Nia, holding a fork like a commander with a weapon.

Lucia, scratching her head in apology.

Even the bitter-faced Leon.

Amidst all this, Ivan tried to act calm alone but couldn’t resist when the tempting pudding on the table started to wiggle.

Ivan, grabbing his chubby cheeks, blinked his eyes.

“Wow, I’ve never seen such a big pudding before! Thanks, Nia mom, I’ll enjoy it!!”

As the excited child rushed in, Lucia slowly poured juice into the child’s cup.

“It would be better to express gratitude to Captain Leon here. After all, he’s the one who brought it.”

“Wow! Really!? Your taste is as good as your handsome face! No match for a husband. Hehe.”

When Ivan, bringing a plate of snacks, sat down next to Leon, Nia’s expression worsened.

Initially called to set boundaries, it only seemed to accentuate his charm.

Upon this, Nia put down the cookie she had been holding.

A child who had never thrown a food tantrum before.

Moreover, it was a snack they couldn’t eat because there were no children around.

Then Leon’s face visibly stiffened, but Lucia felt even more sorry.

‘Not this kind of child. Is it really because of the business trip…’

But for the sake of the child’s future, it was a task that must be done.

Since the carriage from the palace would arrive soon, to ease her sensitive daughter’s mood, Lucia quickly picked up a glass of milk.

“Do you like milk? It’ll taste good if we drink it together.”

“Yeah! Anything Mom gives is great.”

Giving the milk the child liked, Nia smiled with a white beard while looking at her mother.

Although the reason for the visibly changed attitude of the child couldn’t be understood, seeing this small smile made Lucia feel better.

However, Leon seemed restless since earlier.

Though it had been quite some time since Lucia brought the tea, he still hadn’t taken a sip.

Despite her questioning gaze, he couldn’t take his eyes off the familiar figure inside the teacup.

‘Tea leaves in the teacup…’

As if fireworks were popping up in a black tea country, the tea leaves were squirming.

Leon’s anxious eyes were searching for a strainer.

And Lucia was not the only one who saw that sight.

“Wow. The tea leaves are dancing in the cup! Ivan will catch them! Is it the tea that little animals eat?”
It was the child’s innocent words, but only now did Lucia realize that it wasn’t meant for human consumption.

“… How about juice instead of tea?”

“Oh, no, thank you!”

What’s the big deal about eating tea leaves?

Refusing the tea Lucia personally brewed was absurd.

Growing desperate, Leon closed his eyes and swallowed a handful of grass.

It was the first time he had to chew something for tea.

Even though the bitter taste erupted in his mouth like madness, Leon endured it several times.

“Wow!! Amazing!”

When Ivan applauded him with admiration, he confidently extended the tea cup to her.

“It’s delicious. Another cup, please.”

“…Sure.”

Lucia, not disliking his different appearance from Herbert, who treated her carefully brewed tea like poison, approached to pour tea into his cup.

“Nia, Nia, do it!”

With a sudden movement, Nia’s small hand almost touched the hot tea kettle.

“Nia!”

Startled, Lucia shouted at the child, who was shocked.

Her always kind mother shouting at her! Moreover, in front of a competitor!

“Huh, huh-aaah!!”

Injustice, fear, and all those emotions mixed, and tears uncontrollably flooded Nia’s eyes.

She quickly ran to the bedroom as if fleeing.

Soon, there was a knocking sound on the door, but at the moment, only the weight of the blanket reassured the child in handling these overwhelming emotions.

However, Lucia’s heart in front of the door began to burn.

Unfortunately, the timing was bad, as the carriage from the palace, along with Herbert, had arrived.

Just when the first rebellion she ever caused happened.

“Nia, quickly open the door.”

Repeatedly knocking on the door, but the child did not come out.

‘Should I break the door? It won’t matter since we won’t come to this residence for a while.’

So, breaking the door like last time wasn’t difficult.

“If you don’t open it, Mom will break the door, even if…”

“…I hate you!”

“…!!”

Lucia’s hardened heart sank to the ground in an instant.

It was a resonance different from the sounds that always came from those who secretly insulted her.

As she stood there in shock, Herbert approached.

“Lucia, Prince Huang is waiting outside. Leave it to me and go quickly.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Lucia finally managed to lift her seemingly glued feet and headed towards the business trip.

Duke’s castle in the Arkis Empire.

Under the portraits of the late Duke couple, three gods each wore worried expressions in their respective places.

Jared, the second brother of the late Duke, spoke first.

“Besides the meddling empire dogs, why on earth is the empire’s crown prince coming?”