Chapter 23: The Yellow Bird (4)

“That day, I chased after the carriage…”

On the day Louis’ party was kidnapped and loaded onto the carriage, Fin had also pursued it. However…

“A sudden attack by a snowy eagle snatched me away!”

The snowy eagle is a giant bird monster with an average height of two meters. Out of nowhere, Fin found himself captured by such a creature and dragged to its nest, facing imminent danger from the eaglets that would devour him.

Louis incredulously asked, “Wait, what have you been doing all this time without learning even one offensive skill?”

“W-we fairies specialize in holy magic solely for assisting Bravesss and Dragonsssss! Even mastering that keeps us quite occupied!”

“It’s something to be proud of.”

“Anyway, that means…”

Although Fin lacked offensive skills, he excelled at tracking. After much effort, they managed to escape from the snowy owl’s nest, but by then, they had long lost sight of the carriage tracks.

“The distance to the snowy owl’s nest was far, and we had to proceed cautiously due to concerns about encountering more monsters, which inevitably took us longer than expected.”

“Yes, you’ve been through a lot. From now on, let’s learn some attack skills together, even just one or two simple ones!”

“Yes, sir!”

Having heard Fin’s account, Louis then explained their current predicament. Once his story concluded, Louis asked Fin:

“What should we do?”

“Huh?” Fin tilted his head, puzzled by Louis’ question.

“Can’t we just go as is?”

“We could…but it feels wrong somehow.”

“Why’s that?”

“They’ve been quite hospitable to us, and losing their child must be hard on them.”

“I see…” Fin looked at Louis with curiosity.

Louis usually came across as sharp and decisive, so Fin found it intriguing how emotionally sensitive he occasionally was.

Is it because he’s still a young dragon?

This behavior stemmed from Louis’s personality carrying over from his previous life, but Fin had no way of knowing this. In fact, Fin appreciated this side of Louis. He preferred serving a kindhearted dragon who cared for others rather than one who was cruel and cold.

Fin grinned mischievously. “Hmm, if it makes you uncomfortable, Lord Louis…how about this?”

“How about what?”

“Dragons have always valued their first encounter with someone.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, and technically, the grand duke’s wife was your first encounter, right?”

“That’s true.”

“So simply leave them a gift!”

“Oh! A gift? What kind of gift?” Fin gave an unexpectedly normal suggestion for one of the twins. Louis eagerly awaited his answer.

Finally, Fin spoke up. “If they don’t have children yet, why not give them one?”

“…?!” Louis stared at Fin blankly.

“A child?”

“Yes!”

“How would we do that?”

“That’s… Well…” Fin awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

Louis let out a soft sigh when…

“Wait!” A bolt of realization struck him.

That’s right! We don’t necessarily need to have a baby immediately.

The grand duchess had lost her own children due to an accident and was now seeing them as hers. If they told her they were expecting, she might be able to live without constant worry even after their departure. Plus, it would alleviate Louis’s guilt. Upon further consideration, he realized this wouldn’t be too difficult to pull off.

Louis smiled contentedly and gave Fin a thumbs-up. “Good thinking, Fin.”

“You flatter me.” Fin squirmed at Louis’s praise.

As he watched Fin bask in his compliment, Louis’s expression shifted slightly. “Hmph… Not only am I working as a nanny for twins, but now I have to play babysitter, too? Getting old sure is tough…”

The term babysitter originated from the myth of the yellow-headed crane that fed abandoned babies by regurgitating food into their mouths. But if they wanted to leave with peace of mind, being a babysitter was essential.

“Well then, let’s enjoy doing this good deed!” Louis grinned brightly.

Having made up his mind to be that stork, Louis meticulously planned out how he would achieve this goal.

The first step of Louis’s plan was clear:

My top priority is to lift Madam’s spirits.

Currently, both Louis and Louis were whom the grand duchess relied on heavily due to her recent loss of their biological son. Trapped in the shadow of her deceased child, she had no intention of having another baby. Of course, there could never be any result without taking action.

I also sense some awkwardness between her and the grand duke.

Louis wasn’t sure exactly how they’d lost their son, but he detected a strange tension between them.

It must stem from their grief over losing him.

They cherished each other deeply, which only made their child more precious to them.

The death of their child had left an indelible scar on the grand duke and his wife, creating tension between them. Louis’s ultimate goal was to mend their relationship, and the first step toward that end was lifting Madam Eleanor’s spirits. To accomplish this task, he had just the right tools at hand.

I can count on my twins!

His children were more energetic than any other kids out there. Their lively demeanor naturally brought smiles to people’s faces. In fact, within the castle walls, the twins were more popular than Louis himself, despite how much everyone adored him.

Louis strategically used his twins by having them constantly visit the grand duchess. Instead of waiting for her to come around, they now actively sought her out.

It’s like delivering services straight to her door!

Louis’s plan was going smoothly.

“Heh-heh-heh.” The grand duchess smiled as she watched the children chatter away and play in her room.

The maidens were delighted that their mistress seemed to be emerging from her grief, having laughed more often lately.

There was another reason Louis had assigned the twins to the grand duchess.

I mean, isn’t it natural for someone who loves kids to want one of their own after spending time with such adorable ones?

In his previous life, Louis never got married or had any children, but he did pick up on this trend.

Well, either way, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Regardless, whether his second objective succeeded or failed didn’t matter much to him.

The most important thing was to lift Madam’s spirits. By doing so, Louis hoped to mend his relationship with the grand duke and wash away some of the shadow cast by their deceased child.

Seeing signs that his plan was working, Louis began preparing for the next phase.

“Heh-heh-heh.” A sinister smile spread across his face as his eyes sparkled. He muttered quietly, “After all, history is always made at night.”

The twins, who were nearby, overheard him and cocked their heads curiously.

“Why do people make history at night?”

“Is it easier then?”

Louis waved them off dismissively. “It just happens that way. You don’t need to worry about it.”

His dismissal made the twins pout indignantly.

With Louis preoccupied with his twins, the grand duke found himself trailed by a little girl with white hair.

“What?” He looked down at her, meeting her purple eyes gazing up at him. Her rosy cheeks and bright eyes brought a small smile to his face. “What’s on your mind?”

“…Nothing.”

“And your friends?”

“They’re playing with the duchess.”

The grand duke was intrigued by how readily she answered his questions.

“…Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Why would I be?”

“…” The grand duke didn’t know what to say to that.

Apart from his own children, no one had ever approached him so warmly before.

The grand duke was known as the Frost Monarch, and children born on his land grew up with reverence for that title from a young age, just like their parents had before them. Yet Louis seemed unfazed by this imposing figure standing right in front of him. The grand duke hadn’t experienced such genuine innocence directed at him in quite some time, and it felt strange yet refreshing.

He personally bent down to pick up Louis. “Would you care to play with me?”

“Yes!” Louis’s bright smile brought out a similar grin on the grand duke’s face.

He took Louis to his study, much to the surprise of both his bodyguards and attendants.

The grand duke’s smile was not just one of surprise but also genuine delight.

“It has been ages since we’ve seen His Grace smile like this…”

Ever since his sons died, he had occasionally smiled at his wife, and that was it. But now, here he was, smiling at a child. This change in demeanor was welcomed by everyone present, which boosted Louis’s reputation as well.

Meanwhile, inside the grand duke’s study…

Sh-sh-sh-shf.

Although he’d brought Louis along to play with him, the grand duke ended up getting back to work instead. Louis sat on a couch positioned to one side of the room, swinging his short legs back and forth while keeping an eye on the grand duke hard at work.

Observing the grand duke was precisely why Louis had approached him in the first place.

Hmm… A tier-4 earth mage warrior, perhaps?

Louis assessed the grand duke’s innate attribute as soon as they made contact, which was part of his plan for what came next.

Is he more politically inclined or skilled in administration rather than combat?

From Louis’s perspective, the grand duke didn’t seem particularly strong.

Or is this considered outstanding among humans?

Without any special talent, one could only reach tier five when manipulating elemental magic. With good resources, education, and effort, it might be possible to attain tier four. Those with exceptional aptitude and diligence could surpass that level. Even then, reaching tier four typically took decades.

Considering that, dragons really do have it easy.

A prime example were the twins, who had already achieved tier-two warrior status despite being mischievous rascals.

Hmm… I don’t know how they compare to other hatchlings since I’ve only seen them.

Louis’s only exposure to dragon hatchlings was through his twin siblings, so he couldn’t gauge their abilities relative to others of their kind.

Lost in thought, Louis fidgeted with one foot over the other. The grand duke, engrossed in paperwork, observed him curiously.

What a well-behaved child.

Even his own sons would whine from boredom when seated in this room. It was understandable; to children, adults at work simply meant adults not playing with them. In that sense, Louis seemed almost too quiet for the grand duke, which intrigued him further.

With a small smile, he immersed himself back into his work.

Shhhk-shhhk.

The sound of pen scratching against paper echoed incessantly, as befitting someone with the workload of a grand duke.

After some time…

Excellent! My observation is complete!

Louis jumped off the couch, having kept a close eye on the grand duke all this while.

“I’m heading out now!”

“Oh dear… I promised to play with you but ended up ignoring you.”

“No, it’s okay! It was fun!” Louis bowed quickly and rushed out of the study.

Left alone, the grand duke gazed at the couch where Louis had been sitting for a moment before returning to his work. A peculiar grin spread across his face.

Meanwhile, outside the study…

“Heh-heh-heh.” Louis wore a sly smirk.