Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Side Story 17

Is it over now? Somehow, she felt a sense of relief.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, the door burst open, and someone rushed in to embrace her tightly.

“Miesa!”

She could feel his trembling breath. Hearing his tearful voice, Miesa faintly smiled.

I told you, I’m alright.

The touch of a hand caressing her cheek caused Miesa to open her eyes. Morning had arrived without her noticing.

“…Which part was a dream, I wonder?”

Miesa mumbled, and Eirik immediately helped her sit up.

“First, take your medicine.”

A spoon touched her lips as she leaned back against the pillow. The concoction, thickened with boiled herbs, tasted bitter.

“You lost a lot of blood.”

Swallowing, Miesa rolled her eyes to look at her husband. He was the one who seemed to have lost all color.

“So, I really did have a baby, right?”

“Babies—twins, in fact.”

Eirik shook his head as he continued to feed her the medicine.

“You’ve been carrying them in that small body of yours all this time. No wonder your ribs often hurt.”

Though he spoke with concern, Eirik never took his eyes off Miesa’s face, as if he feared she might disappear if he looked away even for a moment.

“Enough now…”

“You must finish all of it.”

At his firm tone, Miesa obediently opened her mouth to swallow the rest. A moment later, he scraped the last bit from the bowl with a spoon and said, “Alright, just one more spoonful.”

After swallowing the final mouthful, Miesa shifted slightly to adjust her posture, but a groan slipped out.

“Ugh…”

“Rest some more.”

His face tensed even further, but Miesa couldn’t seem to fall asleep.

“I want to see the babies…”

“Of course, you must be curious.”

Reluctantly, Eirik pulled the bell cord to summon an attendant and instructed them to bring the babies.

“Are they beautiful?”

“……”

Eirik pressed his lips together as he returned to sit in the chair beside her bed. He exchanged a glance with Miesa, who was watching him expectantly, then sighed deeply, as if he couldn’t help himself.

“They are beautiful. But to be honest, I wasn’t in the right state of mind to really notice.”

“Why not?”

“Because you were unconscious for three days.”

“Oh…”

So that was it. Miesa sat with her mouth slightly open, stunned, while Eirik shrugged and continued, “I’ll get a proper look at them now that they’re here. I still can’t tell which one is the daughter and which is the son.”

“So, it’s really true—one is a girl and the other is a boy?”

Miesa’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Before long, the door opened, and four nannies entered, bowing respectfully. The eldest of them approached with a baby in her arms and handed the child to Eirik.

“Would you like to hold Miss Amie first?”

Eirik carefully took the baby and turned towards Miesa. The baby in his arms was still red, wrinkled, and most of all, very small.

Could such a tiny being really have come into this world? Shouldn’t they go back inside her womb?

“They’re so small… Are they alright like this?”

Eirik shook his head at Miesa’s worried expression. “For twins, they’re quite large. The second-born, Talix, is even bigger—maybe because he’s a boy or because he was positioned deeper inside you.”

The babies’ names were taken from both of their mothers. Until the time of their birth, they hadn’t known the genders or even been certain of twins, so they never imagined they’d use both names.

“You’re right. This one is indeed a little bigger.”

Talix had his eyes half-open.

“So this is what they look like…”

Neither baby looked anything like the image of a baby she had imagined. As Miesa absentmindedly muttered, Eirik gently soothed Talix, who had started to fuss, and answered.

“Newborns usually look like this. They haven’t filled out yet, so their limbs are still thin.”

Wrapped tightly in swaddling clothes, staring blankly, the baby looked much frailer than she had imagined. Their features were oddly pronounced, and their expression seemed serious—almost serene.

“…They’re quite, well, extremely…”

But Miesa’s heart was pounding wildly.

The sparse hair on their heads was soft like down. Their tightly shut eyes, their pursed lips—everything about them was utterly adorable.

“What should I do? They’re so cute. Can I wake Amie up too?”

“You should get more rest yourself.”

Eirik firmly dismissed the nannies, who took the newborns and left the room.

“I’ll wake you in two hours, and then you should try to eat something.”

Eirik tucked the blanket up to her chin and patted her gently, despite her reluctance.

“Amie seems to resemble you a bit. Or maybe it’s your mother.”

“Stop talking now.”

“I already want to see them again.”

“Go to sleep.”

Gradually, her excited chatter subsided, and soon enough, she drifted off to sleep.

***

She had expected the babies to be cute and lovable, but she hadn’t imagined they would be this adorable. From morning until night, Miesa never strayed far from her children—not more than five steps away, to be precise.

“I want to hold them.”

“They’re quite heavy now, so you shouldn’t support them with just your arms. I’ll place them on a cushion for you.”

As a result, the nursery was always bustling with people, including Eirik, who wanted to care for Miesa.

Miesa kissed the soft black hair of Amie, who was laid on a cushion. Amie’s cheeks were starting to plump up, and she cooed, making Miesa’s smile grow wider.

“They’ve grown so much in just two months.”

Eirik, who was holding Talix, nodded. “Talix is starting to look more like you.”

“Does Amie have more of the Cladnier blood, while Talix seems more like Esquillir?”

A newborn’s face changes a little every day. Their once bumpy features were becoming more defined, making them look like dolls—beautiful and cute.

The two of them delighted in pointing out how their children resembled each other. Miesa’s maternal grandfather, Viscount Miretta, and the former Margrave of Cladnier also joined in daily, each offering their opinions. Who Amie resembled and how Talix took after someone became a passionate topic of conversation. They never grew tired of marveling at the babies’ features and behavior, even after months of discussing the same topic.

After half a year, the babies’ personalities began to show.

Amie, with her black hair, seemed to take after Eirik—usually serious, rarely fussing or crying, but when something was taken from her, she would cry loudly.

“Mm, ah! Ma!”

Just like that. When her younger brother Talix took the wooden horse figurine from her hand, she banged on the bedpost in protest. Though she wasn’t yet able to walk properly, her actions looked quite convincing.

“What do you think she said? Could she be calling for her mom?”

“…Probably not.”

From a distance, Miesa watched Amie, trying to interpret her babbling as she approached. Eirik, who was watching the babies, took the wooden toy from Talix and handed it back to Amie. With a solemn expression, Amie took the toy back and instinctively put the horse’s head in her mouth.

“No, if you want to suck on something, chew on your handkerchief instead.”

Eirik easily kept Amie from chewing the toy with one hand, while with his other arm, he picked up Talix, who had burst into tears. Despite having taken the toy from his sister, Talix cried as though something precious of his had been taken away.

With his light gray hair and deep blue eyes, Talix often faked his cries. Even now, as soon as Eirik held him, he stopped crying and began playing with the gold buttons on Eirik’s shirt.

“Talix is quite the talker, while Amie doesn’t say much.”

Indeed, Talix was now babbling away without rest while fiddling with a button. Even though his babbling likely had no meaning, Miesa eagerly responded, holding a conversation with him.

“Yes, that’s right, buttons are more fun than your sister’s doll, aren’t they? Oh, how cute.”

Amie, however, had a better appetite. Although she had been smaller than Talix at birth, now she was not only heavier but also sturdier.

“Look how solid her limbs are!”

Everyone knew how pointless it was to judge a baby’s physique before their first birthday, but the Great Lord of Cladnier clearly didn’t share that sentiment. Whenever he entered the nursery, he would pick Amie up and refuse to put her down.

“Amie’s grip is strong—she might even wield a double-edged sword well someday.”

Even while she tugged at his beard, the great lord marveled at her strength. The Great Madam of Cladnier, unable to watch any longer, gently pried Amie’s fingers away one by one, releasing the beard and placing Amie back on her bed, all while glancing at Miesa.

“Amie is just a little robust. Given our family history, she’s not likely to grow up with the hulking muscles you speak of, Father.”

“No, she’ll be a little commander! Just look at the strength in those legs! By the time she’s ten, she’ll be riding a horse all on her own—no pony, but a proper warhorse!”

“…Honey?”

The great madam sent him a pointed look, but the great lord was too busy expressing his thoughts.

“Isn’t that right, Taliesa? Well, Talix is growing well too, but Amie might even take down an ox someday!”

“Really? Father, is an ox harder to take down than a wolf?”

Miesa’s eyes sparkled, and the great madam was left speechless while his husband laughed heartily.

“Wolves, well, as long as you avoid their jaws and paws, they’re no big deal. Yes, exactly. An ox is much bigger, isn’t it!”

Siata, who had been standing silently in a corner of the room, briefly frowned but didn’t dare correct the great lord’s inaccuracies. No one present demanded the truth in this situation.