#19

“Young lady, you’re already wonderful just as you are.”

As she tied Leonia’s hair with the pink ribbon the girl had chosen, Connie spoke with confident warmth.

‘She’s still so young.’

There was a gentle smile on Connie’s lips. To her, Leonia was still the small, childlike young miss she had always known.

This kind of excited fussiness was just the same as ever—and Connie liked that it hadn’t changed.

“No matter what you look like, young lady, you’ll always be charming and splendid.”

“Really?”

“You are the greatest Voreoti, after all.”

Leonia’s wide black eyes curved into a round arc.

“Knew it. Connie’s my favorite!”

“Better than Mia, right?”

“Right now, I like you more.”

“Young lady, how could you!”

Mia, who had just arrived with Leonia’s outfit, pouted with exaggerated dismay.

After this small morning commotion, Leonia quickly headed for the nursery.

Belleani’s room was located near Leonia’s bedroom. That arrangement had been due to Leonia’s strong desire to stay close to her baby sister until she left for the Academy.

And Ferio had agreed without protest.

But Leonia knew full well there had been an ulterior motive behind Ferio’s easy approval.

‘It’s obvious what he was thinking.’

Leonia pouted.

‘With all that nightly “exercise” going on...’

Originally, the nursery was going to be set up near either Varia’s or Ferio’s bedroom.

But if that had happened, the nanny would’ve suffered from the couple’s nighttime bedroom workouts.

And Belleani might not have been able to sleep through the noise.

‘Selfish, awful Dad.’

Especially after what he’d said yesterday, needlessly clouding her thoughts—she was even more irritated at Ferio.

Once inside the nursery, Leonia went straight to the cradle.

“You’re here, young lady?”

“Good morning, Nanny.”

The newly hired nanny was a middle-aged woman with a slim, slightly austere appearance.

With experience raising and sending off two children of her own, she handled Belleani with expert care.

Thanks to her, Varia felt greatly reassured and placed full trust in her.

“Come to see the little miss?”

“My day doesn’t start until I get my gurgling morning greeting from Lea.”

It wasn’t just Leonia.

“His Grace also stopped by just a little while ago.”

Ferio had done the same.

“Is Mom still sleeping?”

“I’m just about to bring the little miss to her. It’s almost feeding time.”

And Varia was no different.

Everyone in the family began their day by seeing Belleani. Though she couldn’t even sit up on her own, the baby was already an important figure in the Voreoti household.

“My little Lea.”

Leonia smiled as she looked down into the cradle.

“Ooooh.”

A bright babble burst from Belleani’s tiny lips. Now fully awake, she waved her mitten-covered hands and met Leonia’s eyes.

“Aww, you’re so cute! So adorable!”

Leonia’s expression melted into a puddle as she looked down.

“Big sister is here! The future duchess has come in person to see her precious baby sister!”

“Shall I pass her to you?”

“It’s okay. I know how to hold her now.”

Leonia carefully lifted Belleani out of the cradle. Her hands were confident and practiced.

At first, she had trembled in fear when trying to hold the newborn. But now, she understood exactly how to position Belleani so she felt comfortable.

“Mmm, mmrrgh!”

Belleani squirmed and babbled energetically.

“......”

Leonia’s black eyes sparkled as she watched.

“Nanny.”

“Yes, young lady?”

“At this rate, I think I could... maybe... nurse her in Mom’s place—”

“I’ll take her to Her Ladyship right away.”

The nanny quickly scooped Belleani out of Leonia’s arms.

Leonia pouted, her lips sticking out.

***

“I really thought it would come out.”

Leonia grumbled to Varia, scowling in frustration.

“You again...”

Varia gave a tired smile as she looked down at the baby in her arms. Belleani was nursing with all her strength.

She had quite the appetite, and her suction power was nothing short of astonishing. Sometimes, it even hurt.

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

Leonia asked, noticing the strain. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Belleani had clearly inherited the blood of the Voreoti. Her occasional squirming, her suction strength, her grip—all surpassed what a two-month-old should be capable of.

“Why can’t dads produce milk?”

Worry for her mom soon turned into indignation toward her absent father.

“Now that I think about it, it’s really unfair. Moms go through the whole ordeal of giving birth—shouldn’t dads at least be the ones producing milk?”

“......”

Varia couldn’t bring herself to agree.

She could imagine it. Honestly, it didn’t sound that bad. But if she agreed out loud, Leonia might get even more fired up.

Besides, her husband’s chest belonged to her now. There were lines that had to be defended.

“Pff.”

Belleani finished eating and smacked her lips.

The nanny, who had been waiting beside them, picked the baby up for burping. Varia adjusted her clothing and stifled a small yawn.

“Then I’ll take the little miss back to her room.”

“Thank you.”

“Aw, goodbye Lea...”

Leonia waved with lingering regret as the nanny carried her sister away. But Belleani, unaware of her sister’s feelings, was far too busy staring at her own mitten-covered hands.

As Belleani left, Leonia moved behind Varia and began massaging her shoulders.

“Ahhh, that feels amazing.”

Varia’s expression melted in bliss.

Leonia’s massage skills were legendary in the mansion. She found tense muscles with pinpoint accuracy and eased them with just the right pressure—once someone experienced it, they were hooked for life.

“...Hm?”

While massaging diligently, Leonia tilted her head.

“Did you lose a little weight, Mom?”

From behind, Varia’s figure seemed ever so slightly slimmer overall.

“Really?”

Turning to look, Varia’s face lit up with joy.

“Thank goodness. I’ve started working out again.”

She had decided to resume strength training to shed the weight gained from pregnancy and childbirth. She had already begun moving her body little by little.

“This time, I’m definitely bringing out my rectus abdominis!”

Determination blazed hot in her innocent green eyes.

Before getting pregnant, Varia had discovered the beauty of muscle and had trained regularly.

She’d even reached the point of forming two fine vertical lines across her abdomen—but had to put it all on pause for the pregnancy.

Now that she’d given birth, she could focus on her body again and start rebuilding.

“That’s the spirit!”

Leonia wholeheartedly cheered for her mother’s muscle obsession.

“But what did Dad say?”

Suddenly, she was curious about Ferio’s thoughts.

From what she’d seen, Ferio had seemed pretty fond of Varia’s soft, plush figure.

One time, he’d been caught kneading her stomach and arms by Leonia, earning himself a frosty glare.

‘What a pervert, seriously.’

Leonia grumbled lightly to herself and asked again,

“He was totally obsessed with your body, wasn’t he?”

There was no deeper meaning behind the question. Ferio just really seemed to enjoy playing with Varia’s soft skin.

“Uh...”

But Varia blushed and stammered.

“Th-that’s...”

Her voice trailed off as she fiddled with the edge of the blanket, her earlier determination about muscle now completely gone.

“...Forget it.”

Leonia took the question back immediately.

“By the way, Mom, did you know?”

She switched topics and brought up the study in Ferio’s office.

“Dad has books in there that he wrote.”

She asked it offhandedly, not expecting much. The people who frequented that study were mostly Ferio, Leonia, and Lupe.

Varia visited occasionally, but since her ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) work was completely different, she probably didn’t know what was in there.

“But Dad told me not to read them until after he dies.”

She added that part too—Ferio’s comment from yesterday that had left her feeling unsettled.

“Oh, are those the ones bound in brown leather with gold embossing?”

Surprisingly, Varia knew exactly which books she meant.

“You know about them?”

“Of course! He showed them to me first.”

Leonia’s mouth dropped open.

And before she could close it, Varia dropped an even bigger bomb.

“They’re parenting journals. Ferio wrote them while raising you.”

***

“Damn you, Dad!”

Storming into the study, Leonia shouted her outrage now that she knew the truth behind the mysterious volumes.

“Gahhh!”

Lupe flinched so hard he dropped the stack of books in his arms. They tumbled to the floor and landed squarely on his foot, forcing him to collapse with his eyes squeezed shut.

“So your mom already told you, huh.”

Ferio, on the other hand, looked completely unsurprised. He had expected this.

“What a boring reveal.”

“You were having fun with this all by yourself?!”

Leonia was dumbfounded by the truth behind the study volumes.

“What’s there to be upset about now?”

Ferio looked genuinely puzzled by her reaction.

“It’s not that I’m upset...”

Leonia paused, then turned to Lupe and asked,

“Mr. Lupe, did you know my dad kept a parenting journal about me?”

“Wh-what?”

Lupe looked even more shocked than he had when Leonia burst in.

He wore the dumbest expression Leonia had ever seen—and for a moment, it made her forget why she’d come here at all.

“He really wrote that?”

Fortunately, Lupe asked the question himself while Leonia was still holding back laughter.

“Who else would have written it?”

Ferio replied casually.

“And what’s with calling it ‘that’?”

He actually looked a little offended—because Lupe had just referred to Ferio’s parenting journal as “that.” Realizing his mistake, Lupe broke into a cold sweat.

“When did you start writing them?”

Thankfully, Leonia took over again and changed the subject.

Lupe bowed to her in his heart for saving his life.

Ferio also didn’t pursue the matter further.

“Not long after I brought you here.”

“That long ago?”

Startled, Leonia started counting years on her fingers. She had come to the mansion at age seven after meeting Ferio—and this fall, she’d be fifteen.

That was a long time.

“Wow...”

Lupe, who had done the math along with her, let out a breath of admiration.

Ferio had been documenting Leonia’s upbringing for seven and a half years.

“Dad...”

Leonia’s voice trembled.

“You really thought I was that precious?”

“I always found it hilarious when you’d ask me that.”

The man who wrote the journal remained completely nonchalant.