Chapter 4

Aksion went from belly-crawling…
to crawling…
and then finally to toddling all over the place.

One moment he was scooting,
the next moment—
pitter-patter, pitter-patter—
He was roaming the entire mansion.

“Aksion, you’re here?”

“Uweh!”

With Grandpa Carl smiling behind him like a proud grandparent, Aksion stamped his tiny feet straight into the reception room where I was sitting.

“Aksion.”

“Waa!”

He even recognized when I called him now—turning his head, locking eyes with me, smiling like sunshine.

His big round eyes bent into crescents, his tiny lips parted, and the tip of his tongue peeked out.

He was so cute I wanted to bite his peach-colored cheeks.

‘Who knew I’d end up loving Aksion this much?’

Even if this child might kill me someday…
Right now, he was just a pure, innocent baby.

At first I took care of him just to avoid the Bad Ending, but…
Living together every day, skin-to-skin, inevitably made affection grow.

“Kyahhhh—!”

Aksion was adorable even to strangers—almost lethally so.

“—Ghk!”

SPLASH.

The mage Elstern, sitting across from me, choked on his tea. Crimson liquid dribbled down his chin and soaked his robe—but he didn’t even notice. His eyes were locked on Aksion like he’d been hit by a cuteness spell.

“…Elstern?”

“Hurk…”

Aksion waddled over to him with his diapered butt wobbling, smiling sweetly up at the mage.

“Uii!”

“Kh—!”

The moment Elstern took the full blast of Aksion’s adorable smile, he slapped both hands over his mouth and lurched backward—only to hit the back of the sofa. No escape.

“Aksion, come here.”

“Maa!”

“Good boy, good boy.”

Aksion toddled back to me and threw himself into my arms. My child really was clever… terrifyingly so. Was this what they meant by “male leads are built different from the sprout stage”?

“Our Aksion is so cute, right?”

“J-just a bit. Ahem!”

Not convincing coming from someone who drenched his pants with tea from shock.

Despite claiming he “can’t lie,” this man sure hid a lot.

“Elstern. Your pants are wet.”

“Huh? My pants? Ah!”

He looked down at the red-soaked fabric and panicked, waving his hands. He traced bizarre symbols in the air with his fingers, and—fwip!—his pants were magically restored.

As expected of the Tower Master.

Yes, Tower Master.
He’d revealed it himself so many times the first day that only a fool wouldn’t know.

Plus, based on Cillia’s memories, magic normally required incantations—long, complex chants. Even simple spells couldn’t be cast with gestures alone.

But Elstern spun magic with just a flick of the wrist.

‘The Tower Master is this sloppy? I fear for the Tower’s future.’

In the original, he appeared several times.
Always smiling, always helping the protagonist…
While secretly scheming something.

A “shadowy mastermind” type.

Neither ally nor enemy—one of those ambiguous characters.

His real name wasn’t Elstern either—it was absurdly long.

‘Can a mastermind really act like this?’

Watching him stare at Aksion with sparkly eyes and rosy cheeks, he looked more like a doting uncle than a shadowy villain.

“Ahem. So, after checking again, how is Aksion’s heart? No issues?”

Elstern, who arrived during Aksion’s usual nap time, checked his condition regularly. Lately he came more often… suspiciously often.

“Yes. Young Master Aksion is in excellent health.”

Snapping out of his trance, Elstern wiped the drool at the corner of his mouth using his sleeve.

Should I give him one of Aksion’s bibs?

“The dragon heart is quiet as well. And regarding what I mentioned before—it’s almost certain now.”

“Oh… is the dragon’s mana sealed?”

“Yes.”

Just like in the original, Aksion had unconsciously sealed his own power.

“Amazing, truly. For a child barely one year old to seal dragon mana…”

Elstern scribbled furiously in a notebook that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

I ignored him and adjusted Aksion in my arms.

He had fallen asleep while toddling around the estate like a little whirlwind. He must be exhausted.

I brushed aside his soft, cotton-like blond hair. Baby hair really was heaven—his fluffy brows, his soft nose, his chubby cheeks…

I resisted the urge to poke them, since he was asleep.

Thanks to my alter ego “Aksion-mom” gaining childcare wisdom from the village moms, I was slowly gaining confidence.

… Okay, maybe “confidence” was too strong. But at least I wasn’t completely clueless anymore.

‘Aksion-mom’s baby must be so pretty—just like his mom!’

‘Right? But doesn’t Aksion-mom look familiar somehow…?’

I was terrified they’d discovered my identity.

Luckily—

‘Thanks to this body being a shut-in, nobody knows my face.’

The estate residents had never seen me.

My older brother, the Viscount, handled all external affairs while I hid indoors doing farmwork. He was currently away in secret, leaving the estate practically empty.

And I definitely wasn’t the type to act as temporary head.

“Carl, could you lay Aksion down?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Grandpa Carl stepped forward with a soft smile, gently taking the sleeping baby.

He’d cried with Aksion before—but now he carried him like a seasoned grandpa.

‘He’s practically running the mansion alone… no wonder he treats me like a granddaughter.’

I was smiling at the sight when Elstern snapped his notebook shut.

“Sigh… I should head back now.”

“Huh? Already?”

Normally, he would drag his feet, insisting he didn’t want to return to the Tower.

What was up today?

“Yes. Regrettably… I have to go somewhere terrifying today.”

“Terrifying? Where?”

Elstern glanced around dramatically, as though about to reveal a deep secret.
Though honestly, the mansion was nearly empty, so there was no point.

“Lady Evanroir… You truly have no interest in social matters, do you?”

“… Are you picking a fight?”

I rolled up my sleeve slightly, showing my farm-toned arm. Elstern panicked and waved his hands, clutching his collar protectively—right where I’d grabbed him the first day.

“Ahem! N-no. I simply meant—there’s big news shaking up high society lately. I thought you might not know. I came to inform you!”

“What news?”

“Even you must know the Duke of Siastor?”

Of course I did. That was the heroine’s family.

I nodded confidently.

“Obviously. I’m still a noble lady, you know.”

“Ahem. Well—they say Duke Dazhar actually has a hidden child!”

“Ohhh.”

Elstern leaned close, whispering like he was divulging a massive scandal.

My reaction made him deflate.

“What’s with that reaction? You already knew? Are you teasing me?!”

“No, no. Not at all. Just… hidden children among nobles aren’t exactly rare.”

Since I knew the original story, it wasn’t surprising.

The heroine Vanilla wasn’t the Duke’s child anyway—she was the daughter of his late older brother.

“Lady Evanroir, sometimes I think you’re the strongest woman alive when it comes to indifference.”

“Thank you.”

“Kehm. Anyway, Duke Dazhar summoned me to check the child. He gathered every expert in the kingdom to confirm if the child is truly his.”

“Oh, really.”

“Yes. And I think the child is about Aksion’s age. Lately, the Duke’s been recruiting tutors too…”

“…What?”

I’d been only half-listening—until that last part.

I shot up from my seat, and Elstern nearly got hit by my chin.

“W-what?!”

“What did you just say?!”

“Eh? That the Duke is recruiting—”

“No, before that!”

“T-that the tutors—he’s recruiting tutors…?”

“Oh no.”

BOOM.
Thunder roared inside my skull.

The heroine has started studying?!

And our baby Aksion only just learned to walk!

“How many tutors?”

“I—I’m not sure…”

“Go and find out EVERYTHING. What subjects, what teachers, their reputation, their experience—everything!”

Elstern nodded reflexively, startled.

As I pushed him toward the door, urging him to hurry, fear gripped my heart.

I imagined Vanilla—arms crossed, chin lifted—looking down at Aksion.

Her sweet lips curling into a mocking smile.

Hmph. You call yourself a male lead, and you don’t even know this?

Aksion would be devastated.

He might resent me…

Which could lead him down the Bad Ending Route.

Even though I knew this fear was irrational, a cold dread pooled in my stomach.

And I had good reason to worry.