Althea cradled her babies in her arms, her eyes filled with warmth and love.
She watched all their movements closely, every twitch of their fingers, every toothless grin they made, every sound they uttered… all imprinted into memory.
She felt so very happy and so blessed at the moment.
However, she soon realized the differences in her babies.
She had seen newborns before, but her babies seemed like they were a few months old already? They not only looked much fuller than newborns, they were already able to move more, and express themselves a little more.
…should she be worried?
However, while a little concerned, she told herself that as long as they were healthy, that was all that mattered in the end.
"My lovely babies." She said softly, leaning down and smooching their soft chubby cheeks.
The baby boy squirmed in her arms and suddenly giggled. His tiny hand raised to grab the empty air above him. His laughter filled the room with infectious joy.
The little boy gurgled all of a sudden, and so much saliva flowed out of his mouth.
She couldn't help but giggle. "You're not going to be a little troublemaker, are you?" She asked. She would never admit it, but if he was then he'd have inherited it from her.
In contrast, the little girl lied still in her arms, her big blue eyes focused on her mother's face.
Her expression was alert and curious, as if already exploring the world around her. "My, what a smart baby." She said, kissing the baby's little forehead.
Feeling her attention on another, the little boy continued to wiggle in her arms letting out a series of adorable baby noises.
"So silly…" She giggled, kissing the boy on the cheek.
At the side, the young-looking Betty watched with warmth and envy. She was already in her 40s, and she was starting to long for her own children. Too bad she couldn't find someone to settle with.
At the same time, she felt relieved. Such a loving Lord… who wouldn't want one?
…
Later that afternoon, the NPCs, along with Sheila, Harold, and the kids came to visit together. They all had some fruits and other easy-to-digest food with them.
(As for Fufi, he was apparently still outside the territory with the guards team, killing his heart out.)
Their eyes brightened at the sight of her awake and looking well despite looking a bit pale. "How are you boss?" Sheila asked as soon as their eyes met, with the nurse sitting on the side of the bed.
Althea smiled. "I'm fine now, it just came as a bit of a shock," she said, playing with her babies.
Sheila's eyes brightened at the sight of the cute babies. "Oh hello babies~~" She goaded, followed by the others.
The infants blinked cutely and turned their heads to the 'noise'. They babbled in response, as if trying to reply to them.
They were so adorable that all the adults turned into mush. Oslo couldn't help but step forward and want to lift her up, but the little girl turned her head making some weird sound, her chubby cheek a bit puffier than usual.
"A feisty little one, eh?" Oslo mumbled, before turning to the pale beautiful woman on the bed. "What're their names, Milord?"
Unexpectedly, Sheila and the others whipped their heads to him with questioning glares, making him flinch.
Oslo was very confused at their reaction. Did he say something wrong? He obviously had a point??
Harold, Sheila, and Eugene looked at Althea guardedly as she mused of names.
She seemed in a daze in thought. Realizing everyone was staring at her, she cleared her throat. "I… I want to wait for my husband."
This made Sheila and the other's shoulder slump in relief. The poor things definitely dodged embarrassing names with this!
"What about nicknames my lord?" The oh-so-dense Oslo continued to ask, making them glare at him. But then they thought it was only nicknames so it could be silly.
With that thought, they decided to loosen up, and looked at Althea in curiosity, wondering what nicknames she'd end up giving the babies.
"Nicknames, eh?" She looked at her first-born first, the pudgy little boy staring at the ceiling. He was a little twitchy with his little butt moving all the time. If he could roll, it was estimated he'd be rolling until he felt tired.
Her lips twitched, deciding on a nickname. "Little Meatball."
The others cackled. So cute.
And true to their expectations, the nicknames were silly. And had a lot to do with food…
"As for my baby girl…" Althea paused, seriously thinking, using her big brain to come up with a magnificent nickname for her child.
And the child, as if sensing her stare, the little girl tilted her head up to meet her eyes. Emerald eyes met azure ones, and Althea's heart melted into puddle (for the nth time that day).
She concluded that the little one was very brave and quite feisty, and she quickly thought of a fitting name for her.
"Little Pepper." She said,gently tapping the girl's cute nose. "My little Pepper."
Sheila and the others giggled at this. "Ah~ It kinda suits them!" She said. For nicknames, the boss' naming sense wasn't too bad after all. What a relief.
Althea smiled, a little proud of her naming sense not being judged this time. She looked at the babies and placed them in her laps, tickling them and enticing some milky giggles.
"Did you like it?" She asked them, and they gave her a toothless grin in response.
She thought her husband would also like the nickname. He had good taste, always liking what she came up with.
At the thought of her husband though, her smile subsided a bit.
With a bit of heartache, she hugged the children, letting their softness heal her heart.
'Ah, my love.' She mused, looking out the translucent window in melancholy. 'I wish you could see this.'