IWPVD 123

IWPVD

Chapter 123

“Thea!”

I went down to the first-floor lobby to greet him. Thea looked incredibly handsome today as always, and his dark blue suit complemented the color of his hair perfectly.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

Then, as he lightly kissed my gloved hand and bowed slightly, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re welcome. I should be the one thanking you for coming.”

I lifted the hem of my dress elegantly in response, and he gave me a gentle smile.

“…….”

We looked at each other and smiled silently.

Just being able to share this moment together, smiling at each other, made me so happy I felt as if I could float in the air.

But there was someone who interrupted our moment.

“Hum, hum.”

It was none other than Lancy. Before we realized it, she had approached from behind and cleared her throat to announce her presence.

“Oh….”

I gathered myself and introduced her.

“Welcome, Thea. Lancy has been looking forward to seeing you as well.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Rosahill. Thank you for the invitation.”

Since my mother was absent, the natural way to address Lancy was as Lady Rosahill.

She nodded happily at Thea’s greeting.

“I’m glad to meet you too. Shall we go inside?”

We walked down the long corridor and entered the interior of the mansion.

Thea had come today because he finally had some free time, and he was curious about how the baby was growing.

Before meeting Ragwin in person, we washed our hands carefully and then stepped gently into the room. On one side of the spacious room was a crib, with a mobile hanging from the ceiling above it.

“I brought a gift. By now, the servants must be putting it in place.”

“Oh, you really didn’t have to… Thank you, Your Highness.”

We chatted quietly as we approached the crib. Though I had seen him before, seeing Ragwin now made me quietly gasp inwardly.

Ragwin, only about a month old, was lying peacefully asleep in the crib. His soft, even breathing was so endearing. The calm atmosphere surrounding him seemed untouchable by anyone. We would be the ones to protect it.

“Oh.”

Lancy suddenly exclaimed in admiration.

“Ragwin!”

I also let out a small gasp. Ragwin opened his eyes slightly, as if sensing someone had arrived.

Right after birth, his face had been red and wrinkled, but over time it had blossomed. Resembling Eddie, his fair skin was as soft as silk, and his grandfather’s sandy-colored hair (my father—yes, father had become a grandfather!) felt delightfully smooth. His eyes were slightly more like Lancy’s than Eddie’s.

Ragwin’s round blue eyes looked at us with innocence, making him utterly adorable.

Perhaps because Thea was a stranger, Ragwin stared intently at him, but he didn’t cry, which was admirable.

I smiled brightly.

“He’s the treasure of our household.”

Lancy also smiled warmly.

Thea merely smiled quietly.

“……?”

But somehow, his smile seemed slightly different than usual. I tilted my head and asked,

“What’s the matter?”

“Well…”

Thea paused for a moment before answering.

“I just realized how much you love babies.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because I love them too.”

“……”

Hearing that, my face turned bright red instantly. I couldn’t look at him directly and turned my head away.

“R-Really…?”

I could even feel my voice trembling.

Lancy smiled, as if to say, “Isn’t this perfect?” I tried desperately to calm my flushed face, but it wasn’t easy.

Thea reached out and shook Ragwin’s mobile.

As the mobile swayed gently, Ragwin wiggled his tiny hands and feet in delight.

Thea’s smile grew warmer. Surprisingly, he seemed very skilled at playing with the baby.

When I asked him his secret, Thea answered honestly. He had Piater, the Fourth Prince, who was much younger, and he just liked children.

I muttered unconsciously,

“…Thea would make a good father.”

“……”

This time, it was Thea’s turn to blush.

Ah, I couldn’t take back what I had just said.

So there we were, unable to meet each other’s eyes, sweating nervously.

The baby, unaware of anything, simply smiled brightly at us.

Lancy showed Thea around the house and joined us for lunch, but later returned to her room, winking at me as if to say, “Enjoy your time.”

‘Well…’

I didn’t dislike her thoughtfulness.

Thea and I sat alone in the parlor, talking.

I discovered that Thea was still keeping in touch with people from the Kingdom of Kyel.

“Really? You still talk with them?”

“Yes. When they returned to the Kingdom of Kyel, I gave them a magic stone so we could keep in contact.”

“I see.”

I nodded. Seeing Thea happy was a joy in itself.

But perhaps it was a mistake to bring it up. Thea suddenly set his teacup down and looked at me, as if remembering something.

“So… about that.”

“Hm?”

“You said you’d tell me about the Infola territory before, right?”

I hesitated for a moment. Thea didn’t miss a beat and stared at me intently.

“Well…”

Could I really tell him this?

But I didn’t want to hide it from him either.

It was risky, but it had ended well…

I hesitated, then gave in to his expectant gaze.

‘I promised I’d tell him later.’

I didn’t know how he would react if I told him I’d met a dragon.

I told him the truth.

“I… actually went to the Infola territory… when the war was happening.”

Thea’s face stiffened.

“B-But don’t worry. Nothing dangerous happened at all.”

“…Laila.”

“It’s true. And actually…”

I took a short breath.

“I met a dragon there.”

Thea jumped to his feet at once.

“…What?”

His eyes were shaken violently in shock.

I was startled by his reaction. The teacup on the table wobbled precariously from his sudden movement. I asked him, flustered,

“Why… why are you like that?”

“…You met a dragon?”

His reaction wasn’t just from hearing the word dragon.

People debated whether dragons existed, but with magical evidence, most in the magical world believed they did. Thea certainly knew this.

So there had to be something more behind his shock.

I rolled my eyes slightly.

“…Yes.”

Thea opened his mouth but barely made a sound, his voice trembling.

“…What did you do there?”

“Nothing much. I got some information about a potion from the dragon. He… said he would owe me a favor for later. And that was it.”

I felt slightly uncomfortable as he seemed to interrogate me.

“Why are you reacting like this?”

“…I just…”

Thea slumped back into his chair. I watched him carefully.

“…Why the dragon?”

Did he not believe in dragons? Was that why he was so shocked?

But Thea stayed silent for a while. When he finally spoke, his expression was full of an indescribable emotion.

“…It’s nothing. Sorry for reacting so sensitively.”

I looked at him with a complex gaze.

It got a bit awkward, but Thea and I continued to talk. In the evening, we had dinner with the family.

Our house chef’s skills were always impeccable, but somehow today’s food felt rough, like chewing sand.

I ended up eating very little and set down my plate.

Though Thea was the Second Prince of the empire, my father was the head of the household, so he sat at the main seat. Eddie was to his right, Thea to his left.

I stole glances at Thea.

He smiled and spoke as usual, but… if I had to describe it, part of his expression looked sad. Was that just my imagination?

After dinner, darkness had fallen, and Thea said he would return to the palace.

I went to the garden to see him off.

We walked in silence.

Perhaps because it had rained in the morning, the summer night air was cool.

“Lala.”

His voice made me lift my head suddenly.

Since earlier, I had been feeling awkward around Thea, keeping my eyes on the ground the whole walk.

Thea seemed to choose his words carefully.

“No matter what happens, I am on your side.”

I slowly met his eyes.