“……It’s hard.”

Late in the evening, I collapsed onto my bed once again today.

In the morning, I looked over accounting ledgers and learned how to procure funds needed for business.

In the afternoon, I studied Boston history as part of my heir training, and quite some time has passed since I settled into this lifestyle.

It’s been almost a year since I settled in Lekah.

“Miss, it’s hard for you, isn’t it?”

“A little. It’s because Aaron is such a strict teacher. I barely manage to learn one thing while he teaches ten.”

Hearing my complaints, Mary patted my shoulder gently.

“The baby will be born soon.”

“Yes. They say the due date is next month.”

My once flat belly has now swollen enough to feel movement. When I call out “baby,” the child kicks as if responding.

The movements letting me know the baby is there gave me a sense of pride that I had protected it well.

I placed my hand on my belly and spoke to the baby.

Usually, the baby would move a little, but for some reason, it was unusually quiet today.

“Hehe, it seems the young master has fallen asleep. Oh, Miss. I noticed you barely ate anything during dinner earlier. Was the food not to your liking?”

“I think my tastes have changed since becoming pregnant. I used to love all kinds of seafood, but lately just the sight of it makes me feel unwell.”

“Oh no, you should have said something. We could have had the kitchen prepare different dishes.”

“It’s alright. I’m not that hungry anyway. More importantly, I think the baby takes after me and is a sleepyhead.”

Suddenly, I wondered what the baby would manifest as when the time came for it to reveal its shifter form.

“Mary. What if the baby takes after Jade and becomes a wolf?”

“Hmm, since you’ve been separated from Lord Rowe for so long, wouldn’t it manifest as a sparrow like you, Miss?”

Babies are more likely to manifest based on what influenced them most while in the womb.

“I guess so. I haven’t seen Jade in a long time after all.”

“That’s right. Don’t worry, Miss.”

It seemed almost certain the baby would manifest as a sparrow, so I put aside my needless worries.

The baby was quiet, but strangely, my stomach hurt.

“Why does my stomach hurt so much?”

“Could it be because you’ve been overworking yourself? It would be good for you to go to bed early.”

“…Alright. I should do that.”

Even after Mary prepared my bed and left, I tossed and turned for a long time.

Unlike before, my stomach now felt like it was being stabbed by something sharp, and my lower body felt damp. When I checked the blanket, I saw that my water had broken.

‘There’s still time before the due date…’

Soon, intense pain swept over me, and I barely managed to pull the bell rope. Shortly after, Mary and the midwife came in to assist with the delivery preparations.

It was a pain I had never experienced before in my life.

In my first life when I died hit by a truck, it was painful but didn’t last long.

Compared to that, the contractions coming in short intervals over a long period made it difficult even to scream.

“The baby isn’t moving. If this continues much longer, it could be dangerous.”

What exhausted me even more was the midwife’s concern that the baby’s condition wasn’t good.

“Miss, stay strong, you mustn’t lose consciousness…”

“Me-Mary.”

Through my fading consciousness, I heard Mary calling out to me with a voice full of tears as she held my hand. I clung to my slipping consciousness once more.

‘I can’t give up like this.’

I slowly took a breath and mustered my strength again.

“…Waaah!”

Finally, the baby emerged into the world.

“Congratulations, it’s a beautiful baby girl.”

The baby the midwife carefully placed beside me was truly tiny.

The baby was indescribably beautiful. Though it had been so painful during delivery, seeing the baby’s face now filled me with nothing but happiness.

Despite my worries about potential health issues due to the premature labor, the baby was healthy.

With faintly visible light brown hair and violet-tinged sea-colored eyes.

The baby was born as a perfect copy of me.

‘I thought she would be born with at least Jade’s silver hair or red eyes.’

There wasn’t a trace of Jade to be found, but perhaps that was for the best.

If she had been born with silver hair or red eyes, people would later ask who she took after.

‘If she wants to see the father who gave her the same colors…’

I didn’t want to see the baby upset over Jade, whom she would never meet.

“…Baby.”

I gently poked the baby’s cheek with my finger. Finding it uncomfortable, the baby scrunched up her face and smacked her lips.

As I was about to withdraw my hand, the baby grabbed my index finger.

As if recognizing me as her mother, she held onto me tightly with her tiny hand and wouldn’t let go.

Seeing the baby depending on me made my chest feel tight, and I felt a surge of emotion.

Strangely, tears came to my eyes. I was proud of the baby for being born safely.

“…I couldn’t give you everything, baby.”

My poor baby, who will grow up never knowing about her father’s existence.

“But I’ll give you everything I can right now.”

The baby’s scent reminded me of my mother, whom I had never seen.

‘Why did my mother abandon me?’

Having given birth, I understood even less why she left me at an orphanage.

When she was pregnant with me, as I grew in her womb, I wanted to know if she had ever loved me.

‘Rachel, who knew she would die giving birth to Larien, how much must she have missed Larien?’

At the same time, I felt sorry for Rachel, who had to leave Larien behind.

“Have you thought of a name for the young miss?”

I had been pondering what to name the baby whenever I had time.

‘There were many other names with good meanings, but…’

Then I remembered that Jade’s mother, the previous Lady Rowe, was named ‘Blanche’.

Blanche.

It meant white light that reflects all other colors, shining purely with its own hue.

‘Still, I should leave at least a small trace that the baby is Jade’s daughter.’

I also liked the meaning of shining with one’s own color without being influenced by others.

I didn’t want to tell the baby about her father’s existence, but I had mixed feelings about not wanting to erase Jade completely.

I soothed the baby who had started to whimper and nuzzled her cheek.

“There, there, Blanche.”

The baby stopped crying as soon as our eyes met and wiggled. It felt like a ticklish sensation, like a sprout budding in a corner of my heart.

The baby, who had quieted down as if she had never cried, stared at me intently.

As if understanding that her name was Blanche, she smiled brightly.

“…Blanche. Thank you for being born.”

And so, for the first time, I had a family.

Blanche started babbling, succeeded in rolling over while struggling, and before I knew it, she was crawling around and growing diligently.

Blanche’s existence became my joy and my everything.

She was so curious, always exploring here and there.

Juggling childcare and lessons, the days passed even faster than when I was pregnant with Blanche.

But I was happy. Whenever I saw Blanche’s smiling face looking at me, the fatigue from the hard work melted away like snow.

Through Blanche, I came to know emotions I might never have felt otherwise.

I picked up Blanche, who was moving energetically beside me as I looked over documents.

“Our baby is unusually quiet today.”

A warm feeling came over me as Blanche cuddled into my arms affectionately.

“Ma!”

Blanche opened and closed her mouth, making a sound. I stared at Blanche, unable to believe what I had just heard.

“…Blanche. What did you just say?”

“Mama!”

As if to prove that the word “mama” I had just heard was indeed the sound she made, Blanche called out energetically.

“Blanche, did you just say mama?”

Tears suddenly welled up.

I was overwhelmed that the day had already come when she would call me mama.

I could see glimpses of Jade in Blanche.

Without anyone teaching her, she naturally developed as a left-hander like him.

Moreover, Blanche was shy like Jade and wouldn’t easily go to unfamiliar faces.

Not only that, but on the day when a friend of Blanche’s age who lived nearby came to play.

Blanche clung tightly to me and scared the friend away.

Seeing that, I was surprised to think of what Jade must have been like when he was young.

Jade had acted just like Blanche does now. He bared his teeth to scare away children who approached wanting to play with him.

Worried that Blanche might have some personality flaws from taking after Jade, I implemented rote education.

Just as I had brainwashed Jade that life was precious, I taught her that she should get along well with friends.

It seemed to work, as Blanche got along well with friends after that.

Relieved to see her growing apart from Jade’s influence, all that was left was to wait for the day Blanche would manifest.

I naturally assumed Blanche would become a sparrow.

But now, as Blanche, who had started walking, stood up holding onto the desk.

I wasn’t as happy as when I first heard her say mama.

“Mary. Those things on Blanche’s head, I’m not the only one seeing them, right?”

“Im-impossible. Did Miss Blanche just manifest now? If your eyes and mine aren’t deceiving us…”

Silver-furred wolf ears had sprouted on either side of Blanche’s head.

“It seems Miss Blanche has manifested as a wolf, not a sparrow…”

As if mocking that misconception, Blanche had manifested as a wolf.