Published: January 4, 2026
Inside the mansion’s inner courtyard, in the living room.
I was facing Zoe, the maid.
I sat deeply leaned back on the sofa, and Zoe stood directly in front of me.
“As per your orders, master, I have secured four wet nurses. They are all experienced mothers, so their milk supply is guaranteed.”
“Hm.”
“I have also secured four nannies as you commanded, and sixteen tutors. Regarding the tutors, two come recommended by Evelyn, and one by Lady Shirley.”
“Understood.”
Four wet nurses, four nannies, sixteen tutors.
These were the people gathered for the sake of my soon-to-be-born son.
In the royal family, mothers rarely breastfeed their children themselves unless under exceptional circumstances.
There are several reasons for this.
One is that it’s considered dangerous and therefore should be avoided.
Another, bluntly speaking, is that noblewomen must continue bearing children—specifically sons—until they produce an heir.
Therefore, they need to recover quickly enough to give birth again as soon as possible, rather than spending time raising children.
In fact, since I have memories from the moment I was reborn, I clearly remember being raised on wet nurses’ milk rather than my mother’s.
By the way, crown princes generally don’t have milk siblings.
Because women who have stillbirths are assigned wet nurses.
Milk siblings end up being special in one way or another, so the possibility of having them is eliminated from the start.
Before the empire’s rise, there were times when the emperor’s milk siblings meddled in politics and caused the country to decline, so in our empire, crown princes are not allowed to have milk siblings.
“But... it’s amazing...”
“Hm? What is, Zoe?”
“Not even born yet, and already there are nearly twenty people assigned. I’ve never heard of having so many wet nurses and nannies before.”
“It’s for the family.”
“For the family, you say?”
I nodded quietly.
“An exceptional child will make the next generation of the family better. Thinking that way, we have no choice but to focus on it.”
“I see! As expected of master!”
Zoe accepted that explanation, and I counted on my fingers the days left until the birth.
Audrey’s belly was steadily growing, and the medical officer’s regular checkups confirmed everything was going well.
I was eagerly awaiting the due date.
As I was thinking about this, someone knocked at the door, and Zoe went to answer.
The door opened, and one of the maids whispered into Zoe’s ear.
Zoe nodded, closed the door, and returned.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
“They say an auspicious omen has appeared.”
“Again?”
Half exasperated, I gave a wry smile.
There have been many auspicious omens lately.
At first, there was the meteorite said to have naturally formed the character for ‘wise’. That was a complete fabrication.
Next, a child was born clutching a jewel.
And now, another omen has appeared.
“What is it this time? Has it already arrived as a tribute?”
“No, it doesn’t seem to be a physical object.”
“Not an object?”
“Yes, please look out the window.”
“...?”
Tilting my head in curiosity, I stood up from the sofa and went to the window.
I was so surprised I caught my breath.
Outside the window—in the sky—auroras were displayed.
A curtain of northern lights hanging high in the sky.
There was no doubt, this was something normally unseen.
“Auroras here?”
“It seems this hasn’t appeared in Almeria for at least several hundred years.”
“Probably so.”
Auroras usually appear at the far north or far south.
They’re not typical for mild climates like Almeria’s, where farming thrives.
“Bahamut.”
“Yes?”
“Is that some kind of artificial phenomenon?”
“I feel no such intention at all.”
It appeared to be naturally occurring.
I understood then.
Seeing this, it was no wonder people viewed it as an auspicious omen.
“To think something like this would appear, master really is amazing...”
Zoe looked at me with admiration as if it were natural.
For her, an auspicious omen was something meant for the ruler, hence her admiring gaze.