"Oh my god, little Heins is so obedient and cute!"
Roxenne seems to take delight in toying the little Heins, who looked utterly listless. The lady was worried at first, but Lenissia reassured her that her little boy was just like that, calm and composed to the extreme.
They were currently in Roxenne's personal courtyard, which was located on the third floor. Since it was her personal space, there was an additional presence here.
"Little Heins, meet Rexy. Although she was just a few weeks old, I'm sure she's enough to be your company!" Roxenne smiled amusedly as she lifted the little Heins and let him take a look of her second newly born daughter.
The little bundle inherited her white hair, and once she opened her eyes, a pair of icy-blue eyes twinkled, clearly taking after her dignified father.
Heins raised his eyebrows and involuntarily lifted his small hand, which was unknowingly firmer than a adult's hand, unbeknownst to both mothers. The little girl was utterly captivated and grasped the hand, giggling wildly as she took joy in the warm yet firm hand she unconsciously hold.
Perhaps it was her subconscious reaction that prompt her to feel warmth of his hand.
Observing this cute scene, Roxenne and Linessia could see the stark contrast of both newly born babies. Heins looked very calm and even act very appropriately, like a responsible older sibling, while little Rexy looked extremely cute and giggly, perfectly portraying a joyous, happy baby.
"Lenissia, little Heins is just so cute and so mature. Just what did you feed him?" Roxenne's eyes glimmered as she took in the sight. Little Heins, in his three piece attire, was standing right beside the small cradle, holding out his hand to the giggly Rexy, who hold it joyously.
Such a warming picturesque.
"Heins has always been a mature baby. Even when he was just born, he reacted the moment he looked at us. A week ago, he could even recognized his surrounding, capable of memorizing their appearance and traits." Lenissia hugged her baby boy, who did not resist in the slightest.
However, unlike Heins, Rexy was not so understanding. As soon as his hand was lost in her grasp, her eyes immediately reddened, bawling relentlessly.
Lenissia paused, and she widened her eyes when Heins politely tapped her arms to let him down. Her heart turned to mush as her baby boy crawled towards the small cradle and softly offered his hand.
Little Rexy's bawling paused instantaneously, her eyes fixed on his small hand. Heins softly giggled and took the initiative to hold her hand, inciting joyful giggles and a healthy flush on her face.
Roxenne and Lenissia looked at each other and grinned.
"Well, well, well, it seems like Rexy was being quite possessive, eh?" Rexy teased.
Lenissia chimed in, her lips forming a smirk. "That's not quite right. They were just babies, what could possibly happen?"
Just like in his previous life, novels are notoriously widespread here, and due to the ever-looming threat, it became a venting medium for most people. And his mother, Lenissia, was no different.
And it seems like Lady Roxenne was just the same. Heins secretly sighed as he observed the two ladies, who took on the appearance of a gossipy bunch. He then looked at Rexy, whose bright icy-blue eyes never took off their gaze on him.
He turned his back to the ladies and smiled at the little cutie, pinching her chubby red cheek. Rexy was so happy that she clapped her hands, giggling all day long, which incite the pair of ladies to turn up their gossip even more.
"Hehehe... What do you say, Lenissia? Heins is so mature and obedient, why don't we seal the deal?"
"Tsk, tsk, Roxenne, I didn't expect you to be so straightforward. My son is so good, but Rexy is also cute, being so happy when Heins held her hand. Oh, what a tough decision for my son's future!"
In the end, Heins ignored them. He feared that he will hear how he would be sold to Lady Roxenne by his easy mother.
He would rather play with little Rexy, who was very cute and obedient.
After a few minutes of playing with her, a prompt appeared.
[Attractive Disposition: 0.0001]
[Unused Points: 1]
Feeling somewhat mischiveous for a moment, Heins nonchalantly put all of his points to this ability, which amounted to 16.9984 of his points. It was just a vain experiment. He was also curious just how prominent the effect would be.
As soon as he did so, the little baby, Rexy, laid unmoved, her massive eyes locked and still on his face. Heins nodded to himself.
As expected, the effect was very apparent. It was only when he put them all back on Potential Growth Hormon that Rexy's chubby cheeks finally moved, her eyes now seem to be brighter than before, giggling happily all day long.
"Ba... Ba!"
Heins widened his eyes, but strangely, as soon as her mother and Lady Roxenne came back, Rexy immediately halted her babbling, her eyes blinked innocently. She looked at him oddly, as if she was... Telling him to keep it a secret?
Heins showed a little smirk. This little bundle was way more interesting than he thought.
After a while, the duo mothers have already come back.
"...Oh you fierce woman! To think that you would smear the Grand Duke's third wife! Now tell me, what did she do after that?!" Lenissia asked excitedly.
"That's not what you should be focused on! Do you know that after I turned around, someone furiously shouted that no one should do that to his beloved? The thing is, the one that said it was the Fourth Young Master of a baron family from the South!"
Lenissia gasped in shock, "No way? The Grand Duke got a green hat from a heir of a baron?"
Roxenne shook her head as she squinted her eyes, her tone lowered to indicate secrecy, "It's not that simple. The family's title may be that of a baron, but their first and second sons have been accepted into one of the Five Forces of Eastern Faction, the Qixian Great Mountains. I suspect it was a malice move, wanting to undermine the Grand Duke's prestige which was no different than shaking the kingdom's foundation."
The Grand Duke is equal or even more profound than the noble authority of the Prince, since they usually took charge of the major territories that contributed to the kingdom's prosperity. Most of the current Grand Duke families had their ancestors fighting and preaching for the First King, and they were no different than the King's limbs.
Even attempting to undermine their authority was no different than undermining the King.
"No way. Wouldn't they infer it that even the Grand Duke couldn't take back his dignity and could be humiliated at will?" Lenissia speculated, her face worried. What she thought was a mere endeavor was actually a problematic situation. This turn made her heart heavy.
"Exactly. My husband has been worried about it lately, since the accident involved me as an accidental perpetrator." Roxenne had a wry look on her face. Lenissia was agitated by this, clenching her fists, "Who couldn't blame you? That damned slut was so hateful! Insulting your father and family! Who could take it?!"
Roxenne clasped her best friend's hand and shook her head, "The thoughts of the ordinary and the one in power differs greatly. For those who covet the Kaylen Town, this is a perfect opportunity, no matter the consequences. In this era, power and authority, other than the top of the pyramid, could easily be undermined and even dethroned. Don't worry, my husband is not as simple as he seem."
Heins who was sitting beside Rexy's cradle narrowed his beady eyes, his baby face serious, which no one but Rexy could see it.
He was considering some things. For example, what is the Eastern Faction? How influential they must be? To deter even the Grand Duke from reclaiming his treacherous third wife from a mere baron's son?
The existence of the Qixian Great Mountains signified that the standing of the Woshtern Kingdom must not be very strong, since by joining the Qixian Great Mountain, even a Grand Duke could easily be humiliated.
It may not be as simple as what has been inferred, but at least that's what had been widely circulated within the folks.
Of course, this was initially far from his current reach, but the accident involved Lady Roxenne, his mother's best friend.
Although it's useless to think about it, it served as a warning for him. There's always a looming threat, and he could never be cautious or strong enough.
With a grim heart, Heins softly pinched Rexy's cheeks, who seems to sense his worry, looking at him pitifully. The older boy smiled as he rubbed her face.
"Rexy, be good." He whispered, his tone eloquent and smooth, not befitting his baby face. Only Rexy could hear it.
The bundle turned cheerful, giggling gleefully.