#25

Varia quickly recalled all the things good for enduring snowy weather.

Perhaps a novel that could stimulate a child’s creativity.

Or maybe an anatomy croquis book of muscles, helpful for a daughter with a drawing hobby.

“Moderation, please. Moderation.”

Ferio, now thoroughly immune, simply let it go.

“Waaah!”

Belleani, who had been quietly unwrapping the gift alone, let out a cheer. Her round, black eyes sparkled brightly.

“Oh my, how adorable.”

Varia raised her voice in amazement.

Leonia had sent Belleani a gift of fruit-shaped crayons and a coloring book.

But Belleani’s attention was elsewhere.

“It’s Mister! Mister!”

Belleani pointed to the drawings in the coloring book.

“Pretty Mister!”

The coloring book was Leonia’s handmade creation, filled with illustrations she had drawn herself.

And most of them were of Scandia.

“......”

Naturally, upon seeing this, Ferio’s mood soured.

“Lea.”

Ferio called out to Belleani.

The baby, absorbed in the drawings, didn’t even lift her head and just gave a distracted “Mmm.”

“Who’s more handsome, Daddy or these ugly drawings?”

“Darling...”

Varia looked at her husband with a slightly pitying gaze.

“Daddy.”

Without even a moment of hesitation, the daughter’s answer brought a victorious smile to Ferio’s lips.

Leaning back against the sofa and tilting his head with smug satisfaction, he looked utterly full of himself.

“Daddy is handsome.”

Belleani said, raising her tiny thumb.

It was a gesture Leonia had taught her during winter break in the North.

“My daughter really is a genius.”

“And Mister is pretty.”

“Even geniuses make mistakes sometimes.”

Ferio murmured as he pressed a kiss to Belleani’s forehead.

“Lea, do you like this Mister?”

Varia pointed to Scandia, who was drawn large enough for coloring.

“Mm...”

Belleani blushed shyly.

“Mister is pretty and... muscles!”

The 25-month-old’s taste confession brought back a particular memory for Ferio.

'I like bulging, throbbing muscles!'

It was what Leonia had shouted on the day she first visited the Gladiago Knights, revealing her pure and absolute preferences in a booming voice.

At the time, Ferio thought it was just a passing phase common to kids, a brief fascination like the senior knights had said.

But his endlessly stubborn eldest daughter still clung to that taste.

And eventually—

“Big and strong!”

—she had even passed it on to her little sister.

***

Ferio had learned through excruciating experience while raising Leonia that child-rearing was fundamentally patience, patience, and more patience.

He constantly grabbed the back of his neck—an area he had never even touched before—whenever she pulled something.

Her taste in things, which he couldn’t even begin to handle, made him feel like his lungs were folding in and giving him consumption.

When Leonia learned how to seduce men with a teacup, he would wake up in the middle of the night in terror.

And when she pranced among the knight order’s muscles, singing bizarre songs and dancing strange dances, he’d fall into darkness.

His first round of parenting had been unbearably difficult.

But because of that, Ferio felt confident he could raise Belleani well.

'Is it really going to be that easy?'

Varia, on the other hand, was skeptical.

'Lea is Leo’s sister.'

Even as a fetus, Belleani had shown enough similarity for Leonia to say she felt a deep kinship.

While still in the womb, Belleani recognized beauty, reacted to muscle, and moved so much at the sight of a muscular man that Varia thought she might burst from within.

'Still, she’ll be easier than Leo.'

Watching her confident husband, Varia felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

It wasn’t just her imagination—it reminded her of how she herself had underestimated childbirth years ago.

'And Leo would be hurt if she heard this.'

'Why would she?'

Ferio was certain that if Varia had experienced Leonia’s childhood firsthand, she’d never say such a thing.

Of course, little Leonia had been cute and lovable.

But that was that.

'If Lea ends up like that too...'

Having struggled so much with his eldest’s preferences, the idea of his second daughter copying her older sister already gave him chills.

'I just want—'

Ferio didn’t wish for anything extravagant.

'She can just read fairy tales and call flowers pretty. That’s all I ask.'

'Leo calls flowers pretty too.'

'The problem is, it’s not just any flower with her.'

He had even asked Countess Bosgruni to teach Leonia the meanings of flowers in an effort to instill some refinement.

But in the end, the only flower Leonia liked was the rose.

Not the one blooming in the garden—but the one that blossomed when two muscular men stood next to each other.

Ferio realized far too late that his greatest enemy in life was not the deceased Emperor Subiteo or the likes of Olor, but Leonia herself.

But Varia remained doubtful.

'You're talking about someone who’s always two steps ahead of you...'

It was impossible for Ferio to overpower Leonia. He probably didn’t even intend to.

Varia was sure that plan would fail.

And as expected—

“I like muscles the best!”

Belleani, overjoyed by her sister’s gift, burst into a joyful tune before her parents.

“Come together, big and strong!”

It was a short song Leonia had taught her, and clever Belleani sang it without missing a single word.

“Biceps! Triceps!”

She even pointed to each muscle group with her hand as she named them.

Ferio repeatedly wiped his face with ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) a large hand.

Every time he heard that song, his heart twisted.

Belleani, bouncing up and down with joy, was so cute and precious—but the song she sang cast a dark cloud over him.

He even felt as if he could hear Leonia’s evil laughter.

His only consolation was that Belleani’s pronunciation wasn’t fully formed yet, so the lyrics were still a bit garbled, and she didn’t yet understand their deeper meaning—she just wiggled her body happily to the tune.

Ferio’s resolve wavered with every beat.

“I told you so.”

Varia clapped along with their daughter’s performance, quietly declaring her victory.

The winner, naturally, was their eldest daughter—who wasn’t even here.

“Where did it all go wrong...”

Ferio quickly tried to pinpoint the moment of defeat.

“You just can’t win.”

Varia, patting his back in a vaguely comforting gesture, spoke as if it were only natural.

“No parent wins against their child.”

Though she said this, everyone knew—if anyone dared gossip about Leonia, Ferio would turn their life into a living hell.

“But,”

Varia shifted the topic,

“When is Leo coming?”

Summer break at the Academy was just about to begin.

***

A few days later.

Several carriages passed through the Northern Gate.

“The weather here is so much nicer than the capital.”

While the carriages that had just passed through the Gate were being inspected, Flomus admired the sharp fir needles with delight.

The broad-leaved trees in the capital had been beautiful too. The vibrantly colored seasonal flowers were fragrant.

Still, she had dearly missed the calm atmosphere unique to the North.

“Summer truly is best in the North.”

“You think so too, right, Lady Leonia?”

Flomus turned around.

There stood a fairly tall rock on its own.

And atop it was Leonia in her Academy uniform, flipping through documents with focused intensity.

“......”

Flomus simply watched her quietly.

“...Why are you staring like that?”

The black eyes that had been focused on the documents suddenly curved into a grin.

Completely different from how troubled she had looked just moments before.

“It’s just...”

Flomus stepped closer, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret.

“I was thinking of what you were like when you were younger.”

“The days I was just reckless, huh.”

Leonia frowned, scolding her.

“But you’re so cool now.”

Flomus murmured shyly.

Since last late autumn, when Leonia turned seventeen, she was no longer just a cute child.

Her black eyes sparkled with intelligence, her hair darker than the night sky.

When she didn’t speak, her red lips stayed firmly closed. Her pale skin carried a faint flush.

And her cheeks, once round, had started to slim down, giving her face the cold elegance unique to the Voreoti lineage.

Everyone praised her beauty, but no one dared to approach lightly. That lofty, untouchable aura was unmistakable.

Arrogant and proud.

But beautiful and strong.

'She used to be so adorable...'

Flomus still remembered the first time she met Leonia.

Though much smaller than Flomus, she’d said, “Oh dear, still a baby,” with a sigh. How could she ever forget that?

The awkwardness of that day had now become a fond, shared memory.

They’d become real friends, often reminiscing and laughing about those times.

“But it kind of sounds insulting.”

Leonia pouted playfully.

“So I wasn’t cool back then?”

“O-of course you were!”

Flomus hurried to add.

Leonia giggled and reached out to ruffle Flomus’s hair.

“I’m kidding.”

“You’re so mean...”

Flomus muttered with genuine disappointment, but her heart thumped at Leonia’s smile.

Even to another girl, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

'She really takes after the Duke.'

The older Leonia got, the more eerily she resembled Ferio.

And she knew it—and liked it, even.

'...Her personality might be a bit stronger than his, though.'

Neither of them revealed emotions easily, but Leonia had a slightly lower ignition point.

When she got angry, she showed her displeasure without restraint.

Flomus had recently experienced that side of her.

Though of course, the idiot who provoked her hadn’t been Flomus.

“Young Lady, the carriages are ready.”

Connie called out to Leonia, saying it was time to depart.

Flomus climbed into the carriage first, while Leonia received the inspection report from Connie and the knights.

“There’s no damage. The horses are unharmed.”

“What about the people?”

Leonia asked, slipping on her Academy cloak with Connie’s help.

“No issues. All luggage is intact.”

“Double-check the wheels, then we’ll depart.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We have important guests. Head to the Kerata estate first.”

After issuing her commands, Leonia boarded the carriage as well.

Even with her back turned, everyone bowed respectfully.

Leonia no longer used honorifics with the knights. Gone were the casual ‘big sister’ or ‘big brother’ titles.

Her demeanor while receiving reports felt entirely natural.

And the tone in which she gave orders wasn’t the least bit awkward.

The knights were deeply moved.

'Of course she had to inherit His Grace’s temper.'

'Sometimes she’s worse than the Duke.'

'Don’t even bring it up. Did you see her when she was angry?'

'It was a miracle no one died.'

'I’m amazed the capital is still standing.'

And one by one, they all shuddered in fear.