episode_0029

After that, I spent time taking care of Adeline.

Actually, it wasn’t so much taking care of her, but rather satisfying my interest.

-Pinch pinch.

‘How can her cheeks be so bouncy?’

The feeling of a baby’s cheeks is truly…

Something that only someone who has felt it can understand.

Moderately bouncy,

Moderately soft,

Moderately squishy.

‘It’s really amazing.’

-Pinch pinch.

Was I like this too?

The thought made me unable to stop my hands even more.

-Pinch pinch.

Then eventually,

Something happened.

-Rustle.

“Ah.”

Adeline woke up.

As her closed eyes slowly opened, her golden eyes sparkled like jewels.

As I was flustered and didn’t know what to do,

Adeline reached out her arms to me.

“Bbaa~.”

“Uh, uhh?”

I hugged Adeline without realizing it,

And as a result, she seemed to burrow deeper into my arms.

Whether she liked the warmth of my body,

Adeline also babbled contentedly.

“Bbaa~.”

“Uh oh. Just, just a moment.”

“Bbaa bbaa~.”

“Goo, good girl~.”

I didn’t know what to do and kept patting Adeline’s back.

-Pat pat.

Fortunately, Adeline fell asleep again before long.

-Snore snore.

“Whew….”

After that, there were many things that happened.

“Serena~. Can you feed your sister some formula?”

“Me, me?”

“Of course~. You can do it well too.”

I carefully took the bottle of formula that my mother handed over.

‘Anyway, what should I do first.’

I’ve never fed a baby formula before, of course.

I quickly racked my brains.

‘Should I hold her in my arms first?’

I carefully picked up my younger sister, who was flailing her arms wildly in the air.

“Shh. Good girl. I’ll give you milk now.”

“Bbaa~.”

I held Adeline in my left arm and carefully put the bottle in her mouth with my right hand.

As soon as the bottle entered her mouth, Adeline started sucking on it.

-Slurp. Slurp.

She was sucking so hard,

Sweat started to form on Adeline’s head as she drank the formula.

‘She’s eating so desperately.’

Drinking formula must be harder than I thought.

As I blankly watched the baby continuing to slurp the formula, the bottle was soon empty.

After confirming that she had finished the formula, I took the bottle away from Adeline.

But something strange happened.

Adeline’s expression, which should have been satisfied because she was full, was not very good.

I became worried for no reason.

‘What’s wrong?’

Becoming impatient, I showed Adeline to my mother.

At first, my mother was startled by my fuss,

But after hearing the explanation, she smiled and said calmly.

“After feeding a baby formula, you have to pat their back to make them burp.”

“Ah-ha.”

Another fact I learned for the first time.

I patted Adeline’s back with moderate strength.

Then,

-Burp.

She made a cute burping sound with her small mouth,

And then fell asleep again with an angelic face, as always.

“Babies really sleep a lot.”

“You were like that too. Hehe.”

My mother, who had taken Adeline from me, began to sing a lullaby.

“When you wake up from a long sleep~ Spend a bright day~.”

After confirming that Adeline was completely asleep, my mother made a request to me.

“Serena. Can you play the piano for me for the first time in a while?”

After the performance, my mother started asking me whenever I came home.

Recently, she even spent a fortune to bring a piano into the house.

I nodded and said.

“Of course. With that song again today?”

“Yes. Mom really likes that song.”

My mother really liked the song ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (commonly known) that I played for her for the first time.

Even if I asked if I should play another song for her,

She always wanted to listen to that song alone.

One day, I asked her why she liked that song so much,

She answered like this.

‘When you play that song, it feels like the whole universe is twinkling.’

It was quite embarrassing, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

So, without complaint, I always played the same song for her.

Today as well.

Sitting at the piano, I started playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as usual.

However, because my mother was holding a sleeping Adeline in her arms today, I played it a little more softly and carefully.

My mother was watching my appearance with satisfaction.

-Snore. Snore.

Seeing the baby sleeping soundly in the meantime,

I had a good idea.

“Mom. Shall I sing a lullaby with this song?”

“Huh? Was it a song with lyrics?”

“I can put them on if I want.”

As my mother nodded with an expectant expression,

I also cleared my throat and started playing while singing a lullaby.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Shines beautifully

In the western sky

In the eastern sky too

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Shines beautifully

My mother, who was quietly closing her eyes and listening to the lullaby, smiled.

“Our daughter is good at singing too.”

“Hehe. Was it okay?”

“Yes. From now on, I’ll have to sing this song when putting our Adeline to sleep.”

I don’t know if it’s just my mood,

But Adeline’s breathing seemed to have become a little softer too.

I smiled and diligently taught my mother the lullaby.

“Okay. Follow the notes. Twin.kle.Twin.kle.Lit.tle.Star.”

“Twin, Twin.kle.Twin.kle.Lit.tle.Star.”

“No. Lower the note at Twin, raise it at kle. Down, then up.”

“Twin.kle.Twin.kle?”

“That’s right.”

Since it wasn’t a difficult tune, my mother quickly learned it and was already stroking Adeline’s head and singing a lullaby.

“Twinkle twinkle little star, shines beautifully….”

I felt happy because it felt like I had done something filial for the first time in a while.

Up until this point, I didn’t know.

What kind of ripple effect the lullaby I taught without much thought would bring….

* * *

Ella Lierre is, of course,

Quite high in status as the mistress of the Marquisate.

Therefore, she often showed her face at gatherings of nobles.

Of course, the fact that it was a legitimate excuse for idle noble ladies to socialize also played a part.

This gathering was the same,

Quite renowned noble ladies gathered to have time to chat.

“Hehe. That’s what happened.”

“Hehe. That’s a very interesting story.”

Most of the conversations of the noble ladies were about family.

Among them, the most significant proportion was, of course, stories about their children.

“Our child bought me flowers this time. Oh my, my eyes teared up, you know?”

“Oh my, oh my. They’ve already grown up that much.”

“You must be very proud.”

“I know. Our child is going to go to the academy this time.”

And, as it usually is with children stories,

As you do it, a sense of competition gradually arises, and even between close friends, it becomes a time to brag about their own children in a way that says ‘My child is the best’.

This gathering was the same.

At first, it started with light stories,

But gradually, the topic began to flow into stories of boasting about their children.

Saying that their own child gave them a gift,

That they wrote a letter in their own handwriting,

That they seem to be too smart, etc.

When various stories were exchanged,

Only one person.

Only Ella did not boast anything and only smiled peacefully and agreed.

“Oh my. Really? You must be really proud.”

“Hehe. They must be a really smart child.”

“Oh my goodness. I want to receive something like that too.”

In fact, the other ladies already knew that the Lierre family’s eldest daughter was intelligent, so they were slowly becoming curious about her story.

However, since she herself didn’t say anything,

The curiosity of others was only growing more and more.

How much time had passed,

Finally, one lady, unable to hold back, asked.

“Come to think of it, is the Marquis’s eldest daughter still in the Magic Tower?”

“Yes. That’s right. She said she wanted to study something a little more.”

“Oh my… studying at that young age.”

“She’s really intelligent.”

“Come to think of it, I heard you had another daughter recently…?”

“Hehe. I’m embarrassed, but that’s what happened.”

“Oh my~. I wonder how pretty the second child will be.”

“When I first saw the first child, I was surprised because I thought she was an angel, right?”

“I definitely thought she was an angel.”

As they praised her more and more from around her,

While pretending not to, Ella’s lips gradually curled up.

“Ahem. W, our Serena is a little pretty, you know.”

Eventually, Ella, with her nose held high, opened her mouth.

“Actually, my child taught me a lullaby a while ago.”

“A lullaby?”

“Does your daughter have an aptitude for music as well?”

“Yes. It’s a mediocre talent. I guess she told me to sing it when putting her younger sibling to sleep. Hehe.”

“Are you saying she made a lullaby and taught it to you?”

“Yes. Hehe.”

“Oh my~. She even made a song herself.”

“I can’t even grasp how much talent the eldest daughter has.”

The other noble ladies spoke in a tone of genuine envy.

The emotion of jealousy is something that arises when you can somewhat aspire to it,

You don’t feel it for a wall that you can’t even overcome.

Serena’s genius had been known here and there for the past few years, so rather than envying the girl, they had the heart to hope that their daughters would follow even half of half of her.

“But I heard it, and it’s easy to memorize and good to listen to.”

“Oh my goodness. I really want to know it.”

“If it’s not rude, could you let us hear it too?”

“Oh my, of course. It’s nothing between us.”

That’s how Ella began to preach the lullaby to the noble ladies in that place.

.

“Okay. Follow me. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Shines beautifully….”

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Shines beautifully….”

“It’s really simple and good to listen to.”

“The lyrics are so beautiful.”

“Hehe. Thank you.”

That’s how everyone in that place came to share the lullaby,

And several weeks passed.