“Mommmm!”
“Aer!”
That afternoon, on the way home from daycare, Aer heard the news that her mother had woken up. The moment she arrived home, she ran straight to Estelle’s bedroom.
Her cheeks were flushed, and clear tears clung to the corners of her eyes. Even so, her lips were curled into a bright smile.
“I missed youuu!”
But just as Aer was about to throw herself into Estelle’s arms—
“Aer, what did I tell you to do first when you come home?”
Kaiyan lifted her up and gently scolded her.
“Ah… I hafta wash my hands first…”
“That’s right. And why?”
“So I can protect Mom from all the bad stuff from outside!”
“Very smart.”
Still holding her, Kaiyan carried Aer back outside the room.
“I’ll be right back, Mom!”
Without any fuss, Aer obediently headed to the bathroom.
What is this? How is he so good at this already?
No matter how mature and gentle Aer was for her age, raising a child required enormous effort and trial and error. Yet in just four days, Kaiyan already seemed quite experienced.
“I washed them!”
While Estelle was still surprised, Aer came back. Only after receiving permission from Kaiyan, who was standing guard by the door, did the child climb onto the bed.
“Mom! Are you really okay now?”
“Of course. I’m perfectly fine. I just slept all of a sudden—did it scare you a lot? I’m sorry.”
“Mhm… it was a little scary, but Ian unca was there, so it was okay! He said you’d definitely wake up. And that he’d protect me forever!”
They said children grow in the blink of an eye—and in just four days, Aer seemed to have matured even more. Estelle’s heart ached softly.
And—
So Kaiyan comforted her.
She felt relieved that he had been there.
But why personally? Even if he thinks she might be his child, going as far as raising her himself…
At the same time, not understanding his intentions made unease creep in.
Normally, royal and noble families hired nannies when they had children, considering the actual labor of childcare to be the nanny’s responsibility.
Even Estelle in her first life had thought the same. Kaiyan should be no different.
What on earth is he thinking? If he were only obsessed with securing an heir, he could have taken her by force while I was unconscious.
Because of that, his unusual behavior only deepened her wariness of whatever hidden intentions he might have.
Grrr…
The sound that interrupted her spiraling thoughts came from Aer.
“Mommy, I’m hungry… I wanna eat mushroom pancakes…”
“Aer, Mom still needs to rest.”
Kaiyan firmly refused the child’s innocent request, then added, somewhat awkwardly, to Estelle:
“…I managed everything else, but I have no idea what that ‘mushroom pancake’ dish is supposed to be.”
It was only natural he didn’t know. It was a Korean dish Estelle had eaten in her second life.
Because Aer hated mushrooms so much, Estelle had tried every possible method to get her to eat them—until it eventually became the child’s favorite dish.
“If you explain the recipe in detail, I’ll make it.”
“No, I’ll do it. Lying down too long is making me feel worse.”
“Yaaay! Uncle, you should try it too! It’s reaaally yummy!”
Aer jumped up and clung to Kaiyan.
If it were up to Estelle, she would have sent Kaiyan and Cedric away as soon as possible—but she couldn’t.
Well… I am grateful they took care of Aer and nursed me.
With values shaped half like a Korean from her second life, Estelle decided at least to feed them a meal before sending them off.
Entering the kitchen, she quickly prepared a generous spread. It might not match the imperial palace chefs, but she even included lamb steak—one of Kaiyan’s favorites.
“Here, Aer. It’s still hot, so I’ll cut it into small pieces.”
“Okayyy—”
Still, watching Kaiyan naturally take care of the child while Aer ate like a baby bird from his hand—it was something Estelle couldn’t get used to.
To an outsider, it looked exactly like a warm meal shared between a loving father and daughter.
“Don’t just stand there watching—come and eat with us.”
Since Kaiyan was there, Estelle turned her attention to Cedric, who had been standing off to the side.
“No, I couldn’t possibly dine at the same table…”
“It’s just a meal. Come on.”
“Cedric. Sit.”
“Your Highness…”
“Now.”
After Estelle tried persuading him a couple of times, Kaiyan added a firm command.
In the end, a strange meal—something that would never happen in the imperial palace—took place.
Compared to a lavish royal banquet, it was simple, but it was peaceful and warm.
However, the problem came afterward.
“Waaaah! I wanna sleep with Ian unca too!”
Aer once again dropped the same bombshell as before.
Kaiyan still couldn’t forgive Estelle. Forgetting her sins and living on as if nothing had happened—he couldn’t accept that either.
But separately from that, he found himself drawn to the unfamiliar sight of Estelle living as Ribeta Marian.
After all, the place she lived now was far removed from the splendor of a ducal estate or the imperial palace. Seeing Estelle in such a setting felt deeply out of place.
She can even cook herself…
Of course, it was natural for someone living as a commoner—but even so, Kaiyan watched her in the kitchen with disbelief for quite some time.
Even though four years had passed since the accident, she had spent her entire life before that eating meals carefully prepared by others. And yet, every movement she made was fluid and natural.
In the short time Kaiyan stood there in a daze, Estelle effortlessly prepared several dishes. While they didn’t compare to a royal banquet, they clearly showed efficient use of time and ingredients.
Why is it delicious?
That made it even more surprising—not only did it look good, but it tasted excellent.
The mushroom pancake, in particular, left a strong impression. It didn’t seem to use many ingredients, yet the savory egg and fragrant mushrooms blended perfectly into a rich flavor.
Having once lived in exile and been forced to handle everything himself, Kaiyan knew exactly how difficult it was to cook at this level.
“Aer, you should eat this. The food for adults is still too strongly seasoned for you.”
She had even prepared separate food for the child.
And that wasn’t all.
“Don’t just stand there—come eat with us.”
Estelle had even invited Cedric—who was standing beside them—to the table.
A royal offering food to a subordinate.
Of course, Kaiyan cherished Cedric as more than just an aide, and they had occasionally shared meals during monster subjugation expeditions or secret outings.
But Estelle was different. As empress, she had been stricter than anyone about rules and decorum.
Seeing her call Cedric over herself felt strange.
“It’s just a meal. Come on.”
Still—
Did she have to smile like that while inviting him? She treats me like I’m something unpleasant to look at…
For some reason, the way she kept taking care of Cedric irritated Kaiyan. It wasn’t just anger—there was an unfamiliar unease stirring deep inside his chest.
“Ian unca…?”
In the end, even his hand—feeding Aer pieces of mushroom pancake—came to a halt.
“Cedric. Sit.”
“B-But…”
Even Cedric’s respectful hesitation somehow made things worse.
“Now.”
Fortunately, once Cedric sat down and began eating, Estelle’s attention no longer went to him.
Of course, it didn’t turn toward Kaiyan either—but at least it remained on Aer.
Not knowing what this unfamiliar emotion was—and not particularly wanting to know—the dinner came to an end.
“Thank you for the meal, I… Madam. I’ll clean up.”
Cedric quickly corrected himself from using a familiar title and began clearing the table.
Meanwhile, Kaiyan took Aer to the bath.
Estelle offered to do it herself, but since she had only just recovered, he told her to rest.
Aer, especially cheerful today, splashed around happily in the warm bath the moment she got in.
“Unca! My mom’s cooking was really yummy, right? You wanna eat it every day, right?”
“Yes… it was.”
“If you stay here forever, you can eat it every day.”
There was something desperate beneath the child’s bright eyes.
She’s trying to keep me here somehow.
Throb.
That innocent yet desperate gaze—Kaiyan immediately understood her intention, and his heart ached.