Teetering

After playing around to her heart's content, Klee zeroed in on Paul like a homing missile, her expression and tone notably tired as she spread her arms and declared, "Big brother, Paul~! I'm done playing."

Having already risen to his full height upon noticing Klee's approach, Paul returned a smile as he picked up the petite pyromaniac and inquired, "Did you have fun?"

Nodding her head, Klee replied, "Uh-huh~!" while nestling against Paul and gripping his overcoat with her left hand. She was much too young for Paul to consider doing anything to her, but the ruby-red crest carved into her lower abdomen wasn't concerned with such sentiments. Things were manageable for the time being, but Klee would feel lonely to the point of sobbing if Paul didn't hold her for a short while each day.

While caressing the petite blonde's back, Paul exchanged nods with her youthful-looking playmates. The youngest was an Elven girl in her early sixties, but, similar to Klee, she appeared to be between the ages of ten and twelve. It would be another hundred years before her body reached full maturity, and, based on Klee's non-existent development over the last year, it was safe to assume they had similar growth rates.

Interrupting Paul's thoughts, Klee muttered, "Hold me tighter..." in a soft, somewhat dull tone. The smile on Paul's face visibly cramped, but he only hesitated for a moment before giving her a firm squeeze.

"Nnn..."

Feeling a little better, Klee exhaled a lukewarm sigh as she relaxed into Paul's embrace. A strange, aching feeling permeated her body, but the longer Paul held her, the less prominent it became. If she didn't know it would inconvenience him, she would want Paul to continue squeezing her tightly the entire day.

While continuing to caress Klee's back, Paul, accompanied by Lilia, carried her to the reinforced bedchamber she shared with Yoimiya. The two had a similar fondness for explosions and fireworks, so they had been sharing a room ever since Ganyu brought them over.

After around twenty minutes, Paul reached the outside of Yoimiya's room. Lilia immediately took it upon herself to knock in his stead, but there was no answer as most of the girls were preoccupied with preparations for his 'surprise' party.

Though he didn't know exactly what the girls had planned for him, Paul had been aware of the surprise party for weeks. Klee wasn't particularly good at keeping secrets, and neither was Yoimiya. The latter had told Klee not to inform him, but the petite pyromaniac didn't even last twenty-four hours before spilling the beans. After all, except for Jean and Albedo, Paul was effectively Klee's 'most favorite person in the entire world.'

With no response coming from the interior and Klee already fast asleep in his embrace, Paul gave Lilia a nod, prompting her to open the door. When she did, a prominent smell of gunpowder permeated the corridor, but Paul didn't bat an eye or scrunch up his nose. Klee and Yoimiya were among the first to come and visit after he took up residence in the castle, so he frequented the proverbial powderkeg daily.

Prompted by the smell of gunpowder, Klee abruptly opened her eyes and looked around excitedly. The aroma of gunpowder was among her very first memories, so even though she knew Alice had yet to be summoned, she couldn't help looking around in search of her mother.

Realizing she was just in her room, Klee's elf-like ears visibly drooped as she muttered, "Awww...Klee doesn't want to go to sleep yet..."

Suppressing a chuckle, Paul asked, "Then what were you doing just prior to looking around?"

Staring up at Paul, Klee didn't immediately respond to his question. When she did, she left him at a loss for words, stating, "Big brother smells really good..."

Smiling wryly, Paul replied, "So I've heard..." before carrying Klee over to her bed. A disheartened expression appeared on her face as he set her down, but, as a 'big girl,' Klee did her best not to complain or plead for him to continue holding her.

Understanding what the petite blonde was thinking, Paul gently caressed Klee's head and said, "Good girl." in a gentle, soothing tone. He always felt guilty whenever they had to part ways, but he knew it would cause all sorts of problems if he gave in and started pampering her.

Retracting his hand from Klee's head, Paul turned to Lilia and asked, "Can you look after her for a few hours? At least until dinner time."

Without any hesitation, Lilia cupped her hands over her lap and offered a polite bow as she replied, "Certainly. Please, leave it to me."

Resisting the urge to reach out and caress Lilia's head, Paul nodded his own in approval, stating, "Thanks. I can always count on you, Lilia."

Adopting a clearly gratified smile, Lilia bowed her head even lower as she replied, "Of course." in an audibly pleased tone of voice. Paul would never be able to understand it, but few things made Lilia happier than being told she could be relied upon by someone as 'great' as he.

Suppressing his mild discomfort, Paul forced a casual-seeming smile as he met Klee's unblinking stare and said, "Be a good girl and listen to Lilia, okay? I'll see you at dinner."

Nodding her head, Klee responded with a faint, "Okay..." before hanging her head and staring at the floor, clearly disheartened. She really wanted Paul to stay with her, but, much like her mommy and daddy, she knew he had responsibilities outside of playing and looking after her...

Seeing Klee's disheartened reaction, Paul couldn't help feeling agitated. He didn't know if it was because of his past life or because he hadn't been the best of fathers, but there was something about seeing children in low spirits that made him feel restless and annoyed.

Noticing the conflict in Paul's eyes, Lilia deliberately placed herself between him and Klee, a faint yet supportive smile blossoming across her face as she mouthed the words, "Don't worry. She'll be okay."

Forcing a smile, Paul returned a nod before promptly turning around to depart the room. He knew it was insensible to beat himself up over Klee's predicament, so, rather than lamenting over things he could change, Paul began thinking of excuses to turn his surprise party into a gacha spree...

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.

"You've done well, Hilda. With this, our future and the future of House Boreas are all but secured."

Though he rarely exhibited his affection for his wife, Philip couldn't help smiling as he watched Hilda, still fatigued from the delivery, cradling their most recent child in her arms.

Furrowing her brows, Hilda retorted, "So long as you do not succumb to your brother's schemes..."

Instead of taking offense to his wife's words, Philip responded with a curt nod. At this point, they had the backing of his father, House Notos, and, to a lesser extent, the Royal Family. The only person that could mess things up at this point was himself.

Opening his eyes ever so slightly, Philip stared at the newborn in Hilda's arms, asking, "Have you chosen a name?"

Suppressing a sigh, Hilda stared down at the little girl in her arms and muttered, "I was considering Discordia or Eris...though it is her destiny to be sacrificed for the sake of our family, I hope she will become a strong and unyielding woman. Someone who won't just roll over and accept the fate that has been thrust upon her..."

As the name Discordia was a little too on the nose, Philip smiled as he mused, "Eris Boreas Greyrat...that's a splendid name. I believe Sir Paul would also approve; both of the name and its meaning."

Since Paul had made it transparently clear he would annul the marriage agreement if their daughter were against it, Philip didn't mind giving his wife a bit of freedom to express herself. It would benefit his position if Eris and Paul married, but it wasn't necessary for securing his status as the next Lord of House Boreas. He had already succeeded his brother as Heir Apparent, so he simply needed to avoid being assassinated until his graduation.

Though she was a little annoyed by her husband's remark, Hilda didn't say anything. The truth was that she didn't resent Paul nearly as much as she outwardly projected. If anything, she was a little envious of her daughter, as, even now, she regretted not pushing harder for Paul's attention...if she had managed to leave an impression on him during their first meeting, she would have had a handsome and free-spirited fiance with the prospect of attaining Godhood...

Oblivious to his wife's innermost thoughts, Philip stared pensively at the sleeping infant in her arms. He had made a concerted effort to ensure she was born around the same time as Paul, but he never imagined she would be delivered on the exact day, seventeen days ahead of schedule. He was a little worried this would have an adverse effect on her temperament, but so long as she matured into a beauty, it shouldn't matter too much...

...

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After traversing the relatively short distance from Klee's room to his own, Paul was unsurprised to find Ghislaine posted outside in a black brassiere and her usual trousers. She immediately noticed his presence, but instead of making way, she adopted a defensive posture and said, "I can't let you pass..." in her usual, husky monotone.

Though he was confident he could get her to stand down if he made it an order, Paul wasn't too insistent as he said, "Just tell Ningguang that I need to speak with her. It's not an emergency, but it's important..."

Since she hadn't been prohibited from passing along messages, Ghislaine nodded her head and replied, "One moment..." before turning around and knocking in a distinct rhythm.

After a very brief moment of silence, the door to Paul's room opened to reveal Ningguang in a stylish white, black, and gold overcoat.

Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, Ningguang remarked, "You're early." while staring into Paul's as if she could see the thoughts behind them. To demonstrate this wasn't far from the truth, she immediately appended, "I don't particularly mind if you want to go on a summoning spree, but does it have to be tonight? There are plenty of rooms to go around, but it takes time to get everyone up to speed and properly settled."

Stepping out into the corridor, Ningguang shut the door behind her as she asked, "Has Klee's condition deteriorated? I can send Albedo over to give her some medicine..."

Shaking his head, Paul clarified, "She hasn't deteriorated...I just feel like she would be less lonely if her mother were around..."

Though she nodded her head in approval, Ningguang gave Paul a reality check by stating, "Absolutely. However, even if you were to expend all of your resources, there is no guarantee you will summon Klee's mother. I'm all for expanding our ranks, but you would stress yourself out if you went into the IOF and failed to obtain the specific person you were looking for."

Understanding that Paul's turmoil couldn't be resolved with words alone, Ningguang punctuated her words by embracing him and placing her head against his chest. He was the type that couldn't remain irate when others expressed their concern physically, so the moment she wrapped her arms around him, Ningguang could feel Paul's tensions relaxing.

Exhaling a sigh, Paul returned Ningguang's embrace and buried his face into her fragrant, ivory-colored hair. He knew she was right, so while he still intended to go on a summoning spree, he was willing to wait until the following evening. Until then, he intended to enjoy the 'surprise' everyone had gone out of their way to prepare...

Though it was a little early, Ningguang didn't want Paul to wander off and lose himself in his thoughts. Thus, once he had sufficiently calmed down, she released her hold on his body, grabbed his hand, and purred, "I doubt anyone will mind if we start the 'festivities' a little early..."

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(A/N: Lost power and internet for a few days.)