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chapter 01
2022.05.31.
Early in the morning, just as the dawn sun began to rise,
Pervin got out of bed. Irwen, who had stayed up working late the night before, was still asleep beside him.
Both he and Irwen had been busy lately, cramming in work. It was because of the trip they were soon planning to take.
The idea to go on a trip alone, just the two of them, had been Pervin’s suggestion. Although they had taken countless trips with the children, they had never gone on a trip just as a couple.
Since their marriage, Pervin had always regretted never having a trip alone with Irwen. After long preparation, he had planned a private trip to the Montague Count’s territory. Playfully, he had joked that they were finally going on their honeymoon.
Of course, they had obtained everyone else’s consent, including Seren and Eren. The children were completely absorbed in learning swordsmanship from Alfred.
After changing clothes and having breakfast, Pervin returned to the bedroom. He gently brushed Irwen’s hair, still deeply asleep.
Before heading to the palace for work, he always made a point of seeing her off.
Pervin kissed his wife’s pale forehead and whispered,
“See you later, Irwen.”
A little later,
Pervin descended to the entrance hall and was sent off by the servants lined on either side. There, he noticed his portrait standing in the hall.
In the large frame was a cute little girl with long blonde hair.
The servants who were bidding him farewell on either side burst into laughter.
“Seeing that painting again… it’s only been two weeks, right?”
“Still as cute as ever, I swear.”
“Wasn’t this supposed to be displayed in Madam’s study? Why is it here at the entrance? Did someone purposely put it here for the master to see?”
“Still adorable as always.”
When Pervin turned around, they tried to hide their expressions, but their eyes kept drifting back to the portrait he was holding.
The servants, knowing the child in the painting was Pervin, couldn’t help but smile warmly. Comparing the child in the portrait to the current Pervin was amusing.
Like the child in the portrait, Pervin frowned slightly, looking a bit pouty. He set the portrait down with a sigh.
“I’ve told you so many times that I only want Irwen to see this.”
He looked at the servants, who shook their heads as if to say they weren’t the culprits.
In fact, Pervin knew exactly who had placed the painting there. This was already the sixth time someone had left it in front of him.
Looking around calmly, he spoke in a steady voice:
“Come out when I count to three, Seren, Eren. I know you secretly took this from mom’s study and put it here.”
From upstairs, there was a rustling sound. Two shadows slowly approached from the second-floor hallway.
Pervin couldn’t help but smile at their cuteness. But he quickly composed himself and spoke sternly:
“Three, two… one!”
As soon as he finished counting, the twins dashed down the stairs.
Worried they might fall, Pervin rushed to them.
“Go slowly, you’ll fall!”
But the twins ignored him, racing down. Eren took the stairs, Seren the railing.
“Eren, it’s a race!”
“I’m going to win!”
The twins reached the first floor almost simultaneously and quickly stood in front of Pervin.
He held their hands and spoke sternly:
“I told you to come down the stairs slowly.”
Playful Eren clung to Pervin’s waist and snuffled.
“Sorry, Daddy.”
Seren also held his hand slightly and mumbled:
“Sorry, Daddy. Please forgive us.”
Pervin felt quietly pleased at the soft touch of the children clinging to him. Almost instinctively, he wanted to hug them, but he lightly pushed them away.
It was his duty to discipline them for their dangerous behavior.
“Do you know what you did wrong? Eren, I told you not to run on the stairs because it’s dangerous. And Seren, climbing the railing so dangerously first thing in the morning—”
“I’ve never fallen, though.”
“Still, you must always be careful. I’ve told you many times that playing recklessly could lead to serious injury. Especially you, Seren. Your body isn’t just for yourself. You are meant to rule the empire one day, and the citizens expect their young emperor to grow up properly.”
Seren pouted at Pervin’s scolding. Eren held his hand tightly beside him.
“And what about your mother? Don’t you think about how worried she would be seeing you play like this? Tell me, kids, weren’t you almost falling off the railing last time too? And yet you still want to play like this?”
Pervin’s voice was soft, but his gaze piercing as he looked into their eyes.
Eren sniffled, his green eyes glistening, and Seren’s blue eyes already shimmered with tears.
As always, the servants wanted to defend the twins, but when Pervin knelt to meet their gaze, they fell silent.
Holding Seren and Eren’s hands, Pervin pointed to the painting leaning against the wall.
“You came down the stairs dangerously because of that painting, didn’t you? If you hadn’t taken it from mom’s study, none of this would have happened. From now on, don’t bring that painting out, alright, Seren, Eren?”
Eren tried to say something, but Seren shook her head as if to stop him.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the twins leapt into Pervin’s arms. Seren on the right, Eren on the left, pressing their cheeks against his and murmuring cutely:
“Sorry, we won’t do it again. We won’t do anything dangerous, and we won’t bring the painting either.”
Overwhelmed by the twins’ affection, Pervin melted on the spot. He showered them with kisses, completely ignoring their squirming.
Overflowing love brought a smile to his face as he rubbed their cheeks.
“My adorable children. You know Daddy loves our Seren and Eren the most in the world, right?”
“You’re lying.”
Seren’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
“Daddy loves mom the most in the world.”
“Mom is the one I love most in the universe.”
As both twins teased him, the servants had turned away, entertained by the twins’ cuteness and Pervin’s flushed face.
Pervin didn’t deny it, just nodded, his pale skin slightly flushed. He leaned down to whisper to the children:
“That’s right. Daddy loves Mommy the most. But this is a secret from her.”
“Why?”
“Because Mommy loves you, Eren and Seren, the most in the world. Daddy is second in her heart.”
At Pervin’s confession, the twins’ eyes lit up.
Having woken up late from working the night before, I had already missed breakfast.
Marianne entered the bedroom, quickly helping me into a dress.
“Go ahead, Marianne, I can manage now. I need to watch the baby too.”
“It’s fine. Aunty Tilly is taking care of him, and the young masters are playing with him in the parlor. Madam, you seem tired. Shouldn’t you rest a bit more?”
“No, there’s too much to do today.”
Chatting with Marianne, I went down to the parlor. Seren and Eren were gathered around Mrs. Tilly, staring intently at the baby she held.
Seeing me, the twins immediately stood up. Mrs. Tilly rose as if she were about to get up.
“You’re here?”
“Stay seated, Mrs. Tilly. You might wake the baby.”
“He’s already awake, it’s fine.”
The baby in Mrs. Tilly’s arms was a 3-month-old boy, Eloi, the son of Alfred and Marianne, married two years ago.
His plump cheeks were irresistibly cute.
“He seems to be looking more like Marianne as he grows.”
“Alfred says he looks just like him.”
Mrs. Tilly, listening to both of us, smiled and declared:
“In my eyes, he’s a perfect mix of both.”
We sat opposite her and had a light meal, followed by dessert. Eren and Seren ate brownies beside me. I heard from Mrs. Tilly about what had happened between Pervin and the children that morning.
“So that’s what happened while I was asleep. Seren, Eren, did you take Daddy’s painting from Mom’s study again?”
The twins looked me in the eyes, their chubby cheeks smudged with brownie.
“We took it, Mom, but…”
“Finish your brownies first. Eat all of it.”
Impatient Seren gulped and said:
“I brought it with Eren and showed it to Daddy.”
“You know Daddy doesn’t like that painting. Why did you take it out just to show him?”
“We really like it.”
“Mom likes it too. Our family likes it, and we thought Daddy would like it too if he saw it often.”
I threw up my hands at their clever explanations.
“But running on the stairs and climbing the railing is not allowed. Dangerous. I’ll let it slide since Daddy scolded you already.”
“Okay.”
The children snuggled into me. Kissing their soft hair, I felt much better. The tiredness faded away.
Then Eren asked innocently:
“Mom, why does Daddy dislike that painting?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
I had never asked Pervin the exact reason, but I could guess why he was embarrassed to show it.
“In the painting, Daddy is wearing a girl’s outfit and looks a bit cute. He prefers to look cool rather than cute.”
“Really? That’s not true.”
Seren lifted her head from my lap, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“But Daddy acts super cute in front of you, Mom.”
“That’s true. Really cute. Kisses on the cheeks, snuggling in, making bunny ear shapes with his fingers. Seren, you saw it too, right?”
“I did. Daddy’s voice is normally low and serious, but he makes cute sounds just for you. He’s better at acting cute than Eren.”
I couldn’t stop listening to their endless chatter. When did they see all that? Or… when did they notice?
Of course, we didn’t show affection in front of them while they were awake. Pervin’s affectionate gestures always happened after the twins went to sleep, following advice to prevent jealousy.
Marianne, winking at me across the table, smiled like a savior:
“It’s good when parents get along, young masters.”
Seren shrugged.
“If you’re getting along so well, why don’t we get a little sister?”
Startled by the question, I almost spat out my tea, but swallowed calmly and answered:
“What do you mean, Seren? How does Mom and Dad getting along mean getting a little sister?”
“Young Viscount Celestin said that if parents get along, we can have a little sister. But Mom and Dad are so close, so why don’t we have one?”
“Well…”
The twins had been asking about a little sister for about three months. After Eloi was born, they had a younger brother but wanted a little sister.
I had told them they needed to behave and study to have a little sister, and they had been following that well. Still, no sister had appeared, so they asked Viscount Celestin, who was close to them.
I pondered what to say, sipping my tea.
After having the twins, we had agreed to focus solely on raising them, although naturally having another child would have been a blessing.
How could I explain this to them?
I finally said:
“I’ll discuss it with Daddy.”
“Do you have to talk to Daddy about getting a little sister? Can’t you just get one on your own, Mom?”
“No, we have to do it together, me and Daddy.”
Finally, a solution! It was something to leave to Pervin. I smiled brightly.
“Tonight, when Daddy comes home, we’ll discuss it together with him.”
That evening,
Pervin had unusually left the palace early. On such days, we would all have dinner together, and the children were already excitedly waiting in the dining room.
I finished the remaining paperwork in the study, eyes tired from reading and signing.
As I rubbed my eyes, the door opened, and I heard heavy footsteps.
Pervin quietly approached from behind, hugging me and kissing the nape of my neck. The warmth of his lips and subtle scent of musk made me shiver.
I turned and hugged him tightly, using the excuse of my fatigue to be playful.
“I’m tired. Hold me.”
“Working so much is hard, isn’t it?”
Pervin lifted me into a chair, brushing my hair back and planting kisses on my cheek.
“All the preparations for the trip are done. From head to toe, I’ll take care of you. You just need to trust me completely.”
I glanced at the slightly open door, worried someone might overhear. Though everyone knew we were close, public displays of affection were still embarrassing.
Pervin smiled lazily.
“Irwen, you know you’re so cute right now? The more I look at you, the more lovable you are.”
He kissed the nape of my neck again, moving to my lips.
We shared a long, unguarded kiss. The heated atmosphere enveloped us. Breathing in sharply, I held onto his back.
His eyes traced delicate lines.
“I like this side of you. Responding fully to me.”
“You’re so rough, you leave no room to breathe.”
I playfully poked his cheek. He placed his hand over mine and smiled. His green eyes shone brightly.
“Still enjoyed it, didn’t you?”
Instead of answering, I lightly tapped his rear. Pervin’s face flushed immediately.
Down in the dining room, the children were busy chatting with the servants. Upon seeing Pervin and me enter, they straightened up.
“Hungry!”
“Let’s eat quickly.”
The servants brought food with smiling faces. Pervin received the children’s love wholeheartedly, as if he had never scolded them.
After the meal came dessert. Sitting on the sofa with the children, they brightened and asked Pervin:
“Daddy, we need to seriously discuss something.”
“What is it?”
“We want a little sister. So please help us, Daddy.”
Pervin’s face turned red instantly.
