“Your… Your Majesty, the princess needs to be breastfed….”

Selena had intended to check the baby’s face briefly and return it to the maid, but she found herself captivated by the baby longer than the maid had anticipated.

She had even forgotten that the baby needed to be breastfed.

“Shall I fetch the wet nurse?”

“Let me breastfeed her for the first time.”

Despite planning to give birth in the other world, they had prepared a wet nurse in this world due to their schedule and physical condition. Additionally, they had procured formula from the other world, resulting in the guards being absent for longer.

“Your Majesty will?”

The maid asked in surprise, inadvertently uttering her thoughts.

“Shouldn’t I try it once?”

Thinking that any milk would suffice as long as the baby didn’t starve, she was rather leisurely. Still, she wanted to feed the baby directly at least once.

Variety in experiences was a good thing, after all.

“Turn the mouth this way and hold her like this…”

The maid, who had experienced pregnancy and childbirth, helped guide Selena through the process by adjusting the baby’s position.

Even though she had thought it would be simple, breastfeeding turned out to be more challenging than expected. From pregnancy to childbirth, everything had been a series of ordeals, and feeding the baby was no exception.

After many twists and turns, she finally succeeded in breastfeeding. The baby, suckling contentedly, was a sight to behold.

“I hope she opens her eyes soon… I didn’t expect her eye color to be the same as Kalcion’s. Her eyes are the most beautiful.”

“She has your eyes.”

“Come to think of it, her nose looks like yours.”

“Does it? I think her nails will grow like yours.”

“It’s fine if her nails grow like yours.”

“Her lips definitely resemble yours.”

“The facial features seem to resemble me, but if you look closely, the color seems to resemble Kalcion’s lips…”

Listening to the couple’s murmurs as they touched foreheads, people barely held back their laughter.

Even the royal couple were just people. While both of them had extraordinary looks and abilities, as parents, they seemed to become ordinary.

“What do you think? Who does she resemble more?”

Suddenly, an arrow aimed at them, so the laughter got stuck in their throats.

They had to answer carefully to the parent’s burning remark. A casual remark thrown around could be taken much more seriously.

“It seems she resembles both of you equally.”

Half-and-half, and avoiding responsibility by saying ‘it seems’.

“…Is that so?”

Fortunately, they smoothly got past this question. However, the challenge wasn’t over.

“Look at the shape of her nostrils. Cute. They resemble your nostrils.”

“Me? I think it resembled you more? It would be prettier if she resembled you more, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m fine with her resembling you.”

Before any additional questions could come their way, the maid and the midwife quickly tidied up and withdrew.

They were, after all, an extraordinary couple.

It was strange to claim, ‘How adorable like you,’ instead of saying, ‘How adorable like me.’

* * *

A child didn’t grow up on its own.

Although people say they grow up quickly when you turn your back, during the newborn baby phase, everything is hectic without even turning your back.

While there weren’t many people around who had given birth, Selena had acquired quite a bit of knowledge from various sources. Especially during the newborn period, she had heard enough famous stories about the war between parents and sleep.

Waking up and crying every hour, a baby that takes thirty minutes to finally fall asleep, and so on. Terms like sticking like a piece of gum to the mom, sensor in the back, and other related terms.

‘Is that just a theory?’

However, Selena’s daughter, Magna, had nothing to do with those things. She slept well regardless of anything, ate well, and there were no particular foods to worry about.

Theory and reality were never the same. However, what most people say is likely to be true, but it doesn’t necessarily hold true in all cases. For some reason, from the caregiver’s perspective, it was just a pleasant disposition.

“Magna seems to have an unusual condition. She sleeps through the night without waking up even once, so I can also sleep deeply at night.”

A newborn who sleeps well at night! How did she give birth to such a blessed child?

Expressions mixed with envy and admiration erupted here and there.

Today’s gathering was a meeting of those who had finished postpartum care.

“Magna may have grown faster than other children, and her sleep habits may have developed quickly. Then the princess does not sleep during the day?”

Someone who gave birth a little earlier than Magna, already showing the appearance of an experienced person, asked.

“Well, no. During the day, she tends to alternate between sleeping and waking up quite a bit. They say it’s healthy. Is that strange?”

“Usually, if a baby sleeps well at night, they tend to be active during the day. It seems like the princess still sleeps a lot during the day because she’s young.”

Everyone was a mother, but not everyone was a medical professional. They were just making assumptions. However, sleeping straight through the night and also sleeping during the day like a typical newborn?

The ladies tilted their heads in confusion, unable to understand. They said to be healthy, so there was no need for Selena to worry about her daughter unnecessarily.

“Oh, Lord Renbird has arrived.”

“Kalcion.”

Having had breakfast together and was happy to see him again, Selena greeted Kalcion with a jot.

“Did you have a pleasant time?”

Kalcion gently embraced Selena and the bundle in her arms, Magna, before letting go.

Even though it was a gathering of wives, he always made sure to show his face from time to time. Even though Selena was the strongest person in this realm, it seemed like he, without a care in the social scene, occasionally showed up like this.

After exchanging greetings with Selena, he turned towards the wives. The wives hurriedly got up from their seats, trying to show respect, gathering their children in their arms.

“I greet Lord Renbird.”

“Please, have a seat comfortably.”

Before their buttocks could lift from the chairs, Kalcion stopped them.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Carrying a child and moving around is a burden that many men have no idea about, but Kalcion was different. He still emitted a sharp aura that could induce fear, but unexpectedly, his actions and consideration were gentle.

Every time he revealed a new aspect, the wives exchanged glances, subtly smiling at each other. Their eyes, expressing gratitude for the gesture, briefly trembled.

‘Oh, his face…’

‘Under the eyes…’

There hadn’t been any official gatherings for three months since Selena’s childbirth, so the wives hadn’t seen Kalcion in a long time.

However, Kalcion’s face, seen after a long time, was noticeably damaged.

Even though his face had been smooth and lively even after going through war and had remained unblemished after countless sleepless training, it was now rough and dark. The combination of Kalcion and the word ‘tired’ was as paradoxical as hot ice or a cold sun.

Perhaps sensing her father’s presence, Magna, who had been sleeping comfortably in Selena’s arms, started whimpering.

“Ah, it’s starting.”

Selena laughed as she tried to adjust Magna in her arms and get up. If she got up and comforted her, the baby would fall asleep again instead of crying.

“Give her to me.”

Before Selena could get up, Kalcion extended his arms.

“I’ll take care of Magna, so you can relax and enjoy your time.”

Since she had to save face to some extent, Selena did not refuse his offer and handed Magna over.

Kalcion, holding the baby, walked towards the window. Like fish gathering around bait, the eyes of the wives all turned towards his back.

“Shh… Magna, our princess. Did you wake up because it was too noisy?”

It was quite natural how he spoke to the child who couldn’t even communicate yet. Moreover, the arm holding the child, which seemed to have never held anything other than a sword in a lifetime, fit naturally around the baby’s body.

Magna quickly stopped whining and fell asleep soundly, comfortable in her father’s arms. Even in Selena’s arms, the baby had been tossing and turning and couldn’t settle down.

“Lord Renbird… it seems like he takes good care of the princess.”

“I’ve been seeing her whenever I have some free time during the day, so she’s gotten used to me.”

It would be difficult to have such proficiency from just occasionally holding the baby for a short time during the day, wouldn’t it?

The wives tilted their heads in confusion once again.

Kalcion’s face, as he looked down at the baby, was gentle, but his expression seemed almost absent-minded. Now, it was apparent that not only his face but also his back carried the accumulated fatigue.

Magna, who would sleep through the night without waking up once, started whimpering at intervals during the day.

The baby’s personality couldn’t change between day and night, and it wasn’t possible for the child to be calm only at night and fussy only during the day.

Selena might not have fully grasped the situation, but the wives had a rough idea.

While she slept at night, Kalcion had been struggling alone. The baby could sleep as much as she wanted and cry if uncomfortable, but adults, when tense, took a while to fall asleep, and after waking up, it took time to go back to sleep.

Ultimately, with little proper sleep, enduring almost a hundred days like forced marches, even someone who was not sleep-deprived would collapse. Usually, husbands hoped that children would grow up on their own when they were young, and they expressed their admiration only when they were grown.

His attachment to raising the child personally, without leaving it to nurses and caretakers, while enduring fatigue, was enviable.

The wives looked at Kalcion’s back, his muscles still undiminished despite the apparent exhaustion, and sighed silently.

A father who maintained that physique and took good care of the child.

It was truly unfair.

__