“How about me?”
She couldn’t say anything in front of Roxanne who asked if she felt any discomfort. Because the area he had touched was hot. Because the cloth soaked in tea water was illuminating his insides more clearly. Her trembling voice barely opened.
“...I think it’s okay. A little bit.”
It was half true and half false.
If only Roxanne said that he was okay, she would think it was strange.
“That’s fortunate. Then can I help Sepia with her discomfort?”
“Help... you say?”
Sepia blinked, and Roxanne grabbed her.
Her hands touched the wet shirt. His firm chest is woven with muscles.
Sepia’s face turned red as she realized what she was touching.
“Wait a minute. This is...”
“It’s about expanding the areas you touch little by little, targeting me who feels less discomfort. I thought about that for a moment. I wonder if the reason I haven’t had a chance to practice is because I don’t have anything to practice with.”
Sepia didn’t know what to do, but he looked extremely serious. It was to the point where she felt embarrassed.
Now, she couldn’t even say that only Roxanne was avoiding the realm of rejection.
When she twitched her fingertips, he whispered, thinking that she was mentally prepared.
“Touch it slowly.”
The low beast’s voice sounded like a secret temptation.
Sepia’s hand floated slowly over his wet shirt.
“How is it?”
...Hot and firm.
The smooth muscles without any flab could be felt even under the damp cloth.
And one more thing.
‘Beastkin had a higher body temperature than humans.’
That was the reason why his hand was hot.
No, to be more precise, Roxanne himself was a hot opponent to her.
There are moments when very simple knowledge feels new.
Such unexpected heat always causes accidents.
Today, with its confusion, it was even more so.
“...I think this is enough for today.”
“I understand.”
Unlike how he had easily encouraged her, Roxanne stepped back obediently.
His face was as plain as before.
That was why she was even more embarrassed.
The golden eyes that were visible above his silent expression contained a hot passion.
That sense of dissonance made this male look even more seductive.
After a brief silence, Sepia called her maid.
“Betty, can you bring me some clothes that Roxanne can wear? I accidentally spilled my tea.”
“...Oh my. Yes. I’ll bring them right away. Please wait a moment.”
Sepia explained the situation, but judging from her blushing cheeks and leaving, she
Betty didn’t seem to believe it.
Sepia would have done the same.
The atmosphere in the still air was so mysteriously heavy that it was hard to explain.
“...I’ll look into what you said as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. I always owe you a favor.”
The atmosphere seemed to lighten up a little when she changed the subject.
Roxanne walked to the window and opened the glass door slightly.
Now, it wasn’t cold even with the window open.
The gentle breeze of spring gently tickled Sepia’s heart.
He looked down at the garden where spring flowers were blooming.
“The reason why cases are so rare is because most are abandoned as babies. The cycle of change in mermaid babies is very fast.”
“...I see.”
The nobles considered those with disabilities a disgrace to their families.
On the other hand, the reason the poor abandoned their children was to have one more mouth to feed.
In any case, it was not a good example.
‘Etensel was a special case.’
Because she had seen his easygoing personality, she had not thought about the lives of others with the same illness as Etensel.
If there were others born with the same illness, they should have received support from the empire.
‘But it would be best to find a cure before that.’
Since Etensel had changed, it couldn’t be completely incurable.
While Sepia was pondering, a knock was heard on the other side of the door.
“Come in.”
Sepia looked surprised when the door opened.
It was because Madame Remody had come in with Betty.
‘Shouldn’t you be at the Empress’ Palace right now?’
The lady’s expression was stiff. As if she had something to say.
While Betty was handing Roxanne his clothes, Sepia exchanged glances with Madame Remody.
“Then I’ll change and come back.”
“Yes. Go.”
“The room over there will be empty. Come this way.”
At Sepia’s answer, Betty guided Roxanne.
Roxanne was following behind her.
Madame Remody approached Sepia and bowed her head to whisper.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”
“What’s the matter?”
Sepia lowered her voice as she whispered.
She opened her mouth in a daze at the answer that followed.
“They say Titi is pregnant.”
***
Palazzo Repetto.
Titi was lying in the inner room that had now become the government’s residence.
When she tried to get up, Countess Delsey stopped her.
“Hush, be careful, baby. I’ll hold the cushion for you.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Titi could only raise her upper body after propping a large cushion on her back.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Countess even diligently wiped Titi’s hands with a towel soaked in hot water.
The Count, watching the affectionate mother and daughter, smiled happily.
“You are truly great, Titi. You are the treasure of our family. You are pregnant with His Majesty’s child!”
The Count looked at Titi with a pleased face.
His eyes seemed to be envisioning a future of wealth and honor.
Amid the friendly atmosphere of the three deer, someone broke their silence.
“Aren’t you expecting too much? You still don’t know if it’s a deer or a wolf.”
The eldest son of the Count’s family, Gelard, had been leaning against the wall in a pitiful posture since a while ago.
The Count let out an angry rage at that blunt answer.
“That, that guy...! You should shut your mouth!”
The Louvre’s successor had been on an even more shaky path since he was kicked out by the Empress and taken to prison.
The Count was about to get up when Delsey stopped him.
“Oh, lower your voice. What if something happens to your precious baby? Gelard, you either stay still or, if you don’t like it, go outside and wait.”
“I’ll stay still.”
Gelard smiled wickedly and pretended to zip up his mouth.
That reaction was not very good, but now was not the time to worry about his eldest son.
The Countess wrapped her arms around Titi’s shoulders.
“Don’t worry too much, Titi. We can check that through tests. A wolf would be best, but even a deer wouldn’t be a big problem. After all, he’s your only child.”
Titi smiled at the affectionate consolation.
“I’m confident that I’ll cherish any child more than anyone else, no matter what kind of species they’re born with.”
“Yes. That’s what a mother feels.”
Delsey nodded happily.
The news of Titi’s pregnancy came suddenly.
It was spring, after the charity party.
Titi was having dinner with the Count and his wife who had visited the Repetto Palace.
It was then that she gagged while putting her favorite hawthorn berries in her mouth.
The atmosphere became silent in an instant.
'...Doctor! Call the doctor!'
The Count ordered a doctor to be called in quickly, and the doctor took Titi's pulse on the spot.
'Congratulations, Miss Titi. You are pregnant. It's been about eight weeks now.'
'...Pregnant, huh?'
Titi's face was blank at those dreamlike words.
'Haven't you had periods recently? You might have experienced changes such as a decrease or increase in appetite, or mood swings.' '
'...My periods were irregular, to begin with, and I think I ate a little more.'
Her mood was beyond words after the humiliation at the charity party. It only came true after faithfully answering the following questions.
The fact that she was finally pregnant with the Emperor's child that she had longed for.
Titi, who remembered the day she was first diagnosed with pregnancy, gently stroked her belly.
“Do you need anything? If you want something to eat, just tell me. No, I need to find a place to stay in the palace so that this mother can take care of you. What would the Empress do if you were carrying the grandson?”
Delsey was about to get up as if she was going to see the Empress at any moment.
The maid across the bedroom announced the Emperor’s appearance.
“His Majesty is here.”
“Oh my.”
Delsey straightened her clothes in surprise.
The Count and Gelard also stood up one after another and straightened their postures.
“Meet the Sun of the Empire.”
“...The Louvre is here.”
Cold red eyes scanned the Count and his wife.
The Emperor seemed to have lost weight since the banquet. Although he was originally an elegant male, his colder atmosphere gave off a dangerous beauty.
Whenever he faced the Emperor, he couldn’t help but feel like a rat before a wild beast.
The Count, barely able to shake off the creepiness, forced a smile.
“As parents, shouldn’t we stay by our daughter’s side?”
“At times like this, the thing we rely on the most is family, right? Right, Gelard?”
“Isn’t that right?”
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