Ch.94Side Story – The Four Princesses.

The happiest moment of my life would be first, when I married my wives, and second…

When my adorable children first saw the light of this world.

As they announced their presence with powerful cries, I couldn’t help but shed tears watching them.

Looking back now, the time from my wives’ pregnancies to childbirth passed in the blink of an eye.

Eleven months isn’t short, but between taking care of my wives, going to work, and being constantly busy, I barely had time to breathe. I can proudly say I did my best as a husband and father-to-be.

Perhaps as a reward for my efforts, Karin, Roel, Yuria, and Ceres—all four princesses were born safely.

I’m happy. So much that I wonder if this is all a dream.

If there’s one small, trivial issue in all this, it’s that I’ve become twice as busy as when my wives were pregnant.

I collapsed onto the sofa with a deep sigh.

This is genuinely exhausting.

I thought I had good stamina as an adventurer, but this is beyond what I can handle. It’s much harder than crossing a swamp filled with giant alligators with nothing but my bare hands.

With these thoughts, I gently closed my eyes. Last night, I barely slept because the babies were crying.

I need to get some rest whenever possible, since I’m sure one of my wives will be looking for me soon.

Adapting to this situation proves I’m truly an S-Rank adven—

Before I could finish that thought, a voice called from the second floor.

“Crow! Karin won’t sleep without you! Come up and put her to bed!”

She won’t sleep without me…?

To think she loves her daddy so much—my Karin will surely achieve greatness.

With that thought, I got up to put my clingy princess to sleep.

“Riano! Just wait a moment! I’ll be right there!”

As I dragged my tired body up the stairs, Riano was waiting for me with Karin in her arms.

Riano had become even more beautiful than before we married, her feminine charm having matured after giving birth to Karin.

Who would ever think she’s a married woman…

“Karin, look. Daddy’s here.”

Riano turned so Karin could see me.

When Karin spotted me, she stretched out her arms and made a sound like “Awua…” as if asking me to hold her.

Seeing this, I slowly approached Riano and carefully took Karin into my arms.

According to Riano, she’s been eating a lot lately…

That must be why she feels much heavier than when I first held her.

But no matter how heavy my daughter gets, a father can always lift her with ease.

I just want her to grow up healthy and strong.

Karin looked up at me with clear, transparent eyes, and I met her gaze as I spoke.

“Oh my, my beautiful daughter. Did you miss daddy that much?”

“Euang…”

What is she saying…?

Is she saying daddy is the best?

While I was lost in my own imagination, Riano spoke up.

“I think she likes you. She makes that sound when I put toys in her hands.”

“Really?”

Being compared to a toy feels rather strange…

But what does it matter when my daughter likes me?

With a surge of pride, I lifted Karin high.

“Oh, my daughter. Do you like daddy? Is that it?”

Karin responded with a beaming smile, clearly enjoying it.

But her mother seemed worried, as Riano slapped my shoulder with her palm.

“Are you crazy…! What if you drop her?!”

“I won’t drop her. Besides, our Karin would survive even if she fell. Her daddy is an S-Rank adventurer after all.”

“What are you saying…! I really can’t tell who the child is here…!”

Sensing that Riano might genuinely get angry if I continued, I brought Karin back to my chest.

Then, together with Riano, we went into the room and laid our princess in the small bed made especially for her.

“Our princess needs to sleep now.”

“Uuu…!”

Karin pouted, pushing out her lower lip.

I might not understand everything, but this was clearly an expression of displeasure.

Come to think of it, she looks exactly like Riano…

Especially that expression with her lips pushed out and eyes narrowed.

Even that slight intimidating aura gave the impression of a “Riano Junior.”

Since she takes after her mother, she’ll surely grow up to be an incredible beauty.

The man who takes her away in marriage…

Just thinking about my daughter getting married made anger rise within me.

I don’t know what kind of guy would be worthy of her…

He’d better be prepared.

I gently stroked Karin’s belly and whispered softly.

“Karin, don’t settle for a man weaker than daddy. Find someone incredibly strong who only has eyes for you.”

That’s when Riano, who had been listening beside me, burst into laughter.

“Riano, is that funny? I’m being serious.”

“Of course it’s funny. You have four wives, yet you’re telling your daughter to find a man who only loves her. That’s ridiculous.”

“That’s… My daughters and I are different. I truly love all of you.”

“Well, that’s true. I love you tremendously too. So…”

Riano gently stroked Karin’s head and whispered softly.

“Karin, you should marry someone you love. Mom doesn’t regret marrying daddy. I’m incredibly happy.”

“Auue…”

Perhaps our parental touch had an effect. Before long, Karin fell peacefully asleep.

She looked absolutely angelic, breathing softly while firmly holding onto Riano’s hand.

As I stared blankly at Karin, Riano grabbed my head and pulled it down. My head rested on her soft thigh, and two large hills appeared before my eyes.

So this is what Karin eats…

These originally belonged to daddy. She’s just borrowing them.

While I was thinking this, Riano’s voice came from beyond the hills.

“Crow, you must be very tired, right?”

“No. You all have it much harder than me.”

Comforting crying daughters every day, waking them up to feed them, and putting them back to sleep. I try my best to help, but there are limits to what I can do.

After all, they’re the ones raising the children, and I’m just in a supporting role.

“You spent all of last night going around comforting the babies. You must be exhausted. Why don’t you get some sleep? My thigh is yours to use.”

A sweet nap on Riano’s thigh…

It would surely be sweeter than any sleep, and I’d have wonderful dreams.

But I carefully predict that I won’t have time for that.

Sure enough…

“Crow! Roel is crying because she wants to see daddy!”

Lael’s voice echoed from outside the door.

I wonder why our daughters like their daddy so much…

You know your mothers might get jealous, right?

With that thought, I got up, and Riano smiled as she patted my back.

“Must be nice being such a popular daddy. Make sure you love our Karin a lot too.”

“Of course. I’ll love everyone equally.”

I won’t leave anyone out—I’ll make everyone happy.

After placing a gentle kiss on sleeping Karin’s cheek, I left Riano’s room.

Lael’s door was slightly ajar, and through the gap, I could hear Roel’s sorrowful crying and Lael’s voice trying to comfort her.

“Roel, Roel, daddy will be here soon. Stop crying. Stop. Peek-a-boo!”

Despite her efforts, Roel continued to create a sea of tears, so I immediately opened the door to comfort my crying princess.

What I saw was…

A crying Roel and a Lael on the verge of tears.

Like mother, like daughter—their tearful expressions were identical.

Roel will grow up to be as cute as Lael.

With that thought, I approached Lael.

“Crow, Roel started crying because she wanted to see daddy… I’m sorry, you must be tired…”

“It’s okay. If our Roel wants to see daddy, of course I’ll come running.”

Lael carefully handed Roel to me, and once I had her in my arms, I slowly began rocking from side to side.

Husband’s secret technique: Stop crying.

As my technique gradually calmed Roel’s crying, Lael sighed with relief.

It must have been incredibly difficult for her.

Comforting a crying baby requires tremendous energy.

“Lael, that must have been hard. Take a little rest.”

“No, you comforted the babies all last night, so I should at least do it during the day…”

“It’s fine. Just sit in that chair and rest for a moment. What’s the point of having a husband if you can’t use him at times like this?”

With my insistence, Lael said, “I’ll rest just for a moment,” and sat on the sofa.

“By the way, Lael, is Roel eating well these days?”

“Well… it’s complicated. She doesn’t want to drink formula and only wants breast milk… But breast milk doesn’t always come out well…”

“I see…”

This little one knows what tastes good…

Then, a good idea suddenly came to mind.

If Roel likes me so much, wouldn’t she drink formula if I gave it to her?

Of course, it might not work, but it’s worth trying.

“Lael, sorry, but could you prepare some formula? I’d like to try feeding her.”

“She probably won’t eat it… but alright.”

With that, Lael left the room to prepare the formula.

Alone in the room with Roel, I gazed into her clear eyes. In response, Roel gave me a bright smile.

She’s so beautiful, just like her mother.