Emperor’s Alternate - Chapter 79

When Lecan first saw his betrothed, Winter was a newborn barely six months old.

Though she had been born in winter, half a year had passed, and now summer had arrived. The trees outside the window were bursting with fresh life. For reasons he didn’t quite understand, the adults who filled Winter’s nursery had been engaged in conversation amongst themselves before one of them turned to Lecan.

“Lecan.”

“Yes? You called for me, Father?”

Would you like to continue with the next part of the scene?

“The adults have matters to discuss, so would you take care of our dear little Lady Winter for a while?”

“…Pardon?”

His father put particular emphasis on the phrase “our dear little Lady Winter.”

The Duke and Duchess of Rotea left the room with his father, leaving Lecan behind. Since they were to be his future in-laws, Lecan already found them intimidating. Before he could even think of what to say, he was left alone — just him and Winter.

Lecan had always been interested in war and world history; nothing about caring for babies had ever entered his mind.

What’s more, thanks to his upbringing, he was far more familiar with stoicism than gentleness. He had no idea how to handle a baby who looked like she might die if nudged too hard.

The war games Lecan played were far too complex and violent for a typical child’s play. He was only seven, and he stared at the tiny girl in a daze, completely bewildered.

Fortunately, Winter had been fast asleep from the moment he entered the room.

That, Lecan suspected, was likely why the adults had felt confident leaving her in his care.

“…….”

Lecan took clumsy, hesitant steps forward. Inside the crib surrounded by a sturdy rail to prevent her from falling, the baby breathed quietly in her sleep. Having no siblings of his own, the sight was strangely fascinating to him. A jewel-studded mobile glittered above her head, a dazzling display befitting a duke’s household.

‘She’s so small.’

She looked so fragile, like she might die if he applied the slightest pressure.

“…I’ve been waiting for you to be born. My bride-to-be.”

He spoke softly, afraid to wake her. But as if hearing his voice—

Wriggle.

Winter stirred.

Flash!

Her eyes opened.

At first, Lecan was amazed by how brightly they sparkled — almost unnaturally so for a baby. But the wonder didn’t last long.

Because Lady Baby Winter promptly threw a fit.

Whoosh!

Thunk.

Pop-pop-pop-pop.

Winter flailed her arms wildly, and the toy in her hand was flung out of the crib. It landed on the floor with a pitiful clatter. Then—

“Wuaaahhh!”

“…Huh? What…”

“WaaAAAHNGAA!”

Winter burst into tears. Lecan looked around in alarm. He was only seven years old, and he could swear he had absolutely no intention of making a baby cry. But no matter how long he stared at the door, no one came in.

Normally, a servant would rush in to check the situation. Something was wrong.

He would later learn the reason: though still young, Lecan had unknowingly activated a barrier with his unstable magical abilities, muting the sound of the cries to the outside world.

Either way, he was now stuck alone with a crying baby and completely unprepared.

“Why are you crying? What’s wrong…?”

“WAAAH! AENG-AAAH!”

Lecan picked up the toy Winter had thrown and placed it back in her tiny hands, but it didn’t help. Frantically scanning the room, he spotted a picture book meant for infants. ‘Well, it’s worth a shot.’

He hurried over, opened the book, and started reading aloud from the first page to the wailing Winter.

“Long ago, in a distant kingdom, there lived a princess.”

“Mmm, mmm…?”

‘Is this working? I think she’s crying less.’

Winter’s clear blue eyes blinked up at him, bright and curious. Seeing that, Lecan hurriedly continued reading the next line.

“The princess was known far and wide for her beauty. When the dragon heard these rumors, it became jealous.”

“…….”

The baby who had been wailing moments ago was now calm, as if she’d never cried at all. With sparkling eyes, she looked up at Lecan in silence — almost expectantly, as if urging him to continue.

‘So, it is working.’

“…The dragon decided to kidnap the princess…”

He read for quite a while. It was a picture book for infants, with illustrations taking up half the page and each line of text standing on its own, so they made it through half the story rather quickly.

Lecan couldn’t recall ever reading aloud to someone before, but the soft giggle blooming on Winter’s innocent face made it hard not to smile back. She looked so pure and happy that it eased the tension in his shoulders.

‘How long am I supposed to keep reading this?’

Before he knew it, Lecan had reached the final page of the book, where the brave knight defeated the dragon and lived happily ever after with the princess. He glanced over at Winter to gauge her reaction, and as soon as his voice stopped, her eyes began to well up with tears again.

“Ah, okay, I get it. You won’t cry as long as I keep reading, right?”

Right then and there, Lecan read the same book five more times to keep her from crying. If the adults hadn’t returned to the room, he might have had to read it dozens more times.

Ever since then, Winter, who had loved books even as a baby, would babble at Lecan every time she saw him, clearly asking him to read to her. It was only then that Lecan understood why there were so many picture books piled up in her room, and why every single one of them was worn and tattered from use.