After Crying for a few minutes, Celestia and Azura eventually got tired out and fell asleep in my arms.
So, as gently as I could, I picked up both of them in my arm to their room.
'hurting such young children like this, that damned old hag…'
As I was almost losing my cool…
Just thinking about how useless the past me used to be was making me mad as well, but I managed to bite it back down.
But just looking at the sleeping face of my little daughters made me think…
Yeah…
My daughters sure are cute.
Golden hair, beautiful ocean-like eyes like my eyes, rosy cheeks that made me want to pinch them but I restrained myself to not wake them up.
As I felt myself turn into a sloppy mess of a doting parent...
I wondered just how much of a fool the past me must have been to have neglected his lovely wife and his two cute daughters.
I suppose I can't completely condemn the old Adam since I don't have any memories of him cheating, but… the way I see it, him not paying any attention to his family like he did doesn't make any sense.
Whilst that was on my mind, there was suddenly a light knocking on the door and a person entered… Looking up, I saw it was my wife, Alena.
When I saw the worried look on her face, I gently rise finger to my lips as I motioned my eyes at the sleeping Celestia and Azura.
As she quietly approached, her faced twisted in anguish as she looked down at her daughter.
"All these bruises and sores… It's all because I didn't pay enough attention to this child…" Alena said with a sad tone..
"It's not your fault alone, Alena. The one most at fault here is me." I said to Alena while gently rubbing her back.
"…No. It was all because I was so childish about not being worthy enough in your eyes, Adam, that eventually I began to neglect this child as well… I…" she said while tears poured down her eyes.
She approached Celestia and Azura who were sleeping soundly on the bed and begin to gently rub their heads.
Seeing her gently brush a lock of the sleeping Celestia and
Azura's hair of her face with tears in her eyes...
I wrapped my hands around her waist from behind in a hug...
"It's not good to dwell on what happened in the past… From now on, the two of us will love them both with all that we have."
"…That's… right. I'm sorry, Adam…" She apologized
"No… I too have a cross to bear for neglecting such an adorable wife and cute little daughters for so long. That's why… from now on, I swear I will love the both of you to the utmost." I reassured her while hugging her.
"That's… as a family…?" she said while trembling.
There was something slightly uneasy in her tone… so, I responded as gently as I could.
"As a family, yes, but… Alena, you'll be the only one who receives my love as a man." I said to her while giving a quick peck on her cheeks.
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"By that, you mean…" she said while hiding in my chest.
"I mean, as my lover." I told her.
Seeing her blush and hide in my arms like a cute little kitten with a red face... Yeah... My wife sure is the cutest...
Alena could barely speak as her voice was choked with tears...
"I too, have always loved you" Alena said while looking at my eyes.
"Yeah, me too." I said while looking at her beautiful green eyes.
I wanted to say something fitting, but… being the idiot that I am, I couldn't think of anything good on the spot, so it was all I could do to gently turn Alena towards me.
Alena's happy tears dripped down my front as she buried herself in my chest… she was so cute, I wondered just who the hell I was before now. How could there be a man in the world that would neglect such a lovely woman?
In other words… After I woke up anew, I fell in love with her at first sight.
Just as the atmosphere turned right, looking in her eyes... we slowly approached for a kiss, and in this moment...
"Please pardon my intrusion… Oh?"
After I held Alena in my embrace for a time, Robert quietly entered the room and stared at us, dumbfounded.
Suddenly noticing Robert had entered the room, Alena quickly separated herself from me… hmm. It did feel a little lonely all of a sudden, but being able to get a better view of how lovely she was wasn't a bad consolation prize.
"Robert, was there something you needed?"
"Yes. I had something to discuss with you, Adam-sama, however… Am I interrupting?"
"Well, somewhat. In any case, let's hear what you have to say for now."
Having said that, I gave Azura and Celestia's heads one last stroke and told Alena I would be back before leaving the room.
"Now then… what was it?"
"Yes… I wanted to discuss the matter of the governess charged with the Celestia-Sama and Azura-Sama' etiquette training that you just dismissed, however…"
"…Did you know about just how violent her 'education' of Celestia and Azura was?" I said
"…Only to a certain extent. However, there wasn't much we could do, since it was Celestia-Sama and Azura-Sama' request."
"Azura and Celestia's?"
When I looked at him dubiously, Robert sighed slightly before he spoke.
"The two young misses didn't want to be a burden the two of you, so they hid their tears and asked us not to tell… there wasn't much we could do, especially considering how…"
"Is that so… Celestia… Azura..."
I felt something in my eyes thinking about my gentle daughters… Managing to swallow it back, I asked the question on my mind.
"The other instructors, are they the same?"
"No… To the best of my knowledge, only the governess in charge of etiquette instruction was this way."
"I see… At any rate, from now on, if you find out there are any similar pieces of garbage working in my household, you shall report it directly to me. As for the replacement instructor… don't bother yourself, I will see to employing one myself."
Adam was a Duke, after all. So long as I pulled the strings of my personal connections, such a thing should be easy.
When he saw that serious look on my face, Robert seemed relieved as he nodded firmly.
"I understand completely… Also, in regards to tomorrow's work, if it pleases you, Master, I shall see to it myself, so please feel free to spend your time at ease with the Madame, Celestia-Sama and Azura-Sama today."
"…That's a huge help."
"Adam-sama seems to have finally opened his eyes. Therefore, it's only natural that I, Robert, do my utmost in order to serve you the best I can."
As Robert said that with a smile, I thanked him earnestly as I returned to those three.
After around fifteen minutes of talking with my wife Alena, Celestia and Azura begin to show some signs of waking up.
"Uuuuuuam... Eh?.. Daddy. Mommy" Celestia and Azura both wake up at the same time, after yawning both were stunned to see us the pair father and mother waiting behind their beds.
Smiling as much as I could, I said.
"Good morning Celestia, Azura... Are you both feeling okay?"
Both gazed up at us quietly.
Since they haven't fully awake yet, I will try to keep my voice as gentle as I can.
Both nodded at the same time while releasing an affirming sound.
"Mm"
"Then that's good... But for now, both of you should rest..." I said while rubbing their silky hair...
"Study?"
"You can always do that tomorrow... Also if you ever have something you need to say from now on, you should always be able to tell me..." I said to Celestia and Azura with with reassuring smile...
"But teacher would always say... That daddy ....and mommy are always busy...and we would annoy you" Celestia the older girl said...
Even though I said older, she is older than Azura with around 10 minutes.
But again thinking about what Celestia said, I really should have mounted that old hag's head on spike...
But, managing to grit my teeth and hiding those feelings, I look at Celestia and Azura in the eyes.
"That's not true at all. You both are our one and only precious daughters… you could never be a nuisance to us. Therefore… from now on, you should rely on me. I'll do anything for you."
"I… don't need…" both said with a shaking tone.
"But we need you, Celestia and Azura . We're a family. Isn't that right? Alena?"
I looked over at Alena, who finally seemed like she couldn't hold herself back anymore as she pulled Celestia and Azura into a hug.