Theodor Joachim Lef (2)

“Is it because Tessen is a barren place to raise a child? There’s nothing wrong with his diaper, he’s had his mam-ma, and his kkokka is fine, but even when he’s playing happily, he sometimes cries for no reason.”

Connie said with a worried face.

When Connie and Marine spoke to Theodor, who still could not talk, they naturally referred to things as “mam-ma” and “kkokka.”

The imperial wet nurses did not use baby-friendly words, so whenever Reichardt heard cute, embarrassingly sweet words, he felt as though he had come to a strange world.

Reichardt, thinking that later, when he needed to assert authority over his son, he might say nonsense like, “My son. You ate mam-ma and wore kkokka, but this father ate a meal and put on clothes,” snickered to himself.

“He doesn’t really do that when he’s with me.”

He said with a proud face, as if showing off.

“Well done, Your Highness.”

Connie laughed, making a playful remark she rarely made.

“When he’s with me, too.”

Alicia, who had been slowly wandering near Reichardt holding Theodor, carefully cut in.

“Go for a walk.”

Reichardt tried to send Alicia over there.

“I want to stay here together, too….”

Alicia would not leave Theodor’s side.

The reason Reichardt forcibly kept Alicia and Theodor apart was that no matter how good a mother’s arms were and no matter how lovely a baby was, one could not live clinging together forever.

In particular, Theodor’s status required the ability to be independent from a young age.

“Go over there and play.”

Reichardt turned his body, wrapping Theodor with his arm like a childish child.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Alicia answered sulkily and ran off lightly.

“Don’t run.”

Reichardt said toward Alicia’s back as she ran away. Alicia waved her hand as if it were annoying.

“However, Your Highness. How long do you intend to keep the guests who came to offer congratulations waiting?”

Connie, who had been watching Reichardt and Alicia’s petty quarrel, said gently.

She spoke as if it were no big deal, but Reichardt could easily guess who had put her up to asking this.

Connie’s husband Henrik, and the imperial delegation’s representative, Marquis Istevna.

Saying they wished to congratulate the birth of Tessen’s heir, the imperial family kept sending letters urging the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Tessen to come to the imperial capital Baden as soon as possible.

After consulting with Alicia, Reichardt ignored the imperial letters.

Because Theodor had been born several weeks earlier than the due date, it was still winter.

Thinking of Alicia’s recovery and the child’s safety, Reichardt proposed that they go to the imperial capital only when Tessen’s weather warmed, and Alicia agreed with his idea.

Then the imperial congratulatory delegation and all kinds of distinguished guests flooded into Tessen.

“Tell them my coat still isn’t finished.”

Reichardt spoke with the face of an arrogant royal. The smiling face, with one eyebrow slightly raised, was confident and beautiful.

The face that brazenly and majestically said something with no credibility at all looked very royal.

Through Reichardt, Connie indirectly saw what kind of face the Emperor made when he deceived people—something she had heard about from Henrik.

“Will you not inform Her Highness about the guests?”

Connie said with a hesitant air. No matter how close they were, it was not easy to say something the other did not want to hear.

“Let her rest.”

Reichardt said, looking at Alicia swinging on a swing.

For the past year, Reichardt and Alicia had not visited Baden. Citing the Grand Duchess’s first pregnancy, the grand ducal couple had turned away from countless official duties.

It was Alicia who had proposed rest.

Knowing the Emperor, the imperial family, and society’s nobles would hurl words of reproach toward Tessen, Reichardt still followed Alicia’s words.

Alicia thought he needed a vacation, and Reichardt thought Alicia needed rest.

Reichardt and Alicia abandoned all duties and lived looking only at each other.

But they could not keep doing that forever.

Even this short freedom would soon end.

Well, was there no new excuse?

Thinking thoughts he could never have imagined in the past, Reichardt patted the child in his arms.

“Theodor.”

At his call, Theodor wriggled faintly.

“Shall I use you as an excuse?”

Reichardt whispered softly to the child who could not answer.

It was an expression that those who knew him in the past could not imagine.

“What do you think? Doesn’t it sound like a good idea? It’s being filial.”

Reichardt whispered persuading words to his son, who could not understand him.

Connie only let out a quiet laugh.

Secretly shaking her head, she let slip, in her heart, the phrase she had been thinking of often these days.

If one lived long enough, one would see anything.

“Theodor, what do you think?”

Reichardt did not give up and whispered to his son, who did not answer.

“How about making the honored guests wait because your clothes aren’t finished yet?”

Theodor, who had only been staring with round eyes, toppled over with a “kkarreu” laugh.

Reichardt grinned as if that were some kind of sign.

“Connie, tell the guests that the audience will be delayed because Theodor’s ceremonial outfit is not ready.”

At his words, Connie sent him a reproachful look.

“Your Highness.”

“Theodor says it’s good too, doesn’t he?”

Reichardt spread a brilliant smile and met eyes with Theodor.

Though he sometimes cried for no reason, the gentle, quiet baby again spread a “kkarreu” laugh.

Connie carefully spoke, sending a look that said what are you doing to a child who knows nothing.

“Shall I speak to Her Highness….”

“Alicia needs to rest a bit more.”

Reichardt said firmly.

Worry and concern were embedded in his speaking voice.

It sounded as if Alicia had a serious illness, if someone heard it.

Connie was dumbfounded, but only cleared her throat and stopped.

She decided not to recall that yesterday Alicia, in haste, had jumped down seven steps at once.

Reichardt was not making Alicia rest because he did not know.

Just as he did not always carry Alicia around because he feared she would break something if she walked.

Because the one who knew best that Alicia was astonishingly sturdy was Reichardt.

They still had only one child, and they had not been married for long.

Besides, Alicia was Reichardt’s first love.

They were in the sweetest time.

The guests who had come with good intentions to congratulate them, only to wait endlessly, were pitiful.

“The guests….”

“People should learn how to wait. Say Theodor’s ceremonial outfit isn’t finished yet.”

It was the moment Theodor Tessen performed filial piety to his father for the first time in his life.

Tessen had been in a festive mood since January.

In fact, since the news of Alicia’s pregnancy became known, Tessen had been festive all of last year.

These days, every day was a festival for Reichardt.

He declared his own vacation.

Recently, when he stayed at Breguet House, said to be the heart of Tessen Castle, the only moment he remained in the office was when he issued administrative directives.

Reichardt handled sleep, meals, and leisure all at Tech House, the Grand Duchess’s residence.

The members of the Duchy of Tessen looked at the Grand Duke blankly, but they did not strongly oppose it.

They, too, avoided the guests staying in the annex and frequently came and went to Tech House.

“Let everyone know that, and withdraw.”

Reichardt said in a refined tone.

At the same time, with his hands he quickly pushed the reports piled on the office desk to one side.

“Your Highness.”

Juan stepped forward one pace and opened his mouth.

“Leave.”

Reichardt replied curtly with a face that asked whether Juan had not heard what he just said.

Having cleared the desk, he looked ready to rise at once.

“It is a message from Count Laplan.”

At Juan’s words, Reichardt’s expression dimmed ambiguously.

“Josephina?”

After the Duke of Lirin named Josephina as heir and the marriage to Juan was decided, the Emperor had recommended she try heir training and granted Josephina the title of Count of Laplan.

It was not confirmed, but many people guessed that if Josephina became the Duke of Lirin, the title of Count of Laplan might pass to Juan.

“Yes, Count Laplan earnestly said she wished to see her younger cousin.”

Juan still found Josephina daunting.

He steadily sparred in swordsmanship, which he did not like much, at Josephina’s request.

From that alone, those who knew Juan noticed that he liked Josephina very much.

“Listen, nephew-in-law.”

Reichardt said with a slight smile and a dignified voice.

He looked as though he had been waiting for the day he could use this form of address.

Juan’s face grew sallow.

“Y-Your Highness.”

“Tell Count Laplan this: Theodor’s ceremonial outfit is still not finished. Josephina, wait, Josephina. Deliver it exactly.”

Reichardt rose to his feet without erasing his smile.

“Your Highness…!”

Juan and a few others looked regretfully at Reichardt as he left the office.

Judging by his departing steps, it did not seem he would come back even if called from behind.

“He used to know only work.”

“Did you see the face he made at us? ‘I’m going. You can stay here if you want.’ This is the Grand Duke’s office! His Highness the Grand Duke left, and only we’re left….”

Roderick looked at the office Reichardt had left with a lonely face.

At that moment, the door of the secretary’s office connected to the Grand Duke’s office opened.

The door of the secretary’s office, through which one could come and go to the Grand Duke’s office without passing through the corridor, was smaller than the other doors.

Through the slightly open door, Jamie’s face appeared.

Jamie was opening the door while seated at his desk, stretching his arm as far as he could.

“If administrative matters are finished, would you please leave? I plan to tidy the office and cross over as soon as I finish my work. You’re not going to keep chattering there, are you?”

Jamie scolded those remaining in the Grand Duke’s office while quickly reading documents with his eyes.

“I’m leaving.”

“I’m crossing over too.”

Roderick and Juan grumbled with scrunched expressions.

“Yes, yes, go quickly.”

Jamie warned them once more and shut the door—bang!

Beyond the closed door, he would surely be writing with a quill, making scratch-scratch sounds.

These days, people said Jamie was the “handy one” of Tech House.

They said he always seemed irritated, and that though he had once been as strict about discipline as the Grand Duke, he now did all sorts of antics just to earn a single laugh from Theodor.