“Blair.”

Feeling that Blair’s mood had improved, Herdin called her in a lowered tone.

“I won’t give up on Asiel. Just like you tried to meet that child again.”

Asiel was as precious to Herdin as he was to Blair.

In their past life and this one, the child was proof of their love, and above all, didn’t that small body contain her blood?

There was no way he could give up on a child who was part of him and part of her.

“Someday, that kid will know. How much I love him.”

Blair quietly gazed at him as he said this, lost in thought.

This man, who seemed perfect on the outside, was actually quite clumsy when it came to love.

He had hurt her in the name of protecting her, and wandered for a long time not knowing how to love. But in the end, he found a way to love and faced it with sincerity.

So as he said, Asiel would come to know too. Just as she had come to know his true heart.

Of course, the process might be a bit difficult, and there would be much wandering… but Blair believed in her husband and son.

We are spouses, and family.

Blair nodded slightly and whispered.

“Yes. I’m sure it will happen.”

Then, leaning her face against his chest again, she added.

“Then we should love each other more from now on. For Asiel to see.”

At Blair’s words, Herdin’s hand, which had been caressing her slender back, paused.

He felt good every time the word ‘we’ came out of her mouth. It was almost surprising.

Every time Blair referred to herself and him as ‘we’, it felt like confirming that they had finally become one.

“Shall we practice?”

Blair blinked.

“What kind of practice?”

“Practice loving.”

Just as she was about to ask how one practices that, instead of an answer, their lips met. Blair, momentarily startled by the sudden kiss, soon closed her eyes as if she had been waiting for it.

Herdin, feeling their body heat as he pulled her waist close, seemed unsatisfied with just that, as he turned Blair on her back and climbed on top of her.

Their lips, which had parted for a moment with a moist, sensual friction, collided again hotly before she could gather her thoughts.

“Mmm…”

Blair, helplessly succumbing to the pleasure he was giving her, came to her senses when his hot hand entered her nightgown.

“…Herdin.”

“Yes.”

But while he answered obediently with his mouth, his hand caressing her leg and moving upwards was relentless.

Blair grabbed his hand as it fondled her underwear and whispered.

“Our baby is sleeping.”

Herdin chuckled at her words.

Unlike her words worried about the sleeping baby, her body was already quite wet from just one kiss.

“For someone conscious of our baby…”

As Herdin moved his finger with a mischievous smile, Blair moaned and trembled.

“You seem to be enjoying it even more.”

Blair’s eyes narrowed coyly, having been caught with something she wanted to hide, but that spirit didn’t last long. Rather, stimulated by her coquettishness, he began to move more explicitly.

“Her, din… stop…”

Blair bit the back of her hand to suppress the moans escaping between her teeth.

The moment he faced her looking up with eyes flushed and reddened with heat, the playful look in Herdin’s eyes disappeared.

The teasing ends here.

Feeling desire stretched taut to the limit of control, he barely removed his hand and lifted her up. Naturally, her slender arms wrapped around his neck.

Herdin looked into Blair’s thoroughly disheveled eyes and muttered in a low voice.

“Still, only daddy should know mommy’s naughty side.”

He devoured her lips, already wet with his saliva, and headed straight for the connected master bedroom.

Soon after, the bedroom door closed behind urgent footsteps. The child left alone in the quiet room slept peacefully.

Completely unaware of mommy and daddy’s circumstances.

* * *

Herdin tried hard, just as he had said he would.

At first, he quietly watched Asiel in Blair’s arms, then approached by speaking when their eyes met.

Later, he tried to get the child’s attention by giving new toys or snacks.

Thanks to those efforts, the number of times Asiel cried upon seeing Herdin decreased.

Of course, he still cried about half the time.

‘I wonder if a portrait is still too difficult.’

Tomorrow was the day the painter was scheduled to come.

Blair wanted to leave many family portraits from when Asiel was young, but in the current state, it would be a difficult time for both Herdin and Asiel.

As she was considering whether to cancel the appointment with the painter even now, she arrived in front of Asiel’s room.

Blair entered the room quietly, suppressing any signs of her presence. And she quietly headed towards where the bed and cradle were placed.

As expected, Asiel was asleep in the cradle, and Herdin was asleep in the bed next to it.

Seeing the two men who looked exactly alike even in their sleeping posture and expression, a smile spread across her face involuntarily.

Blair was surprised when she discovered something placed next to Herdin while quietly observing the father and son.

‘This is…’

Next to him were a storybook and hand puppets to wear like gloves. Cute images of lions, wolves, dragons, etc., to suit children’s tastes.

It wasn’t hard to infer that he had done a storytelling session for Asiel.

‘Did he really do storytelling?’

Imagining him imitating animal sounds, laughter burst out without her realizing it.

Blair bit her lip hard to avoid waking her soundly sleeping husband and son.

She felt a mix of emotions – pity for her husband who was inexplicably shunned by his son, and finding his efforts to get closer somehow cute.

How could anyone say this man wasn’t cute?

Surely Luth must not know anything.

‘I should ask him to do it again when he wakes up.’

But just a little longer.

As she took in the sight of the two lovely men, she thought that it might be okay if the portrait wasn’t completed tomorrow.

She was happy enough now, and there would be plenty of time even if it wasn’t tomorrow.

‘We’ll be together for a lifetime from now on.’

Thinking that, she was debating whether to wake her husband or watch a little longer when it happened.

“Hueeng…”

Asiel, who had been twitching his long eyelashes, woke from his deep sleep and began to whimper.

Blair hurriedly picked up the child, afraid Herdin might wake up.

“Our baby, you woke up hungry, didn’t you?”

Fortunately, the child quieted down soon after she started nursing him.

When Asiel finished feeding, Blair carried him out of the room quietly.

The summer night corridor, shrouded in darkness, was perfect for a walk. Blair patted Asiel’s back as she walked down the corridor.

The child laughed gleefully, seemingly in a good mood. While he played well with others but often whimpered as if uncomfortable, he always smiled brightly when with Blair.

Seeing the child so lovable, a smile spread across Blair’s face as well.

“You’re happy just being with mommy?”

“Uung.”

“Mommy is happy just seeing Asiel too.”

When she kissed the child’s round head like a dandelion fluff, the child smiled as if he understood her words.

Every moment Asiel smiled at her felt like a miracle to Blair.

Then suddenly, remembering Herdin who couldn’t see this harmless smile, she felt uneasy.

“Asiel, do you perhaps remember mommy being upset because of daddy when you were in my tummy? If that’s the case, mommy is very sorry.”

“Ueh?”

Asiel blinked his big eyes and looked at his mother. It felt as if the child was listening intently to her words.

Of course, she knew the child couldn’t understand her words, but even if he couldn’t understand, maybe her feelings could be conveyed.

With that thought, Blair kissed the child’s tiny hand and continued speaking.

“But now I know daddy loves mommy. And I know he loves you very much too.”

“…”

“Daddy is trying really hard to love you more. I hope you come to feel that too.”

“Ubu?”

“So will you watch daddy for a little while?”

Asiel stared at Blair, frowning his tiny eyebrows seriously.

Then he made some unintelligible babbling sounds, and soon yawned and leaned his cheek like sticky rice cake on Blair’s shoulder.

‘I guess it’s too much to expect him to understand my words after all.’

Blair chuckled and patted the child’s small back as he leaned against her.

“Sleep well, baby.”

It was okay even if the child didn’t understand her words.

He and she were this child’s parents, and they could wait for however many days it took until the child accepted it naturally.

Soon, the characteristic wheezing breath could be heard.

Nothing would change, but nevertheless, Blair headed to the room with a lighter heart.

* * *

The next day, Herdin, who woke up from sleep, quietly headed to Asiel’s room, leaving Blair still asleep.

The painter was scheduled to come around noon today.

But even until last night, they hadn’t completely overcome Asiel’s stranger anxiety.

So he had to settle it now. Whether to send a letter telling the painter not to come, or to overcome it and have the three of them paint a portrait together.

Herdin sent away the nanny and Mela who were taking care of the child and approached the cradle. On his hand, he wore the glove puppet he had used to read the storybook last night.

“Asiel.”

Asiel, who had woken up at his usual time, was waving his small hands and feet while looking at the mobile, but turned when he heard his father’s voice.

“Beu?”

Herdin showed him the glove puppet he had brought.

Asiel, just like last night, didn’t cry, distracted by the moving puppet. He did look back and forth between him and the puppet with wide eyes though.

Herdin sighed inwardly as he watched Asiel.

‘I’d like to take off the gloves when painting the portrait.’

He wasn’t particularly keen on showing this sight in front of the painter.

After pondering for a moment, he took off the puppet glove and put it away.