"So, my lord. Should we increase the amount of soldiers around Glucal Village? It seems the empire of Izadel has been plotting to use it as an entry point to invade Laydel." A young soldier, situated on the plush sofa of Rudien's office, asked the duke opposite him.

Rattle.

They were in the middle of an important discussion, regarding the protection of Laydel and the distribution of soldiers bordering the towns.

Rudien sighed softly, crossing his legs as he gazed at the papers in his slender right hand. Strands of silver hair fell over his deep, ruby pools for eyes, as he pulled up the puffed white sleeve of his loose shirt.

Rattle.

"No - the amount of soldiers we've stationed there are enough. They're from my first division, so they aren't incompetent," Rudien spoke in a calm, instructive manner. "Instead, have the Wolves inspect the northern area between Glucal and Izadel. If they find any oncoming threats, they can alert the knights days before the enemy hits."

Rattle.

"Yes, Lord Cherliann," the knight took the paper Rudien handed back to him, but his attention soon drifted to the scene behind the calm, clever duke. "Also... If I may ask..."

Gosh, this is so embarrassing. Irene thought, shaking her little rattle toy as she sat at in the corner of the room, playing with her new assortment of toys. From giant, plush teddy bears to little rattle toys and dolls - decorated in the brightest pinks and blues and yellows. Irene wouldn't have been surprised if the duke bought out the whole shop.

And although he was in the middle of an important meeting, Rudien insisted on keeping his daughter in the room. Even when she made disruptive noises with her new toy, he was unfazed. As though it was the most natural thing ever, to have a little baby playing in the corner of her father's office whilst discussing military matters.

And that father being — the most dangerous man alive in the empire.

"Hm? What is it now, Jenson?"

The knight blinked, making a rather awkward eye contact with Irene, who simply pretended to occupy herself with her toys. I need to act cute, like a mindless baby! It seems he's suspecting me...

And while wearing a bright, cherubic smile, baby Irene approached a large, plush-white teddy bear with ruby eyes — which sort of looked like Rudien. She lifted her arms up and basked in its soft fluff, while happily giggling. "Dada!" She called out, and the knight couldn't help but find the sight adorable.

"Ah- actually, never mind." Jenson smiled sheepishly. The little miss is so cute. Let me not question her presence, it feels rewarding for her to be here!

On the other hand, Rudien was glaring daggers in the direction of his daughter. When Irene noticed he was staring murderously at her with such a baleful aura - a sudden shiver ran down her spine.

Why is he looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?

As she wondered what the reason was, the duke stood up from his seat. "Jenson." He spoke through gritted teeth, causing the soldier to jolt.

"Y-Yes, my lord??"

Rudien stormed over to where Irene was, who was close to tears out of fear. But just as she thought of running - or rather, crawling for her life, the silver-haired duke scooped her up, tearing her away from the bear.

It was then that Irene realised - her father wasn't glaring at her. He was glaring at the stuffed bear. His eyes hadn't left it even after picking her up.

"Take that bear on your way, and throw it out." Rudien grumbled. "My daughter seems to be confused, thinking it's me. I can't allow for her to displace me with that inferior object."

. . . You've got to be kidding me.

He's getting JEALOUS of a BEAR??

Both the knight and Irene were silent in total bewilderment, while Rudien was still glaring at the toy as if he wanted to see it shredded into pieces. She knew he was a dangerous man, but this was just completely absurd.

Somehow, her previous thoughts of Rudien wanting to avert her attention by giving her toys, all seemed like a complete joke to even think about. She never expected her father to react like this. It seemed he was far more taken by Irene than either of them thought.

"Y-Yes, my lord." Jenson, who was so surprised by this, could do nothing but accept his leader's demand. In his head, this was a moment which could go down in history. The day a baby girl broke the stone-cold duke's iron wall. The whole empire would create an uproar, if they heard this. Everyone would probably come to admire the young daughter of House Cherliann, for achieving the impossible.

To think this monster duke would be defeated by a mere baby.

Gosh, this father of mine. Irene wanted to sigh, as his grip around her tightened, and he even pulled her head against his chest to stop her from looking at the bear. I never imagined someone could be so terrifyingly cute.

After the meeting had ended, and the poor stuffed bear had been removed from her sundry assortment of toys, it seemed Rudien was still in a rather bitter mood after that. He simply instructed all the servants to ensure no one would disturb them, and laid with Irene on the sofa, holding her close to him.

Despite her futile attempts to break out of his suffocating grasp, her petty father kept her in place. "You're not allowed to play with your toys right now," he said. "Otherwise you'll forget all about me."

This guy... Irene plopped her head onto his arm, giving up. Her tiny body didn't have enough energy for this, and again, she was beginning to feel tired. As she gazed up at her father, who was staring at her nonchalantly, she managed to sit herself upright beside him.

Seeing him up close, Rudien was definitely a handsome man. It amazed her how ethereal and charming his ruby eyes and silver hair were. Although she disliked him quite a bit when she first entered this world, it seemed like that part of her opinion toward him had faded slightly.

After all, how could she hate her father when he was such a sore, protective parent now? It seemed while she had succeeded in breaking down his dismissive attitude toward her, Rudien had achieved the same thing for Irene.

In a way, I don't hate being with him like this, she thought. And as Rudien continued to gaze silently at his daughter, she leaned toward him, and clumsily climbed onto his face.

Surprised, he tried to gently move her off. "Irene- What are you-"

Just then, Rudien could feel his daughter's gums digging into his cheek. Although it looked like she was trying to eat his face, something about the action - to him - felt like it had a different meaning.

As though she was kissing his cheek, to show her affection. As though she were saying "I wouldn't replace you." And that message was quite true. How can I replace a parent anyway?

Rudien's cheeks had grown slightly red, when Irene moved back. Oops... did I bite too hard? I did start teething... She thought, noticing the little tooth marks on his face. But she didn't realise the red on his cheeks were his own flustered reaction to her gesture, blushing from embarrassment. He never thought he'd fall at the mercy of his own baby.

But the duke didn't appear to mind it. Instead, he closed his eyes, and smiled for the first time.

"You're an interesting child." He said, before lifting his head and kissing his daughter's chubby little cheek in return. His gentle red lips felt warm on her face, and he looked elegant while he did it, too. Irene was surprised to see her father smiling at her, an expression that was definitely rare to see coming from him.

... I guess we're affectionate now. She thought, a little weirded out by the thought. It felt almost illegal, since in reality, she was a young woman in the body of a baby. Rudien himself wasn't that much older than her compared to her previous age. But at the same time, she wanted to relish this experience. A loving father and mother were things she didn't get to experience much in her past life.

I'm not Hanna anymore... I'm Irene now. She thought, as she watched her father lay back down and close his eyes, drifting off to sleep for a moment. I have to be Irene, not only for myself, but also for the sake of my family here.