Chapter 97: Side Story (Episode 17)

“…Yes?”

Riorem repeated as if in a groan.

His face, as beautiful as a painting, was filled only with confusion. It seemed he simply couldn’t comprehend what I had just said.

I burst out laughing.

“There’s a child. Your child.”

Had he finally understood?

Riorem’s expression twisted into a complete mess.

There was no trace of joy on his face—only embarrassment.

As if he had committed some terrible sin.

“…My child, you say?”

“Of course. Who else could it be besides you?”

I felt the smile deepen on my lips.

Riorem’s reaction was closer to self-reproach. That, too, was so very Riorem.

I cupped his cheek, still flushed with confusion and embarrassment. As I pressed quick, soft kisses to his forehead, damp with cold sweat, the arms wrapped around my waist trembled slightly.

Under the midday sun filtering into the bedroom, a pair of blue eyes looked at me.

Gazing into those eyes—deep and shifting like the ocean—I thought it would be wonderful if our child inherited those beautiful blue eyes.

‘Though if that happens, Riorem will surely be even more unsettled.’

He was a man already so shaken just by the fact that I carried his child.

If the child had blue eyes just like his instead of the golden eyes inherited from the Imperial Family, he would no doubt blame himself like mad.

That thought was utterly endearing.

I stroked Riorem’s hair, damp and disheveled from sweat.

“So, is that all you wanted to say to me?”

“……”

Even after saying so much, his stiff face hardly softened.

Rather, as if breathing itself was a crime, he quietly stared at me with a deeply darkened expression.

“…I am happy.”

“And?”

“I am very… grateful and honored. But……”

“But?”

Riorem hesitated.

A trembling breath escaped from between his now parched lips.

“Is this… okay? How dare I……”

His voice sank into unease, trembling in the daylight.

“How dare someone like me… bring about something like this……”

I waited silently for him to continue.

But no complete sentence ever came. He seemed confused, unsure how to respond or what to say.

So, I helped him clarify his thoughts.

“You mean, how could the seed of a mere slave dare to sprout within a Noble Womb?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

Despite using such extreme wording, Riorem showed no sign of agitation.

Instead, he looked up at me calmly, as if that expression was perfectly justified.

“How adorable.”

I voiced my thoughts aloud.

Perhaps sensing the sticky heat mixed in my voice, Riorem’s shoulders twitched sharply.

Feigning ignorance, I showered continuous kisses on his cheeks, forehead, and lips.

I probably would never fully understand this man.

If it were me, I would feel exhilarated to know my child was growing inside such a precious body.

‘But… I can’t deny how much this part of Riorem pleases me.’

I met eyes with a man who could neither rejoice nor despair.

“Try to be a little happier. It’s your first pregnancy, after all. I don’t want to hear too many apologies.”

“I’m sorry……”

“I told you to be happy.”

At my words, Riorem let out a short sigh.

“Is that really alright?”

“Of course. You’re carrying the child of the man I love.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed roughly.

His strong arms carefully pulled me close.

It was a hug that both sought to confirm I was truly in his embrace yet feared to squeeze too tightly and break me.

I waited a long while after that, but Riorem never smiled.

Even that was so very Riorem.

The next morning was exactly as I had expected.

Before dawn, Riorem left the house to cross the mountain. He bought fresh milk from the neighboring village and picked a few wild strawberries on his way back.

By the time I woke up, everything was already prepared.

I nibbled on the strawberries, watching Riorem. The skin beneath his eyes was noticeably dark.

Had his harsh life finally caught up to him? Riorem was normally very strong.

His face wouldn’t look that worn from missing just one night’s sleep.

He must have suffered deeply all night.

I pretended not to notice and focused on eating the wild strawberries on my plate.

His exhausted appearance was rather endearing to me.

What happened next pleased me as well.

When I finished eating and stood from my chair, Riorem, pale-faced and lost in thought, hurried toward me.

“Don’t overexert yourself.”

Even when I reached for the water bottle because I wanted a drink, he said the same.

“I’ll do it for you.”

When I wanted to open a window to get some fresh air while he cleaned the house, he stopped me again.

“The sun isn’t fully up yet; the breeze is cold. I’ll open it when the temperature rises.”

Whenever I tried to do anything, he came running immediately.

This repeated for several days straight.

If I even showed signs of trying to get out of bed, he’d rush to lift me up, and wherever I sat, he stacked three cushions just so.

Even a little sweat brought him running with a clean towel to wipe me down, and he washed any used towels right away.

Seeing such fuss, I gave up on going for walks and instead strolled the garden behind the house.

Then came the most ridiculous remark.

“Next time, tell me to go out first. I need to bring a coat suited for the weather.”

“A coat? It’s summer now, Riorem.”

“The sea breeze is chilly, isn’t it?”

I shrugged exaggeratedly.

“You’re really over the top.”

“Why are you letting go of my arm? Don’t walk alone. It’s dangerous.”

I quietly took his arm again. If I let go, he might try to carry me everywhere and never let me walk on my own.

A walk with Riorem by my side wasn’t unpleasant. He had just finished gathering the laundry, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and I quite liked the sight.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling it was all a bit excessive.

After a short walk, we had lunch.

‘I’m not even sure if this counts as a meal.’

I thought as I swallowed the juice flooding my mouth.

Weeks had passed, yet morning sickness still gripped me harshly.

So, aside from a few fruits and milk, I couldn’t swallow much else.

Riorem fussed over this too.

Seeing the ‘fragile’ me struggling even to chew fruit, he had started mashing it and feeding it to me by hand.

If he could, I was sure he’d chew it for me as well.

Of course, being treated so delicately was not unpleasant.

Though I acted like a sugar doll, overly pampered, it was amusing to watch Riorem struggle.

It was also a relief that, overwhelmed by guilt, he no longer tried to control me like before.

Though he still hated me talking to others, Riorem faithfully sent the letters I wrote to Teumesa.

He even watched me write those letters without pouncing or causing a fuss.

‘It’s comfortable, but…….’

As Riorem carefully laid me down on the bed, I quietly watched his profile.

Being physically comfortable didn’t mean everything was perfect.

Especially the heat sometimes rising unbearably between my legs bothered me.

My desire was piling up, completely unsatisfied.

There were husbands who couldn’t wait ten months and threw themselves at their pregnant wives, but I could not expect that from Riorem.

‘This is a man who comes running because he’s worried I might hurt my wrists even lifting a cup. There’s no way he’d do something like that.’

Even if this was the cautious period, would things be different later?

Honestly, even during the stable period, I doubted he’d so much as let me touch him with a finger.

Thinking this, a languid heat around my clitoris intensified.

Eventually, I couldn’t hold back and tugged Riorem’s hand under the covers.

But he didn’t move at all.

“Would you like me to help you sleep?”

His low voice tickled my ear.

“How would you help me sleep? Holding me only until I fall asleep and then rushing back to the living room again?”

“……”

Riorem didn’t answer.

Not out of embarrassment, but because no matter what I said, he had no intention of changing his attitude.

I found his stubbornness endearing in most ways, but this time it was frustrating.

“You act as if I’m going to melt away, Riorem.”

“……”

“Take it easy. I might get so frustrated I throw this bowl at your face.”

“…I’ll replace all the dishes with lightweight wooden ones. Feel free to do so if you wish.”

I chuckled.

Riorem didn’t worry at all that I might smash the dishes, ruin the house, or hurt him.

There was only one thing on his mind: my weakened wrist joints from pregnancy.

It was laughable.

How could I get angry at a man who stared at me like something was broken inside him?

‘Ah… I really can’t stand this.’

I grabbed Riorem’s wrist firmly and pulled.