“……? Sera.”

As the autumn month of March (Translator Note: I have no idea what they mean by this so if you know please say something in the comments) was coming to an end, I visited the children’s room next to Seriana’s chamber.

Elena was also coming to the mansion regularly now, and we had brought Luka along with his nanny.

The room was filled with children, including those of the nannies.

The children were playing happily, clinging to the cat dolls and stuffed animals I had received from various places, sometimes using them as cushions.

Noticing my entrance, the children stopped playing, called my name, and waved at me.

“Hey there! How’s everyone?”

I waved back at them.

Now that I think about it, does this world even have the word “hey there”?

Did I just introduce them to some mysterious greeting…?

Like Seriana’s room, shoes were prohibited in this one too, and they had to be taken off right by the door. A partition, like a fence, kept the children from wandering into that area.

The children tried to approach me but were stopped by the partition.

I must say, I’m quite popular.

Sera.

It’s a very easy name to remember.

Aside from the nannies’ children, Seriana’s children were the first to learn a person’s name, and it turned out to be mine.

One reason is that it’s easy to remember, but also, I’m called the same by everyone—Sera.

For example, in Liesel’s case, the domain citizens call him “Lord,” while those of us in the mansion refer to him as “Master.”

Outsiders address him as “Duke” due to his title, and nobles may even refer to him as “Your Excellency.”

Although I haven’t encountered it personally, some who consider Liesel as part of the royal family instead of a frontier lord still call him “Your Highness.”

Seriana, in contrast, has fewer variations—she’s called either “Madam” or “Lady Seriana,” though those closest to her, including myself, Elena, and Liesel, simply call her “Seria.”

A married couple with many names.

I’ve seen the nannies properly teaching the children to call their parents “Father” and “Mother,” but with so many different forms of address, it must be confusing.

In comparison, I’m easy to distinguish just by appearance.

Well, in a little while, they’ll probably learn to say it properly.

“Sera-sama, is something wrong?”

“Hm? No, I just came to check on things.”

Perhaps finding it odd that I was the only one to show up, the nanny asked why I was here… but there wasn’t much of a reason.

Just as I said.

I confirmed that the older children were taking care of the younger ones and playing together peacefully.

Mission accomplished. Time to leave.

◇

“I’m back!”

“That was quick. Already done?”

“Yeah, yeah. They were playing with the cat dolls.”

Returning to Seriana’s room from the children’s room, I was met with her wide-eyed surprise at my early return.

I had only been gone for a few minutes… but that was enough.

“I see…”

Seriana murmured, then turned her gaze toward the three boxes placed on the table.

“Then, shall we send these as they are?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I nodded in response to Seriana’s words.

Those boxes contained birthday presents for Leo and the other two—stuffed snake plushies that also served as body pillows.

I have a similar one myself, but these are half the size.

They’re meant for small children.

Apparently, I don’t need to personally prepare gifts for the children.

Honestly, thinking up something new every year would be exhausting, but since it’s their first birthday, I wanted to give them something.

That was my thought process, but I had no clue what would be appropriate in this world’s standards for children’s gifts.

In my previous life, I was single and had no children, but I had at least given birth and birthday presents to the kids of friends and acquaintances.

Diapers, baby strollers, rattles… all things that don’t exist in this world.

After much deliberation, I finally settled on this.

I got a recommendation from the Commerce Guild and placed an order at a workshop that makes bedding.

Today, the finished products arrived at the mansion.

When Seriana and I checked them, it suddenly dawned on me—

Would the children even use them?

And so, I went to observe the children earlier.

Each plush was about 15 cm thick and just under 50 cm long.

Even if they didn’t use them as body pillows, they could at least grab and swing them around.

They weren’t dangerous, so there shouldn’t be any issue adding them to their playthings.

“Their birthdays are only a few days apart, so shall we give them together with Luka’s? Sera, is that alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Sera, thank you. Maybe it’s your influence, but Luka calls anything long a ‘snake’ now. He’s sure to love it.”

“…Is that really a good thing?”

Seriana looked troubled by Elena’s sudden revelation about Luka’s new habit.

I wasn’t sure if it was good or not either.

Did I accidentally influence a child’s future in some strange way…?

Well… if it turns out to be a problem, I’ll just take them back.

They’re well-made, so I wouldn’t mind keeping one for myself.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・21 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・31 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards