant face.

“Mmm…… It looks funny.”

“…….”

The child’s answer elicited a chuckle from Tenere. Joshua giggled along with his mom. That’s when it happened.

“Awww, awww!”

A cry from the cradle wiped the smile from her face.

She had been so carefree, but now she was anxious to feed her son whenever he cried. Tenere looked quickly back at Leonard, who tried to carry Joshua out as casually as possible.

“Mother.”

Joshua shook his head at his father as he tried to pick him up, then leaned his head against Tenere’s body. His tiny lips parted hesitantly.

“Baby wants milk.”

“…….”

The child’s words startled them both and they turned their heads. Joshua was looking at the crying baby with a complicated expression on his face. Leonard quickly scooped Lucas up and handed him to Thénère, then looked back at Joshua.

“Are you okay? Do you want to stay with Father for a while?”

“No, I want to watch the baby eat.”

With that, Tenere looked at Joshua for a moment, then at Lucas. As if he was hungry, the baby quickly gulped down the milk with a gurgle. Joshua watched enviously as the little cheeks and lips puckered. His lips pouted occasionally, but he didn’t cry.

“Did Joshua also drink milk like this when he was a baby?”

It was something Joshua had already said many times, but he wanted to hear it again. Tenere nodded quickly.

“Yes. He did. He drinks so well.”

“All the time?”

“Every day. For breakfast, for lunch, for dinner, for snacks.”

Joshua was silent for another moment. After looking at his brother for a long time, Joshua turned his head and looked at Leonard.

“Can Lucas not eat chocolate?”

“Of course not. He gets stomach aches if they eat chocolate.”

“Josie’s a big brother so he can have it, right?”

“Is he?”

“Yes. Because he’s a big brother, he can eat sweets and muggle chocolate, which babies can’t do.”

With that, Joshua put down the doll he was holding and carefully reached out. His tiny fingertips touched her silver hair, which was still soft. Joshua glanced at his mom and dad, but when no one stopped him, he stroked it slowly. A wry smile spread across his face.

“It’s pretty.”

Joshua muttered, barely audible. Tenere and Leonard looked at the now-covered child, wondering what was going through his little head, what he was thinking about, what conclusions he had come to.

“……would you like to take a nap with your mother today?”

Tenere asked, holding Lucas tightly in her arms. Joshua nodded quickly.

“Yeah, I’m going to read a book and then go to bed.”

“Daddy will read you a book.”

Leonard said quickly. Even so, he was afraid that Tenere, who was holding Lucas to feed him, would strain her wrists flipping through the pages. But Joshua waved him off.

“No, Father has played enough, so he needs to work.”

“…….”

“If Father doesn’t work, um… the country will be in trouble.”

“Where did you learn that……?”

Leonard asked, and Joshua laughed heartily without answering. Tenere muttered softly.

“I think it was my brother…….”

Leonard didn’t answer, but his lack of denial suggested he was thinking the same thing. Tenere smiled wryly.

“Since there are no meetings today, let’s take a nap for a while. Father must be tired too.”

“Yes. Father, please take a little nap.”

With that, Joshua lay down on the spot. Leonard tugged on the leash as Tenere gathered her clothes and called for the nanny. Laura, who was in the next room, rushed in and picked Lucas up.

“I’ll put Joshua to sleep for his nap, so take care of Lucas. He’s been fed, but he hasn’t changed yet.”

“Okay, don’t worry, sleep tight.”

Laura patted Lucas on the back and left the room. Tenere lay down next to the child, and Leonard brought in a book to read to him.

“Josie. Josie can do this.”

“Will you?”

Joshua stuttered and began to read. He was still stuttering and stopping whenever he came to a letter he didn’t recognize, but to his parents, it was a wonderful thing to see.

Tenere gazed at the child flipping through the pages of the book. He was a child who had come to know things he didn’t know before, understand things he couldn’t before, and accept things he couldn’t before. A child born between the most beloved people, loved more than anything else in the world. Irreplaceable…

You will continue to grow as strong as you can be, you will grow from a tiny sprout, deeply rooted in the earth, and you will grow stronger, maybe even bigger than we could have ever imagined.

Please grow as big as you want. And when you’re tired, you can stop, because wherever you are, wherever you look, we’ll always love you.

~~End of the Side Story~~