I’m the fifth son of a count’s family, but I became the head of a duke’s house.
“L-Leila, it’s not what it looks like!”
“…Why are you so flustered?”
No, it’s not that! I’m not panicking because my affair has been discovered.
Wait, what?! Even Josef, who’s partly responsible for this situation, looks utterly confused and surprised. But now’s not the time for that!
Seeing how helpless I was, Miss Selene stepped in to help.
“This child is my and Lord Josef’s baby.”
At Selene’s words, Leila’s expression softened, and she lowered her gaze.
“I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”
“It’s alright.”
Phew… that really helped.
Now that the situation was finally clear, Josef started laughing.
“Hahaha. Sorry, sorry. I see now.”
“Honestly… Brother, you’re a handful.”
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Well, the misunderstanding was cleared up, so I turned to look at the baby. There had been a lot of commotion, but the baby was peacefully asleep. Fragile and delicate, yet Josef was holding them so gently that there was no risk of crushing them with his strong chest.
Would you be that gentle when you catch me, too?
But surprisingly, the baby didn’t wake up, even with all the noise. Maybe the baby’s a big deal.
I couldn’t help but stare, and even Josef noticed and spoke up.
“Want to touch them?”
I shifted my gaze to Josef.
“…Is it okay?”
Josef nodded, as if to say ‘of course.’ Then, as if remembering something, he added one more thing.
“Don’t touch too hard, okay?”
Well, it’s not you I’m worried about, but… I couldn’t say that out loud.
I carefully approached Josef and gently touched the baby’s cheek with my index finger.
It was soft, like a smooth squishy surface, but there was a little resistance, too.
What is this? It feels like I could squish it forever.
I was entranced by the softness and found myself doing it over and over. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea, because the baby’s face started to scrunch up. Then, without any pause, the baby’s cry rang out.
Oh no. Even though it’s my fault, what do I do now? I was panicking and looked to Josef for help, but he was just as flustered.
The two of us, both men, were helpless, when once again, Miss Selene stepped in.
“Lord Josef, this way.”
“A-Ah, okay.”
With great care, Josef handed the baby to Selene, making sure not to drop them.
Selene took the baby, and gently rocked them, and the crying quickly faded away.
“That’s amazing.”
“Is that magic or something?”
“Definitely.”
We, who had been utterly useless, felt like we had witnessed a miracle.
Selene gazed at the baby, who was sucking on its finger, before turning her eyes toward Leila.
“Leila, would you like to hold them?”
“Is it okay, Miss Selene?”
“Of course.”
Leila cautiously took the baby in her arms. At first, I thought the baby would cry, but instead, the baby looked at Leila with a curious expression.
The baby’s hand suddenly reached out and lightly tapped Leila’s cheek.
At first, Leila looked surprised, but then her face softened with a loving expression.
“How cute…”
As Leila cradled the baby, Miss Selene quietly approached and whispered a few tips to her.
The two of them, along with the baby, were in their own little world while we watched jealously from the sidelines.
