I returned home, clutching my bloated stomach with difficulty.
'I don't remember ever eating this much, not even at my grandmother's.'
They were literally raised.
Just when I thought I had barely finished the meal, they said it was time for dessert and brought out all sorts of desserts said to be eaten in the desert.
"I think I've gained 2 kilograms."
Still, I recall Amira's face filled with satisfaction as I was about to fall half-asleep due to a blood sugar spike.
'I think I did a good job.'
For some reason, whenever I thought of Amira, who looked lonely in a foreign country, I found myself feeling sorry for her.
Because the fragment of loneliness glimpsed from her cat-like face was similar to mine.
More precisely, Carcel, Linea, and me from when my mother wasn't around.
And it was already 9 PM when I got home.
It was time to set up Linea.
'She's probably finished bathing with Grandma and is resting.'
Today, I wanted to see Linea even sooner, so I got out of the carriage and hurriedly entered the house.
"Madam, have you arrived?"
"Uni, could you carry the gifts in the carriage up to my bedroom?"
In fact, treating me to a meal wasn't everything.
Even though I refused, Amira kept handing me a whole lot of gifts with her characteristic composed, expressionless face.
'The way she looked so dejected when I said I wouldn't take it was so pitiful that I couldn't just leave her like that.'
She was literally like a timid cat.
The servants began groaning as they brought the as-yet-unidentified gifts into the entrance.
"Yes, Madam. Good heavens. There are so many gifts."
Leaving Uni behind as she said that, I headed to Linea's room.
Knock knock.
Linea answered from inside at the sound of the knock.
"Yes!"
I cautiously opened the door and peeked my head in.
“Linea!”
"Mom!"
Linea smiled brightly, got up from the table, and ran to me.
Then, the child who was snuggled in was warm.
“Did you take a bath?”
"Yes, I did it with my grandmother."
"You smell nice, baby."
Recently, Linea had been using a scent she liked from the high-end soaps she received as gifts.
Unlike me, who likes roses, Linnea liked fruit scents.
'It makes me proud to see this little child's tastes becoming more diverse.'
Once the urgent matters are taken care of to some extent, I also want to go on a summer vacation with Linea.
'Looking at the documents Carcel gave me, I saw there was a resort at the southern tip. Was it Berlusconi, full of fresh seafood?'
Since Linea had never seen the sea before, she would undoubtedly like it.
I took Linea into the room and asked.
"You couldn't have dinner with Mom tonight, is that okay?"
"I missed you a little."
“Did you miss Mom?”
The child's smile as they shyly laughed, saying "Hye-hye," was lovely.
"Mom missed Linea so much, too."
“But Mom.”
"Yes?"
Linea led me to the table.
Then, she thrust the invitation placed on the table forward.
"What's this?"
"Mom told me to collect the things that come to me separately and give them to you."
"Ah, did Linea get it?"
Recently, there have been friends who have decided to exchange letters with Linea from time to time, so I have decided to protect her privacy now.
In fact, since one of the foundations of etiquette is writing appropriate replies to various letters, I was told to reply directly for educational purposes.
'It was so cute when they came running over to ask what to do about words or sentence structures they didn't know.'
Watching my child grow up, I felt a sense of regret about this time, but at the same time, I was proud of them.
"Did Lucian invite you?"
"Back at the banquet, I think I had a fight with the Young Duke."
"It’s not so much that you fought, but rather that he was the one who picked a fight, right?"
"I guess he felt sorry about that. Actually, even though Lucian is a cousin, he didn't do anything wrong."
I read the contents of the letter Linea handed me.
<...I will apologize on his behalf for Walter's atrocities. When he did that to you, I couldn't step in.
I'm sorry.
If Walter does that to you again, even in public, I will absolutely stop him from doing it!>
I held back my laughter.
<I don't need any other friends besides you!>
'Lucian didn't say anything, but Walter had disliked Lucian making friends all this time, so he would interfere or steal them away.'
Perhaps due to the upbringing his father had instilled in him, Walter had a somewhat inexplicable sense of rivalry toward Lucian.
"Then, shall we go to the inner palace tomorrow afternoon to see Lucian for a bit, just as written here?"
"Is that okay?"
"Of course."
I stroked Linea's hair.
"Should I ask them to write and send a reply before it gets any later?"
Then Linea excitedly sat at the table and picked up a children's fountain pen.
Until recently, she couldn't write in cursive properly.
'Since my mother writes so well, Linea learned to copy her and is doing a good job.'
By now, she was writing and sending quite decent replies.
"Linea really works hard."
It wasn't simply because she was a clever child.
I realized that there was never a day when the ink on Linea's hands dried.
Because she was a child who studied on her own without me telling her to.
'The study room is full just of papers used for cursive practice.'
At my words, Linea discreetly covered the ink on the edge of her hand and smiled awkwardly.
"I just... I want to do at least as much as Mom and Grandma do. So as not to bring shame to the family!"
"Where did you learn such difficult words again?"
"I've started reading literary novels lately. Unlike fairy tales, they have really difficult words."
"You can take it easy."
However, Linea shook her head, blushing.
"It's fun. Because I get to learn things I didn't know before."
"Right. But don't try to get good grades. Just think of it as having fun and focusing on what Linea wants to learn!"
Linea nodded at those words.
"Then, shall I write a reply first?"
"Yes!"
In this way, the child completed a perfect letter under my guidance and sent it to Lucian that evening.
And the next afternoon.
"Lucian is more merciless than I thought."
I ended up saying that to the children.
***
So, going back to the beginning, Linea and I were extremely nervous when we first visited the Crown Prince's estate.
"Mom, but you know, we did it here last time."
"Ah."
Linea also knew that there was some kind of threat in the fireworks she had looked down at from the magic tower that day.
And she had enough common sense to realize that it happened near the Crown Prince's palace.
"Will it be okay this time?"
Linea asked with a slightly worried look.
I nodded to Linea with conviction.
"Don't worry. Last time was a special case, and that will absolutely never happen again."
This will never happen again.
'I don't recall there being any more attempted assassinations in the Inner Palace after the Observatory incident.'
We arrived at the Crown Prince's Palace while comforting Linea, who was suffering from mild PTSD.
As we arrived at the entrance, Lucian, who had come out to greet us, scurried out to welcome us.
The child welcomed us maturely with a grown-up expression.
"Was the journey here uncomfortable?"
Lucian was looking up at me with eyes that were somehow moist and sad, like a calf.
It was a look of concern that Linea and I might drift apart from him.
So I answered with a smile to reassure the child.
"Then. Has Lucian been doing well?"
Lucian's expression also changed from resignation to relief as he saw me speaking with a relaxed face.
The child nodded at me with a little more confidence.
"Yes! I've missed Linea and the Marchioness."
A child is a child.
Lucian felt embarrassed and acknowledged Linea as well.
"How have you been doing?"
"Yeah! By the way, have you grown a little taller in the meantime?"
Linea tilted her head and asked.
Maybe it's because they are growing children, but they grew fast like turnips that have been fertilized.
"Uh-huh, how did you know?"
Lucian scratched the back of his head, blushing as if embarrassed.
"You just seem a little taller, and a bit more handsome."
"Handsome..."
Lucian's cheeks instantly turned red upon hearing the praise.
“Thank you.”
"Oh, and here is a gift."
I bought a gift with Linea in the morning to give to Lucian.
It seems like he likes brownies and churros too, so this time I bought caramel apples.
“This can’t be right!”
"This is chocolate, this is caramel, and this is candy-coated. Just cut it and eat it!"
"Thank you!"
Last time, Lucian also secretly wanted to eat it, but he couldn't because it was a snack not prepared in the Magic Tower.
Besides, security has tightened even more since the attempted assassination, so going out alone would probably be unimaginable.
Still, Lucian's expression while with Linea was truly childlike.
"Let's go inside. I've been studying all morning, and now it's time for a break."
"What are you learning these days? I even read novels now! And I know how to do division!"
"Really?"
Linea was also a child.
She was eager to show how much she had learned.
That was cute, so I followed the two of them, holding back my laughter.
After a simple tea time and the snacks we brought, Linea made a suggestion to Lucian this time.
"Shall we play hide-and-seek?"
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