This year, Duke Heigenberg's birthday celebration was held strangely. A sumptuous banquet was prepared to celebrate the master's birthday, but only the servants were enjoying it. In the meantime, the birthday person and his family left the mansion and entered the quiet opera house, devoid of people. The lights that had been turned on in advance illuminated only the center of the stage in a circle. Ariana, who went up on stage while holding the hand of a child, shyly opened her lips.
"A small house stands tall on a beautiful hill. Flowers bloom, birds sing, and everyone is waiting for a special day..."
A simple and bright nursery rhyme that even a child could sing rang out. Dante suddenly remembered a day long ago. On a day when he couldn't sleep as usual, he remembered a lullaby that a girl he had seen for the first time had given him out of the blue.
"The rabbit bakes a cake, and the wind blows balloons. A special day that everyone celebrates..."
The innocent and clear voice of a child was added to the elegant tone. This could be a solo performance by the hat choir. Dante sincerely thought, admiring the perfection of the ensemble. Of course, he had no intention of showing this lovely sight to anyone but himself. After the small performance, the two singers came down from the stage.
"Happy birthday. Thank you for being born."
"Happy birthday, father."
Louis congratulated him with an overly dignified pronunciation for a child of that age. Dante smiled brightly, got up, and walked briskly toward the child.
"Louis Heigenberg."
The child looked up at Dante with blunt eyes. Dante ruffled Louis's hair with his large hands.
"Thank you."
Dante bent down and kissed the child's crown.
"...!"
Louis, startled, grabbed his crown with both hands and looked up. Dante smiled and said,
"I'll ask you again next year, son."
"That, uh."
Louis, who had been clicking as if it was broken, slowly turned his head and said,
"... I see."
Ariana chuckled quietly.
***
That night, the Duke and Duchess's bedroom was filled with hot breathing.
"Ariana."
For a long time, Dante barely lifted his head and glanced at the clock after not letting go of her lips.
"It's not even midnight yet."
"Yes...?"
"Can I have one more gift?"
"Yes?"
Right now, here? Dante smiled brightly at her eyes that clearly contained such doubt.
"When you were angry at me."
"Yes?... Oh, yes."
Ariana said, quickly recalling the day Dante was talking about.
"The day when the Duke's paranoia was running rampant."
"... Yes."
"Why that day all of a sudden?"
"Call me again, just like you called me back then."
"The day you called me back then...?"
Ariana slowly tilted her head. Then something suddenly came to mind.
'Sir Dante Heigenberg."
Now that I think about it, I was so angry back then that I called you that.
Ariana tried to repeat the title she had called me back then, hesitating.
"Sir... Dante. Sir Dante Heigenberg...?"
Dante frowned, buried his lips in Ariana's shoulder, and giggled. Was that the right answer?
Ariana asked with her face still puzzled.
"... Do you like it?"
"Yeah. It's kind of creepy."
"..."
"Don't look at me strangely. It's just that my name sounds good when you call it that."
Ariana stared at Dante with narrowed eyes and soon burst out laughing.
"Then I'll call you often."
"Really?"
"It'll take some time for it to become a habit. But I don't have to always call you by your full name, Dante Heigenberg, do I?"
"Well. Maybe that has a strict charm to it, too."
Ariana opened her eyes narrowly once more, and Dante let out a laugh between his teeth.
"Oh, our adult son. He still has some cuteness left in him,"
Dante said with a mischievous smile.
"He made a wish to the stars last night."
"Huh?"
Ariana's eyes widened. A child who didn't even believe in the existence of a grandfather who would go around every chimney on a snowy day and deliver presents, what could he have wished to the stars for?
"Really. I heard it when I went out to the terrace to get some fresh air."
"Oh my. What did he wish for? Did you hear that?"
"He said he wanted a little sister."
Ariana blinked at the unexpected story.
"I wonder if it's really time to bring Louise into the world."
"Are you just saying that again?"
The twists and turns of giving birth to Louis left a deeper trauma on Dante than he had thought. He no longer avoided the night, but he still tried to be careful during her pregnancy. Ariana could guess Dante's fear, so she didn't press him any further.
"Curious?"
Ariana's vision flipped upside down. In an instant, Ariana looked up at the face of the man sitting above her with wide eyes. A mischievous smile appeared on Dante's lips.
"Are you just saying that?"
Ariana nodded slightly, biting her lower lip.
"... Yes. I'm curious."
***
"Grandpa."
Ariana whispered after finishing her silent prayer in front of the round tomb.
"I'm doing well."
She gave her greeting every year this year as well. She didn't feel the need to explain in detail how she was doing. Perhaps, if her grandfather suddenly looked down from heaven, he would think, "Oh, my granddaughter is still doing well."
Ariana looked to her right and let out a faint smile. She saw Louis with his eyes tightly shut, silently praying with a serious expression. After letting Louis into the mansion first, Ariana tugged on Dante's sleeve.
"I, there's another place I want to visit."
She had wanted to stop by for a while, and today seemed like the perfect day since Dante had a day off for his maternal grandfather's memorial day. Dante nodded willingly.
"Yes. Where?"
"I want to go to your mother's grave."
"..."
Dante stopped walking at the unexpected story.
"Why there?"
"I don't think we've ever been there together before."
Dante looked perplexed for a moment but didn't refuse when Ariana asked again. Dante's real mother was buried in the ducal castle located in the duchy. After a short ride in a carriage, the two arrived at the modest tomb.
'Julia Heigenberg.'
Ariana read the name written on the tombstone carefully. She had never been an official Duchess while she was alive, so she didn't have the last name Heigenberg. Naturally, she couldn't be buried in the ducal castle. Later, it was Dante who moved her grave to the ducal castle and engraved Heigenberg, whom she had wanted so much, on her tombstone.
However, as far as Ariana knew, Dante had only ordered it to be done and had never visited this cemetery.
"My mother,"
Dante suddenly said as he stared at the tombstone.
"Rather than loving me, she saw me as a means to make her a Duchess."
It was the first time Dante had talked about his mother. Ariana looked back at him silently.
"It was because of me that my mother could not become a Duchess and was treated as a concubine. If I had been more capable and been recognized as the official successor, no one would have treated my mother as a concubine. That was my mother's habit."
Dante, who was reciting an old story, was suddenly surprised. He had thought that it would stink if he brought it up now since it was a story he had buried deep inside and never brought up, but he felt more indifferent than he had thought. It was as if he could no longer feel pain when he touched the scar on his larynx. It was like that back then as if she could recall it from afar.
"Dante."
Ariana slowly opened her mouth.
"Neither of us had perfect parents, and we won't be perfect parents either."
A clear and clear voice calmly confirmed.
"But we can definitely pass on love to our child."
"...Yes."
Dante closed his eyes and smiled. The warmth of their hands felt as strong as an unbreakable chain.
"I know."
There wasn't much to talk about on the way back in the carriage. The scenery passing by dizzily outside the window, their body heat, and the sound of their breathing were enough. Just as the carriage crossed the border of the capital, Dante blurted out.
"I love you, Ariana."
"...Yes."
Ariana, who had been dozing off, mumbled in a sleepy voice and dug deeper into the embrace she had been leaning against.
"I love you too."
<End > Thank you for loving <For You Even Regret is Luxury > so far.
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