How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 359

—Squeak, squeak, squeak.

 

Every time Titiana took energetic steps with her short legs, cute squeaking sounds rang out.

 

The child, who loved the sound, kept walking down the long hallway without stopping.

 

But how fast could a child who had only just turned thirty months old really walk?

 

The nanny, her personal maid, and her guard, Leona, took one step for every two or three steps the child took. Even so, they had no trouble keeping up.

 

“Sqwee, squeak. Squeak. Squeak.”

 

*Squeak, squeak, squeak.*

 

Imitating the sound of her shoes with her mouth as she walked diligently, the child finally stopped in front of the eastern lobby entrance at the end of the third-floor hallway.

 

The lobby, once filled with antique decorations, had been remodeled into something resembling a café after Titiana’s second birthday.

 

‘If she’s my daughter… she should be getting interested in cooking around now.’

 

But unlike the kitchen at Howard, the kitchen in Ajas Castle was far too large and full of dangers.

 

What if a child as talented at hide-and-seek as Titiana intentionally sneaked into the kitchen and touched the oven? Or accidentally grabbed a kitchen knife?

 

Not only would the child be in danger, but what had the kitchen staff done to deserve that?

 

So Raenel had filled the lobby at the end of the third-floor corridor with all kinds of bread and cookies, chocolates and cakes, jams and whipped cream.

 

It had started small, but after Rake began raiding the lobby’s cookie supply, the café gradually grew in scale. Any servant working in the castle could use it freely.

 

However, there was one unspoken rule—

 

‘Ah, it’s the young miss.’

 

‘Looks like today’s a “just take it” day?’

 

Thanks to the squeaky shoes, the servants noticed Titiana’s presence long before she arrived. While deliberately looking elsewhere, they focused all their attention on the lobby entrance.

 

“Shh, shhh!”

 

There was no door at the entrance to the lobby. Naturally, everyone inside had already noticed the round back of Titiana’s head long ago.

 

But unaware of that fact, the child was busy shushing her companions.

 

“Yes, Miss. We’ll stay here.”

 

“We’ll keep watch and see if anyone comes.”

 

As the nanny, maid, and Leona nodded, the servants busily moved about.

 

‘Looks like today’s a sneak-in mission.’

 

‘If I keep looking this way, it should be fine, right?’

 

There were two ways Titiana took snacks from this café.

 

One: simply walk in and take them.

 

Two: infiltrate secretly and take them without being caught.

 

When Titiana toddled in normally, people could greet her with, “Hello, Miss.”

 

But when she crawled in low to the ground saying “Shh, shh” like now, no one was allowed to even make eye contact.

 

Because if her infiltration failed, Titiana would burst into tears.

 

–Crash!

 

“Hyaaah…!”

 

Just as the servants desperately pretended not to notice her, staring out the windows or at the cookies on the shelves, the loud sound of a tray falling echoed from near the entrance.

 

Everyone flinched in surprise, but no one turned around.

 

Instead, one of the servants making drinks silently counted to five before looking toward the sound.

 

“Oh dear, why did this fall…? Was it unbalanced…?”

 

Beneath the shelf where the tray had fallen, in a narrow space only a small child could fit into, Titiana was lying flat like a turtle.

 

Her little feet, bare after taking off her shoes, and her tiny bottom sticking out from under the shelf immediately drew attention.

 

Even so, every servant clenched their teeth to suppress the laughter threatening to escape.

 

“Pfft—cough, cough!”

 

“Did it go down the wrong way? That’s what happens when you eat too fast.”

 

As the servants noisily patted one another’s backs and shoulders, Titiana wriggled out from under the shelf and looked around.

 

After confirming that her infiltration had gone unnoticed, she reached up onto the shelf, grabbed a few cookies, and hurried outside.

 

“Ta-da! Titi didn’t get caught!”

 

Even if you really weren’t caught, wouldn’t shouting that as soon as you leave give you away, Miss…?

 

Everyone thought the same thing, but not a single servant looked outside.

 

Instead, they kept staring at the walls and ceiling until her giggling faded into the distance.

 

“One, one, one.”

 

Titiana had taken a total of five cookies. She gave one each to her nanny, maid, and Leona, leaving two cookies in her hands.

 

Holding one in each hand, she once again walked down the hallway with squeaky steps.

 

She had been diligently retracing her path when her steps suddenly stopped after spotting Noah in the distance.

 

“**Brother!**”

 

Spreading her arms wide, Titiana quickened her pace, and the squeaking grew louder.

 

Afraid she might fall while running with such an unstable posture, Noah closed the distance in an instant and lifted her into his arms.

 

“Titi, Brother told you not to run—”

 

As Noah scolded her in a stern voice, a cookie was shoved into his mouth.

 

Unable to speak with his mouth full of cookie, Noah looked at Titiana, who smiled brightly.

 

“Tasty?”

 

“……”

 

This wasn’t the first time this had happened, so Noah managed to chew and swallow the cookie somehow.

 

“Titi, Br—”

 

“Tasty? It’s Titi’s, but I’ll give Brother more.”

 

Seeing her grinning face made a smile naturally rise from deep within him.

 

After quickly swallowing the second cookie, Noah kissed Titiana on the cheek.

 

“Thank you. Since Titi gave it to me, it tastes much better than usual.”

 

“Right?”

 

“I’ll pick out snacks for Titi. Let’s go.”

 

“Let’s go!”

 

Wrapping her arms tightly around Noah’s neck, Titiana happily hummed a completely off-key tune.

 

Then suddenly, her face turned serious.

 

“But why doesn’t Brother go squeak?”

 

“Hm? Ah, that’s because Brother’s shoes are normal. Only Titi’s shoes are special.”

 

“Then should Titi give hers to Brother? Brother wear them.”

 

Patting his shoulder insistently, Titiana made Noah quickly lower himself and set her down.

 

If he didn’t, she would jump out of his arms on her own.

 

Squatting with her little bottom sticking out behind her, the child took off her shoes and stepped back.

 

Soft carpets had been laid throughout the halls and stairways in case Titiana, who often ran around on her own, fell.

 

Even so, worried his little sister might get hurt, Noah quickly lifted her up again the moment her bare feet touched the floor.

 

Accustomed to being lifted around by her father and brother, Titiana naturally wrapped her arms around Noah’s neck.

 

“Brother wear them. Brother go squeak too.”

 

“Brother’s feet are too big to wear Titi’s shoes. If I force them on, they’ll break.”

 

At those words, Titiana wore an extremely serious expression.

 

“Mmm… that won’t do…”

 

“Then how about this? Brother will do the walking, and Titi can do the squeaking.”

 

“Okay?”

 

While Noah held the child, the personal maid who had stepped back earlier carefully approached and put the shoes back onto Titiana’s feet.

 

“Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.”

 

As Noah started walking again, Titiana swung her short legs in his arms and made squeaking sounds.

 

But after doing it more than ten times, she started panting from exhaustion.

 

“Phew… Titi tired. Brother do it.”

 

“Should I?”

 

Suppressing his laughter, Noah began making squeaking noises with his mouth every time he took a step.

 

The child who had been panting soon started squeaking along with her brother.

 

Even the people following behind them unconsciously made squeaking sounds too, only to meet one another’s eyes and quietly swallow their laughter.

 

Matching their footsteps to the children’s *squeak, squeak* sounds.

 

* * *

 

“…And so, the two of them lived happily ever after.”

 

“Waaah, happy! Happy!”

 

Titiana, who loved the word *happy*, clapped her hands while lying on the bed.

 

Her blue eyes, exactly like her father’s, were as bright as daylight.

 

In other words, she was still wide awake even though it was already bedtime.

 

‘They said she took a rather long nap today.’

 

It looked like there was no choice but to read her one more storybook.

 

“Then next…”

 

“That one, that one!”

 

I immediately knew which book Titiana was pointing at with her short finger.

 

But pretending not to know, I picked up the storybook beside it.

 

“How about this one? It’s a story about a cute cat and dog.”

 

Titiana shook her head with all her might.

 

“Nex’ to it, nex’ to it.”

 

“The one next to it? This one? An adventure story about a cute fairy and a brave hero?”

 

“Mm-mm!”

 

She shook her head even harder than before. Worried she might get dizzy, I finally picked up the book she actually wanted.

 

“This one?”

 

“Mm! That one!”

 

Beaming, the child immediately jumped up on the bed and came over to me.

 

Then she confidently leaned her back against my stomach and settled into place.

 

“Open it.”

 

Swallowing a sigh, I opened the book so thick that even the current Titiana couldn’t lift it by herself.

 

The *Monster Encyclopedia*—

 

the one that had undergone its **345th revision** earlier this year.

 

* * *