THSDR 46

 Chapter 46

Of course, things didn’t get any easier after that.

The biggest obstacle was the socks.

The moment I slipped on the soft silk socks, Hayden looked utterly disgusted, wriggled his toes, and kicked them right off. Then, to my horror, he grabbed the sock at lightning speed and shoved it into his mouth.

“No! That’s not food! Yuck!”

When I tried to snatch it back, Hayden wiggled his little bottom and escaped on all fours with surprising speed. I rushed after him and scooped him up.

I’m seriously going insane!

While I was holding Hayden, Lady Yurein quickly managed to put the socks back on him. The final challenge was the stiff leather shoes. The moment they went on, Hayden stomped his feet furiously, trying to kick them off—and lost his balance, landing hard on his backside.

“Waaahhh!”

The child’s crying, Lady Yurein’s sigh, and my exhausted breathing all mixed together in chaos.

“…Let’s just put the shoes on later. He can wear them in the carriage, right, Hayden?”

After that full-blown battle, both Lady Yurein and I were completely drained. Meanwhile, Hayden, whether from excitement or exhaustion, drank a full bottle of milk and drifted peacefully into his morning nap.

“…I’m already exhausted, and I haven’t even finished getting ready?”

Lady Yurein gave a hollow, lifeless smile.

Taking advantage of Hayden’s sleep, I finally managed to get myself ready. Taking children outside is no easy task.

We barely made it on time and went down to the lobby with Hayden in my arms.

Dressed neatly in a white shirt, navy vest, and polished leather shoes, Hayden—still half-asleep and blinking slowly in my arms—looked like a little angel descended from heaven. At times like this, he truly was the most well-behaved baby in the world.

Bogus, who was waiting in the lobby, pressed a handkerchief to his eyes the moment he saw Hayden. Honestly, he was far more sentimental than expected.

Then Cheres, who had been waiting at the far end of the hall, slowly walked toward us. His always-sharp gaze seemed strangely unsettled today.

He stared at Hayden intently—no, as if looking beyond him, searching for someone else.

He lightly touched Hayden’s small hand and murmured in a low voice only I could hear.

“…He resembles my brother.”

“Mm.”

Hayden shook his head and pushed Cheres away.

“Dae dae!”

Cheres gave a bitter smile. Through the child, he was seeing someone he missed.

It was the first time since I had come to this mansion that Cheres had ever mentioned his brother. The deep longing and sense of duty in his voice tightened my chest. He had always done his best to protect the most precious thing his brother left behind.

I gently placed my hand over Cheres’ hand.

“He really is handsome, isn’t he?”

At my teasing words, Cheres nodded.

I squeezed his hand and shook it lightly. Hang in there, Cheres!

“Byaa! Byaa!”

In my arms, Hayden, now fully awake, lightened the mood. He smiled brightly at Cheres, then wriggled around—and suddenly grabbed his shoe and shoved it into his mouth again, making me yelp.

Cheres tried to take it, but I stopped him and reached out instead.

“Give it to me!”

“Dae!”

“Please give it!”

Hayden blinked his round eyes and placed the shoe in my palm. I sighed.

“Thank you. Good job. Very good.”

“Dae dae!”

Hayden patted my shoulder proudly.

Watching this, Cheres muttered as if the earlier emotional moment had never existed.

“…Who exactly does that kid take after to be so unruly?”

“Well, it’s definitely not me.”

Cheres let out a low laugh.

“Fair enough.”

“Let’s get going. It might be nice once we’re in the carriage and looking at the scenery.”

Cheres nodded.

Outside, he looked at the carriage loaded with an absurd amount of luggage and spoke in disbelief.

“What is all this?”

“Hayden’s spare clothes, Hayden’s baby food, Hayden’s snacks, Hayden’s diapers, Hayden’s toys, books, blankets for naps—oh! Lady Yurein, the stroller!”

I called out while counting on my fingers.

“…Is there more?”

“That’s how it is when you go out with a child, Cheres. Get used to it. And prepare yourself mentally.”

Cheres stared blankly at Hayden, who was now standing up while holding the carriage door handle, wiggling his bottom. That kid could definitely open it.

I smiled faintly.

“If we want to arrive alive, we’d better keep Hayden under control.”

Cheres pressed a hand to his forehead.

Why was the wedding venue so far away?

Chloe had dreamed of having her wedding by a lakeside, and Aethan had fulfilled all of it.

As a result, it took nearly two hours to arrive. Hayden, bored from playing, had fallen asleep in my arms. The carriage was quiet except for the sound of the baby sucking on his teether.

Only then did I notice something I hadn’t seen before—Cheres.

Seated across from me, he gave off a different atmosphere than usual.

Today, he had discarded his usual black attire and instead wore the formal uniform of the Beryden ducal family, along with a deep navy coat.

The silver embroidery along his shoulders and the medals on his chest shimmered, proving he was the ruler of the south. The deep navy contrasted with his black hair, emphasizing his sharp features even more.

Wow.

When a handsome man truly dresses up, this is the kind of destructive power it has.

Even though the original novel described it vividly, this was beyond what words could capture.

“…Roana? Your face is red. Are you unwell?”

At Cheres’ indifferent voice, I flinched and shook my head.

“No, I think I applied too much blush.”

I forced a laugh and quickly turned my attention away.

To avoid his gaze, I adjusted Hayden in my arms.

The sleeping baby stirred and blinked awake. He leaned against my chest and fiddled with the ribbon on my dress, wrapping it around his tiny fingers and playing with it.

Then—

“Eek!”

Hayden pulled hard on the ribbon, and the front of my dress slipped down slightly.

“Dae dae!”

Startled, I tightened my hold on Hayden and quickly looked at Cheres.

Three minutes after deciding not to look at him at all.

Cheres was staring at me wide-eyed.

“…You saw that, right? You definitely saw that!”

“I-I didn’t see anything!”

He shook his head frantically, face red, his voice unusually unsteady.

“Dae dae dae dae!”

“You did see it!”

“I really didn’t!”

Ah, seriously!

How could he NOT see it—it was directly in front of him!