𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒
How much time had passed?
―Bang!
Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the fireplace.
Startled, I instinctively jumped up and ran towards the door.
But in the next moment, a white, translucent membrane climbed up the walls, sealing the room off from the outside.
‘Oh……!’
Then came the sound of coughing.
“Cough!”
With my nerves on edge, I stared at the smoke-billowing fireplace as something pitch black swelled and expanded.
“Aah!”
I screamed in surprise, and the blackness shed its dust-covered robe and frowned.
“You always get surprised by this.”
……So, it was Ren.
His blue-violet eyes beneath his jet-black hair flashed with displeasure, then softened as soon as they met mine.
“I told you not to make loud noises. Unlike ordinary people, mages have sensitive senses, so every time you do that, I suffer immensely.”
He approached me, extending his hand.
I stood frozen as his ash-covered palm touched my forehead.
The scent of the hearth and embers emanated from him as he drew closer.
“Do you have a slight fever?”
However, his hand was too hot to tell if I had a fever.
Unsure, he tilted his head and touched his own forehead.
Every time Ren moved his chin, the afternoon sunlight shattered against his healthy almond-colored cheeks, sparkling like gold dust.
Even the ash from the fireplace clinging to his thick, black eyelashes was beautiful, leaving me speechless.
‘Why, why are they all so handsome……’
You guys aren’t even main characters!
‘The one with the handsome setting was Crown Prince Ernst……’
Aah, there shouldn’t be a ‘handsome’ requirement for an ideal baby daddy!
‘Or is there?’
Well, ‘handsomeness’ does tend to be hereditary.
While I was lost in thought, Ren grumbled again.
“I told you to write down your exact symptoms when you’re sick. If you had just honestly said you missed me, I would have forgiven you, Lou.”
Flirting with that face on our first meeting.
As I remained silent, unable to respond, Ren tilted his head again.
“Lou, are you really sick? I was hoping you just called because you missed me.”
No, how did the situation turn out like this?
As a single woman from a Confucian country, I was extremely confused, especially since there was another man who was supposed to propose to me.
‘Should I be straightforward in this situation?’
So I said,
“Ren, I……”
“Yes?”
The Tower Master’s dark eyes sparkled innocently.
“I’m pregnant.”
🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹
Silence fell.
I watched as Ren’s face froze, briefly flushed like a flower, and then finally calmed down.
Of course, this young Tower Master remained perfectly handsome throughout all these stages.
‘Although I like him best when his face is flushed……’
Then he came closer, embraced me, and stayed still for a long time.
‘Ah…… He must be the baby daddy after all.’
As I was relieved by the unexpected success, he asked,
“Who knows?”
I looked at him in bewilderment.
If he’s the baby daddy, isn’t this a very inappropriate thing to say immediately after hearing the news of the pregnancy?
‘But if he’s not the baby daddy, he shouldn’t have hugged me, right?’
However, Ren simply waited for my answer with a face that seemed almost sorrowful.
He stroked my hair endlessly.
“……No one.”
As I managed to answer, he sighed in relief.
“Come here.”
As if he were moving around in his own room, Ren naturally led me to the bed and sat me down.
“I will protect you. You will not experience any pain. You know that, right?”
So…… you’re the baby daddy?
Unable to ask him directly, I said something else.
“Well, you see, Grand Duke Callisto is going to propose to me at the victory celebration……”
Ren exclaimed,
“That crazy bastard.”
Then, as if he hadn’t said anything, he closed his mouth for a moment before speaking kindly.
“That’s impossible. That won’t happen. It will never happen, so don’t worry.”
I hope it’s just my imagination that his violet eyes are gleaming like a madman’s.
He hid his menacing gaze and forced a smile.
“What about being sick?”
“I, I have morning sickness…… I feel like I’m going to throw up all day.”
“Poor Lou.”
Ren lowered his head and kissed my forehead.
All his movements were so natural, adding points every time he moved.
‘He’s the baby daddy, he’s the baby daddy……’
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Ren spoke affectionately.
“You need medicine, and for various preparations, I think you’ll have to come to the Magic Tower. Until then, drink this.”
What he took out of his pocket and handed me was tea in a triangular tea bag.
“Brew one bag as soon as you wake up in the morning and drink it throughout the day. Tell Phoebe it’s good for your skin.”
I felt reassured seeing him naturally mention my maid’s name.
‘Yes, he’s the baby daddy. There’s no doubt.’
At this point, I should take a gamble, right?
“This tea, is it safe? I’m worried it might be bad for my…… baby.”
As if I had hit the bullseye, Ren twitched his eyebrows and said,
“Of course it’s safe. For ‘our’ baby.”
His black pupils were incredibly clear, and his tone was undeniably certain.
As I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, he called me tenderly.
“Lou.”
“Yes?”
However, what he said next was unexpected again.
“Let’s keep this a secret from Erni for now.”
Erni.
That was the signature Crown Prince Ernst used at the end of his letters.
‘They’re really close, as expected.’
They mentioned each other’s names freely in their letters, but hearing them naturally call each other by their nicknames made me even more certain.
“Why……?”
If you’re pregnant, you should prepare quickly and either get married or run away. What does Erni have to do with this?
Thinking that, I asked, and Ren shrugged.
“I can predict what Cal will do, but not Erni. He’s the kind of brain I’d love to dissect first if live experiments were allowed.”
Ernst, he’s a crown prince of a country, isn’t he……?
Ren said something terrifying so casually and then got up.
“I might not be able to return before your brother. If that happens, I’ll send you the medicine with instructions first.”
“Okay.”
He smiled gently and stroked my hair.
“What did I say?”
What did he say?
I stared blankly at his firm cheeks, then realized the answer.
“……You said you would protect me.”
A charming smile appeared in his long, narrow eyes.
“I said you wouldn’t experience any pain. I, Tower Master Ren Dapht, said that. Lou, don’t be scared and just stay here.”
Those were the most reassuring words I had heard since I woke up in Brentania as Louise.
“Okay.”
If such a great mage is the baby daddy, wouldn’t things work out somehow……
‘He said let’s keep it a secret, but he didn’t seem to dislike the idea at all.’
Fortunately, it’s not the unwelcome single mom route.
Ren returned to the fireplace with a regretful expression and lit the embers.
“Phew.”
As he put his robe back on, there was a light gust of wind.
Something like a black flame engulfed Ren, a brief whirlwind blew, and then everything disappeared.
“……That was surprising.”
It seemed like he used the embers to move.
The translucent white membrane that had enveloped the room was slowly receding.
I quickly put the tea bag Ren gave me into the teapot.
―Knock, knock.
There was a knock, and Phoebe hurriedly opened the door.
“His Highness Lurik has entered the capital! He’s on a victory march, but he should arrive by the evening after tomorrow!”
Hurry up and steep.
Like the people of the ‘ppalli ppalli’ nation, I shook the teapot and forced a smile towards Phoebe.
“Yes, I miss him terribly.”
As long as I can successfully hide the fact that I’m pregnant.
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