The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 119

The baby, who had been eagerly suckling, stopped moving. The soft rise and fall of her throat came to a halt, and her eyes gently closed. Grace adjusted her collar and supported Emily’s head with her hand so it wouldn’t tilt backward.

“Sleep well…”

With her other hand, Grace gently patted the baby’s back, her eyes filled with affection. She brought her hand to the baby’s cheeks, feeling the softness of her skin.

“Full now, aren’t you?”

Grace adjusted her arms to hold the baby more comfortably so she could sleep better. Her delicate hands cradled the baby with care.

“Isn’t it difficult to see her up close like this?”

Frederick, who had been quietly watching Grace with Emily, asked softly.

“To be honest… it’s not easy,” Grace replied, stroking Emily’s head.

It was rare for noble children to be raised directly by their mothers. Typically, a wet nurse would feed them, and maids would handle bathing, dressing, and general care. Even playing with the child or teaching them to walk was considered the maids’ responsibility.

But Grace personally breastfed her baby and wanted to take care of her as much as possible. Having lost her own mother early and grown up without knowing maternal love, she wished for her baby to grow up surrounded by it. Frederick agreed with her wholeheartedly.

“But it’s not like I’m doing everything alone. The maids are helping too,” Grace added with a gentle smile.
“They do all the laundry and food prep.”

“Still, you always seem so busy,” Frederick said, looking a little guilty. Though the child was theirs, he felt like he wasn’t doing much.

It wasn’t expected—especially for a duke—to personally care for a child, but even so, it bothered him to see Grace doing it all on her own.

“Maybe I should help out a bit.”

“With what?”

“I’ll take care of the baby for a day. You should go out—get some fresh air. You haven’t done anything for yourself lately, always focused on the baby.”

Even if Grace had taken on the task willingly, Frederick couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Ever since Emily’s birth, Grace had lost all sense of personal time. She barely painted anymore, rarely studied anything new, and hardly ever went out.

According to Dorota, the baby cried at all hours of the day and constantly wanted to be nursed.

Maybe that’s why Grace had become so thin, even though it hadn’t been long since she gave birth. Frederick hoped she could at least catch a break.

“Do you think… it’ll be okay?” Grace asked, clearly worried, though Frederick had offered the idea sincerely.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“But you’re always so busy—training, your duties…”

Grace was referring to Frederick’s responsibilities as a duke, and he nodded in acknowledgment.

“Even if I’m busy, I should make time. You’ve been doing all the hard work alone. Besides… I don’t think I’ll be that busy for a while.”

Frederick had been adjusting his schedule ever since Emily’s birth to spend more time with her, even if he couldn’t help much directly. It had taken a long time to reach that point, but now, finally, he had enough leeway to make such an offer.

“Then… do you want to hold her?”

Grace handed the baby to Frederick. He held Emily close to his chest—

“WAAAHHH!”

Suddenly separated from the familiar warmth of her mother and placed in unfamiliar arms, the baby flailed and burst into loud cries.

“Emily…”

Frederick, flustered, tried to soothe her. His large hands awkwardly patted her back and shoulders.

“Shh, shhh… It’s okay, baby… You’re okay…”

“WAAAHHHHH!”

It didn’t help. Emily wailed at the top of her lungs, completely unaware of her father’s desperation.

“You’re holding her wrong, Frederick.”

Grace gently corrected his posture. And almost magically, the crying stopped.

“…Ah.”

Frederick smiled a little, gently rocking the baby. I have a lot to learn from Grace, he thought. But just as his eyes met Emily’s—

“WAAAHHH!”

“…She’s crying again?”

Frederick tilted his head, puzzled.

“Do I look scary or something?”

He’d never really thought much about his looks. He didn’t consider himself unattractive, and people had even called him “handsome” from time to time.

But for his own daughter to burst into tears just by looking at him? For the first time, he began to question his appearance.

“She’s probably just not used to you,” Grace said gently. “It’s not your face. And I think… you might’ve gotten too close too fast.”

Frederick mumbled, unconvinced.
“Still, being a stranger to her doesn’t feel great…”

“Hey there, baby…” Grace cooed softly, taking Emily into her arms.

“You’re such a good girl. No more tears now. That’s right…”

And just like that, the crying stopped again. Frederick was amazed. Grace was a genius. To calm a baby down that quickly—it was impressive.

Grace gently turned Emily’s head toward Frederick.

“This is Daddy. He’s not a scary person.”

“……”

“Sweetheart, if you cry every time you see Daddy, he’ll be very sad. So why don’t you smile for him, okay?”

Emily’s big, watery eyes stared at Frederick.

Maybe it was the distance between them, or the fact that Grace was holding her—but this time, Emily just blinked at him quietly. No crying. Frederick felt relieved. If she had started crying again, his self-esteem might’ve shattered.

“Don’t worry too much,” Grace reassured him. “I think she’s just naturally wary of strangers. She’ll get better as she gets used to you.”

Still… I don’t want to be a stranger, Frederick thought to himself, feeling a renewed sense of urgency to bond with his daughter.

“I’ll take care of her. She’ll warm up to me eventually.”

“Um, Frederick… Honestly, I don’t think you’re quite ready to take care of Emily alone yet. You’ve never done it before, and it’ll probably be really hard.”

Grace had a different opinion. She didn’t feel it was time to leave Emily alone with him just yet.

“No, Grace. I can do this.”

Frederick tried to reassure her, determined. She still didn’t look convinced.

“…You don’t trust me?”

He looked at her with firm resolve. But Grace remained unwavering.

“Taking care of a baby isn’t as easy as it sounds, Your Grace. What if we take care of Emily together for now?”

“No—really, Grace. I can do this. I’ll be so good at it, you won’t have to worry.”

He quickly added, “No one’s perfect at the start, right? And I plan to get help from Anthony. He had a daughter first and is already raising her.”

“……”

“While you’re out, I’ll become the perfect father. All you have to do is trust me and go.”

Frederick spoke with confidence. Parenting wasn’t easy, true—but he had overcome tougher challenges in life.

“I’ll prove to you there’s no such thing as impossible.”

“…That’s what he said,”
Anthony sighed, recalling Frederick’s bold declaration. The sheer confidence was something else.

He had never taken care of a baby properly, yet there he was claiming “nothing is impossible.” What nonsense.

“Are you really sure you can do this?”

“If I were sure, I wouldn’t be asking for your help.”

“……”

“Help me, Anthony.”

Frederick said it shamelessly. Anthony barely held back a sigh.

So that’s what this was—starting something impulsively and expecting others to help sort it out. And without even giving him a heads-up.

Too sudden. Too Frederick.

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