MDIHC 40

〈040〉

Forget that thorny path involving the wretched scoundrel Unshaw and the damned Aitley Count’s family. The plan was for Daniel to marry the kind male lead Brian and join the warm-hearted Devonshire ducal family right away!
That was the new “Daniel’s Flower Path Project” I had planned.

Naturally, for that to happen, Daniel and Brian had to fall in love. And to fall in love, they had to meet first.

“It might be a little early, but there’s always the childhood-friends route. Besides, what’s important is to never even give Unshaw a chance to step in!”

“I wonder if the children are playing well together.”

Though I could hear the slight tone of pretense in her voice, I stretched my neck toward the door as if the thought had just occurred to me.

“Does young master Brian get along well with other children? Is he shy around strangers, or are there any snacks he can’t eat?”

“He’s not particularly shy. He often plays with his cousins, but this is the first time he’s been around strangers in an unfamiliar place…”

As if a bit concerned, the Duchess of Devonshire also looked toward the door. No matter how high her title, a mother is still a mother.

“Shall we go check if the children are doing well?”

The Duchess nodded cheerfully.

The playroom I had set up for Daniel was perfect for children. The bookshelves were fully stocked, there were blocks and dolls to play with, and plenty of other toys as well.

There were also enough snacks, drinks, and fruit neatly arranged in one corner. The children who had come along with their mothers to the gathering were having fun in there.

The mothers had grown familiar with one another over time, but the kids hadn’t yet memorized all the faces. There were familiar faces, some vaguely familiar, and some unknown.

Of course, the one who stood out the most was Daniel.

“My Daniel is as lovely and sweet as ever!”

I smiled proudly as I spotted Daniel playing with a very young toddler. Today was a special day — their historic first meeting — so I had paid extra attention to Daniel’s styling.

With her hair braided into two neat plaits tied with blue ribbons and dressed in a cute peach-colored dress, Daniel looked absolutely adorable — like a doll you couldn’t help but want to cuddle.

“That little girl — she’s Lady Winchester, isn’t she?”

Noticing Daniel’s beauty, the Duchess of Devonshire asked while keeping her eyes on Daniel.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What a lovely little lady.”

Perfect! I scored points for a great first impression!

Truly, the universal instinct of humanity was to open up to cuteness.

“Wasn’t it hard, suddenly having a child to take care of…? The Countess of Winchester still seems quite young.”

The Duchess asked carefully. Her expression made it clear this wasn’t out of rudeness or idle curiosity.

She seemed genuinely concerned about how I was doing.

Her face might be different from the older Duchess of Devonshire in the novel, but her nature hadn’t changed. Even the young Duchess was full of kindness.

“Not at all. Daniel is so sweet and adorable that she brings me nothing but happiness.”

I answered with a bright smile. It was completely sincere, no pretense at all.

“In fact, I feel like I’ve gained something. I didn’t have to suffer morning sickness, or deal with a big belly, or go through the pain of childbirth — and yet I’ve been blessed with such a cute daughter.”

“Oh my!”

The Duchess laughed, finding my words amusing — though I hadn’t been joking.

“All I can think about is how I want to raise her well. That’s why I’m attending gatherings like these. You should join us more often, Duchess. There’s so much useful information — trending education methods, good tutors, nutritious foods for growing children…”

“Well, our Brian is still so young that I haven’t really thought about his education yet.”

“But it’s good to plan ahead. I was lucky to find a home tutor early, but finding a good one is really difficult.”

“Is that so? I thought it was still too early…”

The Duchess tilted her head, her mind seemingly wavering a bit.

Of course, with the Devonshire family’s influence and resources, they could find that kind of information easily. But I wanted to form a connection with her — and get Brian and Daniel to meet. That’s why I was gently nudging her.

“Come to think of it, where is young master Devonshire? I haven’t seen him yet…”

I trailed off deliberately, pretending to search for Brian. If he were the male lead, surely he’d already have a dazzling aura, even as a child — but I didn’t see anyone like that.

“He’s the one Lady Winchester is playing with right now.”

“…Excuse me?”

I blinked in confusion at the Duchess’s words. If she meant the child Daniel was playing with, then…

“He’s a baby!”

That tiny toddler barely half Daniel’s height, wobbling around with chubby little steps — that was the male lead?!
The tall, broad-shouldered, long-legged Brian de Devonshire with the impressive 180cm+ stature?

“Well… okay, he does have shiny blond hair and green eyes, but still…”

Chubby cheeks like mochi, a rosy blush, pudgy arms and legs — and he was toddling around!

“Wait, wasn’t Brian supposed to be a younger guy? Young, rich, tall, handsome, sweet by day, bold by night kind of guy?”

Yes. I had forgotten — even though he was younger than me in the novel, he was still the irresistible male lead whom I would eventually call “oppa.”

Brian was four years younger than Daniel!

“Daniel’s six now, so… Brian must be… two.”

“Young master Devonshire is just so… adorable.”

Shame washed over me. I had tried to create a budding romance between a six-year-old and a two-year-old. Was I being a crazy mom?

“I really got ahead of myself. I need to fix this habit of tunnel-visioning when I get an idea. Being too proactive has its downsides.”

As I walked over with the Duchess toward the kids, I reflected on myself.

“Hello, Daniel? Thank you so much for playing with Brian.”

The Duchess greeted Daniel kindly.

“It’s nothing! Brian is just, so, so cute!”

Daniel replied with a bright smile, holding Brian’s little starfish-like hand tightly.

“Dani-yel, wuv!”

Brian, too, clutched Daniel’s hand, and declared something in his toddler voice like it was an oath.

“Huh? Wait, what’s this now?”

“Hehe~”
“Eee~”

The 6-year-old and the 2-year-old exchanged the cutest smiles imaginable.

“So precious~”

The Duchess looked at the two children with a warm smile. In my love-blinded eyes, it was the affectionate smile of a future mother-in-law.

“Wait a second… is this actually working?”

To my surprise — my plan had worked.

The romantic first meeting between the male and female leads had taken place. And it was adorably successful.

It was an unexpected invitation. Well, they called it an invitation, but no one really refused a summons from the Imperial Palace. It was more like a command. And I was no exception.

“What could Her Highness want to see me about?”

After a bit of chatting over cute desserts and tea — discussing trending sweets, trading jokes about the Earl of Winchester, and sharing updates about Daniel’s growth — a lull fell in the conversation, and I finally asked.

To be honest, she didn’t seem too interested in any of those topics. She had smiled and nodded, sure, but I got the feeling she would have nodded the same way even if I’d said, “The Earl of Winchester grew 3 cm recently! At this rate, he’ll be over 2 meters tall in no time!”

“Ah… well…”

But once I asked the main question, she hesitated. She lowered her gaze and even blushed a little.

Wait. She’s blushing?

“…Is this… about a romantic issue?”

Instead of answering, her face just turned even redder. And I started to panic a bit.

Even if this was my second life… when it came to love, I was still at level zero.