"Darling... How about we give Silver siblings? It might not be long before our daughter is married. Fufufu... Or perhaps we should wait for them to give us grandchildren instead? Then again, considering what our future son in law said to our daughter, there's a chance they might not be able to, unfortunately."

"Hmm..." Earnst hums in response, thinking of an answer to his wife question. "I highly doubt Helmut isn't working to find a way to improve his son health. But if you do wish to have a second child, I prefer to have a son this time."

"Oh. why is that?" She was taken by surprise when her husband, gave a serious answer as she was mostly joking around. Although she was half-serious about having another child to keep the legacy of Sablinova alive but she originally plan to talk about it in the later on.

"Because if we were to have another daughter, she would definitely falls for Carl as well just like our Silvijia, and there's a chance he might not refuse her if it were to happen and pursue a harem lifestyle..."

"You jest." Anastasia giggles as she lightly slaps her husband arm as if it was the funniest thing she has heard all week or even the whole month.

But soon she realize her husband was not joking as she saw his face was dead serious.

"You are joking around... right?" She asked.

"I'm not."

He didn't say anything afterwards and thought to himself of how his nephew stole the girl's heart without even trying.

Even after knowing his nephew for nearly a decade by now, he still hasn't gotten used to his extraordinary beauty.

He can easily imagine how girls of his nephew age would react if they were to see his nephew handsome face.

No doubt all of them would be love struck.

He can't imagine his nephew life would be like once he has fully grown up.

Perhaps he should wear a mask.

As Earnst is theorizing his nephew true potential, his wife however argues against his logic. "Ignoring the fact you think our dear nephew will become some kind of harem master, a playboy. Even if our second child were to be a boy. What if he were to swing both ways. After all, he is quite pretty as he is handsome. He bound to attract the same gender, maybe he will be interested in boys as well?"

"That's impossible." Without hesitation, Earnst deny the possibility of his nephew being gay with confidence.

"You sound sure. Why is that?" She continues asking.

While Earnst doesn't spend time with his nephew as much as his daughter. He spends enough time to know Carl is interested in women. "It's a secret between us men. I cannot say. It best if you were to ask him yourself."

"My... My... If I didn't know any better, it sound like you have already accepted Carl as your son-in-law in your heart. Tell me, love, do you?" She asked with a huge grin on her face.

Earnst flashback moments ago where his nephew prove he was far more mature than he- than all of them gave him credit for.

His nephew is considerate of other people well being, even more so of his daughter before his own well being. He would sacrifice his own happiness for others, not just to avoid being hurt.

"No one can deny it is a cruel thing to do to the person you love."

But from what he had heard and seen, there's possibly more to it than meets the eye.

He noted to himself that he should suggest Helmut and his sister-in-law that perhaps Carl should seek therapy, or perhaps he need a girl to be able to love but his daughter seem to have taken that role, so it might be alright but nevertheless.

"I accept him... For now. He has many things to prove whether he is worthy of our daughter or not. Whether he has a body of a cripple or a world-class athlete, he just has to work harder to make up for his weakness."

Anastasia didn't say a thing but she can't help but to chuckle and smile wryly at her husband unreasonable requirements for someone to woo their daughter.

Carl has many good features that easily attract many parents who want him to be their son-in-law. Just as rich alone is enough to attract many parents wanting him to be their son-in-law.

Yes, she want the best thing for her little princess but she could write down an essay of hundreds of thousands of words that explain how Carl is the perfect partner for their daughter but his husband might not think it's enough, probably demanding hundreds of million of words.

"If my dear husband doesn't think Carl is good enough to be our son-in-law, then our daughter is gonna eloped at this rate..." She worrying thought.

As the two married couple continue walking away from the room the children were in, Earnst, suddenly stop on his track to turn his head around to look at the room the two kids were in.

"What's wrong?" His wife asked as she take a quick look where her husband is looking but she sees nothing but an empty hallway leading to the room the kids were in.

"It's nothing... It just, I thought I heard the kids leaving the room." But he didn't see the kids nor anyone.

They both decide to stay still and quiet to properly hear anything unusual but the only sound they can hear was the children laughter in the room and the heartbeat of their own.

"Perhaps it is best for us to check the kids."

"Yes. We should." Anastasia agreed.

It sounds like the two couple is paranoid of their daughter and nephew safety, and should seek therapy for it but when you consider the fact of what horrible thing the two children have to experience at such a young age, where the girl end up being traumatized and the boy nearly get kidnapped to be experiments for God knows whats, it is not surprising their family will be traumatized as well.

She continued. "I'm sure Silver has her fun. Being caught by her parents when playing with her boyfriend will make the experience much more memorable, don't you agree love? Fufufu... I wonder what explanation they will give, and how should we react if we were to still see them kissing each other?"

"Should we act shocked? Or should we tease them about it? Or should I take a picture of their embarrassed face?" She whispers as they are walking closer to the room where the children are currently at.

Her husband however didn't say anything nor did he make a comment about his wife teasing her daughter.

He, however, was sure he sense someone left the room the kids were in.

As he take a few steps forward, the door to the kid's room was slowly open bit by bit and a silhouette slowly appear on the floor, but the shape of silhouette was not that of a human figure.

It was a orange cat.

"Oh, it is just the house cat." 

Earnst didn't say anything but just as when he decided to take another step, he crouch down to pet the cat, in the next moment, he heard his daughter and nephew laughing in joy once more.

"Maybe not. Perhaps we shouldn't disturb the kids..." He whispered.

Earnestly and his family have visited and stayed in the Zemo mansion plenty of time, enough for him to be familiar with his nephew daily activity, this includes at what time does he sleep in the middle of the day.

"...If I'm right. Carl should be taking a nap in another few second or half a minute at best if he were to stay awake a bit longer. And considering how observant our daughter is toward him, she should realize how sleepy he is getting by now."

But he wasn't that attentive.

He was not the one who said it, it was his wife, her attempt to predict the children action. And her prediction is spot-on as the next very second, he heard his daughter voice, suggesting Carl to go ahead and sleep.

"Sometimes I forgot how scary my wife can be." He thought.

Quietly, he walks away from the quiet cat who still want to be petted, as he carefully peek into their room through the open door, he saw everything is fine, his daughter is caressing the white hair of the boy he love while he takes a nap on her lap.

He wasn't sure what was the difference but for some reason, he realizes how happy her daughter look in that very moment and how grown she has become.

Several days ago she was still her little princess who craves her daddy attention and love, now she has a boyfriend and before you know it he will walk alongside with her daughter down the aisle, wearing a beautiful white wedding dress-

Afraid of finishing his thoughts, he prayed instead, "God, I would do anything if the days last a bit longer, so I can spend some time with my little girl where she can just be my little girl. Just a bit longer."

Not as a single word left from his mouth but his wife understood very well the emotion he is experiencing when she saw how bright their daughter is glowing.

Conflicted, they want the best for their daughter but they don't want to let their daughter go.

As Earnst said beforehand, he changed his mind of disturbing their moment being together, and once they confirmed the kids were truly safe, he walks away, again and his wife, quietly follow along but this time, both of them walk away with tears in their eyes.

Once they both walk far enough that the kids won't hear them talking, with her beloved husband to his side, she said to him, "Dear... You know even as our daughter gets older, even when she has her own family, marrying the man she loves who is definitely gonna be Carl, even when she becomes a parent herself, she will always... always be our little girl. You know that right?"

"There is nothing that will ever take our daughter from us. And Carl certainly won't steal her from us either, he is as much as a family... as a son to us as Silvijia is our daughter." She tries to comforts her distressed husband, but her word was also meant to comfort herself as well and he realizes this when he saw a teardrop on her cheek.

"Thank you, love. You always know the right word to say." He wipe off the tear from her cheek with his thumb as he kissed her on the lips to comfort her back.

*

*

*

As they both continue walking away, Earnst said to himself. "It seems that my sense is getting dulled. Perhaps I am getting old for the Mercenary lifestyle. Should I consider retiring..."

"Nonsense." His wife quickly told him. "My husband is still young and strong. But..." She stopped before giving her husband a look that defined the meaning of bedroom eye. "I don't mind at all if you were to retire early. After all, I have everything to gain and nothing to lose..." Anastasia purred like a cat as she cling to her husband arms once more but this time, she press her breast to her husband arm even more.

This was more than enough to excite the husband, despite having married to each other for longer than a decade now. It is not rare for married couples bedrooms to be dead as they lack sexual intimacy and other possible reason but those two can be mistaken as an actual newly married couple.

As the two continue walking away, Earnst look behind the empty hallway one last time before thinking to himself. "Perhaps it was truly just my imagination."

Little did he know, he was not imagining things.

Someone did leave the room and it was not the kids nor the cat.

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