The tears wouldn't stop. Emilia kept wiping her eyes over and over again, trying to curl the corners of her lips.
Come to think of it, she's rarely laughed properly in front of that guy. She always had a clouded face because of her mixed emotions.
But at this moment, she wanted to show her calm side. She didn't want to show the despair that had been sweeping through her heart for the past few days and stimulate each other's already exhausted hearts.
It's okay. I accept it.
She wants to say that, but why do shr only shed tears?
Emilia bit her lip, held her breath, and swallowed the clots that kept coming back.
Through her blurry vision, the man's face came closer and closer.
From the cool air emanating from his coat and his disheveled hair, Emilia could imagine how urgent his arrival must have been.
His untidy pupils wandered messily from Emilia's wet face and trembling shoulders to her lower abdomen. His eyes were as cold and indifferent as ever, but they couldn't hide the self-reproach that was seeping out.
At that moment, Emilia's legs began to move on their own.
Her two feet, having come down from the bed, urgently stepped on the blanket, the grass, and the stone path. She walked very carefully so as not to fall, but her body kept staggering.
Finally, one step ahead, Emilia reached out to him for the first time.
The man stiffened as if he had not expected it at all, her trembling hands arching his broad back and waist.
Emilia buried her face in his broad chest, leaning forward as if she were leaning forward. The herringbone jacket and silk shirt gently pressed against her wet cheeks.
Her eyes were shut tightly. A familiar scent and a pounding pulse filled her senses.
Yeah. Here. This is where I should be.
As if returning home after a long journey, all the confusion and fear came to an end, and peace was found.
Her eyes became hot again with relief. Sobbing, sobbing, her shoulders began to shake again.
"...don't cry."
The rough voice that seemed to scratch his Adam's apple did nothing to stop the boiling tears. Emilia let out a gasp and shifted all of her remaining weight onto him.
As her small body was gently embraced as if it were melting away, Hardius flinched once more. Soon, he let out a short sigh and gently pulled her into his arms, which had been carelessly hanging off of him.
"Don't cry."
The heavy voice was filled with resignation and a sense of not knowing what to do.
“...I’m doing this because I’m angry... No...”
Emilia continued to speak earnestly, though her voice was hoarse.
“It’s not because I don’t like you... It’s not because I hate you... Absolutely not...”
Instead of answering, he tightened his arms around her.
“I don’t know... why I’m crying... I really don’t know...”
Emilia buried her flushed face deeper into her mouth, swallowing back the tears that threatened to burst forth.
What should I do and how should I do it?
Hardius could only wait, holding her trembling body gently, thinking blankly.
An incalculable amount of time passed by without warning.
Emilia slowly regained her composure. The heart of the man whose cheek touched her also returned to normal. The cold wind that shook the fallen leaves cooled the heat that had risen to her ears. Her damp face was drying up as if it had never been like that.
Emilia slowly straightened up. It was hard to face him because of the awkwardness that came with crying.
Hardius stared at the bridge of her nose as she turned her head askew, then lowered his head to find her flat stomach.
“Are you sick?”
Emilia could barely answer that it was okay, her face as red as charcoal.
“Let’s go in. It’s windy.”
Hardius, who was about to take a step, stopped. His gaze turned to her lower abdomen again.
“Is it okay to walk?”
It was a question so absurd that it made Emilia laugh, but the serious look in his eyes made her not do so.
"It's okay."
Hardius grabbed her wrist and started to walk forward. Before he could walk ten steps, he suddenly stopped again.
Another absurd question came out.
“...Shall I hug you?”
Emilia's eyes widened.
“I feel uneasy. The way you walk.”
Hardius glanced at the edge of her stomach and muttered to himself.
“The King has issued an edict banning all visitors from this area. There won’t be anyone watching anyway...”
“Oh, no, I’m really fine.”
Emilia shook her head wildly, thrusting her hips back as she had done at the mask festival.
Fortunately, he didn't insist. Instead, he held her wrist tighter and continued walking slowly.
As she walked along the path leading to the annex, Emilia suddenly realized that she had missed something important.
“Thank you. For coming so quickly.”
With a tickling sensation, the man's fingers dug deep between her fingers. Emilia had no choice but to close her eyes tightly again.
There was Dahlia in the room. She had just finished cleaning and was closing the window when she noticed Hardius and quickly lowered her head.
He paid no attention to his servants, nor was he rude to them. But strangely enough, he stared at Dahlia so intently that she felt embarrassed and ran out of the room, saying, “Well... if you need anything, call me, Miss.”
"Why...?"
Before Emilia could ask anything, he pulled her into a chair by her arm. The table was filled with warm tea, fruit, and sweet snacks.
Hardius soaked a towel and handed it to Emilia. The two of them washed their hands and sat facing each other across the table. Perhaps because her anxiety had subsided, she was hungry. Emilia picked up a dried fig first.
“Would you like to eat?”
Hardius sat with his legs crossed and shook his head.
“It’s really delicious...”
Emilia muttered as she cut the flesh in half. The sweet scent made her mouth water.
But when she actually took a big bite, her stomach started to churn, and sour water started to rise. Emilia quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
She felt the man across from her stiffen.
“I have morning sickness.”
Emilia said quickly.
“It’s nothing. It’s something that happens to all pregnant women. It’s not that bad for me.”
“Who said that?”
Emilia glanced at the book out of the corner of her eye. In the meantime, her stomach calmed down, and she was able to chew again.
Hardius stretched out his arms to the pile of books, his brow furrowed.
Why that of all things...
Emilia was overcome with regret, having been the one to tell him about the book's existence in the first place.
What Hardius picked up without thinking and just turned the cover to was a very harsh sex education book that Dahlia had brought by mistake.
There were plenty of graphic illustrations, from positions that are good for pregnancy to scenes of babies being born, that would make your spine stiff.
“That... I don’t think it would be very interesting for you...”
Hardius, who was absentmindedly turning the pages, stopped and suddenly glared at Emilia. It was the same gaze he had used when looking at Dahlia.
“How long are you going to call me that?”
Emilia's eyes widened again at the unexpected question.
"Yes?"
The moment she asked back, she realized.
Ah, he's unhappy with the title again.
In the past, she would have responded by citing the rules and regulations of the world, but now she can't do that. The life growing inside her body has completely changed the situation.
“Then... what should I call you?”
He answered without a moment's hesitation.
“It has a name.”
Hardius.
Emilia glanced at him, mumbling to herself.
You don't mean to change it right now, do you?
To Emilia, he had been her 'Master' for the past five years. Their relationship had not officially changed, and once a habit has become established, it is not easy to break it.
“I’ll try. It’s not urgent...”
"Yes."
Silence came.
Emilia, who had eaten the dried figs until her fingers were sticky, picked up her fork and began to attack the colorful tarts.
Meanwhile, the man who had been flipping through the bookshelf without any purpose had his eyes hardened.
It must be because of the illustration that suddenly appeared.
“Oh, it’s sticky.”
Emilia coughed and jumped up from her seat, fearing that her face might have turned red for no reason. She had to search through the drawer right in front of her to find the wet towel.
Emilia barely managed to swallow her strangely ragged breath and glanced at the thickness of the book in his hand. It must have been the one with the picture that made her heart sink.
If you turn just one page, an even more intense scene appears...
“Wow, Her Majesty the Queen,”
Emilia spat out the words for a moment. Hardius raised his head, and she hastily looked away from the book.
“Her Majesty... has asked me to stay here for the time being.”
"...Yes"
The answer was too short. Emilia hurriedly opened her mouth, afraid it would get awkward again.
“I’m a little worried. My family... and the restaurant business...”
“I'll take care of it.”
“How?”
“I should be honest with them. It would be much more reassuring for your family if I told them rather than you.”
Yes.
It's not easy for her to confess everything, from her relationship with that man to the existence of her child.
At other times, she would have been so anxious that she didn't know what to do, but Emilia felt relieved, as if she had shed the last of her burden.
She put down her teacup and smiled faintly at him.
"...thank you."
Hardius stared blankly at Emilia and then turned his head out the window.
The sun was setting in the west, and the light was becoming dim. When he turned his gaze back to Emilia, she looked just like a squirrel in his eyes. The woman who was eating deliciously was making his heart flutter.
Knock knock, someone knocked on the door. It was Dahlia. Her face was turned to Hardius, not Emilia.
“His Majesty would like to see you in the study in his room.”
There is only one person who should be in the study of the inner chamber, His Majesty the King. Hardius closed the book with a slightly annoyed expression.
“I'll be back.”
Joseph greeted young Meyer, holding two crystal goblets in one hand.
“Congratulations! You can only be called the true head of the family if you see the successor.”
The word 'successor' had no more resonance for Hardius than her flat belly.
“The situation is a bit difficult, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a toast. Come on, take it.”
The two looked at each other and toasted.
“I just got word from your aide. Eringer has deliberately caused a strike and diverted 200 workers to Kunt.”
"Yes."
"Ha!"
The King smiled and drank the wine in one gulp. Then he nodded as if it was Hardius's turn. He also raised his glass toward the King and downed it in one gulp.
“Should I say it’s reckless or bold?”
Joseph continued, filling the glasses with wine.
“Anyway, I hope everything goes according to plan. I’ll do my best to help!”
“If I succeed to the throne safely, it will be all thanks to Your Majesty.”
“Ha! Why are you flattering me so uncharacteristically?”
Yet, there is a look of displeasure on Joseph's face.
The two men's glasses were emptied and filled again.
“I don’t know if you heard from the Queen, but your little bunny has been crying all day. I guess it’s because she misses you.”
Hardius chuckled without realizing it.
You cried because you missed me... It was nice to hear that, whether it was true or not.
“Now, listen to me carefully.”
The King's eyes took on a strange, cloudy light.
“This is your chance. She's a woman...”
From Joseph's mouth, as he drank alcohol one after another, sticky stories like flowers and sweet whispers flowed out.
It was a story that Hardius had heard countless times from his classmates during his cadet days. Still, he nodded his head vigorously and responded appropriately without losing his smile.
Joseph continued his lecture with excitement. Meanwhile, the bottle of wine was rapidly emptying, and the King's posture was becoming increasingly sloppy.
“Yes, then let’s go back quickly.”
Joseph suddenly staggered towards him and snatched the glass from Hardius's hand.
"You should go and comfort the little rabbit who is shivering from loneliness. I heard that she had a nightmare all night.”
"...All right."
Hardius helped the sobbing King into a chair and called his attendant.
“Oh my, Your Majesty. Why are you drinking so much...”
Hardius left the room, leaving the servant's words behind. The clock hands were already pointing to midnight.
...are you sleeping?
Most of what the King said while drunk was ignored, but one thing lingered in her mind.
Nightmare.
Hardius had nightmares since his childhood, a time he couldn't even remember.
He remembers vividly those horrible moments when, even after he woke up, it would cling to him so tightly that it was difficult to even breathe.
He tried not to stumble and headed straight for Emilia's room. Dahlia had just come out.
“She just fell asleep. I left the light on because she said she was scared.”
The maid opened the door as if it were natural for him to come in. Through the crack in the door, he could see a small figure curled up like a child.
No, it's not a child.
The moment he thought that, his eyes started to go dizzy, and he became drunk.
The sleeping female body came back into view with a dizzy look.
Heh...!
Hardius smiled crookedly. The curves sliding under the thin blanket were clearly those of a woman. The many actions he had committed before the child was born inside him began to slowly replay in his head.
All he had to do was step inside, in case she had nightmares.
But Hardius found himself strangely hesitant.
Comments
Post a Comment