Extra Chapter Bertia…’s Son, 5 Years Old
Author’s Note:
Thank you very much to everyone who had read “Observation Record of A Self-Proclaimed Villainess’ Fiance” and gave their hearfelt celebratory comments after the conclusion of the story was updated.
At the moment, the discussion about how “Observation Record of A Self-Proclaimed Villainess’ Fiance” has got the privilege of getting a publication by Alphapolis is advancing.
Therefore, I myself feel very lonely, but this work will end its release on March 27th.
Although the remaining two weeks is such a short time, I’d be happy if you guys can read the uploaded last extra chapter that’s filled with my feelings of gratitude.
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“Waaah… Waaaah……”
The lively sound of a baby’s first cry entered my ears as I was waiting at the adjoining room around the time that the sky turned white.
It was said that the first childbirth would take quite a time, and it lasted almost all night.
In the meantime, from the adjoining room, I heard my wife’s painful groans… or not. “Waitt!! This couldn’t be!! What is this pain?!!” “If it’s painful, then it is painful indeeeed!!” “B-baby, do your best and please come out quicklyyy!!” “You’re Cecil-sama’s child, so you can do it if you try!! Mother will work hard as well!! That’s why, let’s do our best together… As expected, it hurtsss!!” I continued to hear those kinds of pointlessly vigorous voice.
Bertia, I certainly had quite an early development, but as expected, it was inconceivable for a baby to worry about their mother and get out of her stomach as soon as possible during their birth, right?
Even if they were my child, since it was a very unreasonable thing, in spite of the situation, I ended up laughing spontaneously.
Speaking of which, my father-in-law whose face was pale as he heard Bertia’s voice next to me, commented, “Bertia, unfortunately that child also has half of your blood in them!! No matter how much of His Highness’ blood is drawn, it’s so pitiful to expect so much from them!!”, but… I wonder if I’m the only one who thinks that the problem isn’t there?
Right beside Marquis Noches, there was Kuro who raised her intimidating voice as her tail expanded, perhaps it was because she didn’t really understand the concept of childbirth or perhaps it was her reaction to Bertia’s painful voice.
She surely wanted to eliminate the existence that brought pain to Bertia, but in this case, the one who inflicted the pain was my child who was about to be born, so I’d tell Zeno to stop her with all his power.
After the difficult night passed, I met my child who let me experience a feeling of tension that I could say as a first time in my life.
“Cecil-sama, I did itttt!! It’s a cute, cute little boyyy!”
Bertia welcomed me with her sloppy face that was full of sweats after her childbirth and tears of joy. In her arms, there was a small, small baby tucked in baby clothes.
The moment I saw his face, I felt a certain hunch at the same time as I instinctively felt like crying.
…This child is [the same kind] as me.
“Please take a look! His hair is a mixture of my and Cecil-sama’s hair color, it’s a strawberry blonde! However, his face looks exactly like Cecil-sama!!”
Since he was just born, his facial features were not yet clear, and it felt like my child’s face was still crumpled, but… he certainly looked like me.
When he grows up a bit more and his facial features become clear, he would surely give the impression that he’s surely [my child].
“This child will surely grow up to be smart just like Cecil-sama!! Even if that isn’t the case, with him being this cute, it’s unmistakable that he’d grow up to be a prince loved by everyone!!”
“…Yes. He definitely will.”
Looking at Bertia who was happily nudging our child, I decided to put off the matter for now.
As if he could sense the mood, our child smiled as Bertia cuddled him. It’s not that I don’t feel anxious about his future prospects, but… Well, it will surely be all right.
After all is said and done, his mother is Bertia.
His childhood will surely not be as boring as mine.
After that… So that this child and I won’t compete for Bertia, it’d be better to search for this child’s [fated person] earlier.
…Even if he is my cute child, there’s no way I’d surrender my cute Bertia.
After that, let this child take the initiative to do the thing he enjoys doing.
It is good to broaden your interest.
If you have many things you want to do and if there are enjoyable things without having to stick to just one thing, your life would be more colorful.
There had never been a precedent for the royal family to have a special child being born in a two consecutive generations, but if you look at it, I’d be able to look after my child while making a good use of my own experiences, so conversely, it might be a good thing.
“Cecil-sama! Let’s give this child a lots of our love and affection and make him happy!! I will work hard as a mother!!”
“Yeah. This child… Let’s make him happy.”
In response to Bertia who innocently smiled full of delight of the child’s birth, I gently smiled back as I hardened my resolution at heart.
I tucked Bertia’s hair that was stuck on her sweaty face, gently caressing her cheek.
“Tia, thank you for increasing my treasure. I will continue to work hard from now on as well, for the sake of my cherished child and you.”
As I said that while softly caressing Bertia’s cheek with my left hand and my child’s cheek with my right hand, Bertia nodded with smiles on her eyes which had calmed down from the tears.
***
“Mother!! Please take a look at this flower!!”
Ainzart Glo Alphasta—my 5-year-old son—came running to Bertia and me who were in the middle having tea during our official duties.
Blue lily was planted in the pot that he brought with both of his hands.
That scene looked like a small child was trying too hard to carry the potted plan, but Zeno’s wind magic was supporting the potted plant as he followed from behind, so he shouldn’t feel any weight.
It was simply him trying to perform and show that “I’m doing my best.”
My son—Ainzart—’s personality is essentialy just like mine.
However, because he grew up watching his mother Bertia, a bit foolish she may have been, be loved by everyone for doing her best, he learned that the others’ reactions were better when he appealed that he “did it after doing his best” rather than if he could just show his superiority.
As a result, he became very skillful at camouflaging as his [pure self], and he was even more cunning than me when I was a child.
“Oh my, Ainzart, what a beautiful bellflower.”
As Bertia rushed over to our son in a hurry in order to take the potted plant without realizing that such a black heart was lurking inside her adorable son, I held Ainzart who was approaching quickly along with the potted plant.
“…Tch.”
As our son was still showing his angelic smile, he lightly clicked his tongue which sound could only be heard by me.
Although that sound entered my ears, I decided to ignore it with a smile.
Bertia is now in the 5th month of her second pregnancy.
There’s no way she could take such a large potted plant.
Even if Ainzart understood it, he sometimes still behaved like a spoiled child and trying to make her do the impossible like this.
As I predicted, my son, who became emotionally attached to his mother Bertia and whose love was almost like an obsession, was displeased that there might be a sibling who would be in the same position as himself.
It doesn’t reach the level that could harm the child in her womb, but he sometimes tried to make the pregnant Bertia to do difficult things as if to test her out just like this.
He was trying to ascertain how much Bertia cherished him by doing so.
Bertia might be completely unaware of her son’s intention, but since she doted on her son, she always unconsciously returned a satisfactory reaction to Ainzart.
That Ainzart’s increased love of his mother excessively that it was troublesome.
“Mother, this is not a bellflower~”
Ainzart, who failed to launch his attack at Bertia, pulled himself together and showed Bertia the potted plant that he brought just now as he held it up.
The guards, who didn’t know that the potted plant’s weight was supported by Zeno’s magic, opened their mouths at Ainzart who (seemingly) demonstrated a superhuman strength that was unsuitable for a child. However, Ainzart paid them no mind.
“Oh my, is that so? What flower might it be, then?”
Bertia, who didn’t feel weird that Ainzart could lift the potted plant with his physical strength, tilted her head as she looked at the flower while smiling.
Nevertheless, why did Bertia see this flower and think that it was a bellflower?
No matter how you look at it, it’s a lily.
Well, the color is slightly unusual, though.
“It’s a lily, Mother! I tried to grow Mother’s favorite blue lily.”
“Eh?! It’s a blue lily?! Eh?! You grew it?! Ainzart did?!”
Bertia opened her eyes widely at Ainzart who was boastfully smiling.
“Yes!! Since Mother loves blue, I tried to copy Father and grow a blue lily!”
I reflexively showed a bitter smile in response to Ainzart who answered proudly as he was still within my arms.
There has never existed a blue lily in this world before.
Hence, some time ago, after I grew blue roses for Bertia’s present, lots of botanists were interested in making blue lilies, but… apparently, the challenge was solved by my son.
Moreover, the reason he made it was due to his desire to the feelings of wanting to please his mother and the heart to oppose me.
I also thought to let my son’s interest increased even just a little bit, and I was also responsible for it as I talked to him about giving blue roses to Bertia as present and talking about the research development as if I was purposely instigating him. Still, I felt a little sorry for stealing the fun from the botanists.
Shall I try suggesting some interesting tasks next time?
It would be an atonement for we have committed a sin of dominating the botanists for two generations.
“Cecil-sama, what should we do?! Our child is a genius!!”
“Yeah, that’s good. However, even if that statement is true, you will still be regarded as an overdoting parent if you were to say that in public, so let’s not say it, okay?”
I responded with a smile to Bertia who sought my help in a flustered condition.
In the meantime, I took the lily from Ainzart’s hands and put it on the table.
The moment I put it on the table, Zeno’s magic was removed, and it ended up slightly making a noise when I put it there.
In response to that sound, the black fox under the table—Kuro slowly came out, jumping on Bertia’s lap as she corrected her posture on her seat.
“Ah, Kuro! I’ve always told you not to sit on the floor because it’s cold!!”
In her flustered state, Kuro who jumped on Bertia’s lap was then held up in Zeno’s arms.
Kuro dissatisfiedly swung her tail as if she was fed up with Zeno.
Her stomach was… as plump as Bertia’s.
“Why don’t you just stay in your room, really?!”
The figure of Zeno who scolded the black fox with a serious expression was very heartwarming as if he was a pet owner speaking with his pet, but from Zeno’s perspective, it would be unbearable for his pregnant wife to be lying on a cold ground and could even get accidentally kicked.
I’m confident that I would definitely lecture Bertia for around one hour if she were to do something like that.
Well, despite Kuro being in this place with such an appearance, there were also some special circumstances for spirits. In this place, he could only lecture her on some parts without touching that subject.
The concept of [marriage] to the spirits were much more ambiguous than that of the humans, but the two of them had a relationship resembling a married couple in the year of Ainzart’s birth.
And now, Zeno’s child is in Kuro’s womb.
Ah, it’s more or less excuses, but it’s not like Zeno laid his hands on a little girl, okay?
I hadn’t known it until I got married to Bertia, but apparently, Kuro’s power is slightly weakening during the daytime when the light’s power is strong since she is a spirit of darkness. She is also camouflaging during the daytime, but she seems to have taken the form of a child in order to reduce the power consumption and due to the insufficient capacity.
Her power increases during the night, so she seems to be active in her adult mode. However, she seems to be following the example of the good health-oriented Bertia who’s early to bed, early to rise, so I had never known that Kuro could take the appearance of an adult.
Being her fellow spirit, Zeno was obviously aware of this, and there seemed to be occasions where the adult-formed Kuro went to play to Zeno’s place in the middle of the night.
Thus, their love was nurtured favorably, and it would be good for them to get married. However, since he couldn’t announce that he was marrying Kuro as she was in her child form during the daytime, only a few people who were aware of the truth were informed of the circumstances.
Although Kuro was pregnant around the same time as Bertia, there was no way Kuro could go out in her child form with her bulging belly, and it was also impossible for her to assume an adult appearance as her power consumption became intense since she had to keep her child as well. In the end, Kuro spent her days lately in her black fox mode in order to decrease her power consumption and to reduce the burden on the mother’s body.
Nevertheless, even if she was in such a condition and despite Zeno prostrating himself to ask her to be obedient, Kuro was very fond of Bertia and couldn’t accept being separated from Bertia that she sneaked away from her room stealthily to spend her time leisurely next to Bertia just like this.
Recently, I have often seen Zeno running around the royal palace with a pale face, but from my perspective, I think that there’s no need for him to be this overprotective of Kuro who’s proficient at defense with her dark attribute.
And maybe, I think that Kuro seems to be having fun looking at Zeno’s flustered figure as he is searching for her, and that she will quickly get bored or be dispirited and return to her room if Zeno were to not look for her.
“Father, I want to sit on Mother’s lap.”
As Ainzart sat on his seat in his captured position, my pretending son looked at and appealed to me with his wet eyes.
Despite his face looking exactly like mine, this sort of expression resembled Bertia a lot.
It was probably the result of an observation of his mother’s behavior on a daily basis.
I felt ominous despite him being my own son.
“There’s a baby in your mother’s stomach, so you can’t, okay?”
“I will try not to bump into the baby, okay? I also want to hear the baby’s heartbeat!”
He was staring fixedly on me as he appealed, but… I understood. He was actually trying to appeal to Bertia, “I want to be spoiled by Mother,” and made her fall for it.
Currently, Bertia might have been impressed by our pure (looking) child’s adorable pestering that her eyes began to be wet.
“Good grief, it can’t be helped.”
“Father!!”
Ainzart’s eyes shone so brightly.
Just like Bertia when she was given some sweets.
I took Ainzart down my lap while feeling reluctant, and before Ainzart got to hug Bertia… I held Bertia up and placed her on my lap.
“Wait! Cecil-sama!! Why am I sitting on Cecil-sama’s lap?!”
“Father!!”
As I was reproached by Bertia whose face was bright red and by Ainzart whose face looked dissatisfied, I pretended to be slightly dejected and brought Bertia’s hair closer to my cheek.
“Ainzart refused being hugged by me while he was on my lap, so I feel lonely. Tia, comfort me?”
“W-well!! Is that so?!”
Bertia’s eyes, which were looking at Ainzart, were now shifted towards the father who felt down because his child didn’t want to keep him company—to me.
“It’s all right! Ainzart also loves Cecil-sama, right? The two of you often studied and played together a lot, didn’t you?”
Yeah, well, the two of us are similar, so our conversation matches, I guess?
On the other hand, in Ainzart’s case, it’s also because he’s quite unsatisfied that there hasn’t been any private tutor whose level is around me.
But, do you know? There’s another reason beside that. We’re often together because we’re restraining each other from taking Bertia away, you know?
Yup. It seems like she’s completely oblivious of the situation.
Sometimes… There are times when I want to see how we—the father and son—are reflected in your eyes.
“Father, that’s unfair!!”
Looking at how Bertia tried her best to encourage me, Ainzart puffed his cheeks, and it was easy to see how he pretended to be sulking on purpose.
In contrast to his gaze filled with thirst of blood when he looked at me during when Bertia was looking at me, he was now pretending to be sulking adorably, but it was still lacking because he was angry.
“Ainzart, are you jealous of your father?”
Bertia laughed as she nudged Ainzart’s cheeks who was in her embrace.
The atmosphere seemed like very harmonious, but the one among our family who thought so was Bertia alone.
“Ainzart, don’t hug your mother too tight, okay? That will make the baby in pain, understand?”
“…! I understand. Father, please hand Mother over soon.”
Unlike me who can hug Bertia from behind as to not disturb the baby in her stomach, Ainzart has to keep his power in moderate, so he has to be a little bit distant from her.
That must be vexing for him, so Ainzart grasped tightly to the skirt of Bertia’s dress as his adorable face crumpled.
“Sorry, but I can’t hand her over to you. Ainzart will someday find your own [fated partner], so please hug her instead.”
I calmly smiled.
I might have said it with a light tone, but for me, this is something urgent that I have to say.
Recently, Ainzart has became smarter that he polished up his attempt to snatch Bertia away from me.
Being my own child, I obviously feel like he’s adorable that I want to pamper him, but with him being [the same kind] as me, I can’t make light of his attachment.
It is not a laughing matter if the country will be in conflict due to father and son competing for the mother, and I can’t afford having Bertia snatched away from me.
“My special person is Mother!!”
“Ainzart! Really, you’re so cute!!”
Without knowing the horror of those words, Bertia hugged Ainzart. As I watched them, I also caressed Ainzart’s head together with Bertia, with Ainzart still in Bertia’s arms.
“I want to monopolize Mother!!”
While still in Bertia’s arms, Ainzart returned her embrace as he complained with tearful eyes just like a spoiled child.
If you avert your eyes away from the dark background at his back, it will only seem like a child’s adorable willfulness.
At least, if this child is able to have one or two more special person(s), his attachment will be distributed, and I will surely be able to be relieved.
“You can’t, Ainzart. After all, Mother belongs to Father, okay?”
I continued to caress Ainzart’s head while making an explicit statement about who her owner is by kissing Bertia’s cheek.
It is impossible for him to monopolize Bertia.
However, I feel that he’s pitiable because there’s no [special someone] that he can monopolize.
…All the more because I understand the importance of having such an existence for yourself.
“Father~”
As I showed a daunting smile in order to explicitly state, “I won’t surrender her” to my son who was looking at me with a bitter face, he became sulky as his lips tapered to a point.
With my son being my son, and since there is a part of me that has to be considerate as his father, even if I crush his dissatisfaction, I’m not resorting to any tough measure at all.
We might be fighting against each other, but if we lose, then we will withdraw even if we become sulky.
Perhaps, to us as parent-and-child, this process of competing for Bertia can also be said as a part of our communication.
“It will be good for Ainzart to quickly find his own [special someone].”
“That’s why, hand Mother over…”
“That can’t do.”
“I-I’m being fought over by my husband and son!!”
As we looked at Bertia who laughed happily even with her bright red face between us, me and my son made an eye contact and laughed.
After that, while appreciating the blue lily that Ainzart grew, the three of us spent our time calmly as parents and child.
Behind the scene, Kuro, who was fed up with the overly worried Zeno, scratched Zeno’s cheek, but well, that can be called as one of the happy scenes.
“Father, this child is my [fated partner]!!”
The battle for Bertia between me and my son, Ainzart was completely turned around when Bertia was pregnant for a while over 10 months.
A while over her 10 months pregnancy.
In short, it was the time when my second child was born.
“Hwaaa… Hwaaaa…”
The second child, who raised her lively voice after her birth was a girl who looked just like Bertia.
Her crying voice as soon as she was born was much louder and couldn’t be compared to when Ainzart was born, and it sounded livelier.
Her hair was a lighter crimson than Bertia’s, and her eyes were heterochromatic amber and blue.
Her slightly slanted cat eyes were just like Bertia’s.
If one of her eyes weren’t blue, I would be wondering where has my blood gone.
As soon as she was born, such incident occured when Ainzart first met her.
“Ainzart, this child is your younger sister!!”
With her fatigued face after birth that was mixed with a joyful smile, Bertia showed Ainzart our second child who was crying in her arms, her back leaning against a cushion.
At this time, Ainzart was very sullen.
Under normal circumstances, he was already competing with me for Bertia. And then now, a new opponent appeared.
Moreover, since the child was just born, Bertia’s rate of care towards her inevitably increased.
The son who could immediately guess as much and predict the future was about to bring his dissatisfaction upfront… he surely wanted to do that, but since he was smart, he wasn’t able to show his dissatisfaction, so he smiled even while he was feeling anguished.
Thus, as my son’s forced smile entered my eyes, I thought that I surely had made my father worry about me before I met Bertia.
At that time, I thought that it was the best course of action since it was what people wished for. However, from a parent’s point of view—who could tell their child’s feelings undersurface to some extent—they felt tantalized.
They would think that rather than being smart, having the ability to express genuine emotion would be able to make this child happy, and even if that wasn’t possible no matter what, they would still wonder if something could be done somehow.
“My younger sister… How cute.”
Looking at the baby who was crying in her mother’s arms as if provoked by something, Ainzart pasted a smile on his face.
Even though she felt a little strange, Bertia thought that her son’s current condition was because he was feeling nervous for having to meet the baby for the first time, completely interpreting it in a wrong way.
The baby in her arms continued to cry without being able to notice what was going on, completely unable to read the atmosphere.
Her inability to read the atmosphere—was it inherited from her mother?
“Come, Ainzart. Please go ahead and pat your younger sister!!”
The mother who couldn’t read the atmosphere—Bertia offered Ainzart the daughter who was bawling as she didn’t look like she could interact well no matter how you looked at her condition.
Perhaps not knowing what he should do, Ainzart’s smile turned stiff.
However, it was unlike Bertia to back down for such a thing.
With a strange interpretation that he might just be shy, Bertia caught Ainzart’s hand and forced him to touch our daughter’s cheek.
Thereupon, at that moment… our daughter stopped crying.
On the contrary, she grabbed Ainzart’s hand as he was still smiling, and she began to nibble his hand in her mouth.
It was done quite relentlessly, to the extent that it was drooping with saliva.
“Oh my, oh my, that isn’t a snack, you know? It’s your big brother’s hand.”
When the bitter-smiled Bertia tried to release Ainzart’s hand…
“Hwaaaaaa!!!”
She began to cry out loud.
When the surprised Ainzart returned his hand to his younger sister on the spur of the moment, she began to nibble it again with a drunken expression as if she was eating a dried meat.
Perhaps finding her condition interesting, a true smile gradually began to show on Ainzart’s face, who was dumbfounded at first.
If I were to put some words to my son’s smile, it would be unmistakably this.
“Interesting.”
After that, things happened in a blink of time.
He called out to Zeno, and while having his wind magic reduce his sister’s weight, Ainzart snatched his younger sister away from Bertia and hugged her close.
He looked very happy, and his expression looked like he was having fun.
Then, he said that.
“Father, this child is my [fated partner]!!”
“…Did you come to like your younger sister?”
“Of course! This interesting… adorable, living… existence, there is none like her. This time, I will totally monopolize her!! I will give her lots and lots of love!!”
Looking at Ainzart who was hugging his younger sister so tightly as if declaring that he would never let her go, I pondered over what I should do now.
I warmly welcomed how Ainzart’s interest turned to someone other than Bertia, but because the other party was my daughter, this time I became worried over my daughter’s future.
It’s certain that she will be late in terms of marriage, and if I were to be careless, there is even a possibility that she might not be able to get married…
I imagined such a future.
…Unexpectedly, that might be good.
When I looked at the concerned person—my daughter’s face, and how, despite being so tightly embraced by Ainzart like that and having her forehead and cheeks kissed, she wasn’t perturbed at all and began to drift into her sleep.
If she were to find someone she truly loved, this seemingly bold daughter of mine would surely be able to do something with her power to go against her big brother.
And above all, I also want to keep this adorable daughter that resembles Bertia close at my hand as long as possible.
If her partner can’t fight the obstacle namely Ainzart, then I won’t be willing to hand over my adorable daughter.
So I ended up thinking.
Once I decided that…
“Ainzart, please love that child well and protect her.”
“Yes!!”
“Well, well, well!! I’m so glad that you two have a favorable brother-and-sister relationship!!”
Looking at my and Ainzart’s exchange, Bertia laughed happily today as well.
…I wonder when will she realize her son’s true nature?
I feel like she won’t be able to realize it for her whole life.
Thus, my daughter—who attracted her potentially-sister-complex big brother as soon as she was born—was named Ainkis and became a princess loved by everyone.
***
“Onii-sama!! Don’t get in the way of my marriage proposal again!!”
“Ainkis, it’s fine for you to always be by my side and amuse me. There’s no need for you to force yourself to get married.”
“I want to get married!! I want to be loved by a gentleman!!”
“Aren’t you loved this much by your big brother already?”
“I didn’t mean brother-and-sister’s kind of love, I want a romantical love!!”
“If there’s someone who wants to make you his bride, he has to be able to defeat me at the very least…”
“There’s no one else who fits the bill other than Otou-sama, isn’t there?!!”
“Ainzart and Ainkis are getting along so well today, too, aren’t you?”
“…As usual, only Tia can look at them like this and say that, huh?”
It was only after ten-odd years from now on that such kind of conversation resounded within the royal palace on daily basis.