Chapter 27

Rebecca lay down, and I sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand.

At that moment, the door to Rebecca's room opened, and Alan came in.

"Rebecca, are you okay?"

"Oh, Master Alan. Yes, I'm fine."

"You don't have to get up, Rebecca."

"Thank you..."

He must have come because he was worried about Rebecca.

He had called the doctor right away earlier, and he had come to visit while Rebecca was sleeping.

Oh, right.

"Alan, could you hold Rebecca's hand too?"

"Hand?"

"Yes, is it okay with Rebecca?"

"Y-Yes."

Rebecca, who would usually be a bit nervous, seemed fine now.

Alan sat on the opposite edge of the bed and tentatively held Rebecca's hand.

I held Rebecca's right hand, and he held her left.

"Master Alan's hand is so big..."

"Is that so? Rebecca's hand is small."

Hehe, they're having such a cute conversation.

I think the two of them, holding hands for the first time, are gradually getting closer.

"Rebecca, can you sleep like this?"

"Yes..."

"Get some good rest and get better."

"Yes, thank you..."

I thought Rebecca would fall asleep right away, but she spoke while looking sleepy.

"Master Alan, Miss Sophie... Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

I thought she was going to ask us to hold her hand until she fell asleep.

But...

"Can I call you... Father and Mother?"

"!"

I was taken aback by Rebecca's words.

I didn't expect her to ask something like that.

I remember asking Rebecca for a favor before, and she seemed hesitant to say what it was.

"About how to address Miss Sophie..."

"I, I'm still a bit nervous about it... Is it okay if I call you something else?"

I didn't know what she meant at the time.

But she must have wanted to call us that all along.

When I looked at Alan, he also seemed surprised and met my gaze.

Then we both nodded.

"Yes, of course, Rebecca."

"Sure, Rebecca."

When Alan and I said that, Rebecca, though a bit nervous, spoke up.

"...Mother."

"Yes."

"...Father."

"Yes."

"Father, Mother... Hehe."

Rebecca smiled happily.

Alan and I couldn't help but smile too.

"Mother... I've never been scolded before... It was scary, but I was also happy."

"I've never scolded anyone before either. I hope it's the first and last time, but I'll scold you as many times as needed for your sake, Rebecca."

"Yes... I'll try my best not to be scolded."

Rebecca and I smiled at each other.

"Father... This is the first time I've held hands with a father. I never held hands with my previous father."

"I see. I'll hold your hand as many times as you want. Just let me know when you want to."

"Yes... Thank you."

Alan and Rebecca smiled at each other.

Ah, they really look so happy.

Both Alan and I have said we want to be a family... but maybe we already are.

Thanks to Rebecca, I feel our family bond has deepened.

After that, Rebecca fell asleep looking very happy.

Alan and I quietly let go of her hands and left the room.

"She was really cute, wasn't she?"

"Yes, indeed. I don't understand such feelings well, but I felt a sense of affection."

Even Alan, who is usually so reserved, found Rebecca adorable.

"It's a feeling similar to how I feel about Sophie, but a bit different. I feel a strong desire to protect her."

"Is that so... Hmm?"

A feeling similar to how he feels about me...?

Does that mean he finds me affectionate too?

N-no, it must be in the context of family, yes.

But if Alan has developed a desire to protect Rebecca, that's a good thing.

The possibility of Rebecca's future being destroyed is decreasing.

I had thought I would be the only one to love Rebecca, but if Alan can also love her, I'm very happy.

"When Rebecca gets better, why don't we go out together? I bought a lot of sweets, and we could go on a picnic or something."

After saying that, I immediately realized he's the head of a ducal family and must be busy.

I had forgotten because we went out together today.

"If you're busy, it's okay..."

"No, it's fine. There are no social events recently, and I don't have any urgent work."

"Oh, that's good."

"Rebecca will probably be better by tomorrow, but let's wait a few days to be safe."

"Yes, that makes sense."

He seems to have more free time than I thought.

"I'll prepare for the picnic, so it's fine if Alan can free up some time in the afternoon."

"Ah, thank you. Will we just have the sweets for the meal?"

"Hmm? Well, yes..."

I thought we could just bring all the sweets we bought, but...

But if we only bring sweets, Alan, who doesn't like sweet things, won't have anything to eat.

"I'll ask the cook to prepare some easy-to-eat meals."

"...That's good, but I want to eat something made by Sophie."

"Me? You want something I made?"

"Yes, whether it's sweets or regular food. I love anything Sophie makes."

I was taken aback by Alan's words and felt my heart skip a beat.

I didn't expect him to say something like that.

"O-Okay, I'll do my best..."

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to it."

When I saw Alan smile, I looked away.

Lately, I've been feeling more and more flustered around Alan.

It's a contract marriage, so I shouldn't get too attached...!