What’s this…?
Just then, Cyrillote turned his head.
Amid the frozen ti, he moved freely, his footsteps echoing softly as he walked.
He entered the house and approached my parents, stopping right next to them.
His gaze locked onto the baby swaddled in the bundle, staring at her as if she held the secrets of the universe.
“….”
What’s so fascinating about her?
I wanted to glare at him so hard he’d have to lower his gaze.
For a long mont, he simply stood there, staring intently at —or rather, the baby .
“...A baby…”
He murmured softly, his voice barely audible. Even his breaths seed careful, as if afraid of disturbing the mont.
Guess even a demon finds babies fascinating when they see one for the first ti.
Suddenly, he reached out a hand toward the baby’s cheek, stopping just short of touching her.
My eyes narrowed.
Keep your filthy hands away from her!
His fingers hovered milliters away from the baby’s face.
Try it. Just try touching her, I dare you!
“The Demon King’s baby…” he murmured again.
But Cyrillote’s hand never touched the baby. Instead, he made a small gesture, and suddenly the baby alone began to move, freed from the frozen ti.
As if released from a spell, the tiny figure squird.
Cyrillote’s eyes widened further at the baby’s movents, his astonishnt evident.
Then, the baby scrunched her face and slowly opened her eyes for the first ti.
Her gaze revealed unmistakable pink irises—the sa as mine.
It seed I had inherited my eye color from my mother.
“….”
For a mont, it was as if Cyrillote himself had frozen.
He stared at the baby, completely enraptured, as though he had forgotten how to breathe.
I let out a long sigh.
“Hey, enough already. Who said you could stare at like that?”
Just because she can’t talk doesn’t an you can ignore her boundaries, jerk.
Hey, baby! Don’t look at that guy! He’s bad news!
I wanted to shout it out, but the baby’s sweet, candy-colored eyes were fixed on the demon in front of her, filled with curiosity.
It was, of course, a scene I had no mory of.
Then again, judging by appearances alone, Cyrillote didn’t look like a demon. He had a face that wouldn’t make any baby cry.
No wonder any child would be drawn to him.
For a while, the baby and Cyrillote simply stared at each other in silence.
Then Cyrillote muttered again.
“...Cute.”
You’ve got to be kidding .
A faint smile crept onto his face, his expression softening with sothing almost like happiness. His lips curved upward gently, as if he couldn’t hold back the joy bubbling within him.
Sunlight stread through the window, breaking apart over his smiling face.
At that mont, the baby smiled too.
Her eyes curved into crescents, her pink irises gleaming brilliantly, and a pure, innocent smile spread across her tiny face.
Even I, the adult version of that baby, felt my heart stir at the sight.
Before I realized it, I was smiling too. No one could resist smiling back at a face like that.
Then, snapping back to my senses, I straightened my expression.
Wait, hey. Why are you smiling at that demon?
Cyrillote’s face lit up with a broad grin, perhaps the biggest smile I’d ever seen him wear.
The baby’s smile had managed to make even a demon laugh.
***
Ugh, this feels so wrong….
I was once again swept into another ti period by an irresistible force.
As I adjusted to my new surroundings, I couldn’t shake the lingering discomfort from the scene I’d just witnessed.
The baby version of had smiled at Cyrillote.
Sure, I was a baby and couldn’t have known better, but of all people, why did I have to smile at him?
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration.
Baby , what were you thinking?
With a sigh, I surveyed my new surroundings.
This ti, I found myself by a tranquil lake. The still surface reflected the bright moonlight so vividly that it almost felt brighter than dayti.
Looking around, I spotted him—Cyrillote, sitting on a rock. He was half-hidden in the shadows, gazing intently at sothing.
Of course, this stalker demon would be spying again.
Clicking my tongue, I followed his line of sight.
As expected, there they were—my mother and father, sitting together on the grassy lakeshore.
Laughter erupted almost imdiately.
“Ha ha ha!”
“Hee hee hee.”
Their laughter sparkled like starlight, making the actual stars in the night sky feel unnecessary.
“Crescent, our adorable little angel princess. You look just like your mother,” my father said, holding gently, his love so overwhelming he didn’t seem to know what to do with himself.
Beside him, my mother watched with a warm smile.
“I didn’t realize how fulfilling it would be to see my beloved husband and our child together. She’s so adorable, so precious. Lloyd, you have no idea how much happier it makes to see you love her as much as I do.”
As she spoke, my mother seed even more beautiful, radiant with love.
I stared at her, feeling a dull ache in my chest.
She looked even more stunning under the moonlight.
Seeing my mother for the first ti, even if only in the past, was an indescribable experience.
Though this was technically the second ti I was seeing her, this ti, the reality of it hit harder, tinged with a bittersweet sadness.
This wasn’t the present; it was a scene from the past.
Where was she now?
Why had she and my father parted ways?
Was she even still alive?
“…You too? I feel the sa way, Diana,” my father said, his gaze brimming with tenderness.
They looked so happy together, as if the entire world existed solely for them.
My father’s voice continued.
“Just seeing you and our baby sleeping together makes my heart feel like it’s going to burst. I thought having you was enough, but I didn’t realize how much happier I could be with a child.”
“See? I told you. I knew this little one would make us even happier. We loved each other so much we beca three. Of course we’re happier now.”
“You’re right, as always,” my father replied, his face lighting up with a radiant smile.
I felt conflicted.
I’d suspected as much, but seeing how deeply my parents loved each other was sothing else entirely.
I was born as the culmination of such imnse love.
Suddenly, my father’s expression darkened.
“But I’m sorry, Diana.”
“Hm?”
“Because of , you had to give up your title as a count’s daughter and flee your ho. I might have ruined your life.”
“What are you talking about, Lloyd? I was overjoyed to leave that house, especially with our baby. My parents never understood love or happiness, so it was better to leave them behind. What’s the point of being a count’s daughter anyway? Our family was barely scraping by in the countryside. Having our child is a blessing.”
My mother smiled and playfully winked.
I blinked in surprise.
So my mother was a daughter of a rural noble family?
I hadn’t even considered her background before.
The na Diana was new to too. Why hadn’t my father ever told her na?
It sounded like my mother had gotten pregnant with and run away from her family to be with my father.
How did they even et in the first place?
Other than her following an oracle, I still didn’t know much.
As I pondered this, my eyes widened.
My mother and father had grown quiet, leaning toward each other.
The atmosphere shifted as their faces drew closer.
Caught in the middle of it all, the baby version of simply blinked, oblivious.
Their faces were about to touch.
“Ah, hold on.”
I stumbled back a step.
I’m not ready to witness this level of affection between my parents!
Should I look or not?
For a mont, I was caught in a whirlwind of confusion.
Glancing at Cyrillote, I noticed he had turned his back to my parents, deliberately facing away.
What an oddly respectful demon.
So you’ve decided to honor the Demon King’s private life, huh?
It was amusing, considering how often he’d spied on them in the past.
With a soft cough, I turned my gaze away as well.
For so reason, a warm feeling bubbled up in my chest, and the corners of my lips twitched into a small smile.
Knowing my parents had loved each other so deeply filled with a strange sense of pride as their child.
It was a feeling I was experiencing for the first ti.
Even if this was just a scene from the past….
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