RODH Side Story Chapter 17

Side Story 17. The Blessing of Kirias

“Uung, uung!”

Blony played with Leo while glancing at the clock.

It seemed the two were taking their time—no doubt because much had piled up between them.

She praised herself for having prepared the red draperies and the mistletoe so well.

Meanwhile, Luke was patting the half-asleep Elena’s back, trying to lay her down in the crib, only for her to whimper awake again each time.

Was there some mechanism in her back? Elena refused to stay down whenever he set her down.

Thinking of his own grown son who now traded abroad, and his daughter who helped her mother with the family shop, Luke groaned.

“Babies really do take a lot of work.”

Blony clapped her hands, saying, “Oh my, oh my, this is actually very easy compared to others.”

“More troublesome than this?”

“Of course! Babies are so sensitive. They can find the mother who bore them by scent alone.”

While the two were chatting about childcare, Nevan and Ian returned.

They looked quite different from when they had left—Ian’s hair was damp, as though freshly washed.

“Oh my, you bathed?”

“Ah, yes. That’s how it turned out.”

“Do you need more bathwater?”

While Blony fussed over him with questions, Nevan lingered at the doorway, then strode over in a heartbeat when he heard Elena fussing.

The moment she was nestled in Nevan’s arms, she quickly drifted into deep sleep.

“So nothing is better than a parent’s embrace, after all.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“When I tried to lay her down in the crib, she kept waking.”

Luke scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“You may go back now, Luke.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Then Blony spoke.

“The young lord and lady will sleep here. You two should take another room.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

Luke, lacking tact, asked why they had to move, but Blony managed to push all three of them out of the room without answering.

The three, chased out in an instant, stood staring blankly at the closed door before going their separate ways.

“Then we’ll see you tomorrow, Your Grace the Grand Duke, and Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”

“Very well.”

“Yes, please rest.”

The two who remained headed toward the Grand Duchess’s chamber, long left unused.

Though Ian thought the fireplace would not be lit, the room was already warm, almost hot.

“Blony really prepared thoroughly.”

Ian looked around the restored room again.

It was so neatly repaired that one could hardly imagine wyverns had once attacked here.

“My lord Ian.”

Nevan reached out his hand.

Instinctively extending his arm, Ian was pulled close and dropped onto the bed.

Nevan, swift as a leopard, climbed over him and pressed their lips together.

Though it was a one-sided kiss, it did not feel the least bit discourteous.

On the contrary, it was warm and tender, and Ian naturally looped his arms around Nevan’s neck.

As their breathing grew rough and their lips parted, secret words spilled out.

“In the dining hall.”

The red eyes, shimmering in candlelight, flickered wildly.

“…I liked it.”

A shiver of pleasure jolted Ian.

It had been a reckless thing to do, but once done, it felt good.

Cleaning up afterward had been troublesome, but Nevan had helped him.

“Shall we continue?”

Feigning innocence, Nevan asked, and then bit down softly on Ian’s nape.

“Ah.”

Heat spread quickly from his neck, making his heart pound, blood rushing to the aroused flesh trapped beneath his clothes.

“Uung.”

A moan slipped from Ian’s lips.

Nevan began undoing the buttons of his shirt, then tore them away impatiently.

The tiny buttons scattered in every direction.

His bare chest, revealed in the glow, was almost too sensual.

Though no one else was present, Nevan enveloped Ian with his entire body.

But only for a moment—his tongue, which had been trailing along Ian’s neck, moved slowly downward.

At last, when it touched and lingered at a certain place, Ian flinched.

“Nevan, ahh…”

It had been so long since he had been touched that the caress was exquisitely sweet.

Gripping the bed sheets tight against the tingling sensation within, Ian’s breath grew heavier.

Then, catching a fistful of Nevan’s hair, he whispered,

“Take it off me.”

His crimson eyes blazed with passion.

* * *

“Waaah!”

At the sound of a baby’s cry in the morning, Ian shot upright—then immediately collapsed back onto the bed.

It had been so long that last night felt like their wedding night all over again, clumsy and overwhelming.

His whole body ached with the strain.

He took a deep breath and slowly tried to sit up.

Just then, a softer whimper followed.

Perhaps it was maternal instinct, but the babies’ cries made him anxious.

As he tried to rise, his waist was pulled back down.

“You need to rest.”

The low voice carried weariness.

Wasn’t he the one who should be resting?

Ian pulled the blanket over Nevan’s bare torso, revealed in the dim dawn light.

Nevan, however, lay there completely unashamed.

He had always been that way since his training days—perhaps it was simply a habit now.

Ian buried his face against Nevan’s chest as Nevan held him close.

It was a little chilly, but warmth spread quickly through him.

“If I rest, who will care for the babies?”

“I will.”

Ian laughed at Nevan’s overly serious tone.

“You have work to do, Your Grace.”

“Childcare is also work, or so I’ve read.”

“Where did you read that?”

“In Madam Shelley’s book, For the Child, By the Child, For the Sake of the Child.”

Madam Shelley was a renowned tutor in the Empire.

She was famous for reforming unruly noble children without ever once resorting to the cane.

Would life have been different if he had met Madam Shelley even once as a child?

Ian found himself wondering.

“I’d like to read that book myself.”

* * *

[…Children inherit much from their parents. Appearance, temperament, even habits.

Habits ingrained into adulthood are difficult to correct, but when children are young, the possibilities remain open.

(omitted)

Never forget—children are their own third existence.]

Ian drained his blackberry tea and closed the book.

Blony, who had been tending the twins, asked,

“How was it? They say that one is Madam Shelley’s most famous book.”

“Impressive. Especially the part about children being a third existence—I never thought of it that way.”

“That’s hard to grasp. A third existence…”

Blony went over to Leo and Elena, who had started fussing again.

Ian also rose and gave Leo the prepared bottle.

Leo liked chewing the teat even after the milk was gone.

Elena, by contrast, ate only a little at a time, stopping often.

Watching the children already show differences in temperament, Ian sighed quietly.

He would have to ask his sisters by letter.

How had they raised all their many children?

After holding the twins each a few more times, Ian sat at his desk and took out stationery.

The replies he received varied widely.

[It was long ago, but when Kir was just learning to walk and talk, I always stayed by his side.]

[Try not to give them snacks before meals. Otherwise, they may grow picky. I’ve always believed children must learn to eat a balanced diet.]

[My principle was to teach until it stuck, but watching Ari cry alone made me rethink things. Pushing too hard is no good. In the end, children manage in their own way.]

[Trust them. That’s all.]

“Trusting them… that’s the hardest part.”

Ian carefully gathered the letters.

It seemed he would need to take the twins to the Ruben estate soon.

And a few days later, an unexpected letter arrived.

It was from the Imperial family.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

The Duke of Ruben looked past the grown twins at Ian.

“It’s alright, Father. Nevan will be there. And if anything happens, I’ll just use you as my excuse.”

He smiled outwardly, but inside Ian was uneasy.

He worried the Emperor might again make some strange demand of Nevan under the pretext of the consecration ceremony.

Or perhaps impose some unreasonable request upon the North.

With these possibilities in mind, Ian went to attend the consecration.

The twins wore clothes the Emperor had sent in advance.

“Uung, uung!”

“Uncomfortable? Bear with it a little longer.”

“Kyaa!”

The twins didn’t cry at all upon entering the hall, almost as if they understood the words.

More people had come than expected.

It felt excessive, but while Ian had been focused on childcare, society had been buzzing with talk of the twins who had broken the northern curse.

“The twins from the rumors…”

“They already resemble their parents so much.”

The murmurs fell silent as the Empress descended from the dais.

She looked somewhat tired, but she held each twin in her arms and said,

“So gentle and sweet… truly lovable.”