The Monster Knight Wants Maternity Leave (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“Everything’s ready. You may get into the carriage now.”
Her stiffness finally eased—thanks to the approaching Luwins family coachman.
Lucia climbed into the carriage without even a greeting, under the sharp stares of the young noble ladies.
Whether or not it breached etiquette—
She didn’t have the energy to care. All the way up the hill, she kept pondering Airen’s intentions.
No matter how closely she examined her collar, there was no blood on it.
‘Why does he want to get close to me?’
The emperor had died, and the crown prince who succeeded him perished after only three years.
He hadn’t even reached forty yet.
Besides a brief stint as his bodyguard, they’d barely exchanged a proper word.
Yet now, after her return, he claimed he’d watched over her every day—and currently suspected the child’s existence.
After sending the carriage back, she surveyed the area near her lodging.
The imperial palace was visible below, and as Airen had said, the crown prince’s residence was the closest.
If viewed through a telescope, one might not see this lodging clearly, but as he’d claimed, the training grounds were certainly within clear sight.
‘…Right. So it’s true—he really did watch every day.’
The crown prince had clearly called it a secret.
Whether she could trust him or not, his words sounded like a promise to keep it hidden until he revealed what he truly wanted.
Just then—
“Heehee, heeeeeeeeee!”
A strange horse-like whinny suddenly echoed from inside the lodging.
With a knowing look, she hurried inside.
Opening the door, she saw—
“…P-please spare me, Chief…!”
Vernon lay on the floor with odd scribbles all over his face, and perched triumphantly on his waist was a child.
“Animals aren’t supposed to talk! Do as Penny says and gallop!”
“H-heeheehee…!”
His tearful imitation closely matched the sound she’d just heard.
So that was Vernon’s doing.
The child, with red twin braids coiled into round buns, seemed satisfied with Vernon’s pitiful whinny and began vigorously patting his pale blue hair.
“Vernon, who is this child?”
“And who are you, lady?”
Before Vernon could answer, the child blinked her bright eyes and spoke.
—Whack!
“Ouch!”
“Ivane! What’s with that tone toward the Chief!”
At Lucia’s voice, Gilliana rushed out from the kitchen and smacked the child’s head with a ladle.
“Why’d you hit me?! I’ll tell Mom!!”
“What did you say, you little brat~!”
Despite Gilliana’s fearsome glare, the child—who looked exactly like her—showed not even a speck of willingness to back down.
In fact, she seemed quite practiced in this situation.
“What’s going on? And who’s this child?”
“Ah, Chief… um, this is my niece, Ivane! There was a sudden surge of work at home because of overlapping events… and, well, she kept insisting her aunt bring her along, so… yeah…”
Gilliana, who normally spoke bluntly, now shrank her neck and looked up anxiously as if seeking permission.
Her family ran a culinary business, and on days with major events, they often took family leave due to staff shortages.
Apparently, today was one of those days.
She was likely being cautious because she knew Lucia disliked having strangers in the lodging—but in truth, Lucia had long since given up caring.
The squad members seemed oblivious to the fact that, from the day they arrived, she’d already let go of everything.
“Where’s Nia?”
“Nia’s gone!”
At Ivane’s confident declaration, Lucia scanned the room and spotted Nia hiding plainly under the tablecloth.
‘…Are they playing hide-and-seek?’
This was the same Nia who’d immediately searched for a rag like a maid upon waking.
Lucia couldn’t understand why Nia was so eager to return to the orphanage, but having arrived early to stop her, she was surprised to find the girl happily playing with a peer instead.
“Well then, I’ll head upstairs…”
As Lucia tried to leave, pretending not to notice Nia,
“…I-I’m here! Right here!”
“Waaah!! Found you! Ivane found you! Woo-haha!”
The child dashed over, clung to Lucia’s thigh, and sniffled, while Ivane hugged Nia and cheered excitedly.
Nia was on the verge of tears, and Ivane stomped her feet in unrestrained triumph.
Even in this chaotic scene, Lucia froze again—just as she had that morning with the child.
It wasn’t that she disliked the child’s warmth; rather, she simply didn’t know how to respond to such overt affection.
“…Hnngh. I’m right here…! So, so…”
The child, shocked that Lucia had pretended not to see her, clung stubbornly to her leg.
“Auntie Gilly! Who’s that lady? She’s pretty but looks mad. Why’s she so quiet?”
The child’s blunt honesty clearly ran in the family.
“I’m… Lucia. This child’s mother.”
Awkward with children, she introduced herself as gently as she could manage.
But what she got in return was a face full of suspicion.
“Huh? Liar! You’re not Auntie! Our mom’s way bigger… THIS big!!”
Ivane puffed out her short arms dramatically, trying to illustrate her mother’s size.
Gilliana gave a wry smile and whispered into Ivane’s ear.
“Ivane, hush. Say one more word, and your mom—Auntie Julie—might come running with a stick.”
“Ugh! Auntie Gilly, Ivane won’t say anything!”
The seemingly unruly child widened her eyes, mimed zipping her lips shut, and fell silent.
Was this the result of learned behavior?
Apparently, this sort of thing happened often.
“I’m Ivane Berna. Second daughter of the Berna baronial house. Pleased to meet you.”
“Right, nice to meet you too.”
Despite her age, as a noble’s daughter, her greeting was crisp and proper.
Meanwhile, Ivane turned to Nia, whose tears had finally stopped.
“Nia, you’re a mama’s girl, huh?”
Nia wiped her teary eyes and nodded.
“…Nia loves Lusha.”
‘…?’
Lucia was startled by this unexpected confession from the child.
But before she could react,
“Lushaaa? But you said ‘mom’! Isn’t she your mom?”
Nia suddenly shook her head vigorously, as if remembering something.
She must have recalled her promise to Lucia.
“Then why call her by name instead of ‘mom’?”
‘Oh no.’
Nia’s darting eyes and the squad members’ gleaming stares—
Lucia had anticipated this day would come, but never imagined it would start with such a question from a little child.
.
.
.
Nia still didn’t call Lucia “mom.”
That was precisely why Lucia had avoided bringing outsiders—but since even the squad stayed silent, she’d stopped worrying about it.
“Huh? Huh? Why not? Why won’t you call her? Ivane’s curious! Can I call my mom by name too, Auntie Gilly?”
Seeing Gilliana’s flustered reaction, Lucia began to suspect it was odd that the squad hadn’t questioned this earlier.
But right now, the impulsive little one was more urgent.
Just then—
“…It won’t come out. No matter what.”
The child placed her small, plump hand on her chest, and golden tears welled in her wide, upturned eyes.
“…My chest hurts so bad, my voice won’t come out. Sorry. Sorry…”
Some things are cherished so deeply—
That for certain children, even if something is precious and beloved, they can’t openly show their affection.
Young Nia had spent nearly her whole life in the orphanage, where destitute children would snatch anything new or noticeable from each other.
Her pillow, toothbrush, toys—
Here, every good thing required silence and hidden feelings.
Accustomed to concealing her joy, she only dared express happiness with these things when alone, never learning to share that joy with others.
For Nia, that word was the most precious one—so precious she’d never even said it to Mia, whom she trusted.
Uttering it alone was hard enough; doing so before others was nearly impossible.
And now, before tearful Nia stood Ivane, eyes wide with outrage.
“What? It hurts? Does Nia get hit for calling you ‘mom’? Hey, lady! No—Nia’s mom! That’s not allowed, is it?!”
Ivane’s tiny body tensed as if ready to charge at Lucia.
Then—
“No!”
Nia stepped forward with her small frame, shielding Lucia from Ivane.
It was the first time Lucia had heard Nia speak so loudly.
As the atmosphere grew awkward, Gilliana finally snapped and grabbed Ivane by the scruff of her neck.
“You little wild boar! Ivane, listen—Nia loves her mom so much that her heart trembles whenever she says ‘mom.’ Got it?!”
‘…?’
Because she loves her?
Lucia was stunned again by Gilliana’s words.
She looked questioningly at Vernon and Gilliana, who both placed hands over their hearts, gave puzzled nods, and met her gaze.
In Lucia’s mind, the reason Nia couldn’t say “mom” was because she herself had never done anything worthy of a mother.
But those watching this mother and child knew better.
No matter the situation, young Nia’s eyes always sought only Lucia.
“Hmm. Got it. Phew—but Nia, you’re in big trouble! Of course I love my mom too… but not THAT much. Anyway, when our mom gets mad, she’s like the orc from my picture book…”
“Haa, Ivane. Imagine your mom was right here—your temples wouldn’t survive, would they?”
“…Yeah! Ivane won’t say anything!”
Ivane quickly raised both hands to guard her head, nodding so vigorously her braids swung wildly.
*
The small front yard of the lodging.
Bathed in sunlight, untamed wildflowers bloomed profusely.
Pushing aside the soft blossoms, Nia and Ivane spread a tiny mat and pretended to drink tea from a miniature set, filling the cups with dirt.
“Madam, this tea is said to be grown in the Gornue region, right?”
“Yes, yesss…!”
“Oh, right? You’re supposed to lift your pinky like this.”
“…Yes!”
Ivane wiggled her pinky as she mimed sipping, then roughly scattered the dirt from her cup around.
Nia carefully followed suit, shaking the remaining dirt from her own cup.
Then, as if amused by something, Ivane flopped onto the mat with a cheerful laugh, basking contentedly in the warm sun.
“Nia! Your house is the best! My mom never buys toys like this. Can Caesar come next time too?”
When Ivane asked Nia, the girl looked toward Lucia in the distance, as if seeking permission.
Lucia, hearing Ivane’s shout, vaguely waved her hand—whether she truly understood or not.
“Oh! Your mom seems really cool—so straightforward in situations like this!”
“Cool…?”
“She’s a bold person. Anyway, she’s great! Next time Caesar comes, we’ll build a secret base with logs and branches.”
Ivane eyed the small playhouse set near the lodging.
It was another gift from Leon.
Watching Ivane clench her fists in excitement, Nia blinked her eyes.
‘…She laughs easily, eats well, and has lots of friends.’
Heath’s words about becoming ordinary—
To Nia, Ivane perfectly embodied exactly what Heath had described.
For a while, Nia silently watched Ivane’s expressive face, feeling an oddly sorrowful envy.
Just then—
Ivane abruptly thrust her face close to dazed Nia.
“Hmm, that won’t do.”
“…?”
“Nia always does everything I say.”
At Ivane’s offhand remark, Nia’s face darkened rapidly.
Deep within her small mind, a familiar voice echoed—as if confirming a long-feared reality.
‘Why do you always do exactly what I say? It’s no fun bullying you.’
Those were the very words Nia used to hear from peers at the orphanage—now spoken by Ivane.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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they’re so cute i’m gonna cry 😭😭 i adore them sm