Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 365

An hour later, Irene was sitting on the sofa, holding the baby in her arms.

Next to her, Michael was holding a toy with colorful rattles, a small cloth doll, and even a butterfly-shaped mobile.

“I think she’s finally asleep.”

When Irene spoke softly, seeing that the baby didn’t wake even when she moved, Reyna, who was standing across from her with her hands clasped tightly, began to tear up.

“Oh my, Ruby has finally…”

Though she was on the verge of tears, Reyna couldn’t raise her voice.

She worried that even a slightly loud sound might wake the baby who had just barely fallen asleep.

Besides, the baby could always recognize her own name, Ruby, as if by magic.

Tears welled up in Reyna’s eyes, and soon they were streaming down her cheeks as she began to cry in earnest.

She made almost no sound, but her silent sobs were nearly the same as wailing. Felix patted Reyna’s shoulder and said to Irene and Michael, almost as if to explain,

“I’m sorry. Ruby just wouldn’t go to sleep… It’s already been a week, and Reyna’s been exhausted.”

There were dark circles under Felix’s eyes as well.

Both of them looked drawn and puffy, clear signs they’d struggled for an entire week.

“I’m sorry for making you deal with this as soon as you arrived… It’s just that, in the past, when you held Ruby, she always… hiic… seemed to sleep well…”

Reyna wiped away tears, speaking in a small voice.

Her trembling voice showed just how tired she’d been this past week.

Since Reyna couldn’t stop crying, Irene said to Reyna and Felix,

“I’ll hold Ruby for now, so why don’t you both take a short break? You both look really exhausted.”

At those words, both of their faces lit up at once.

“But…”

“If you say something like ‘we can’t ask a guest to watch the baby’, I’ll be disappointed, so go and rest quickly. Both of you look like you need it.”

When Irene spoke more firmly, Reyna and Felix stood up, looking a little embarrassed, and bowed deeply.

“Then… please watch her for just an hour. If anything happens, call us right away.”

“I’ll come back as soon as Reyna falls asleep.”

With those words, the two of them went into the inner room on the first floor.

For a while, Irene could hear Reyna’s sniffles from inside, but soon it grew quiet.

Michael listened toward the room, and after a moment, he gave a wry smile and said,

“They’re both sound asleep. They must have been truly exhausted.”

“I’m sure. Felix said he hadn’t really slept for a whole week, either.”

With that, Irene looked down at the baby in her arms.

She looked just like a sleeping angel.

But when Irene had first arrived at the house, the baby had been screaming like a guardian of hell who’d just lost its prey.

She’d cried so furiously that even Michael had to cover his ears for a moment.

Reyna had pleaded for help and handed the baby, who’d been in Felix’s arms, to Irene.

And, as if by magic, Ruby had gradually stopped crying.

Michael hadn’t been able to just stand by, either.

He enthusiastically shook the toy that Felix handed him right next to them.

Little by little, the crying lessened, and before long, Ruby was even giggling.

“Ruby laughed!”

“Oh my! Sir Michael, shake it even harder! Yes, more, even more vigorously!”

Reyna and Felix, as if witnessing a miracle, cheered them on in desperation.

After an hour of that, Ruby finally fell asleep.

Michael carefully put down the toy and massaged his arms.

Even after cutting down countless monsters, he’d never been this tired, but after soothing a crying baby for just one hour, he felt nearly faint.

“It really… isn’t easy.”

Michael’s expression became more serious than ever.

The childcare books he’d read said that calming a fussy baby was a very difficult task.

Honestly, even as he read that, Michael hadn’t thought much of it.

He’d thought, ‘What could possibly be hard with my stamina?’

But now he realized just how mistaken he’d been.

Putting a baby to sleep was an unbelievably grueling task.

“I’ll hold her… no, never mind.”

Michael, about to take Ruby from Irene since she looked tired, withdrew his hands the moment the baby stirred.

Irene couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“It’s harder than you thought, right?”

“Yes. Honestly… I never imagined it would be this difficult.”

Just as Irene was about to ask if he regretted it, Michael spoke up again.

“I think I’ve underestimated childcare. Now that I know, I’m even more determined. I’m sure I’ll be able to take even better care of our child. You don’t need to worry at all. I’ll do it all. Holding, feeding, putting to sleep, bathing—everything.”