Choosing the Baby’s Father From the Following – Chapter 124

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝟒

The success rate was low, but parallel travel magic was the only way to extend my short, short lifespan.

It was the only way to keep the baby in my womb alive.

To escape the moment when the thread of fate breaks, I had to go to another world.

Moghald said it was the most reckless thing to do, as he didn’t know where that world was or how long I would have to stay there.

“But if I somehow manage to return, I can escape fate and continue to live, right?”

“You won’t remember anything. Not only will you forget the child’s father, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll continue to love the baby in your womb. Even if the time in the parallel world feels like an eternity, it’s like a fleeting moment here!”

Moghald roared, but I stubbornly persisted.

“If you don’t help me, I’ll go and tell Ren. Ren would cling to even that sliver of hope!”

I don’t know why Moghald changed his mind after I said that out of spite.

“……I will help you. So, don’t tell Ren.”

Not only Ren, but I couldn’t tell anyone.

My pregnancy, the gamble with the discontinued magic, and the fact that I would die if the gamble failed were all secrets.

Before the decisive day, Moghald said,

“To increase the success rate, we need Ren. To be precise, we need his method of travel.”

“Ren’s method of travel?”

He nodded.

“You already know that Ren travels long distances by igniting flames with magic stone powder. This may seem similar to a gate at first glance, but it’s a completely different concept.”

Moghald explained that a gate is a method of traveling very quickly through a virtual path built by mages.

On the other hand, Ren’s flame travel uses the substance of earth as a medium to jump over the space before the destination.

“The farther your soul is from this world, Your Highness, the higher the probability of transferring to another world. Ren’s method is perfect for this.”

That’s why I ended up using Ren’s flames when I returned to the Imperial Palace.

‘The me who returns won’t be myself……?’

Since I had to sacrifice my memories as the price for the magic, even if I was lucky enough to return, I wouldn’t remember anything.

‘Then I have to tell someone about my pregnancy beforehand……’

I couldn’t tell Cal.

There was no guarantee that I would definitely return.

If I died while pregnant with his child, Callisto would be in too much pain.

I couldn’t tell Phoebe either.

Phoebe would blame herself for my reckless behavior and even my death.

The only one left was Ernst.

He would save me from trouble, even if it meant pretending to be the child’s father.

And behind the scenes, he would strive to find the real father.

‘Of course, if something happens to me, he’ll keep this a complete secret.’

Ernst was that trustworthy of a friend to me.

So, before leaving for the Imperial Palace, I wrote him a letter.

I’m sorry, Erni.

But only you can help me.

I’m pregnant.

It was a letter that might not even have my name on it, but Ernst was the only one who could recognize my handwriting just by looking at the first letter.

So I traveled along Ren’s flames, and Moghald must have succeeded with the parallel travel magic.

I completely forgot about everything in Brentania and lived as someone else.

It was a lonely and difficult life.

Unaware that the loneliness was due to the family, friends, and lover I left behind, I struggled even there.

Before I died young from an unfortunate illness, there was a story that kept swirling in my head.

The fact that I, who had always avoided writing, was able to write such a long story in an instant was because the story wasn’t fiction.

‘Then what about Helena? How did I write about Helena?’

While I may not know about others, Helena wasn’t a character I originally knew.

Then I realized.

‘Maybe it’s like the revelation of death.’

There is someone who completed the parallel travel magic, which had such a low probability of success, and brought me back, even changing the fate of the Empire.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

A little while ago, at the Magic Tower’s treatment room.

Ren couldn’t understand why his master’s condition was only getting worse despite all his efforts.

‘Wake up, old man. Please……’

If only he would wake up, he would scold Ren and tell him to pull himself together.

He would tell him to just wish for Louise’s happiness, and that respecting her choice, regardless of who the baby’s father is, is true love.

But now, with Moghald sleeping like this, there was no one who could say those words to Ren.

Everyone was terrified of Ren.

They treated him like a ticking time bomb that no one could control.

Not that they were wrong.

In Ren’s heart, there was still a rage that wanted to go to Babenberg and burn down the Grand Duke’s castle.

If Louise lost her place and needed protection again, she would come back.

He had trained her well enough to know that his side was the safest on this continent.

The Imperial Family’s most cowardly youngest.

He had so desperately wished that his arms would be the only place she could hide.

Ren covered his mouth with his hand, feeling like he was going to vomit.

He hadn’t been eating properly for weeks, focusing only on caring for his master, so his body was starting to show signs of trouble.

‘I wish I could just disappear from the world like this……’

If he could only save his master’s life by pouring the remaining magic into him, Ren thought that would be easier.

He didn’t have the confidence to live on like this and wish for Louise’s happiness.

He wanted to have her, to hold her.

He could have done better.

Ren had recently investigated the magic potions he might have taken with the pharmacist and narrowed down a few that matched his symptoms.

“Um……, but Tower Master. If someone drank this……”

The pharmacist pointed to an insomnia treatment called ‘Illusia’.

“This is a relatively new drug, so it can be detected in the user’s body. How about asking the patient for permission and trying the reagent?”

Why was he so scared when he heard those words?

Ren instinctively said defensively,

“It’s been a long time since they took the medicine. It’s unlikely that it’s still accumulated in their body.”

The pharmacist, unaware that the patient Ren was talking about was himself, innocently replied,

“But if they are still experiencing side effects, there might be remnants of the drug in their body. Judging from the severe side effects, they must have taken it for a long time or overdosed.”

‘Illusia’ was odorless, but Ren couldn’t bring himself to taste it.

He was afraid that it might taste familiar, and he was also anxious about experiencing side effects if he consumed it.

Meanwhile, the nightmares continued.

He once couldn’t understand Louise believing in those ridiculous dreams, but it was different when it happened to him.

The recurring dream inevitably felt significant.

Ren was so anxious that maybe nothing had happened that night.

He thought of Prillice’s face.

She didn’t resemble him, but she didn’t resemble anyone else either.

His baby, whom he had loved since she was in the womb, resembled only Louise.

Ren was happy about that without a hint of resentment.

The wedding ceremony declared by the Emperor was only ten days away.

If he wanted to meet the Grand Duke and confront him, the right thing to do was to try the reagent as the pharmacist suggested.

‘It can’t be. There’s no way a madman who would use magic potions on me exists on this continent.’

Ren’s thoughts kept going in circles.

Just then, the Tower Master’s necklace flashed a terrifying light.

Without a second thought, Ren immediately scattered magic stone powder.

The signal linked to the necklace came from only one place.

From his and Louise’s beloved baby.

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