Chapter 159

After finishing the meeting with the nobles, I headed to the mansion’s living room to spend some time with my family for the first time in a while.

Even though I felt completely exhausted by the end of the meeting, strangely enough, just thinking about meeting Irina, Ela, and Victoria energized me.

I felt like an office worker returning from a long business trip, excited at the thought of seeing my family.

It’s been 12 years since I reincarnated into this world, and I thought I had become quite distant from such emotions, apart from the historical knowledge I use every day…

Lost in these thoughts, I found myself passing through a long corridor until I reached the living room.

I knocked on the living room door twice, then opened it and stepped inside.

A stone fireplace connected to the chimney, a sofa and rocking chair piled with gray fabric, and a small wooden table.

It’s said that nobles decorate everything lavishly, but the place where I gather with my family whenever I have time is intentionally arranged to be as comfortable as possible for relaxation.

Inside, Ela and Irina were chatting, oblivious to my arrival.

“Children really grow up fast… It’s only been two years since she was born, and now she’s starting to walk…”

“You’re right, Irina… When the master went to the capital, she couldn’t even take a few proper steps… Nowadays, if you take your eyes off her for just a moment, she’s already far away…”

“Taking care of Victoria myself is good, but isn’t it too hard? What do you think about hiring a nanny, just like Siel said? You might wear yourself out.”

“She is the master’s daughter. And I don’t have as much to do as you, Irina… I can handle this much. Besides, if I leave Victoria with a nanny, I would just get too bored… I’ll keep taking care of this cute child.”

“I can’t even count how many times we’ve had this conversation already… Siel is lucky, being loved so much by someone as kind as Ela.”

Normally, in other noble families, mistresses and wives often vie for the head’s affection and dominance, but…

In our house, thanks to Ela announcing from the start that she wouldn’t engage in a power struggle with Irina and trying to befriend her…

Those two were able to spend time together like sisters without any reservations.

And because of that, I didn’t have to worry about conflicts among women like other nobles.

“Irina, Ela, I’m back.”

At that, Ela and Irina turned toward me and spoke.

“You must have had a hard time going to the capital, Siel.”

“Welcome back, my lord…”

It may sound like an ordinary greeting, but the way those two asked if I had returned felt quite touching.

Because at that moment, I realized I had finally escaped from the emperor and nobles who had tried to manipulate me, and returned to the family I wanted to protect.

So, I opened my arms and hugged both of them at once.

“I’m back. Thanks to your concern, I was able to return without any trouble.”

To be precise, it was thanks to that damned regent and His Imperial Majesty that I felt like my heart would burst, but there was no need to complain in front of those two.

Since it was the first day back from the capital, I wanted to speak only good things.

Perhaps sensing my feelings, Ela looked at me with a bright smile and said.

“Do you remember, my lord, how before you went to the capital, Victoria had just taken her first steps?”

“Of course, it felt like Victoria was encouraging me as I was leaving on a long trip, saying I shouldn’t worry because she was growing up well. How could I forget that?”

“Victoria has grown so much that now she doesn’t just walk; she runs everywhere. The other day, I was pouring tea in a cup, and before I knew it, she had made it all the way to the doorway… Just a few days ago, she even walked out of the room and made it to the stairs! Thank goodness Hans found her; otherwise, she could have been seriously hurt.”

When I first reincarnated into this world, I was a young, fragile girl, but now she had become a mother who proudly bragged about her daughter while also being worried for her.

However, Ela’s face still shone with the innocent and adorable expression she had when I first adopted her.

“Really? Then I should go see Victoria. I was planning to play with her when she wakes up tomorrow morning or afternoon, but should I go see her sleeping face instead…?”

As I said this, Irina smiled slightly and replied.

“Siel, Victoria heard that Daddy was coming today and kept whining about when you’d be here… then fell asleep. So just a few hours ago when Ela said she’d see Daddy tomorrow, she insisted and whined…”

Hearing that, I looked in the direction Irina indicated, and there was Victoria, stumbling out as she heard my voice, still half-awake.

With her little voice, she called out, “Daddy… Daddy…”

So, overwhelmed with joy, I couldn’t help but scoop Victoria up in my arms.

Her brown hair, which resembled Ela’s, and my own high nose, I began to gently stroke.

Her skin was soft like a fuzzy peach, and the slightly warm temperature unique to children reassured me.

After about three minutes of stroking, Victoria stared at me blankly and sleepily said.

“Ah… Daddy? Daddy?”

It seemed I had woken her up… Damn it… Once young children wake up, it often takes a long time for them to fall back asleep…

If that happens, Victoria won’t be able to sleep well tomorrow…

However, it seemed that seeing her Daddy after a few months made her happy, as she stretched out her arms, wanting to be held.

So I recalled the proper way to hold a child that I had learned from Ela and the nanny, and embraced her as correctly as possible.

In other noble families, they would probably say my dignity would fall if I did this…

But since we were just a rural baron family, and my authority was quite strong… No one would criticize me for holding her like this in a place where others couldn’t see.

No… If I didn’t hold her correctly, Ela would probably voice her displeasure in a way that would stick in my ears.

“Daddy, nice… Daddy…”

Holding the child like that, I walked into Ela’s room adjacent to the living room.

As I walked, Ela and Irina said nothing, worried Victoria might wake up.

Thanks to the memory of how to soothe a child, I eventually succeeded in lulling Victoria back to sleep.

She was cute and lovely when awake, but her sleeping face was even more adorable.

“Victoria usually has trouble going back to sleep once she wakes up… but it seems she felt safe seeing her daddy, so she fell asleep quickly.”

“Right, at first I was really worried that I’d wake her up, and she wouldn’t be able to sleep well at night… thankfully.”

“Siel, normally that wouldn’t happen, but today is different because you just came back from the capital after a long journey. So no one will say anything. Plus, you must be really tired now, right? You came just to check on us because you were worried?”

Irina’s prideful demeanor was just like when she first came to our family, but her concern for me felt cute and commendable.

“I just wanted to see both of your faces. I’m glad to see you both are doing well…”

“We’re always well. Even if you save your money elsewhere, you always spend generously and care for me and Ela…”

“Yes, thanks to you, my lord, Ela is living well beyond her means. So I’m not worried about me and Irina. And… Irina? Don’t you have something to say to the master?”

At that, Irina suddenly turned red and, as if having made a decision, let out a deep sigh before speaking.

“I think… I might be pregnant… A month after you went to the capital, I wasn’t feeling well and went to our family doctor, and he said it seems I’m expecting. I don’t have a belly yet, but I think it will show by the end of this year.”

Upon hearing that, I immediately hugged Irina tightly.

Although this wouldn’t be my first child, Irina understands and supports me in a way different from Ela.

It might not be immediately visible, but if I manage the salaries and various expenses of all the retainers in our family…

Irina manages the factories and various private properties I operate, along with the social activities of our family retainers as my primary consort.

If she weren’t here, by now… there might have been an invisible power struggle among the wives of the retainers in our family.

While it might not aim at my life directly, it would certainly seize my ankles.

Thanks to her careful management and saving the budget without spending it on strange things…

I can also confidently order initiatives like the Saemaul Movement plan or various large-scale projects.

In that sense, while Ela is like a sunflower looking only at me, Irina is like a supportive pillar that holds us both up.

Perhaps because of that, the thought of our family’s bloodline continuing didn’t bring me as much joy as the pure feeling that a fruit of the connection between Irina and me was about to arrive.

“Siel, it hurts…”

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

“And today, let’s sleep together with Ela, not just me. While you were away, Ela kept saying she wanted a second child…”

“Irina? Even so, that’s….”

It’s not as if I lack the financial means to raise children, and if that’s what Ela wants, then of course I can oblige.

So I immediately took Ela into the bedroom, but my body had already reached its limit, and the moment I leaned back in bed, I collapsed.

**

“Sigh… Receiving the marquisate from the capital is fine, but… to repay the damn emperor by offering free sugar and various goods… Just combined gifts alone would exceed thirty thousand gold coins…”

It’s something I shouldn’t really need to worry about, but it is customary for newly ennobled nobles to send thoughtful gifts to the emperor as a token of gratitude.

And what happens if one breaks that custom…?

At that moment, there would be no immediate repercussions, but the emperor would think he’s being slighted and would use all sorts of cunning to seek revenge.

So, for now, I must endure, as I’m still under the emperor’s vassals…

Furthermore, although it’s an expedition, not everything that comes from it is necessarily bad…

Thinking about it, it’s about time…

A moment later, the door to my office opened, and Mark, who had been promoted to captain in the recent advancement evaluation, entered.

Mark was wearing armor that was slightly thicker than typical armor but only reached down to his thighs, along with a leather apron.

He saluted me and said, “Captain Mark of the Combat Engineering Company! I am here under the orders of the Croilet Marquess, Your Excellency, with Lieutenant Colonel Heilrein Meister, Commander of the Engineering Battalion.”