Side Story – Special Love, Special Person (5)

 The Imperial Palace Carriage, heading from Blackwood Mansion to the Imperial Capital. 

 Normally, only the Hero-nim, his two wives, Leonhardt, and Silvia should have been in the carriage, but a new guest had joined them. 

 “Saegeun, saegeun.” 

 “…….” 

 “…….” 

 “…….” 

 It was Cecilia, the Lady of the Blackwood Family, brazenly using Leonhardt’s thigh as a pillow while napping. 

 However, no one in the carriage pointed out her behavior or cautioned her. That was because everyone, except Silena, was completely engrossed in observing Cecilia, who was sleeping like an angel. 

 Leonhardt, who was lending his thigh, and Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot and Celista, who had moved to the opposite side to allow Cecilia to nap comfortably, were now quietly watching the two. 

 ‘Hero-nim. Perhaps Leonhardt, later with Cecilia-yang, an engagement….’ 

 ‘For now, we’ll have to watch a bit more. The feelings of the two of them are most important.’ 

 ‘Th-that’s right. We can’t force an unwanted engagement….’ 

 They exchanged these words through telepathic communication using Divine Power, which only the two of them could share.  

 Of course, even if he said that, Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot was already planning the engagement of the two in his heart. After all, she was a partner who lacked nothing in terms of grace, position, and the relationship between their families. 

 Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot thought that he would proceed if their feelings for each other didn’t change, so for now, he quietly watched the two sleeping. 

 “Euaang, euaaaang~!!” 

 “…What’s wrong? Are you hungry?” 

 Only Silena, who had no interest in other people’s children, was focused solely on her own child in her arms. 

⁎ ⁎ ⁎ 

 Although they had moved from Blackwood Mansion to the Imperial Palace, Cecilia’s daily life didn’t change much from when she was at home. 

 After breakfast, a simple education. During the day, reading and napping. 

 Cecilia, from a young age, cultivated her knowledge and beauty through thorough self-management. Although most of that knowledge consisted of fairy tales for children aged 3-5. 

 For Cecilia, who was still two years old, it was still early education, so it was indeed knowledge. 

 And if there was something slightly added to her daily life, it would probably be Leonhardt’s presence. 

 “This is the Rose Garden. Since only imperial family members can enter here, it’ll be good for napping too.” 

 “That is good, I say. As expected of Prince-nim, you know the best napping spots. Then I must try it immediately, so quickly offer your thigh, I say.” 

 Since when, Leonhardt had naturally become a part of Cecilia’s daily life. 

 The fact that she, who originally acted at her own pace, learned the concept of waiting for someone, and that she began to enjoy napping with a human’s warmth as a pillow instead of stiff fairy tales, all these changes were brought about by Leonhardt’s presence. 

 As both were young children, they quickly became close and intimate. 

 “Cecilia, this is….” 

 “This is a flower, I say. It is a gift from me, so please put it in a vase and keep it well, I say.” 

 “Isn’t this a flower from our garden…? I’ll take it, but….” 

 Even Cecilia, who rarely had experience giving things to others, began to express her goodwill towards Leonhardt to that extent. 

 She even showed the audacity to intrude into a man’s bedroom in the middle of the night. 

 -Ttok, ttok, ttok. 

 “Leonhardt-nim, are you sleeping, I say?” 

 “…Cecilia?” 

 One stormy night. 

 Leonhardt was slightly flustered when he opened the door to an familiar voice from outside and found Cecilia in her pajamas. 

 However, Cecilia paid no mind to his reaction and brazenly crawled into his bed with the pillow she had brought. 

 “…Cecilia?” 

 “What are you doing there, Leonhardt-nim? It’s night, so quickly get into bed and sleep peacefully, I say.” 

 “…Cecilia, you woke me up. And why did you come to my room instead of sleeping in your own?” 

 “I merely visited out of consideration, thinking that Leonhardt-nim might miss my warmth, I say. If you understand, then quickly come and peacefully sleep with me….” 

 -Beonjjeok! 

 “……Heueup?!” 

 “…….” 

 A flash of light from outside the window, followed immediately by a rumbling sound. 

 Leonhardt didn’t miss Cecilia’s body flinching once, startled by the natural weather phenomenon, and quickly figured out why she had entered his bedroom. 

 “Are you perhaps scared of lightning, Cecilia?” 

 “…I will not accept such one-dimensional slander, I say. I merely visited out of consideration, thinking that Leonhardt-nim might miss my warmth, I say, moving to a familiar sleeping spot. If you understand, then quickly come into the blanket….” 

 -Ureureureureung!! 

 “Hit, hikkeueut….” 

 Cecilia whimpered and pulled the blanket over her head at the sound of thunder from outside the window. 

 Fortunately, Leonhardt was a child who knew to comfort a frightened girl instead of teasing her. Thanks to growing up watching and learning from his father, Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot. 

 Leonhardt immediately understood that Cecilia was afraid of thunder and lightning and was trying to gloss over it because she didn’t want to be found out. So, he quietly got under the blanket as she wished and moved closer to Cecilia’s side. 

 “D-do not stick too close, I say. It is summer, and it is hot and sweaty, I say.” 

 “…Okay.” 

 “A-and do not stray too far, I say. Maintain a distance where our bodies do not touch, but warmth can still be felt, I say.” 

 “……Okay, okay.” 

 “…W-we should hold hands while sleeping, so I know you are next to me, I say.” 

 “Okay, I got it. Let’s just hold hands and sleep.” 

 It took less than a minute for Cecilia, who tightly held Leonhardt’s hand under the blanket, to fall back asleep. 

⁎ ⁎ ⁎ 

 Seasons changed, years passed, and children grew. 

 Cecilia, who was merely two years old, had become a six-year-old young lady after four years. 

 Having possessed extraordinary grace since she was two, now at six, she truly looked more like a young lady than a girl. 

 And as her relationship with Leonhardt had progressed quite a bit over those four years, she had also begun to awaken to the feeling of love at a young age. 

 “It will soon be spring, so Leonhardt-nim is expected to visit soon, I say.” 

 Cecilia now remembered the time of year Leonhardt visited Blackwood Territory, and the periods she waited for him had also increased considerably. 

 Her first love, realized at too young an age. 

 However, even after realizing that the feelings she had for him were love, Cecilia didn’t panic. Instead, she tried her best to treat him as calmly as usual. 

 Deeply engraving the advice her mother had once given her: that in romance, the one who loves more loses. 

 ‘Anyway, at this rate, my engagement with Leonhardt-nim is as good as confirmed, I say. In that case, it is only right that I take the lead in romance, I say.’ 

 Cecilia had already learned from his parents’ example that if a woman doesn’t take the lead, many other women will cling to the man. 

 Unlike her own home, where her mother had firmly captured her father’s heart, whenever she went to the Imperial Palace, she witnessed all three of her mothers-in-law being at her father-in-law’s beck and call. 

 Cecilia had resolved not to become like her mothers-in-law, so she decided to be as proactive as possible in romance. From a young age, she had made up her mind to always take the lead in choosing the relationship between a man and a woman. 

 “He should arrive in about two weeks, I say. This time, I will capture him with my violin performance, which I practiced during winter, I say.” 

 Cecilia, dreaming big and waiting for Leonhardt, then woke up from a leisurely nap in the mansion’s Sky Garden, as usual. 

 When she awoke, she found herself not in her bed, but on a bench in the Sky Garden. 

 “…It seems the magic didn’t happen today, I say.” 

 Normally, when she fell asleep and woke up, she should be in her own room. 

 Cecilia didn’t find it too strange, as this sometimes happened. In fact, her maids in charge sometimes couldn’t move her to her room when she fell asleep due to unavoidable circumstances. 

 Cecilia, deciding to return to her room herself, reluctantly got up from the bench. The moment she left the Sky Garden and entered the 4th-floor corridor of the mansion, what met her eyes was… 

 “Lilith, you need to crawl properly on all fours.” 

 “…I-I apologize, Master-nim. Th-the spot I was just hit feels a bit numb….” 

 “So, are you rebelling now?” 

 “N-no…. It’s not like that….” 

 “……?” 

 For some reason, it was the sight of her mother, dressed in a Maid Uniform, crawling on all fours down the mansion corridor, and her father, leading her by a collar around her neck.