Venator, the capital of the Empire. At the Duke of Weishaffen's residence, preparations were in full swing to welcome guests.
The owner of the mansion, Roderick Weishaffen, was there to greet them.
And next to her, a disgruntled Candice Eposher was muttering, saying she didn't know why they were even coming here.
“Aren’t you glad your little sister is coming, Candice?”
“...It’s clear the Wizard Council sent you to capture me. No matter how much I think about it, that’s the only answer.”
Candice, her face darkened, muttered something about how she would resign if she got caught, and Roderick chuckled slightly at the sight.
And after a while, the sound of horse hooves could be heard from afar, and they began to get closer and closer.
“Oh, I see you’ve arrived.”
Soon, a carriage procession arrived. A luxurious carriage led the way, followed by a succession of wagons.
And then the front carriage door opened, and a tall, slender woman, resembling Candice, leaped out before Roderick could even escort her out.
“Hey, Austin, watch out. You might fall.”
Natalia, who had gotten out of the carriage, grabbed her husband's hand as he followed suit. Roderick, who had missed the chance to say hello, could only stand there, dumbfounded.
“...You’re here.”
“Oh, here you come.”
Candice gave a curt hello, sticking out her lips, and Natalia returned the greeting with an equally curt one.
“I’m here too, Executioner.”
“Welcome, Austin. It must have been hard to get here.”
But when her brother-in-law greeted her, Candice smiled brightly and greeted him warmly, as if she had never been cold to him before.
“Wow, can you please welcome me too?”
“What?”
Natalia whined in a sad voice, but Candice snorted and turned her head away.
Roderick, who had been watching the scene awkwardly, finally found an opening to intervene and greet the guests who had come to his house.
"Welcome, Natalia. I heard you got married. I'm so sorry I couldn't make it."
“Wow, Your Excellency! How long has it been? When was the last time I saw you... So...”
Natalia searched her memory, recalling her last meeting with Roderick, then quickly changed the subject, remembering that it was when Aila was born.
It was because she didn't want to bring up the story of his lost first child and make things unnecessarily uncomfortable.
"When was my wedding? You're so busy, you're still worrying about it. It's okay, it's okay. I was so grateful for the gift you sent me back then."
She smiled brightly and introduced Austin and Roderick, who were meeting for the first time. After a long, noisy exchange of greetings at the front door, they were finally able to enter the mansion.
After a short break from their long journey, Natalia and her husband went to the maternity ward with the gifts sent to Ophelia from the Hailing family.
When Natalia met the couple, who had traveled all the way from a foreign land to celebrate, she was filled with joy as she gazed at the tiny baby, her eyes dripping with honey. Her husband, Austin, was no exception.
"Oh my goodness, you're so pretty and cute, Natalia. It reminds me of when our Cheryl was this pretty. Our Cheryl was pretty too."
He smiled as a father, thinking of his six-year-old daughter he left behind at home, and Natalia agreed.
And then, Candice, who had been listening to their conversation, chimed in with a dissatisfied expression.
“...He’s a son.”
“Oh, I see... I made a mistake...”
Austin blushed in embarrassment and apologized, but Ophelia smiled kindly and shook her head as if it was okay.
“It’s okay, a lot of people misunderstand.”
Noah was born small and pretty, so many people mistook her for a daughter, so she was familiar with it.
“By the way, what are those boxes, Natalia?”
Ophelia asked, pointing to the pile of boxes that had been bothering Natalia and Austin since they came in.
"Oh, those? They're gifts from the Hailing family. When I told them I was going to see my sister, they all packed me a bunch of stuff."
Natalia shrugged and answered, leaving Ophelia speechless.
When Aila was born, she wasn't congratulated by her family. They opposed her marriage to Roderick and her decision to remain in the Peles Empire, and her marriage, despite their opposition, estranged her from them.
Fortunately, they reconciled a few years ago, and his brother's family even came to visit the empire.
She never imagined that she would receive a baby shower gift like this.
“Open it, Ophelia. Quickly.”
Candice put her arm around Ophelia's shoulder and urged her on, and Ophelia opened the box on top.
The box contained a set of baby clothes made of soft, luxurious cotton. It even included matching hand and foot mittens.
And on top of it, there was a letter in a familiar handwriting. It was a simple, heartfelt congratulations from his brother, Isidore.
After reading the letter, Ophelia burst into tears.
At the time of her marriage to Roderick, it was her older brother who was most opposed to the marriage.
It was understandable that her brother had no choice but to oppose his talented younger sister abandoning her future in the Republic of Tamora and marrying a nobleman from another country, but at the time, young Ophelia was deeply saddened.
It was even more so because she had a particularly good relationship with her brother.
“Why are you crying, Ophelia?”
Roderick approached his wife, his face bewildered, when she suddenly burst into tears. He feared the letter might contain some bad news.
“Brother, congratulations...”
Ophelia cried in Roderick's arms.
Roderick read Isidore's letter to Ophelia while comforting her.
The letter concluded with the words, "I now accept that your true happiness lies there. I'm sorry for trying to measure your happiness by my own standards."
Because of that, Roderick's eyes also started to turn slightly red.
It was only now, after all this time, that he felt accepted by Ophelia's family.
“...You guys understand. That couple is very emotional these days.”
Candice shook her head, saying, "Here we go again," and Natalia shrugged, as if she understood everything.
“You don’t know because you haven’t had a child, but there are things like that after having a child.”
Even Austin nodded in enthusiastic agreement, but Candice shook her head as if she still didn't understand.
Natalia, who was standing by the crib again and watching Noah, opened her eyes wide when she noticed the mobile hanging above the crib.
It was made of paper, and the flowers and animals were so elaborate and delicate that it seemed like a lot of care had gone into it.
“Oh, this mobile is pretty.”
As she gently touched the mobile with her fingertips, the bells inside the paper doll made a clear, beautiful tinkling sound.
"Do you know how precious this is? It was personally crafted by the Crown Prince of the Peles Empire."
At her sister's compliment, Candice shrugged and bragged about it, even though it wasn't hers, and she hadn't made it.
And at the word 'Crown Prince', Natalia suddenly remembered meeting Winfred at the port on the way here, and she slapped her sister on the back.
"Oh, that's right, that's right! Sister, I ran into His Highness the Crown Prince on my way here. What a truly remarkable coincidence."
Candice, who flinched and avoided Natalia's touch when she hit her back with her sharp hand, asked what she meant when she heard she had met Winfred.
“You? Where on earth are you from?”
"Well, I just arrived in the Empire, and the Crown Prince's procession is passing through the harbor. I was watching, and he mistook me for my sister and spoke to me, didn't he?"
Natalia, in a flurry of excitement, told the story of her meeting with the Crown Prince, down to the fact that he had told her to send his regards when she went to the Duke's residence.
While she was telling this exciting story, Ophelia and Roderick joined in, wiping away their tears as if they had calmed down a little.
“What a strange fate.”
When Roderick spoke as if he were amazed, Candice opened her mouth and accepted his words.
“That’s what I mean. I’ve been through a lot since I came to this empire.”
“...I’ve been through a lot. I’ve met more than just the Crown Prince.”
And Austin, who had been quietly listening to the story, interjected and sighed.
“What did you meet again, Austin?”
Candice urged him to speak quickly. But it was Natalia, not Austin, who answered.
"Oh, right. I almost died, sis. I met a pirate."
As soon as she told them about meeting the pirate, everyone gathered around her and started to focus on the story.
And Austin, as if he couldn't stop her, closed his eyes slightly and shook his head, correcting her story.
"Let's get this straight, Natalia. We didn't meet. You jumped in to help a merchant ship that had encountered pirates."
"Oh, then, as a fellow sailor, you ignore a fellow industry worker in trouble? That's not possible."
Natalia said sternly, snapping her index finger from side to side.
"Oh, really. Let's talk about this later. What do you mean, you almost died? I don't think you'd be outmatched by pirates, given your skills."
The owner of the mansion, Roderick Weishaffen, was there to greet them.
And next to her, a disgruntled Candice Eposher was muttering, saying she didn't know why they were even coming here.
“Aren’t you glad your little sister is coming, Candice?”
“...It’s clear the Wizard Council sent you to capture me. No matter how much I think about it, that’s the only answer.”
Candice, her face darkened, muttered something about how she would resign if she got caught, and Roderick chuckled slightly at the sight.
And after a while, the sound of horse hooves could be heard from afar, and they began to get closer and closer.
“Oh, I see you’ve arrived.”
Soon, a carriage procession arrived. A luxurious carriage led the way, followed by a succession of wagons.
And then the front carriage door opened, and a tall, slender woman, resembling Candice, leaped out before Roderick could even escort her out.
“Hey, Austin, watch out. You might fall.”
Natalia, who had gotten out of the carriage, grabbed her husband's hand as he followed suit. Roderick, who had missed the chance to say hello, could only stand there, dumbfounded.
“...You’re here.”
“Oh, here you come.”
Candice gave a curt hello, sticking out her lips, and Natalia returned the greeting with an equally curt one.
“I’m here too, Executioner.”
“Welcome, Austin. It must have been hard to get here.”
But when her brother-in-law greeted her, Candice smiled brightly and greeted him warmly, as if she had never been cold to him before.
“Wow, can you please welcome me too?”
“What?”
Natalia whined in a sad voice, but Candice snorted and turned her head away.
Roderick, who had been watching the scene awkwardly, finally found an opening to intervene and greet the guests who had come to his house.
"Welcome, Natalia. I heard you got married. I'm so sorry I couldn't make it."
“Wow, Your Excellency! How long has it been? When was the last time I saw you... So...”
Natalia searched her memory, recalling her last meeting with Roderick, then quickly changed the subject, remembering that it was when Aila was born.
It was because she didn't want to bring up the story of his lost first child and make things unnecessarily uncomfortable.
"When was my wedding? You're so busy, you're still worrying about it. It's okay, it's okay. I was so grateful for the gift you sent me back then."
She smiled brightly and introduced Austin and Roderick, who were meeting for the first time. After a long, noisy exchange of greetings at the front door, they were finally able to enter the mansion.
After a short break from their long journey, Natalia and her husband went to the maternity ward with the gifts sent to Ophelia from the Hailing family.
When Natalia met the couple, who had traveled all the way from a foreign land to celebrate, she was filled with joy as she gazed at the tiny baby, her eyes dripping with honey. Her husband, Austin, was no exception.
"Oh my goodness, you're so pretty and cute, Natalia. It reminds me of when our Cheryl was this pretty. Our Cheryl was pretty too."
He smiled as a father, thinking of his six-year-old daughter he left behind at home, and Natalia agreed.
And then, Candice, who had been listening to their conversation, chimed in with a dissatisfied expression.
“...He’s a son.”
“Oh, I see... I made a mistake...”
Austin blushed in embarrassment and apologized, but Ophelia smiled kindly and shook her head as if it was okay.
“It’s okay, a lot of people misunderstand.”
Noah was born small and pretty, so many people mistook her for a daughter, so she was familiar with it.
“By the way, what are those boxes, Natalia?”
Ophelia asked, pointing to the pile of boxes that had been bothering Natalia and Austin since they came in.
"Oh, those? They're gifts from the Hailing family. When I told them I was going to see my sister, they all packed me a bunch of stuff."
Natalia shrugged and answered, leaving Ophelia speechless.
When Aila was born, she wasn't congratulated by her family. They opposed her marriage to Roderick and her decision to remain in the Peles Empire, and her marriage, despite their opposition, estranged her from them.
Fortunately, they reconciled a few years ago, and his brother's family even came to visit the empire.
She never imagined that she would receive a baby shower gift like this.
“Open it, Ophelia. Quickly.”
Candice put her arm around Ophelia's shoulder and urged her on, and Ophelia opened the box on top.
The box contained a set of baby clothes made of soft, luxurious cotton. It even included matching hand and foot mittens.
And on top of it, there was a letter in a familiar handwriting. It was a simple, heartfelt congratulations from his brother, Isidore.
After reading the letter, Ophelia burst into tears.
At the time of her marriage to Roderick, it was her older brother who was most opposed to the marriage.
It was understandable that her brother had no choice but to oppose his talented younger sister abandoning her future in the Republic of Tamora and marrying a nobleman from another country, but at the time, young Ophelia was deeply saddened.
It was even more so because she had a particularly good relationship with her brother.
“Why are you crying, Ophelia?”
Roderick approached his wife, his face bewildered, when she suddenly burst into tears. He feared the letter might contain some bad news.
“Brother, congratulations...”
Ophelia cried in Roderick's arms.
Roderick read Isidore's letter to Ophelia while comforting her.
The letter concluded with the words, "I now accept that your true happiness lies there. I'm sorry for trying to measure your happiness by my own standards."
Because of that, Roderick's eyes also started to turn slightly red.
It was only now, after all this time, that he felt accepted by Ophelia's family.
“...You guys understand. That couple is very emotional these days.”
Candice shook her head, saying, "Here we go again," and Natalia shrugged, as if she understood everything.
“You don’t know because you haven’t had a child, but there are things like that after having a child.”
Even Austin nodded in enthusiastic agreement, but Candice shook her head as if she still didn't understand.
Natalia, who was standing by the crib again and watching Noah, opened her eyes wide when she noticed the mobile hanging above the crib.
It was made of paper, and the flowers and animals were so elaborate and delicate that it seemed like a lot of care had gone into it.
“Oh, this mobile is pretty.”
As she gently touched the mobile with her fingertips, the bells inside the paper doll made a clear, beautiful tinkling sound.
"Do you know how precious this is? It was personally crafted by the Crown Prince of the Peles Empire."
At her sister's compliment, Candice shrugged and bragged about it, even though it wasn't hers, and she hadn't made it.
And at the word 'Crown Prince', Natalia suddenly remembered meeting Winfred at the port on the way here, and she slapped her sister on the back.
"Oh, that's right, that's right! Sister, I ran into His Highness the Crown Prince on my way here. What a truly remarkable coincidence."
Candice, who flinched and avoided Natalia's touch when she hit her back with her sharp hand, asked what she meant when she heard she had met Winfred.
“You? Where on earth are you from?”
"Well, I just arrived in the Empire, and the Crown Prince's procession is passing through the harbor. I was watching, and he mistook me for my sister and spoke to me, didn't he?"
Natalia, in a flurry of excitement, told the story of her meeting with the Crown Prince, down to the fact that he had told her to send his regards when she went to the Duke's residence.
While she was telling this exciting story, Ophelia and Roderick joined in, wiping away their tears as if they had calmed down a little.
“What a strange fate.”
When Roderick spoke as if he were amazed, Candice opened her mouth and accepted his words.
“That’s what I mean. I’ve been through a lot since I came to this empire.”
“...I’ve been through a lot. I’ve met more than just the Crown Prince.”
And Austin, who had been quietly listening to the story, interjected and sighed.
“What did you meet again, Austin?”
Candice urged him to speak quickly. But it was Natalia, not Austin, who answered.
"Oh, right. I almost died, sis. I met a pirate."
As soon as she told them about meeting the pirate, everyone gathered around her and started to focus on the story.
And Austin, as if he couldn't stop her, closed his eyes slightly and shook his head, correcting her story.
"Let's get this straight, Natalia. We didn't meet. You jumped in to help a merchant ship that had encountered pirates."
"Oh, then, as a fellow sailor, you ignore a fellow industry worker in trouble? That's not possible."
Natalia said sternly, snapping her index finger from side to side.
"Oh, really. Let's talk about this later. What do you mean, you almost died? I don't think you'd be outmatched by pirates, given your skills."
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