The Baby Isn’t Yours

“I was supposed to teach you how to use a sword, but it seems that I only give you worries, so I always feel guilty. Hemmie, it would be hard to imagine my last year without you.”

“Adventure, and big one. Hmm.”

Hemmie, who had avoided her gaze, fiddled with the hem of her robe in response.

“When you say that, it makes me feel very embarrassed. I’m very proud and happy to be able to help Miss Kalia. And… I can learn swordsmanship slowly.”

Hemmie smiled ‘hehehe’ at Kalia, who silently looked at her as if asking what she meant.

Hemmie continued­ with a little hoarse voice.

“In fact, after I’m trained, Miss Kalia won’t leave me, will she? So don’t regret it and don’t stress.

Hemmie grinned and wrinkled the tip of her nose.

“As for official squire activities, if you return later, please make it more difficult. The same goes for fencing. Because it’s never too late. But for now, the birth of a child happens only once in a lifetime, so please take care of it now.”

Hemmie clenched her fists and shook her head, as if inspired by herself. Speaking boldly, she paused for a moment. Soon her sincerity seeped through her last words.

“Family is priceless. This is a precious thing that shouldn’t be lost. I thought we’d always be together, but maybe not.”

Hemmie’s eyes were slightly moist, but she skillfully calmed down.

Crying won’t solve anything.

The display of tears didn’t mean that the family would return.

The main thing is that life goes on as usual.

Hemmie missed her lost family very much, but that was about it. They still can’t come back.

Hemmie was very strict with herself and acted tough. But she was only twenty years old when she had to become like that.

“Then I should be even more grateful to Hemmie.”

Kalia lowered herself a little and said looking into her eyes.

“Hemmie, you are my family now.”

Her soft smile was too warm. Hemmie was so hot that even the tip of her nose turned red.

“Ahh…”

Hemmie accidentally covered her mouth. It’s because of the tears she held back.

Before her restraint broke and tears streamed down her cheeks, Hemmie quickly turned her head to say goodbye.

“I, I’ll go, I’ll go, Kalia. If anything happens, please call me!”

She hastily opened the door and ran out.

The sound of fast footsteps echoed through the hall.

After that, ‘Whoo~!’ like a crying baby.

* * *

‘This is it.‘

Kalia looked at the door through which Hemmie had run out of the room, leaving her. Her heart sank at the sound of crying outside the door.

“Sasha, mom doesn’t want you to grow up too fast. When I was a child, I wanted to be a child, and when I became an adult, I wanted to be a person who behaves like an adult.”

Waking up, Sasha probably felt his mother’s request, slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.

The expression on the boy’s face changed from moment to moment, either in order to find out the possibilities of his facial expressions. Suddenly he laughed after making a serious face, and then he started crying again. He studied the movements of the facial muscles with great activity.

As if wanting to become the strongest arm in the world, Kalia muttered in a voice full of emotion.

“Oh God, how can you be so cute? How can you be so adorable? Is this the most beautiful thing in the world? Yes? Sasha, our Sasha. You have to answer and explain this to your mother, huh?”

Kalia poked his bulging cheek with her fingertip and cooed with a happy voice. The child’s eyes, delicately blending green and gold, followed Kalia.

“Oh, my baby. What should I teach you? Do you want to learn fencing? No, I hate even the thought of blisters on those beautiful hands… Then how about studying? I would like you to become a doctor like Allen. Or how about just doing nothing?”

Kalia shook her head as she thought about it.

A person should be able to do something.

Well, if the case is excellent, but even if not, to be honest, you can speak out.

Kalia didn’t want Sasha to get sick or have a hard life, but she wanted him to become a person who could handle his life well.

It doesn’t matter if he’s a nobleman or not.

Kalia hoped that she would become the kind of person who could eat well and live well, even if she ended up in another world with only a naked body.

Nobody knows what life will be like, right? Kalia herself learned her secret of birth, the existence of which she did not even suspect.

“Either way, do what you want. Your mom will let you be free and do whatever you want.”

‘Instead, do your best. My baby. Work hard. Carelessness is unacceptable.‘

At that moment, speaking softly, Kalia rubbed the tip of her nose against the child’s small forehead.

A strange voice suddenly came from somewhere.

[Mom, I think I want to learn magic.]

“…Huh?”

Kalia lifted her head and looked around.

Obviously, only she and the child were in the room.

She increased her senses and checked her surroundings. But she didn’t feel anything.

It really does feel like magic.

Kalia narrowed her eyes and stared at the closed door. Then a clear voice came from behind the door again.

[I will learn magic from my dad. He is a great magician!]

A familiar, child-like voice.

‘Oh?’

When Kalia didn’t answer, he hurriedly added, as if a little nervous, from outside the door.

The voice sounded closer than before.

[…I want to stay with Mom and Dad. I heard it’s great for kids when parents stay together!]

Kalia lost her sense of the absurd.

Simon boldly called himself ‘Dad’ with his own mouth.

Kalia hasn’t decided anything yet. And he didn’t hesitate to tell Kalia that she was a mother.

Feeling the heat quickly rise to her face, Kalia reacted intelligently.

“Dad? Dad? Sasha, you still don’t know who your dad is? Does Mom know what Sasha is talking about?”

[…]

“So that’s the problem… How about we just eat well and live slowly just the two of us, baby? It’s not that your mom couldn’t raise you alone.”

To the words whispered in the direction of the baby, Simon immediately responded from behind the door. As if unable to stand it, he slammed the door and shouted:

“Damn it, Kalia. Why do you say that there is no father near you? You’re too rough!”

Kalia looked at Simon, who burst into the room with courage.

There was still a slight blush on her cheeks, but her eyes were very cold.

“What is this impoliteness, Simon?”

“…What?”

“What would you do if I was breastfeeding right now? How could you open the door so rudely?”

Embarrassed, Simon bit his lower lip with a slightly flushed face, as if he had just realized something.

“Oh…”

Simon let out a short sigh with a complex expression on his face, rubbed his head and turned around and left the room. The traffic was loud, but the sound of the door closing was very discreet.

Three seconds later.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

There were exactly three knocks.

“It’s me. May I enter?” There was a hint of hesitation in his words.

“Yes, come in.”

After receiving Kalia’s permission, the door opened and Simon entered.

Instead, a satisfied smile bloomed on Kalia’s face.

‘That’s it, great. Simon, be polite.‘

Simon’s expression, which looked slightly dissatisfied with Kalia smiling proudly at him, showed relief. He slowly relaxed his shoulders and sat down next to her. Leaning back, he gazed at Kalia intently and muttered in a hoarse voice.

“Right. How can I defeat you?”

Contrary to what he said, he had a smile on his face.

Kalia, who was facing Simon, suddenly felt a slight tickle in her chest. It’s not a strong feeling, but she was very worried about spreading the tickling.

She frowned slightly and turned to Simon.

“Don’t laugh like that.”

“…Hm?” Simon looked at Kalia in surprise, wondering what that meant.

“Don’t laugh like that, Simon,” she said even more excitedly.

Why all of a sudden?

‘My heart flutters.’

But if it gets worse, something out of the ordinary will happen.

When they met, Kalia’s heart wasn’t beating as fast as it used to, but she still felt itchy on one side of her chest. Kalia glanced quickly at Simon’s handsome face, then slowly inhaled and exhaled.

Simon’s face turned serious at Kalia’s reaction.

“Kalia. Look at me.”

A snow-white hand, not like hers, gently took her chin and lifted her up. The fingertips were as light as feathers, not rough at all.

“…Did I do something wrong? At that time, was my behavior on the hill awkward?”

His voice was full of nervousness.

As if if Kalia pushed him away, he would be endlessly injured.

‘It’s so embarrassing, really.‘

Kalia really couldn’t believe this change in Simon. Arrogant, incomparably with others, the magician, looking at her, was worried, like a cat with a mouse, and seemed to be hurt by one of her words.

Kalia’s chest throbbed again. Although the beating was not as loud as last time, the heart continued to rumble.

“That was embarrassing, Simon.” Kalia shook her head, looking into Simon’s eyes. “I feel awkward around you. This is absurd.”

Simon accepted her words with relief and a slight smile.

Looking at Simon’s slightly pale cheeks and deep eyes, Kalia reached out and stroked his cheek gently.

It was the first time that Kalia touched Simon like this. He tensed in surprise.

Ever since they’d met again, it had always been Simon who had tried to get that close to her every time. For the first time, Kalia herself tried to lightly touch Simou.

“It’s not like that, Simon.”

Kalia reacted openly to Simon to the point where it’s ridiculous that she avoided him for two days.

Simon was slightly touched by her step. With a trembling sigh, he leaned his cheek against Kalia’s palm, which was touching him, and said:

“…If not, then what is it?”

.