#116
As this was the first banquet Enrique attended after his postpartum recovery, there were many people to greet. Enrique exchanged greetings and inquired about the well-being of each of them. Then he quietly slipped away from the prolonged banquet.
Returning to his bedroom and changing clothes, Enrique laid his tired body on the bed. Perhaps because it had only been about a month since giving birth, fatigue was already setting in.
It seems he had dozed off. In his sleep, he felt a careful hand caressing his hair. From the familiar touch and scent, he could immediately tell who it was. It was Anture, the only alpha and husband allowed to enter Enrique’s bedroom without permission.
“Are you awake?” Anture asked, keenly aware even though Enrique hadn’t opened his eyes yet.
“Keep touching me,” Enrique ordered in a small voice instead of opening his eyes to look at him. A faint laugh was heard, and Anture began to gently stroke Enrique’s hair again. The light touch made both his body and mind feel at ease.
“Seeing you fall asleep from just that much fatigue, it seems you’ll need to rest a lot more before your body recovers,” Anture said quietly.
“It’s only been a month. It was worse than this with Bayan. This is pretty good, all things considered,” Enrique replied softly.
Anture silently caressed Enrique’s hair and cheeks. His hands were gentle and careful, but there was a sense that he was hesitating about something.
“What? Do you want to?” Enrique asked mischievously, opening his eyes. But Anture, who Enrique thought would chuckle, just quietly gazed at him.
“What is it?” Enrique asked, slightly furrowing his brow. Anture’s demeanor felt a bit different from usual. After staring at Enrique for a moment, Anture suddenly spoke with a gentle eye-smile.
“How about we go to the villa with our children? It would be nice to spend time together as a family.”
“The villa? In this weather?” Enrique said with a puzzled expression. The lakeside villa was nice in summer, but not so great in the current weather.
“Not the summer villa, we have a winter villa too, don’t we?” Anture said, resting his arm on the bed.
“Ah, the winter villa,” Enrique nodded, finally understanding. He hadn’t thought Anture was talking about that place because he had never been to the winter villa with him. But of course, if there’s a summer villa, it’s natural to have a winter villa too. It wasn’t something Anture wouldn’t think of.
“Isn’t it still too cold for Ruslan to travel?” Enrique said, thinking of Ruslan who was still so small.
Anture laughed lightly at this. “Bayan was born on the battlefield and traveled to Shamier with you when you were sick. Would a much stronger superior alpha get sick just from traveling to a villa?”
Enrique had to nod at Anture’s words. Certainly, the child wouldn’t get sick from traveling in a warm, cozy carriage. Moreover, he was a superior alpha, born with exceptional physical abilities. Although it wasn’t very noticeable yet due to his young age.
“So, what do you think? Want to go?” Anture asked again. Enrique hesitated for a moment before nodding. Someday, they would have to part. It would be good to create as many memories as possible before then.
As soon as Enrique nodded, Anture called for a servant as if he had been waiting for this, ordering preparations for the trip to the winter villa. Both of their quarters became bustling again with travel preparations.
Of course, the villa was fully equipped with various furnishings. They could have lived there comfortably with just themselves. But given their status, that was impossible. People had to be sent ahead to clean the villa and light fires, and their clothes, accessories, and shoes had to be packed carefully. Servants to accompany them had to be selected, and knights and soldiers for protection had to be arranged in advance.
After nearly four days of preparation, the family of four was ready to depart for the winter villa.
The Shamier royal family’s winter villa was located in a forest not too far from the royal castle. Unlike the summer villa by the water, the romance of the winter villa lay in enjoying the serene snowy forest landscape while staying warm. Of course, if they got bored, they could also go for a simple hunt in the forest.
Enrique ordered that the luggage be packed minimally. But even minimized, there were already three carriages for the family members to ride in separately. Enrique and Anture rode together, and the children, heirs to Shamier and Ruben, were each assigned their own carriage. Naturally, a line of luggage carriages carrying belongings and servants followed.
Although snow had accumulated on the roadsides, the carriages ran smoothly thanks to the soldiers who had cleared the path. Traveling slowly in consideration of Enrique and the child, they arrived at the winter villa after about half a day. Enrique got out of the carriage holding Anture’s hand. The winter villa, topped with a snow cap, was quite a pleasant sight.
The children, held by their nurses, got out of the two carriages in turn. The family of four immediately entered the villa, which had been pre-warmed with fires. Thanks to the fires that had been burning for days, the interior was filled with cozy warmth.
While they sat in the reception room drinking warm beverages, the servants busily carried and arranged the luggage. Enrique finished his warm milk and reached out to hold Ruslan. Seeing this, Bayan stretched out his hands, asking to be held too. As Enrique made a troubled expression, Anture smiled and lifted Bayan up.
Ruslan had a personality with extremely clear likes and dislikes. He accurately distinguished between people he liked and disliked, even among the nurses, and would immediately throw a fit if someone he disliked tried to hold him. The same was true for servants. Seeing this, Anture said he was a smart boy who could judge people, while Enrique just said he had a nasty personality. The truth would only be known when he grew a bit older.
Fortunately, he didn’t reject any of the family members. He didn’t cry or throw a fit even when Bayan poked his cheek with saliva-covered hands, and he just stared with wide eyes when the King of Shamier held him and kept pressing kisses to his cheeks. It was the same with Anture and Enrique.
As Enrique was holding Ruslan and showering him with kisses, Anture suddenly chuckled.
“Why are you laughing?” Enrique asked.
Anture looked at Enrique and Ruslan in his arms alternately with eyes full of amusement.
“It’s like Enrique gave birth to Enrique,” Anture said with a face full of mirth. Enrique nodded as he looked at Ruslan, who was the spitting image of himself with pure silver hair and golden eyes.
“But he’s a superior alpha, you know. He may be small and pretty now because he’s young, but when he grows up, he’ll be much bigger and stronger than you. He’ll probably be much smarter than you too.”
At Enrique’s words, Anture put on a pretend serious expression.
“To think I’ll be inferior to my own son. That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Anture grumbled softly. Enrique giggled and pressed his lips to Ruslan’s cheeks repeatedly. While Bayan was incredibly cute too, Enrique felt an extra layer of affection for Ruslan. It was because of the fact that he wouldn’t be able to raise him directly and would have to part with him. He wanted to hold and kiss him as much as possible until then. Even though Ruslan probably wouldn’t remember Enrique because he was so young, at least it would remain in Enrique’s own memories.
The sky had been clear on the way, but not long after they arrived at the villa, snow began to fall heavily. The family of four brought armchairs to the window and cuddled together, appreciating the winter scenery.
The crackling fire in the fireplace and the warm air circulating inside the villa created a quiet and comfortable atmosphere. Anture wore a contented expression as he held Bayan in one arm and Enrique in the other. Enrique, holding Ruslan, leaned against Anture and savored this peaceful and warm moment.
Watching the accumulating snow, Enrique imagined a future that would never come.
In a few years, when the children have grown a bit and start running around, they would be wrapped in warm clothes, running back and forth in that snow-covered garden. They would have snowball fights, making and throwing snow at each other with their small hands. He and Anture would watch and laugh constantly at the sight. Just the thought brought a smile to his face. Of course, he would never actually see such a scene with his own eyes.
As the sun set, the children were carried to their respective rooms by their nurses. It was time for them to be well-fed and put to sleep. Enrique and Anture sat across from each other at a small table in the bedroom, leisurely enjoying their dinner.
“It’s a shame. If it had been a couple of months later, we could have gone hunting in the forest,” Enrique said with a face full of regret.
When he was pregnant with Ruslan, his body was too heavy, and after giving birth, his body hadn’t fully recovered yet. For various reasons like these, it had been nearly a year since he last went hunting.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
