Published: August 10, 2026
A new chapter begins!
Time really flies.
It feels almost unreal that it has already been more than a year since I gave birth to my child.
It feels as if all those sleepless nights from her crying were just yesterday.
Elisabeth had finished weaning, and now she could even tell people apart if they were not her parents. I could now leave babysitting to Mio and the other maids, so she had become much easier to care for.
Though her steps were still wobbly and unsteady, the way she wandered around the castle was no longer that of a "baby," but of a "small human." Her fingers had become quite dexterous too, and today she was sitting on the carpet, building something with toy blocks.
"What are you making, Lisa?"
When I asked, Lisa held out a block toward me.
"Mm! Nn-maaama... ma..."
While making meaningless sounds, she happily handed me the block.
...Oh, could it be that she just said "mama"?
Before I could say it out loud,
"She said mama! She just called Marie mama!"
Cyrus, sitting beside me, let out a cheer.
"Hey, Mio, did you hear that? Lisa said mama, didn't she!?"
"Isn't that just murmuring? She was saying 'mm-ma' even while eating lunch earlier."
Even after Mio said that, Lord Cyrus shook his head firmly. Narrowing his green eyes, he scooped Lisa up and rubbed his cheek against hers.
"No, she definitely said it. To be able to talk this well already, as expected of our child—she's a genius!"
"That is an extremely ordinary rate of development."
No matter how coolly Mio tried to rein him in, Lord Cyrus did not care. Or rather, whether his daughter was a genius or not, this man doted on her with everything he had.
"I wonder when she'll call me papa. I can't wait."
Ah... his tan skin is getting all wet with Lisa's drool...
My husband, Cyrus Granado, lord of Granado Castle and head of the ducal family, was tall.
His dignified, muscular figure and sharply refined face, with its deeply carved features, could even feel intimidating when he was silent. But right now, with him rubbing his cheek against his daughter's and being a little rejected by her... how should I put it? He was truly the very picture of the kind of father who dotes too much on his child—no, of a father utterly smitten with his daughter.
I had gotten very used to seeing this side of Lord Cyrus, but it still made me feel a little ticklish inside.
Back when I had just met him, I really thought he might be a scary person...
Cyrus stared intently at Lisa's face and whispered in a gentle voice.
"Her features are becoming clearer... She's starting to look more like Marie."
"Is that so? I thought her eyes looked just like yours, Cyrus."
Lisa had red hair, green eyes, and skin tone that was right between mine and Lord Cyrus's.
She was said to be a little bigger than the average child, but since both of us were tall, it was hard to say which of us she took after. It felt like she had inherited the best parts of both of us. According to Mio, she had "taken the best of both."
"Whether she takes after either of us, she'll grow up to be a wonderful woman. I can't wait to meet the adult Lisa."
Perhaps she understood the words of love from her father, because Lisa burst out laughing.
She clung to Lord Cyrus's head and ruffled his black hair. Her damp little hands, the sort only a child has, got tangled in it, and Lord Cyrus groaned, "Ouch, ouch." I hurriedly grabbed Lisa's hand.
"No, Lisa. Don't grab Papa's hair. It hurts him, right? Let go."
"D-don't worry, Marie. It doesn't hurt. Not at all."
"Um, just now you literally said 'ouch,' Lord Cyrus."
"It's completely within the range I can endure, so it's fine. Let Lisa do as she likes."
He was smiling all the while, just as he said, but... I put my hands on my hips and sighed.
"It may be fine for you, but it's not good for Lisa's education. We need to teach her that pulling someone's hair hurts and is wrong."
"Then scold her if she does it to someone else. I really am fine... nghh."
Oh dear, his eyes are even starting to tear up... honestly. He really is hopeless when it comes to doting.