Choosing the Baby’s Father From the Following – Chapter 79

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕𝟗
I couldn’t understand it.

Of course, I know that they’re preparing my winter clothes until the chest bursts, but Cal is only returning to his own territory, so there’s no need for separate preparations.

Then Phoebe gulped.

“Callisto…… His Grace the Grand Duke.”

I quietly watched the maid’s lips as they moved.

“Actually, he received urgent news from the Imperial Palace……”

“Urgent news?”

Phoebe, finally revealing the anxious expression she had been barely concealing, said,

“His Majesty told me not to tell you because he would be worried. If he finds out I told you, I’ll be scolded, Your Highness.”

“……Who is your master?”

Phoebe whimpered.

“Your Highness! But Your Highness is pregnant, and I have a duty to protect you and Baby-nim safely……!”

“……Phoebe.”

I cut her off sharply, and Phoebe finally opened her mouth.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has been deposed.”

“What?”

“And……”

Phoebe reached into her bosom and fumbled, pulling out a letter.

“This is a letter from the Imperial Palace, Your Highness.”

Then she got off the bed, knelt on the floor, and bowed her head.

“Please forgive me for not delivering it on time.”

I clenched my hand, crumpling the letter in my grasp.

“Then this letter shouldn’t contain anything about my brother being in danger.”

Phoebe firmly asserted,

“His Highness Lurik is the only son of Brentania who will become the next Crown Prince, so he’s safe, of course.”

Up to that point, it was exactly as I had told Helena.

But before I even opened the letter, I realized one thing while listening to Phoebe’s words.

‘The difference from the novel, and thus the unforeseen fact.’

It included not only Ren but also myself.

And that’s why Callisto left my side.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

“How could you not tell me? It’s news about my brother!”

His blue eyes avoided my gaze, unsure of what to do.

Callisto replied in a dejected voice,

“I didn’t want to worry you. Even if you knew, nothing would change……”

“Are we, by any chance, running away to Babenberg? Are you afraid that Her Majesty the Empress will harm me out of anger?”

He paused momentarily at my words and then tilted his head.

“Running away? Me?”

Isn’t that right?

Perhaps I’ve been too disrespectful to the Grand Duke of the North right now.

He replied in disbelief,

“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. Even in a hut on a mountainside, not here, do you think there’s anything I can’t protect you from?”

He seemed to have calmed down a bit and looked at me.

His blue eyes, which quickly regained their composure, were calm.

Callisto continued to explain slowly,

“This place has been prepared for two months. Some of the Babenberg Knights and a few wizards from the Magic Tower are here as well. The reason I didn’t tell you anything is that I was that confident. Meaningless intrusions are insignificant enough that you don’t need to know.”

“Th-then, in Babenberg……”

At that moment, a knock was heard.

—Knock, knock.

The door opened, and Ernst appeared.

I was surprised to see him, as I didn’t even know he was at the hotel.

“Erni?”

Ernst smiled awkwardly.

“I told him to go to Babenberg. To give our Empress a good taste of her own medicine while you’re away.”

“What?”

Ernst coughed artificially, “Ahem, ahem.”

“I didn’t say anything, but I have a lot of pent-up frustration too, you know. You don’t know that the Empress has been spreading all sorts of rumors to get the Flavi Royal Family to send you a proposal, do you?”

Without giving me time to answer, he added,

“Of course you don’t. That’s because I tried to keep it from you. Why drag me into it when she wants to provoke the Grand Duke? Anyway.”

Ernst’s golden eyes curved into crescents.

“The duration of the Ice Festival should be enough. It’s been discussed with His Highness Lurik, so don’t worry.”

I was surprised and asked,

“Really? My brother allowed the trip to Babenberg?”

Ernst repeated, as if asking what I had heard,

“He has things to do here while you’re away.”

Thinking about it, this would be a pretty good opportunity for Lurik.

If the Empress tries to harm the youngest princess who is not her own blood, and if the Emperor turns a blind eye to it, it would be a good justification for Lurik’s revolution.

As I was calculating that far, Ernst added,

“But one thing……”

“Yes?”

He stepped closer to me and lowered his voice.

“I haven’t told Ren yet.”

I sighed deeply, meeting Ernst’s eyes.

The reason why they couldn’t tell Ren was obvious.

‘Ren, for whatever reason, wouldn’t be able to stand the sight of me and Callisto traveling to Babenberg together, whether we take Phoebe or not.’

But apart from that, my heart raced at the mention of Ren’s name.

‘If Lurik is that serious, I should get Ren out of there soon.’

In the novel, when Lurik raised a rebellion and attempted to usurp the throne, Ren shut himself in the Magic Tower and refused the Emperor’s summons.

I didn’t properly describe that part and skipped over it, but the reason why Ren acted that way was obvious.

‘He secluded himself after Louise’s death, what else?’

If the Tower Master doesn’t appear as in the novel, Lurik might be able to seize the Imperial Palace in a single night.

But now, Ren is in the Imperial Palace.

‘Things might be different if Ren is there.’

It’s not something I set up, but Ren said there was something called the ‘Tower Master’s Oath.’

Seeing Moghald’s case, I couldn’t help but consider the possibility that the Tower Master has a duty to protect the Imperial Family.

“Wouldn’t he find out anyway……?”

I asked absentmindedly, and Ernst chuckled.

“He seems quite busy right now. He might be a little angry, but well.”

Phoebe, who had been in the corner, suddenly intervened.

“Your Highness, just think about Baby-nim. If Your Highness is happy and joyful, so will Baby-nim. You got it?”

I looked back and forth between Callisto and Ernst.

‘They’ve been bickering the whole time.’

It was amazing how they managed to reach such a perfect agreement at this moment.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

Until the promised day of departure, I couldn’t even see Callisto’s nose, so I doubted this sudden trip to Babenberg until the last moment.

‘Are they trying to reassure me with a trip and then scheme something else among themselves?’

However, when the promised day arrived, Callisto came to find me, dressed in Babenberg’s attire for the first time in a while.

“Are you ready?”

I nodded slightly nervously, and he smiled, relaxing his lips as if bewildered.

“Ready? Babenberg is cold. I told them to heat it up to the point of being hot, but I don’t know if it will be okay for you.”

Callisto said so and took off his cloak to drape it over me.

‘He’s already given me plenty of outerwear……’

However, I seemed to understand the meaning behind the cloak, so I silently put on Callisto’s cloak.

He carefully fastened the hem with his large hands and said,

“Using the palace gate will leave a trace, so although the ride might be a bit uncomfortable, I’ll open a disposable gate. It’s inconvenient not having that wizard around at times like this.”

A moment later, Callisto and I stood facing the empty hallway across from my room.

Behind us were the two Knight Commanders of Babenberg, the Brentania Imperial Guard who would be traveling with us, and Phoebe.

But for some reason, Ernst was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Erni?”

Callisto answered kindly,

“Ernst has something to do. He asked me to tell you he’s sorry he couldn’t see you off.”

I thought he would at least come out to see me off.

“Really?”

I gave him a suspicious look for a brief moment, but Callisto immediately nodded.

The single, concise nod showed no sign of falsehood.

Finally, in the distance down the hallway, I could faintly see a small ball bouncing, “tong, tong.”

“Oh, this……”

Only then did I properly examine Callisto’s expression.

The corners of his lips were slightly raised, and his blue eyes were wider than usual.

“Yes, you’ve seen it before, haven’t you?”

His speech was only slightly faster, so you wouldn’t notice unless you listened carefully.

He was clearly delighted with this trip.

The bouncing ball began to draw a large door in the middle of the hallway.

“Then, excuse me for a moment.”

And before the door was even finished, Callisto swept me up in his arms.

“Whoa? Cal, you don’t have to go this far……!”

“I have to. Close your eyes.”

A gentle smile played on his lips as he spoke with certainty.

As we stepped through the door, my vision began to flash dazzlingly.

“Lou, eyes.”

Only at his voice did I tightly close my eyes.

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