When the doll disappeared before his eyes, Asiel’s gaze naturally turned to Herdin.

He carefully observed the child’s expression, inwardly tense at the thought that Asiel might burst into tears again.

“Ugh.”

The child’s small eyebrows furrowed as he stared intently at him. This was usually a sign that Asiel was about to cry.

Just as Herdin tensed, a miracle occurred.

Asiel didn’t cry upon seeing him. He did scrunch up his face and frown, but he didn’t cry.

Herdin’s eyes wavered intensely as he looked at the child, amazed by the unbelievable change that had occurred overnight.

“Asiel, are you not afraid of Father anymore?”

“Uuung.”

Herdin stared blankly at the child for a moment, then carefully picked him up.

He worried that Asiel might really cry this time, but surprisingly, the child stayed calmly in his arms. This was the first time since his stranger anxiety had begun.

A smile gradually spread across his face as he held his son in his arms again. The child had become a bit heavier in that month.

“Thank you, Asiel. For granting your mother’s wish.”

He wanted to kiss him too, like before the stranger anxiety started, but decided that might be too hasty.

Herdin carried Asiel straight to the couple’s bedroom.

As soon as he opened the door and entered, he came face to face with Blair, who had just woken up and was about to go to the child’s room.

“…Herdin?”

“Blair, look at this. Asiel doesn’t cry when I hold him.”

Before he could finish speaking, Blair’s eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the child in his arms.

“Oh my.”

“Uwah!”

The child, who had been quietly nestled in Herdin’s arms until just now, urgently reached out his small hands towards his mother as soon as she appeared.

Blair stared blankly at the child.

She couldn’t believe the miracle that had occurred overnight. At the same time, one possibility flashed through her mind.

‘Could it be that Asiel understood what I said yesterday?’

Even while thinking it was a ridiculous and sentimental idea, Blair smiled brightly and took the child’s hand.

“Our baby is not only smart but also kind.”

Seeing his mother smile happily, Asiel, who had been staring blankly, finally giggled. Herdin, watching his wife and son, smiled along with them.

The three family members, smiling at each other, looked remarkably alike.

* * *

A month later, after the painter’s delicate work, the family’s first portrait was completed.

Blair, who had been pondering where to hang it for days before its completion, finally made up her mind on the day it was finished. She decided to hang it in the couple’s bedroom.

After that day, Blair spent a while standing in front of the portrait to admire it whenever she had time.

Herdin, waking from sleep, instinctively sought warmth and opened his eyes when he felt the empty space beside him.

His heart sank at the realization that Blair was gone, but then he remembered her recent behavior and turned towards where the portrait was hung.

As expected, Blair was standing there, gazing at the portrait.

Seeing her like that, he felt both proud and sorry.

‘She likes it so much.’

I should have suggested it earlier, sooner. Then you would have been happy for a few more days.

Herdin got up from the bed, put on his robe, and approached his wife with leisurely steps. Sensing his presence, Blair turned around.

“Did you sleep well, Herdin?”

“Yes.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and asked.

“Do you like it that much?”

Instead of answering, Blair looked at him. Her eyes, bathed in the morning sunlight, were sparkling with happiness.

Blair added, a beat later.

“Of course, I prefer the real thing to the painting.”

“Such temptation is troublesome this early in the morning.”

Blair laughed at that, then whispered as she gently rested her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you, Herdin. I know you went through a lot for this.”

Herdin chuckled and kissed the top of her head. Then they stood side by side, gazing at the portrait.

At the frame of happiness hung over memories of a painful past.

The two continued to look at the portrait until Blair took the first step away, then together they crossed over to Asiel’s room.

But as soon as they entered the room, they heard the child’s sorrowful cry.

“Waaah!”

“Oh my, what could have made our young master so sad?”

The voice of the perplexed nanny who couldn’t seem to stop the child’s crying.

Hearing this, Blair approached, and the nanny quickly handed the child to his mother’s arms while reporting.

“He drank his milk as soon as he woke up, his diaper was changed, and he doesn’t seem to be in pain anywhere, but he keeps fussing.”

“Asiel, did something upset you?”

“Hueeng…”

The child, who had been crying so much his eyes were red, gradually stopped as he was held in his mother’s arms. Just as he always did when Blair came.

“There, there. It’s alright now that Mother is here.”

Blair skillfully patted the child’s back to soothe him, but her face was filled with undisguisable worry.

Asiel was growing faster than other children his age.

Not just physically, but his behavior was developing quickly too. Sitting, crawling, and even babbling came early.

But Blair wasn’t entirely happy about this fact.

Perhaps as a side effect of his rapid growth, Asiel was sensitive. There were many days when he cried for no apparent reason.

At first, worried that he might be in pain somewhere, they called the doctor, but the answer they received was…

‘The young master is very healthy.’

Just words that the child was growing well.

Just in case, they called Agnes to check their parenting methods, but Agnes also praised their excellent parenting skills.

While it was a relief that there were no health or emotional issues, Blair couldn’t shake off the worry in one corner of her heart.

‘Asiel from my past life wasn’t like this.’

Asiel from her past life had also grown quickly physically, probably taking after Herdin, but his behavioral development wasn’t much different from other children.

Moreover, he had been a gentle child who rarely fussed or cried.

‘…No, I shouldn’t think like that.’

Blair, who had been unconsciously comparing Asiel from her past life with Asiel from this life, hastily shook her head.

The two children were the same, yet clearly different. So it was natural for them to be different.

But even if the two children were different beings, the fact that she loved them both more than her own life remained unchanged.

Blair felt a pang of guilt in her chest for having such thoughts, even momentarily, and held the child close.

“Mother and Father love you very much, Asiel.”

Please grow up healthy.

Please be very happy with us.

Asiel, still sniffling with traces of tears on his face, smiled as if he understood his mother’s words.

* * *

The child grew quickly.

The small child who couldn’t do anything on his own soon began to eat by himself with his tiny hands, walk, and express his thoughts with words instead of crying.

Even though Blair had already experienced this process once, she often shed tears, both sad and proud to see the child growing so fast.

And as the child grew, his sensitive temperament gradually disappeared.

Since Asiel was the one who suffered the most from his innate sensitivity, Blair was relieved to see this trait fade away.

Of course, even if he had grown up the same way, the two of them would have loved the child unconditionally.

“This is the sea.”

Asiel, who was approaching his second birthday, was thoroughly enjoying reading picture books. Whenever he had the chance, he would open a picture book and chatter away.

Perhaps because of this, his vocabulary was growing rapidly.

“This is a ship. Father makes them.”

Asiel chattered, pointing at the ship drawn in the picture book with his small index finger. Finding his voice adorable, Blair smiled and kissed the top of his round head.

“That’s right, this is a ship. Our son has a good memory. You even remember that Father makes ships.”

Perhaps suddenly reminded by the sight of the ship, Asiel asked.

“Where did Father go?”

After overcoming his stranger anxiety phase as a baby, Asiel had become much closer to his father. Sometimes he would even look for Herdin while playing with Blair.

He loved his mother, but it seemed he found playing with his father more fun.

Blair wasn’t at all upset by this. It was what she had earnestly wished for, both in her past life and in this one.

For the child to be loved by his father, to love him back, and to grow up happily.

Watching this, Blair felt a sense of happiness.

“Father is working in his study.”

“Work?”

“Yes, work. He makes ships, and houses where ships sleep, and big houses by the sea.”

“Let’s go see Father.”

Blair smiled awkwardly at the child’s sudden suggestion.

When the child asked to see his father while Herdin was working, she would usually explain why he couldn’t see his father right now and persuade him.

But still…

‘Maybe it’s okay to visit occasionally.’

Was it because of the snow that fell last night, or because the child begging to see his father seemed particularly lovable today?

Or was it because she wanted to see him again, even though she had seen him this morning?

After a moment’s hesitation, Blair decided to follow her whim for once. Unlike her usual self.

“Alright, let’s go see Father.”

And so they arrived in front of Herdin’s study with Asiel.

Blair made a knocking gesture as she met the eyes of the child waiting for his mother to open the door.

Remembering the manners his mother had taught him, Asiel tapped the door lightly with his small hand and spoke.

“Father, Ati is here.”

Ati was the nickname Asiel used to refer to himself, as he couldn’t yet pronounce his own name properly.

It was cute how he used formal speech for visiting etiquette, imitating his mother, even though he usually only spoke informally.

While Blair was chuckling at this sight, footsteps quickly approached and the door swung open.

“Young master! Did you come to see me?”

The first to greet Asiel was Luth, with a doting expression on his face. Behind him, Herdin approached, glaring at Luth with disapproving eyes.

“He said he came to see Father.”

Just as Herdin was about to pick up Asiel, the child’s eyes suddenly crumpled as if about to cry, and he pushed Herdin away.

“No!”