I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 141
7. Ryzen Castle Full of Love
In early August of that year, I gave birth to a child, thinking, ‘Is this the end of my life?’
I really thought I was going to die.
But fortunately, Edith’s body type, with its wide pelvis, made the birth easy (though not at all easy in my opinion).
For the record, that day, Killian cried again.
“Good job, Edith. You really did a great job and…… thank you. Thank you, Edith. I love you.”
I managed to get my lips to move, even in my exhausted state. “You’re a crybaby……”
Killian laughed despite his tears.
I’d never seen him laugh so happily before.
It seems I have brought him even more happiness.
The baby was a boy, and we chose “Erdin” as his name from a list of potential names that we had already chosen.
Erdin was a beautiful child, inheriting Killian’s dark hair and my light brown eyes.
“The Ludwigs’ beauty doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. How come he’s so handsome?”
“He’s handsome because he looks like you; he’s got your eyes.”
“But his lips are like yours. Oh my, oh my! He’s pursing his lips!”
“Is he hungry?”
“He just had a lot of milk. It looks like he’s dreaming of drinking milk.”
We looked at Erdin without even noticing the passage of time.
He is a baby, swaddled from head to toe, unable to move his limbs, and we were all excited that he was moving his lips, that he was laughing, that he was yawning with dimples in his cheeks.
In fact, in my previous life, it was so hard to keep my own body healthy that I couldn’t even think of getting married, let alone having children, but when I finally gave birth to a child, my heart was so full that I felt like my happiness was finally complete.
Of course, this was only because I had a nanny to take care of my child.
‘If I were a single parent, I’d be working hard with all my hands and feet.’
Before the 100-day miracle [1], it wasn’t a hell of a parenting situation where mom and dad got very little sleep.
[1] Back in the day, medical care wasn’t as advanced as it is today, and babies often died shortly after birth. That’s why people used to celebrate when a baby reached 100 days of health, hoping that the baby would grow up to be even healthier. The tradition of celebrating a baby’s 100 days of health has continued into the modern era.
With the help of a nanny, I got a good night’s sleep, ate well, and recovered.
Erdin didn’t give me morning sickness and was a quiet big boy, so even after he was born, he was quieter compared to other babies.
The bigger Erdin gets, the more I think he looks like Killian, which is funny because Killian says he looks like me every time he sees Erdin.
“He looks half and half like you two. This side he looks like the Count, and this side he looks like you, ma’am.”
Anna, who has been showing affection for Erdin since he was born, beamed today.
And every time I saw her like that, I felt sad, sorry, and responsible all at once.
“Anna…… don’t you ever want to get married?”
Anna’s already twenty-six.
In 21st-century South Korea, she would still be enjoying her youth, but in this world, she would be labeled an old girl.
“Don’t worry, ma’am, I’m quite happy with the life I have now.”
Anna seemed genuinely happy, but after taking care of me all day, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy knowing that when she returned to her room, there would be nothing but silence to greet her.
Of course, I’m not saying that being single is a bad thing.
Maybe it was just my own spontaneous sympathy for Anna.
But just in case.
‘It’s okay if Anna is truly happy living alone, but if she feels lonely only after she’s wasted all her youth because of me……’
Then I would have a hard time shaking the guilt. I would support her for the rest of her life, but there are some things that money can’t fill.
After some deliberation, I decided to help Anna.
‘Maybe she’s been alone all this time because she hasn’t had the chance to meet a man.’
There is a huge difference between meeting someone and saying no and giving up without even meeting them.
Besides, you can’t see the stars until you look at the sky, and you can’t know if you want to be in a relationship or get married until you meet a man.
If Anna wants to stay single after meeting the right guy, then I can feel at ease supporting her decision.
That evening, I sat down with Killian and began to discuss the matter.
“If we were in the capital, we might be able to find some candidates, but in Ryzen, it’s hard to find a man who is a suitable match for Anna. Besides, people here tend to marry earlier than in the capital……”
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t find a divorced or widowed man to match her with, and honestly, where else can you find a bride as good as Anna in Ryzen?”
After a long moment of pondering and shaking our heads, we finally narrowed it down to two candidates.
Neither of them appealed to me, of course, but maybe it would be different if Anna met them in person.
As I was taking a breather, Killian spoke up again, this time with a troubled look on his face.
“Anna is one thing, but Renon is another. He’s already over thirty.”
“Does Renon…… ever think about getting married?”
When I think of Renon, whose expression never changes, I can’t imagine him meeting a woman, loving her, and starting a family.
It’s as if he’s always going to be Renon as he is.
“I don’t think so. Even during his time in the duchy, my mother tried to introduce him to a young lady several times, but he refused each time.”
As expected.
“His father, Sir Theo Filch, must be burning up inside.”
“I’m sure that letter he asked you to give to Renon has a lot of marriage talk in it.”
A letter from Lord Filch had come to my office the other day, with a little note enclosed, asking me to give it to his son.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I imagined how nonchalant Renon would be when he saw it.
“If he hates marriage that much, I guess we can’t help it.”
“Yeah, well, he rejects women, but then again, I don’t think there’s a woman out there who would like him. He’s a dull guy who only knows work.”
We sighed with concern, nodded, and went to bed.
The next day, before Killian could ask the two candidates about their willingness to be matched, I persuaded Anna first.
“I know you said you wanted to stay single, Anna, but I thought you should at least have a chance to meet a man.”
“Ma’am, I……”
“I know, I know, you’re happy with your job and you’ve been saving hard so you don’t have to worry about retirement. I know all that, but why don’t you meet a man just for the experience? If you don’t like him, I’ll say no on your behalf.”
Anna looked confused, but eventually nodded.
Just then, Renon stopped by my room to report.
I was in many ways relieved that he was doing his part to help me recover while I was taking care of Erdin.
“The winter wheat harvested in the spring and summer totals five thousand tons; the spring wheat, which will soon be harvested, will be a little less than that, but we should have no problem with our winter food supply.”
“What about other fruit and vegetable harvests?”
“Similar to last year. But we’ve started growing a variety of fruit tree seedlings, so in a few years, different fruits will fill the estate in different seasons.”
Renon handed Anna a stack of papers with the whole thing neatly organized.
It was only natural, since she was doubling as my secretary.
“Would you like to take a look at the crop production of the surrounding estate as well?”
“Oh, sure, that would be great! Do you have anything organized?”
“Uh, yes. I just don’t have it with me right now……”
As Renon trailed off, Anna stepped forward.
“If you don’t mind, ma’am, I’ll go to the administration office and get it for you; Lord Filch is busy.”
“Would you do that, then?”
Anna nodded lightly with a faint smile and followed Renon out the door.
With similar demeanors, facial expressions, and speech patterns, they are like the same person, just of different genders.
‘I’m lucky to have such hard-working and sincere people around me.’
I watched them slowly walk away with a sense of pride, until I forgot to give Renon the letter from his father.
‘I forgot to give it to him when he came to visit today. I’ve been forgetting a lot since I had the baby.’
Anna wasn’t around, so I rummaged through my desk drawer myself and found the letter, then headed out after Renon and Anna.
In the distance, I saw them turn a corner.
I almost reached the corner after a while of walking, unable to run because of my position as the Countess.
“So, who did the Countess want you to meet?”
Renon’s voice came from around the corner, sounding somewhat impatient.
‘Huh? What is he talking about?’
Without realizing it, I hid in the corner and pricked up my ears. It was so rare to hear his voice with such emotion.
“The butler’s nephew and the knight commander. I’ve told her several times that I’m fine, but she’s always worried about my situation……”
At Anna’s words, Renon let out a long, rueful sigh.
“This morning, the Count asked me bluntly if I intended to marry someone, and if I had known he was talking about you, I would have told him……”
Anna smiled shyly.
I swear I’ve never seen Anna smile so shyly. Not even once!
“Do you want me to tell the Countess again?”
“No, I’ll go tell her. I was going to tell her at the end of the year when it’s quieter……”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m sure I’ve put you on edge.”
Renon smiled softly, then gently cupped Anna’s cheek.
Anna’s cheeks instantly flushed, and she quickly pulled away, flustered.
With no one watching (except me), the two of them were busy clearing their throats unnecessarily and pretending that nothing had happened.
Oh, my God…… you two are dating, aren’t you?’
I smirked happily from behind the corner and rushed to Killian’s office.
I need to cancel all these plans before Killian calls the candidates.
‘I guess I shouldn’t have worried about competent people. I just caused a nuisance for no reason.’
Or maybe I just poured oil on a small fire. Hohoho.