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“Roan, are you okay?”

“…Yes? What are you talking about?”

I was referring to his expression. It seemed he wasn’t even aware of the look on his face. If he were a puppy, his ears would definitely be drooping.

“Pfft.”

A puppy. Just imagining it made me laugh, probably because it was such a contrast to his usual image.

“…Why are you laughing?”

The sad expression that had made me laugh was now replaced with a puzzled look. It was a shame; if there were cameras in this world, I would have loved to capture that face.

“Because of you, Roan.”

My vague response only made him furrow his brows slightly in confusion. I chuckled but didn’t bother to explain further.

***

It was still daylight when we returned home, unusually early for an outing. The servants, who seemed to have no worries lately, greeted us cheerfully. Victor smiled at us, his face showing the gentle marks of time.

“My Lady, My Lord. It seems it’s been a while since you returned together.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, it has.”

Roan and I had different schedules for leaving and returning. It wasn’t uncommon for Roan to leave the mansion while I was still asleep.

“Has everything been alright?”

“Yes. Everyone is in the garden right now.”

“Everyone?”

“Yes, the Dowager Duchess and Young Master are together. There are some guests from different races with them as well.”

Oh, have they all gotten close? I felt pleasantly surprised. I gently tugged on Roan’s sleeve.

“Roan, why don’t we go to the garden too? Please?”

“…”

He didn’t give a direct answer, but I knew his silence means yes. We headed straight for the garden.

“No matter how you look at it, he’s just like the master of this house.”

As we approached the garden, I heard a husky voice. It was definitely Reb.

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“He’s so small, you’d believe it if they said he was Roan’s son!”

Fairies fluttered around Jude, their tiny wings beating cutely.

“…Huh, do you think I’ll stay small forever?”

Jude retorted to the fairies’ teasing. He seemed much better than when I first met him. It had only been a few days, but Jude looked visibly improved. It was probably thanks to the efforts of the people in the mansion. If he had come here fully grown like Roan, it would have been harder for him to open up. Fortunately, Jude was still a child whose emotions weren’t entirely closed off.

“Well, who knows. But there’s a chance you might end up looking just like Roan in the face but be completely different in size.”

“…Really? Do you want to die?”

Laughter filled the air as the fairies teased Jude, who seemed a bit flustered. He was starting to act more like a child, which was a good sign.

Speaking of which, where was Alexandra? She was supposed to be here too.

“Don’t worry too much. He wasn’t that big when he was young either.”

“…”

Roan stopped in his tracks as we reached the door to the garden. This was a chance!

“Don’t you love Roan?”

Alexandra seemed to be opening up, a rare opportunity to express her feelings. In the past, she would have avoided any mention of the past. But now, thanks to confiding in me, she seemed more at ease, less restrained. She appeared more comfortable than before.

“…I see.”

Jude nodded, seemingly reassured by Alexandra’s words. Though he didn’t show it, the earlier conversation must have bothered him a bit. He was still a child, after all.

I glanced at Roan, who was silently watching them in the garden.

“Yes. And also…”

Alexandra seemed ready to continue. Yes! Now’s your chance to reveal your true feelings…

“What are you doing over there?”

My growing anticipation was shattered by Reb’s voice. Right, dwarves have good hearing…

Though unintentional, it felt like being caught eavesdropping. I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward.

“Ahaha, we heard everyone was in the garden, so we came to join you.”

“Oh, Delis, it’s you!”

Thankfully, Seirin welcomed me enthusiastically.

“Come, sit with us!”

The fairies pointed to a wooden chair next to them. The bright sunlight poured into the garden, making it feel warm and inviting.

We sat down where the fairies indicated. As we took our seats, Alexandra spoke up.

“Did you both come from the palace?”

“Yes. We happened to meet there and came back together.”

“Why did you go there?”

This time, Jude asked me. Anyone would think he was talking to a friend.

Though I had zero expectations of receiving any formalities from him, I couldn’t let Jude keep calling me ‘you’, right?

“Jude.”

I gave him a warm—though to him, probably mischievous—smile.

“You should call me something other than ‘you’.”

A question mark formed on Jude’s face. If not ‘you’, then what on earth should he call me?

Of course, it made sense. Jude was Roan’s younger brother, and I was Roan’s wife. So, to Jude, I was his sister-in-law.

“Come on, try saying it: Sister-in-law.”

If my expression were an emoticon, it would be a beaming smile.

“…What?”

Jude looked at me with the most bewildered expression ever.

“Shall I repeat it? Sis…”

“What are you talking about?!”

Jude cut me off, clearly not wanting to hear the rest.

“Hmm, I guess calling me sister-in-law right off the bat is too much.”

Jude nodded vigorously. It would have been nice if he listened to my other words like that. I chuckled and placed a hand on Roan’s shoulder beside me.

“Then there’s no choice. Start by calling Roan ‘brother’.”

“…”

This time, Jude was at a loss for words. As expected, he didn’t react as strongly to calling Roan ‘brother’ as he did to calling me ‘sister-in-law’.

“Go on, try it!”

“Yes, calling him ‘brother’ would be a good start,” Alexandra joined in, which was rare.

“You look so alike. If he’s not your brother, who is?” said Seirin.

“You can’t call a duke ‘you’, after all,” Reb added.

“Call him!” the fairies chimed in.

With everyone pitching in, success seemed inevitable. Once he said it once, saying it twice or thrice would be easier.

“Call me,”

Roan’s voice was calm. His icy blue eyes, seen from the side, held a gentle light. It was the look of someone gazing at their ‘brother’.

“Come on, you can do it!”

Everyone’s eyes were on Jude. Feeling the pressure, he half-covered his face with one hand.

After a brief silence, Jude finally lowered his hand and, after a few seconds of hesitation, opened his mouth.

“…Brother.”

Oh! Applause erupted. It wasn’t just me who thought it was impressive; the fairies and Reb clapped too. Even Alexandra joined in with a silent clap.

Roan responded with a serene smile, which said more than a hundred words.

“Then next…”

I was about to point to Alexandra when she shook her head.

“I’ve already been called.”

“Huh?”

Has Jude already called Alexandra ‘mother’?

“I told him to call me that. Now there’s only one person left.”

The first shock was from Alexandra having told Jude to call her ‘mother’. The second was from realizing why Jude had refused to call me ‘sister-in-law’. Ha, Jude, this brat.

I smiled warmly—mischievously—at Jude again.

“Jude, you’re ready now, right? Will you call me ‘sister-in-law’?”

I shot him a hopeful look. Jude turned away from me and said,

“…I don’t know.”

Don’t know? Don’t know? As I pondered the meaning of that, I realized what it implied. He wasn’t going to call me that!

“What? Why won’t you call me that?”

“You’re… not like them!”

What? His logic was baffling.

“What do you mean ‘not like them’? He’s your brother, she’s your mother, so why can’t I be your sister-in-law?”

“…I don’t know, you’re just you!”

Jude, are you discriminating against me? Have you already grasped such worldly truths?

“See, this is why raising kids is pointless.”

I shook my head, looking at the ground, and let out a heavy sigh, loud enough for him to hear.

“When did you ever raise me?”

Jude’s dry response left me momentarily speechless. It was just a figure of speech!

“Okay, maybe not raise, but I brought you here, clothed you, fed you, gave you a place to sleep! What haven’t I done for you?”

“That’s…”

Jude faltered, unable to come up with a counterargument. He must have realized there was nothing I hadn’t done for him. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

“I didn’t want to say this, but… Jude, are you grateful to me or not?”

“…I am.”

As expected, he couldn’t lie and admitted it.

“Right? So…”

“…Pfft, ahahaha!”

I turned towards the sudden, unfamiliar yet familiar sound of laughter. It was Alexandra. It was the first time I’d heard such a clear, cheerful laugh from her.

The fairies joined in, giggling along with her.

“Ha, haha. This is truly amusing.”

Her words carried no sarcasm, just genuine amusement.

So, she could laugh like that too. A wave of belated surprise washed over me.

For a moment, I felt like I was seeing Alexandra before she was hurt by her past—a girl who knew how to laugh out loud.