“It’s okay.”

After Luke’s hand touched her forehead, Bonita gently wiped it again with the back of her hand.

“It was warm.”

This adult man, who seemed to freeze easily at first glance, had a higher body temperature than expected.

When his big, warm hand touched her forehead, it felt good. Perhaps, there was affection like Aria’s in that touch.

A faint smile appeared on Bonita’s lips. Luke’s eyes widened upon seeing that expression.

He remained motionless for a moment, then very cautiously and timidly spoke.

“Bonita. That…”

“Yes?”

“That… Would you like Dad to sleep with you?”

“What? With the duke?”

Under normal circumstances, he would be disheartened by the title ‘Your Grace,’ but he was too nervous to pay attention to such trivial matters.
Luke’s bear-like fingers scratched his head. His body was so stiff that his gaze was fixed on the space between Bonita and the empty air.

“I’m not forcing you, exactly. Miss Hilton is already sick, you’re scared to sleep alone, and I’m your dad… So…”

A man over 2 meters tall was quite an amusing sight, fidgeting in front of a child who was only half his height.

If Aria had seen this, she would have made fun of it in her heart for a long time.

But the people involved were dead serious.

Bonita blinked her large and innocent pink eyes, thinking.

‘Duke seems to be bad at talking.’

Grandma was the same, but the people in this house, despite revealing everything with their bodies, couldn’t express what they wanted verbally.

But she didn’t dislike that.

Bonita reached out first.

“!”

Upon the tiny fingers that reached up, Luke shivered like a puppy stepping on the snow for the first time in his life.

Bonita looked at the duke, who was struggling in this manner, and burst into a big smile.

“Okay. Please put me to sleep.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

… That’s how it happened.

Aria, who was unaware of this fact, couldn’t help but be confused.

In the moment when she was about to open the door again, not knowing what to do, Luke, who felt a sign, shook his eyelids.

Contrary to appearances, long and beautiful eyelashes slowly rose. With half-open red eyes, he gazed into the void.

‘… Aria, Hilton?’

He blinked after looking at someone who shouldn’t be here. It seemed like he was either having a hallucination or hadn’t fully woken up yet.

‘… Bad dreams are also possible.’

It had been a long time since someone other than Elodie appeared in his dream.

But it wasn’t the lovely Bonita, but such an annoying woman.

Turning his gaze away, he turned his body. His large hand patted Bonita’s flat stomach a few times.

Peace settled in his heart.

‘Cute.’

Bonita, who was sleeping soundly, was truly small, cute, and lovely.

Perhaps she resembled Elodie from head to toe.

The fact that his bloodline resembled the woman he loved was endlessly touching.

‘Yes. If it’s Bonita, it’s not a bad dream.’

No, it should be called a good dream, now that Bonita had appeared.

His gaze moved beyond Bonita. Unlike one side of the bed filled with his body, the other side was empty.

In his peaceful heart, a sudden, knife-like imagination arose.

“Oh my, Luke. Are you still sleepy? Anyway, you’re a sleepyhead.”

Facing Bonita on the opposite side, as usual, his wife sat down, playfully smiling like a mischievous child, and lightly tapped his cheek.

Then, he would quickly wake up, face his wife, and receive a kiss from her. Elodie would then burst into laughter again, and soon, she would hug Bonita more tightly.
Then, Luke would have embraced Elodie like that and enjoyed a peaceful late sleep.

As he imagined it, his eyes became moist.

If Elodie had been here.

If that had been the case, how wonderful would it have been?

Drawing a future where Elodie did not die and Bonita could grow up as their daughter from the beginning made his chest tighten. Luke, now more emotional, had teary eyes.

At that moment, someone spoke in an awkward tone.

“Uh, Duke?”

At the familiar voice, Luke’s eyebrows twitched.

“Why are you in this room…?”

“…Is it you.”

Hearing that, Luke quietly expressed annoyance.

“I have no idea why I’m here. Why did you crawl back into this room again without resting, of all places?”

“I’m fine now.”

Aria, who had thrust her face directly in front of Luke, said.

“Everything’s fine now. I was planning to surprise Bonita and sneak into the blanket while she was asleep. I wanted to sleep in a bit more.”

“Huh, you’re not a child.”

Luke let out a bitter laugh.

“So, um, Duke.”

Ignoring his reaction, Aria asked him a question.

“Can I sleep there with you?”

Luke’s expression soured.