“No, Young Master.”

“Uuung!”

Although Kevin struggled to get it, the servants shook their heads.

“It’s useless to struggle. Young Master, something like this suits you better than a scary mace.”

The servant shook a long chicken-shaped toy. It was a toy that made funny sounds when squeezed.

Kevin had visited the gym so often that there were plenty of squeaky toys around.

“Shireo. Not fun.”

Kevin made a disappointed face while vigorously swinging the chicken toy, then quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere.

“Hmm… don’t like it?”

“Eung! Shireo!”

With Kevin’s clear likes and dislikes, the servants blinked and had to come up with another plan.

“What should we do?”

“He’ll make a fuss.”

Although it was the perfect time to play with toys, Kevin showed no interest in such things.
Exclusively, he showed interest only in exercise equipment like Artia.

Artia, busy adjusting Kasha’s posture from a distance, seemed unaware of Kevin’s presence.

“Woong-dong is good!”

“Children should use safe things.”

“No! I’ll lift heavy things!”

“Ah…”

Kevin was so adorable that he wouldn’t even hurt if poked in the eye. However, raising him posed the highest difficulty level in childcare. Unlike other gentle children, he was lively and stubborn.

Kevin’s particularly obedient companions were limited.

Heidegger, Artia, Casus, and Leo.

In front of anyone else, he was never quiet.

The servants were concerned that Kevin’s constant tantrums about wanting to go to the gym might lead to accidents.

Perhaps that’s why the servants provided him with toys resembling exercise equipment.

“Young Master, how about this?”

Although the lightweight, fluffy toy made of soft material was always placed at the entrance of the gym, it didn’t capture Kevin’s interest for long.

“Ueung, too light!”

“You can’t use heavy things. When you grow a bit more, you can use those.”

“I’m gonna take it off.”

Kevin puffed up his small body, placing his hands on his waist.

“This is enough to make you strong. Come on, try grabbing it.”

“Shireo!”

Whenever Kevin acted like this, the servants were perplexed.

It seemed that Kevin wanted to imitate Artia, who he only ever saw exercising.

“Mom!”

Around the time Artia wiped away sweat with a towel and stretched, Kevin approached her, extending his arms as if signaling to be hugged.

Sensing the signal to be hugged, Artia lightly embraced Kevin, patting his buttocks.

“Oh, our son is here?”

With cheeks as plump as cushions, Kevin nestled his face into Artia’s neck, as if he had found the softest bed.

It was as if he knew that it was the safest place.

While comforting the peaceful-faced Kevin, Artia held the child with both hands and began to squat.

“Madam is using the Young Master as a dumbbell.”

“Anything and everything turned into exercise equipment.”

“As always? You’ve been like that since before.”

The servants murmured.

“One, two.”

Artia lifted Kevin up and down, repeating the motion. Kevin, making a crunching noise, looked at Artia.

“Do you like it?”

“Kkyaha!”

Smiling at Kevin, who was being lifted with both hands while squatting, Artia lowered him gently.

When Artia briefly held Leo, Kevin took something out of his pocket and showed it to Artia.

“Leo gave this as a gift.”

“Leo did?”

In Kevin’s hand was a small doll.

The doll had blue eyes and silver hair. It seemed to be modeled after Kevin.

“Leo gave this?”

“Woong.”

It was unlikely that Leo, who was far from delicate, had painstakingly made it.

“…Did he order it?”

“Order? Make order?”
Artia continued to move her lower body without interruption during all this.

“Complained it’s itchy, but seems to like this.”

Artia chuckled.

It still seemed like Leo, who was inexperienced in expressing emotions, was expressing affection.

While glancing at the doll held in Leo’s small hands, Artia soon shifted her focus and entered a precise and correct posture.

Suddenly, Leo’s eyes flickered as if he remembered something.

“Leo, the doll is thirsty.”

Kevin opened his mouth as if trying to put the doll into it.

“Don’t put it in your mouth. It’s not for eating.”

Artia said, and Kevin removed the doll from his mouth.

“Uung…”

“Leo is scared of water. If it weren’t for that incident…”

“The incident with water?”

Leo, who had nearly drowned in the lake a long time ago, had avoided water ever since. Therefore, even when Artia went to the island where the servants lived by boat, he didn’t follow.

“Oh, he almost drowned in the lake a long time ago. That’s why.”

“Leo almost drowned in Duggle?”

“Yeah, a long time ago.”

Artia blinked, recalling memories from the past.

“But anyway, this guy… Even if I ask him to come to the gym, he won’t.”

“Woong?”

Kevin blinked his large eyes, tilting his head.

“Even if I offer one-on-one lessons, he refuses…”

“Leo likes the doll.”

Kevin said, fiddling with the doll.

“Leo likes Uncle Leo?”

“Woong, Leo likes the doll!”

“But why doesn’t Uncle Leo come to the gym?”

Although Artia mentioned offering one-on-one lessons, Leo never appeared in the gym. Artia somewhat expected this due to Leo’s strong pride.

However, she never expected him never to come at all.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

Artia pondered deeply.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t done much for Leo.

After coming to the north, she was busy raising young Kevin and dealing with the relationship with the imperial palace. Leo, with his strong pride, did not follow suit.

After all, Artia was occupied with raising young Kevin and managing her relationship with the imperial palace. The estate was vast, and there was much work to assist Casus. Leo was left without much attention.

“Hmm… I’ve never properly taken him out.”

Artia suddenly realized that she had expected too much from Leo.

Had she considered Leo’s feelings and acted without thinking?

“How can I open his heart?”

Artia thought that she needed to prepare something special for Leo.