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[Translator - Angel Dust]
[Proofreader - Prototype]
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Side Stories 30
"Uncle, can't I go in?"
"No, Your Highness. You have to wait here."
"But Mommy's in there."
"Just wait a little longer. If you go in now, she will be too preoccupied."
Exactly one and a half months after Lav gave birth to Anne, his sister's second childbirth was approaching.
He had initially thought about waiting for the news at home.
When his first niece was born, he didn't have any children to look after.
But now, with Luen, Merien, and Anne, things were different.
His sister knew this and had told him not to come.
However, on the day of the due date, someone from the Imperial Palace came to see him.
The Emperor had sent them, asking Karl to come to the palace and keep the Crown Princess company because she was feeling anxious.
"I'm asking a favor, brother-in-law. I know you're newly married and have a newborn, but this is the first time the Crown Princess has been this anxious."
He couldn't believe his niece was anxious, so he immediately went to the palace.
And he realized the Emperor's worries weren't unfounded. The Crown Princess was trying to act tough, but she was clearly worried about her mother, who was in the room, groaning in pain.
"Here, Your Highness. Sit here. I'll tell you an interesting story."
"Okay, but Uncle?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Why are you calling me 'Your Highness'?"
Hmm. It seems strange to her now that I’m calling her ‘Your Highness’ after always calling her ‘niece.’
But this is the right thing to do. In private, we're niece and uncle, but our positions go beyond that.
I’m the current Count, she's the current Crown Princess, the future vassal, and the future Empress.
"It's important to use the proper title when addressing someone of your stature, Your Highness. You'll understand why when you're older."
"...Then I can't call you Uncle anymore?"
"That's... well, that's something you can decide for yourself."
He'll be a noble loyal to the Imperial Family until he dies.
Unless his niece turns evil and banishes his family, nothing will change.
"I like calling you Uncle."
"And I like it when I call you Your Highness."
"Does Uncle like me?"
"Of course."
"Then can we get married?"
"...Pardon?"
What did I just hear? Your Highness? Did you just say...?
"The book says if you like each other, you can get married, Uncle!"
"Your Highness."
"But Daddy said that just because you like someone doesn't mean you have to marry them..."
Nice, Your Majesty. You've managed to put a stop to this.
I need to assist here quickly. This could get out of hand.
"Your Highness, if that were to happen, I wouldn't be your uncle anymore."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. And you wouldn't be Your Highness to me anymore either."
"No! Nooo!!"
My niece, the Crown Princess, waves her arms in protest.
"Uncle is my uncle!"
"Yes, yes, Your Highness. I am your uncle."
I put her back on my lap and gently stroked her head.
I'm a father of three now, but for some reason, I feel weak around my niece.
Maybe some of the feelings I had for my sister have transferred to Lily.
Click—
The door opens, and the Emperor enters.
"Daddy!"
"Your Majesty."
"Crown Princess, brother-in-law."
He has a smile on his face. It seems everything has just finished.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty."
"Hahaha. Thank you, thank you, brother-in-law. You have a second niece or nephew now."
"Is it a prince or a princess?"
"It's another girl. I'm happy, but the Empress seems a bit disappointed that it's not a boy."
A second princess. Hearing the news, Karl secretly felt relieved.
The age difference between Lily and her sister was three years, maybe closer to four.
It could be considered a big gap, but it might not be so significant in the future.
If his second niece had been born a prince, that trend would have become even stronger.
'Although there isn't a strong preference for boys, there have been overwhelmingly more emperors than empresses in the history of the Empire.'
Even with a slight age difference, if the second niece had been a boy, he would have held a powerful weapon as a ‘prince.’
In the worst-case scenario, the two of them could have fought over the throne.
Well, now it's all a meaningless worry.
"Come on in, brother-in-law. You need to greet the Empress and the Crown Princess."
"Daddy! Me too! I want to see Mommy and my sister too!"
"Hahaha! Alright, let's go. This is your real sister, the one you've been waiting for."
As the Emperor entered the room with the Crown Princess in his arms, the maids stepped back.
His sister was lying on the bed, holding a tiny baby in her arms.
"Your Majesty."
"You've worked hard, Empress. Now, Crown Princess?"
"Mommy! Mommy, was it hard?!"
"It was fine. I was just trying my best to give you a sibling as soon as possible."
"Sibling! Sibling!! What's, what's her name?"
"Carlia. The Crown Princess is Lily, and her sister is Carlia."
"Carl... Carl... Carlia!"
The second princess of the Empire. My second niece. Princess Carlia.
Welcome. Here are your parents, your older sister, and your uncle.
"It's a shame. I was hoping for a prince."
"What can we do, Empress? That's how the world works. But I'm really okay—"
"It seems we'll have to try again for a prince the year after next."
"...Empress?"
Uh, wait a minute.
"Empress, what are you saying? You just gave birth. You need to focus on postpartum recovery. That's the most important thing right now."
"Hahaha. Did you forget? I'm the one who was perfectly fine a month after giving birth to our first child. If His Majesty weren't so busy, I would have given the Crown Princess a sibling sooner."
My sister's physical abilities are indeed impressive. Enough to make a younger brother like me look weak.
Considering the training she received, I only experienced actual combat, while she went through that hellish training as a field agent.
"So, I'll start thinking about our third child soon."
"Empress, please, no!"
"Waaaah! Mommy, am I getting another sibling?!"
"That's the plan, Crown Princess."
"Then, then! This time! This time, a little brother! A little brother!!"
The Crown Princess jumped for joy, and my sister smiled brightly beside her.
The Emperor stood next to them, dry-washing his face and saying, ‘No.’
And even in this noisy situation, Carlia was sleeping soundly.
'Hmm. My second niece seems to have a calm personality.'
My family is one thing, but this is quite a spectacular family too.
* * *
Meanwhile, in Friedrich County, where Karl was absent, another ‘older sister’ was spending time with another ‘younger sister.’
"Come on! Sister! Say sister!"
"Dada?"
"Not Daddy! Sister! Say sis-ter!"
"Sissy?"
Unlike Luen, who spoke months earlier than her peers, Merien, as a half-elf, was showing a growth rate similar to other children.
But that didn't mean she didn't have any unique traits.
"Sissy!!"
"Eeee!"
As it was now, her physical development was beyond what one would expect of a child her age.
She could already walk at a running pace and hug Luen tightly.
"M-Mary! I can't breathe!"
"Sissy!"
"Not Sissy! It's Sister!"
"Sister?"
"Sister!"
Merien, delighted, laughed and hugged Luen even tighter, shouting, ‘Sister! Sister!’
Luen, as the eldest daughter, couldn't bring herself to push her sister away and could only scream.
"They get along so well. I was worried they might fight."
"Hmph! They can't fight. I won't forgive anyone who messes with the eldest daughter of the family, not even my own child!"
"Why? Children grow up through those kinds of things, Eloise."
"No. Karl said that's how families stay harmonious!"
This is strange. It's odd to hear Eloise say that.
Selena chuckled and took a sip of the tea Lefia had made.
"I hope Anne can play with her older sisters soon."
"Don't even think about it. It's too early. She's only a month and a half old."
"But look at this, Eloise. She's been staring at her sisters."
Strangely, all of Karl's children showed exceptional growth abilities.
The eldest daughter, Luen, in overall development, and the second daughter, Merien, in physical development.
So it wasn't unusual for Anne, the third daughter, to develop faster than other children.
Buzz—
"Ah, it's Karl."
"Oh! The second Imperial heir must have been born!"
"Shh. Quiet."
Karl appeared on the communication device with a bright smile, saying something.
A moment later, the four women turned to the children playing, clapping their hands.
"Luen! You have a new cousin!"
"A sibling? I have lots of siblings."
"Ahaha! Our Merien has a new sibling too!"
"Si... Sib... Sibling!"
Unlike Luen, who was used to having siblings, Merien didn't quite understand the concept yet.
It was understandable, as she didn't know the joy of playing with siblings.
But seeing everyone happy, she smiled brightly, like any other child of her age would.
"Ufufu. Our Anne has a new friend. Everyone else is either an older or younger sister."
As Lavrenti said, Anne was the only one who had a friend instead of a sibling.
Whether she knew it or not, the baby in her arms was staring at her mother.
"Ah! The Empress is having another baby! We need to get to work too! Selena! Did you hear?"
"Of course, Eloise. Right after Lefia gives birth, we're starting on our second child!"
[ Hey, wives? Do your husbands' opinions not matter? ]
"Oh, husbands just need to get in bed when we tell them to!"
"Bed?"
"Ah! Luen! Shh! Eloise! Not in front of the child!"
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[Translator - Angel Dust]
[Proofreader - Prototype]
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