Leticia lay her head down for a while and cried, then fell asleep on the floor. The mother, Leah, who had been fidgeting around Leticia the whole time, was also lying with her nose on her side.

Leticia moaned and grabbed Leah and hugged her tightly. Leah didn’t like it, but she was quietly being embraced without making a single complaint.

“She’s stubborn.”

Artizea sighed and said,

“I didn’t think Lord Cedric was like this.”

“I don’t know. No matter how much I think about it, isn’t it your side who is stubborn?”

“Me?”

Artizea thought she never did. Cedric chuckled.

“You never listen to my words to take care of yourself.”

“Ah.”

“I’m sure it’s not just one or two things you didn’t listen to.”

Artizea’s face turned slightly red.

“Because it’s all necessary…….”

“You just did what you thought was right.”

Now, it was no longer a matter to argue about.

Cedric looked down at Leticia, who was asleep, and said,

“What if she doesn’t forget even after three months?”

“It’s not that there isn’t a lot of space, but it’s about accepting it because she kept begging for it.”

“And, uh…….”

The gardener said, stuttering, cautiously,

“These guys are mongrels. Leah is a gentle one, but she’s a stray dog. She is not something a princess can raise.”

“I wasn’t looking for a hunting dog or a military dog, they just had to be gentle. But if you don’t want it, I have no intention of taking it away.”

“Oh, no. How dare I…….”

The gardener bowed his head. Cedric bent over into the fence and lifted the red ribboned puppy.

“It seems like she was particularly obsessed with this guy.”

“I think she liked the speckles, or it walks the best.”

“What do you think?”

Cedric placed the puppy on Artizea’s lap. A puppy as active as Leticia struggled to get out of her lap.

Artizea stroked the dog’s back with her fingers. Her hands weren’t very strong, but the puppy was so soft that even her hands seemed to crush it.

Cedric watched Artizea’s lips crumble.

“I think it would be okay to raise it.”

“I can’t handle it.”

Artizea spoke and put the puppy down slightly. The puppy toddled and walked away.

Marcus laughed.

“Then, we will just raise it here. The child can come to see it anytime. If we do this, we can let her raise it, or she can take them with her when she wants.”

“She might say she’s going to live here.”

Cedric laughed.

Leticia struggled to move her legs even in her sleep. It looked like she was running somewhere even in her dreams. Leah stood up and fixed her posture.

“She was so gentle.”

Only until she crawls. As she walked and ran, she made the insides of those who cared for her tangled like a knot.

“No matter how I think about it, she must resemble Lord Cedric. Because I am not like this.”

“I’m not such a troublemaker.”

Cedric argued.

* * *

But when Ansgar heard the story, he smiled slightly.

“Miss Ticia looks a lot like Ced.”

“I’ve never used the curtain like a swing.”

“Well, if that was the case, there would be no friends to play with.”

Cedric’s face changed to “Ah.” At that age, if there were people he could call a friend, there was no one but Prince Pavel.

He must have known at the time that he had to save himself in the Imperial Palace, so it was natural to be more modest than Leticia now.

“Dame Mel knows very well what it was like when you were a little older.”

Ansgar laughed haphazardly. At this point, Artizea also became curious.

“What was he like?”

“He was just interested in big horses and big weapons.”

Ansgar answered. Cedric added, trying to keep his composure.

“When I was seven years old.”

Artizea smiled.

She had a rough idea of what would happen when Leticia turned seven and she became interested in horses and swords.

“I don’t have to worry. Lord Cedric said he would take care of it all.”

“I have never fallen off a horse.”

Artizea had already passed the topic, but Cedric spoke like an excuse.

Ansgar reached out to the sleepy Leticia, who drooled on Cedric’s shoulder.

“Come on, Miss Ticia, I will take you to the baby’s room. It’s late, so the two of you should go in.”

“She fell asleep early, so I think she’ll wake up in the morning. I’m sorry.”

“I will block her from going to your bedroom in the morning.”

“Please.”

Cedric placed the child in his arms and took Artizea’s hand and made her link her arms.

Ansgar took Leticia and headed to the baby’s room.

The maids, who had been scattered and resting comfortably while the child was away, quickly found their place and moved. Ansgar shook his head saying it was fine.

Leticia’s new bed, made last fall, was spacious and large enough for her to not fall off even when rolling around.

A gable roof was made of wood and a light gray thick cloth was hung to create a cozy wall. It was also Leticia’s hideout, which she entered when she sulked.

“My baby, how can you sleep so well?”

Her cheeks were swollen from crying and falling asleep. Ansgar lays her on the bed and wipes her cheeks with a towel, Leticia muttered, half awake from her sleep.

“Ansu.”

Ansgar smiled. His name was too long for a baby to call. Cedric also called him this when he was young. He must have already forgotten, though.

At that time, Ansgar had the same desire to do for Leticia what he couldn’t do for Cedric.

“Picture book…….”

“A picture book?”

“Promise…… uhhng. Red…….”

While speaking, Leticia turned and fell asleep.

Ansgar smiled. He knew that Red was a puppy born in the Rosan mansion.

Because Leticia said it was a secret and she only told him. She asked what she had to do to get permission to raise Red.

“Good night, Miss Ticia.”

Ansgar whispered in a low voice.

He thought he should go to the Rosan mansion with her tomorrow.

He has not met Marcus in person in the past two years. He had thought he had met a friend who would grow old together, but the distrust was painful.

Ansgar didn’t even think it was a betrayal. He also knew it wasn’t enough time to build his trust, and he understood Marcus.

However, as Evron was distrusting Marcus, he could not overcome the emotional hurdle alone.

Marcus didn’t even apologize. He also acted according to his beliefs, so he would not have been able to apologize.

But now it will be fine. Time had passed, and it was time to tear down the fence that Evron had been obsessed with.

Above all, Leticia loves both of them.

Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

As she walked towards the bedroom, Artizea asked,

“How about dinner?”

“How about eating at the terrace? The moon must have risen.”

“I’ll have to bring you something to wear.”

Artizea caught the servant on the way and told him to bring a mantle. She then went out to the south terrace with Cedric arm in arm.

As Cedric said, the moon shone brightly. There was no need to light the torch, but they had to light it because Artizea needed warmth.

The servant quickly lit the brazier and put it under Artizea’s chair.

“This is my favorite thing from the North.”

“Really?”

“I handed out some to Charlotte and Mrs. Belmond. Even if the weather is mild in spring and autumn, it feels good to have a warm chair, so I’m sure they’ll use it well.”

It was a feeling that was difficult to understand for Cedric.

“The foot warmer will be quite popular, too. Check it out later. The public figures in the Capital may have copied it in an instant, but the transaction volume must have increased quite a bit in Evron as well.”

“You didn’t make it fashionable, did you?”

“From the beginning, the North is the best for cold weather products. It wasn’t popular because the transaction was closed.”

Artizea said so while fiddling with the woolen cape. This was also a gift from the North.

Now, if they open the Alia Wall and allow the exchange with the merchant, there will be a path that can be used even in winter.

Soon, the attendant brought a creamy stew with pork, mushrooms and various spices and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs. The main dish was eggplant casserole topped with cheese.

Cedric didn’t like dinner very much, so instead of keeping the order, the whole thing was brought to the table at once.

The Empress’ Palace’s cook was accustomed to Cedric eating like this. The stew was served for two, but the stir fried tomato and egg and casserole were piled high.

The amount of bread and fresh butter that was always on the table was three times more than usual.

“If Lord Cedric had been a normal person, the house would be stumbling just to pay for the food.”

If Leticia was included, the root of the pillar would have been uprooted. Leticia has already eaten more than one person’s share. She ate more than Artizea, and she never skipped snacks.

Compared to her running away not eating much, she’s really grateful that she ate well.

But seeing Cedric eating with a similar momentum, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“I would have paid for the rice.”

“By becoming a knight?”

“If I was born in the North or the West, wouldn’t I? Because I liked to move my body. I was also talented. In the North and West, they teach you to a considerable level just by enlisting.”

“You would have enough talent.”

Cedric laughed softly. He didn’t even need to be humble.

“Does Ticia have any talent?”

“I am trying to teach her. It’s rare that Ticia will go to the battlefield like me, but…….”

Cedric cuts the bread and dips it into Artizea’s stew.

“Because she has so much energy. Martial arts is also about learning how to control one’s body.”

“Yes.”

Artizea scooped out the bread he had dipped with a spoon.

It always pleased Artizea that Leticia was healthy and energetic.

She wants her baby to be healthy, like any parent, but Artizea is particularly fond of Leticia using her arms and legs.

She used to feel like her heart was refreshed whenever she moved freely regardless of anything.