Episode 58. Each Night
It all ended up happening.
'Even if it's a political marriage, we're doing everything we can.'
Beliana, who had spent her first night with Eric, was feeling quite mixed.
She turned her head and stared at the disheveled blanket. It was where Eric had just been lying.
He had dressed as soon as he opened his eyes and left without a second thought.
Being left alone felt a bit lonely, but that was okay. She had no feelings for Eric.
Beliana stared blankly at the ceiling.
'Something...'
It had passed quickly, hadn't it?
By the time Beliana had mentally prepared herself, everything was over.
It was a night devoid of atmosphere, of excitement. He simply satisfied his desires and fell asleep, like a machine.
Beliana pulled the luxurious blanket up to her neck and burrowed into bed.
"Ha."
A low sigh echoed through the room. With her eyes closed, Beliana looked more comfortable than ever.
"So soft."
She squirmed and rolled onto her side.
She finally felt a little more at ease.
The Marquis of Dikar's mansion was certainly better than her life as a slave, but it was also hell.
Dealing with the real Beliana, who hurled abuse every day, wasn't easy.
Furthermore, she even used her younger sister as bait to threaten her. While her body was more comfortable than as a slave, the mental anguish had been so intense that her already frail appearance had become even more haggard in just three days.
Beliana pictured her younger sister's face. She had red hair and delicate features, just like her own.
Even when things were tough, her younger sister never lost her smile. Even when they parted ways, she had smiled at her as she sobbed.
"Ria..."
She muttered her younger sister's name. She longed to see her right away.
Beliana rubbed her reddened eyes with the back of her hand.
"...I'm glad you didn't die."
The real Beliana had promised to let her meet her sister if she played her perfectly.
'... I can live with my sister.'
The hope of seeing her sister again became the driving force behind her life as the fake Beliana.
As she burrowed into her soft blanket, thinking of her sister, someone entered her room.
It was the nanny of the Marquis of Dikar.
She had a very prickly appearance, with her hair neatly tied up and a delicate dress.
The nanny frowned at Beliana lying on the bed and said,
"You're still lying down? You're lazy."
This was not the way she treated a woman she served. The nanny knew she was a fake.
"Get up."
The nanny approached the bed and roughly pulled the blanket away. It fell to the floor in an instant, revealing Beliana's curled body.
"What are you doing? I told you to get up."
The oppressive tone made Beliana hesitate and get up.
“You’ve been a joke since day one.”
The nanny said. Beliana flinched at the nanny’s words.
“If you were truly the Marquis’s daughter, you wouldn’t have remained silent and silent like you.”
She seemed to be referring to the times when she had ignored Doana’s provocations. Beliana carefully sat up from where she had been lying.
“That’s... I didn’t want to cause a fuss from day one...”
As she muttered, the nanny’s expression crumpled even more.
“Training a worthless concubine is a fuss?”
The nanny added with a fierce glare.
“You don’t seem to realize how ridiculous it was to be dragged around like this. That concubine must have taken you for granted. Don’t forget. Ignoring you is an insult to the entire Marquisate of Dikar.”
The nanny pressed, and Beliana answered hesitantly.
“Yes...”
It was quite burdensome to pay attention to every word, let alone every action.
It was truly impossible for her, who had lived her entire life as a slave, to become a perfect Beliana0in three days.
She had confidently declared that she could do it, but her disposition was quite different from that of a true Beliana.
The only fortunate thing was that she had become a rather noble woman in such a short time. The nanny clicked her tongue at her feeble answer and said,
“Tsk, where did such an idiot come from? Do you think you can replace our Marquis of Dikar’s daughter like this?”
Then she slightly pushed up her glasses and spoke in a low voice.
“Remember. If this goes wrong, you, your sister, and all of us could die.”
Beliana nodded feebly. The nanny sighed, looking at her. Then she added,
“That concubine is pregnant with the Count’s child, huh?”
“Yes.”
“She seems to be quite favored, so be careful not to offend the Count, lest you be pushed out further.”
Beliana nodded feebly.
“My young lady doesn’t make that kind of face.”
At the nanny’s words, Beliana’s expression immediately changed. It became one of dignity and authority.
“Yes. You must never take off that mask.”
The nanny finally raised the corners of her mouth, seemingly satisfied.
“From today on, never let that concubine push you away.”
The table was quiet. The only sound was the clatter of dishes.
Doana looked back and forth between Eric and Beliana, frowning.
‘...Annoying.’
In the end, the two of them had a first night together.
While Doana had dozed off, the two of them had finally united.
She fretted, anxious that something might have changed between them.
Eric looked at Doana, who had barely eaten.
“You have no appetite, do you?”
Doana raised the corners of her mouth at the thought that Eric was speaking to her, not Beliana.
“Oh, yes. I’m having trouble eating.”
She smiled proudly and replied kindly.
“Still, you have to eat. For the sake of the child in your womb.”
“Yes, I must. To give birth to a handsome boy who resembles our Count.”
Doana smiled, deliberately emphasizing the word “boy.”
“Right. Just make sure you don’t miscarry if you’re not careful.”
Doana’s smiling face hardened slightly. Even with her steely demeanor, she couldn’t help but smile at that.
Was a miscarriage something that happened because of carelessness? It was shocking.
The risk of miscarriage was particularly high in early pregnancy. And often, it had nothing to do with the mother’s carelessness.
If this were Korea, she would have sternly confronted her husband for saying such things and hurled harsh words at him.
But this wasn't Korea, and Doana had to impress Eric.
Doana simply smiled awkwardly and looked away, her lower abdomen throbbing slightly.
"...You have to be careful in the early stages of pregnancy."
After finding out she was pregnant, she'd deliberately avoided seeing the red-haired knight. She should have been careful until she reached a stable stage.
If someone asked why she wasn't careful with Eric, she'd simply say he wasn't particularly threatening.
Doana rubbed her lower abdomen, thinking, 'I should have said no."'
“I said that out of concern. And no matter how young I am, I wish you would be polite to me.”
Beliana looked at Doana with a commanding air.
“Young people can’t be foolish.”
She didn't like how Beliana glared at her for not even calling her "hey" and just saying something.
Until yesterday, she'd clearly thought it would be easy to control Beliana, but it seems she wasn't as docile as she'd thought.
Beliana turned her gaze to Eric and continued,
"She must have had a hard time riding the carriage all day yesterday, and considering the baby in her womb, I think it's better to let her rest."
Eric swallowed all the food in his mouth and nodded.
"I think that's better."
"Count. I'm really fine."
Doana immediately retorted to Eric's words, but he remained firm and continued his order.
"No, you'd better rest. Starting tomorrow, I'll take you out too, so just do as I say today."
With those words, Eric rose from his seat. He then slowly left the dining room.
As Eric left, Doana glared at Beliana fiercely.
"Sounds good, doesn't it? Since I can't leave the mansion just like you want."
At Doana's sarcastic remark, Beliana looked at her. But before she could, her nanny stepped forward.
"I guess there's nothing you can do about a former maid-turned-concubine. How can you be so obviously uneducated?"
Doana's frown deepened at the middle-aged woman's voice and glared at her nanny.
"There's the word 'government,' but how can you call me 'concubine,' so offensively?"
Doana tried to retort to her deliberate remark, but this time Beliana stepped forward.
Slowly, she stood up and pretended to pass by, pouring out the water on the table. The cold water soaked Doana's dress.
"Ouch! What are you doing!"
The dress she'd worked so hard to borrow was now a mess. Doana glared at Beliana with a trembling expression.
“Oh, my mistake.”
She giggled and looked at Doana. Meeting her gaze, Doana could immediately tell that Beliana had done it on purpose.
The nanny, watching Beliana do as she was told, lowered her head with a satisfied expression.
“I'll help you get ready to go when you're done eating, ma'am.”
“Yes.”
Beliana dabbed her mouth with a napkin and dropped it in the direction where Doana was sitting. Then she left the dining room with the nanny.
Doana trembled at their dismissive attitude.
“For something so trivial...!”
Doana sat up, feeling a pain in her lower abdomen.
“Ugh...”
It seemed the red-haired knight had pushed her quite a bit all night.
“Damn it, I told you to take it easy!”
Unlike Eric, he possessed an overflowing energy. Doana clutched her lower abdomen and staggered.
Her face had already turned pale and hard. Doana grabbed a nearby maid and said,
“Help me to my room.”
The maid grabbed Doana’s shoulder and supported her.
“Should I call the doctor?”
“No! No! What doctor?”
The usual Doana would have been furious and demanded that the doctor be called immediately, but her reaction was somehow unsettling.
“...If I lie down for a bit, I’ll be fine.”
It all ended up happening.
'Even if it's a political marriage, we're doing everything we can.'
Beliana, who had spent her first night with Eric, was feeling quite mixed.
She turned her head and stared at the disheveled blanket. It was where Eric had just been lying.
He had dressed as soon as he opened his eyes and left without a second thought.
Being left alone felt a bit lonely, but that was okay. She had no feelings for Eric.
Beliana stared blankly at the ceiling.
'Something...'
It had passed quickly, hadn't it?
By the time Beliana had mentally prepared herself, everything was over.
It was a night devoid of atmosphere, of excitement. He simply satisfied his desires and fell asleep, like a machine.
Beliana pulled the luxurious blanket up to her neck and burrowed into bed.
"Ha."
A low sigh echoed through the room. With her eyes closed, Beliana looked more comfortable than ever.
"So soft."
She squirmed and rolled onto her side.
She finally felt a little more at ease.
The Marquis of Dikar's mansion was certainly better than her life as a slave, but it was also hell.
Dealing with the real Beliana, who hurled abuse every day, wasn't easy.
Furthermore, she even used her younger sister as bait to threaten her. While her body was more comfortable than as a slave, the mental anguish had been so intense that her already frail appearance had become even more haggard in just three days.
Beliana pictured her younger sister's face. She had red hair and delicate features, just like her own.
Even when things were tough, her younger sister never lost her smile. Even when they parted ways, she had smiled at her as she sobbed.
"Ria..."
She muttered her younger sister's name. She longed to see her right away.
Beliana rubbed her reddened eyes with the back of her hand.
"...I'm glad you didn't die."
The real Beliana had promised to let her meet her sister if she played her perfectly.
'... I can live with my sister.'
The hope of seeing her sister again became the driving force behind her life as the fake Beliana.
As she burrowed into her soft blanket, thinking of her sister, someone entered her room.
It was the nanny of the Marquis of Dikar.
She had a very prickly appearance, with her hair neatly tied up and a delicate dress.
The nanny frowned at Beliana lying on the bed and said,
"You're still lying down? You're lazy."
This was not the way she treated a woman she served. The nanny knew she was a fake.
"Get up."
The nanny approached the bed and roughly pulled the blanket away. It fell to the floor in an instant, revealing Beliana's curled body.
"What are you doing? I told you to get up."
The oppressive tone made Beliana hesitate and get up.
“You’ve been a joke since day one.”
The nanny said. Beliana flinched at the nanny’s words.
“If you were truly the Marquis’s daughter, you wouldn’t have remained silent and silent like you.”
She seemed to be referring to the times when she had ignored Doana’s provocations. Beliana carefully sat up from where she had been lying.
“That’s... I didn’t want to cause a fuss from day one...”
As she muttered, the nanny’s expression crumpled even more.
“Training a worthless concubine is a fuss?”
The nanny added with a fierce glare.
“You don’t seem to realize how ridiculous it was to be dragged around like this. That concubine must have taken you for granted. Don’t forget. Ignoring you is an insult to the entire Marquisate of Dikar.”
The nanny pressed, and Beliana answered hesitantly.
“Yes...”
It was quite burdensome to pay attention to every word, let alone every action.
It was truly impossible for her, who had lived her entire life as a slave, to become a perfect Beliana0in three days.
She had confidently declared that she could do it, but her disposition was quite different from that of a true Beliana.
The only fortunate thing was that she had become a rather noble woman in such a short time. The nanny clicked her tongue at her feeble answer and said,
“Tsk, where did such an idiot come from? Do you think you can replace our Marquis of Dikar’s daughter like this?”
Then she slightly pushed up her glasses and spoke in a low voice.
“Remember. If this goes wrong, you, your sister, and all of us could die.”
Beliana nodded feebly. The nanny sighed, looking at her. Then she added,
“That concubine is pregnant with the Count’s child, huh?”
“Yes.”
“She seems to be quite favored, so be careful not to offend the Count, lest you be pushed out further.”
Beliana nodded feebly.
“My young lady doesn’t make that kind of face.”
At the nanny’s words, Beliana’s expression immediately changed. It became one of dignity and authority.
“Yes. You must never take off that mask.”
The nanny finally raised the corners of her mouth, seemingly satisfied.
“From today on, never let that concubine push you away.”
***
The table was quiet. The only sound was the clatter of dishes.
Doana looked back and forth between Eric and Beliana, frowning.
‘...Annoying.’
In the end, the two of them had a first night together.
While Doana had dozed off, the two of them had finally united.
She fretted, anxious that something might have changed between them.
Eric looked at Doana, who had barely eaten.
“You have no appetite, do you?”
Doana raised the corners of her mouth at the thought that Eric was speaking to her, not Beliana.
“Oh, yes. I’m having trouble eating.”
She smiled proudly and replied kindly.
“Still, you have to eat. For the sake of the child in your womb.”
“Yes, I must. To give birth to a handsome boy who resembles our Count.”
Doana smiled, deliberately emphasizing the word “boy.”
“Right. Just make sure you don’t miscarry if you’re not careful.”
Doana’s smiling face hardened slightly. Even with her steely demeanor, she couldn’t help but smile at that.
Was a miscarriage something that happened because of carelessness? It was shocking.
The risk of miscarriage was particularly high in early pregnancy. And often, it had nothing to do with the mother’s carelessness.
If this were Korea, she would have sternly confronted her husband for saying such things and hurled harsh words at him.
But this wasn't Korea, and Doana had to impress Eric.
Doana simply smiled awkwardly and looked away, her lower abdomen throbbing slightly.
"...You have to be careful in the early stages of pregnancy."
After finding out she was pregnant, she'd deliberately avoided seeing the red-haired knight. She should have been careful until she reached a stable stage.
If someone asked why she wasn't careful with Eric, she'd simply say he wasn't particularly threatening.
Doana rubbed her lower abdomen, thinking, 'I should have said no."'
She regretted somehow dragging him in because of her uneasy dreams.
'It's okay. What could happen?'
She tried to hide her anxiety. There was no bleeding, and nothing unusual.
"What's the plan for today? This is my first time in the south, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Doana gurgled again, thinking about getting between Eric and Beliana.
Beliana, who had been quietly eating, put down her fork and looked at Doana. Then she slowly spoke.
“It looks like you’re in the early stages of pregnancy. How many weeks are you pregnant?”
“Three weeks.”
“Three weeks is a pretty high chance of miscarriage. Wouldn’t it be better to just rest at the mansion? What if you overdo it and it happens?”
Beliana repeated to Doana exactly what the nanny had told her to do, her expression solemn and solemn, like the “real Beliana.”
The nanny, who had been watching Beliana from a corner of the dining room, smiled with satisfaction.
“Oh my, you’re talking as if you wish I had a miscarriage?”
Doana, annoyed at having to use honorifics with her much younger sibling, would occasionally slip into informal speech mid-sentence.
'It's okay. What could happen?'
She tried to hide her anxiety. There was no bleeding, and nothing unusual.
"What's the plan for today? This is my first time in the south, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Doana gurgled again, thinking about getting between Eric and Beliana.
Beliana, who had been quietly eating, put down her fork and looked at Doana. Then she slowly spoke.
“It looks like you’re in the early stages of pregnancy. How many weeks are you pregnant?”
“Three weeks.”
“Three weeks is a pretty high chance of miscarriage. Wouldn’t it be better to just rest at the mansion? What if you overdo it and it happens?”
Beliana repeated to Doana exactly what the nanny had told her to do, her expression solemn and solemn, like the “real Beliana.”
The nanny, who had been watching Beliana from a corner of the dining room, smiled with satisfaction.
“Oh my, you’re talking as if you wish I had a miscarriage?”
Doana, annoyed at having to use honorifics with her much younger sibling, would occasionally slip into informal speech mid-sentence.
“I said that out of concern. And no matter how young I am, I wish you would be polite to me.”
Beliana looked at Doana with a commanding air.
“Young people can’t be foolish.”
She didn't like how Beliana glared at her for not even calling her "hey" and just saying something.
Until yesterday, she'd clearly thought it would be easy to control Beliana, but it seems she wasn't as docile as she'd thought.
Beliana turned her gaze to Eric and continued,
"She must have had a hard time riding the carriage all day yesterday, and considering the baby in her womb, I think it's better to let her rest."
Eric swallowed all the food in his mouth and nodded.
"I think that's better."
"Count. I'm really fine."
Doana immediately retorted to Eric's words, but he remained firm and continued his order.
"No, you'd better rest. Starting tomorrow, I'll take you out too, so just do as I say today."
With those words, Eric rose from his seat. He then slowly left the dining room.
As Eric left, Doana glared at Beliana fiercely.
"Sounds good, doesn't it? Since I can't leave the mansion just like you want."
At Doana's sarcastic remark, Beliana looked at her. But before she could, her nanny stepped forward.
"I guess there's nothing you can do about a former maid-turned-concubine. How can you be so obviously uneducated?"
Doana's frown deepened at the middle-aged woman's voice and glared at her nanny.
"There's the word 'government,' but how can you call me 'concubine,' so offensively?"
Doana tried to retort to her deliberate remark, but this time Beliana stepped forward.
Slowly, she stood up and pretended to pass by, pouring out the water on the table. The cold water soaked Doana's dress.
"Ouch! What are you doing!"
The dress she'd worked so hard to borrow was now a mess. Doana glared at Beliana with a trembling expression.
“Oh, my mistake.”
She giggled and looked at Doana. Meeting her gaze, Doana could immediately tell that Beliana had done it on purpose.
The nanny, watching Beliana do as she was told, lowered her head with a satisfied expression.
“I'll help you get ready to go when you're done eating, ma'am.”
“Yes.”
Beliana dabbed her mouth with a napkin and dropped it in the direction where Doana was sitting. Then she left the dining room with the nanny.
Doana trembled at their dismissive attitude.
“For something so trivial...!”
Doana sat up, feeling a pain in her lower abdomen.
“Ugh...”
It seemed the red-haired knight had pushed her quite a bit all night.
“Damn it, I told you to take it easy!”
Unlike Eric, he possessed an overflowing energy. Doana clutched her lower abdomen and staggered.
Her face had already turned pale and hard. Doana grabbed a nearby maid and said,
“Help me to my room.”
The maid grabbed Doana’s shoulder and supported her.
“Should I call the doctor?”
“No! No! What doctor?”
The usual Doana would have been furious and demanded that the doctor be called immediately, but her reaction was somehow unsettling.
“...If I lie down for a bit, I’ll be fine.”
Just as a thief said his feet were numb, Doana feared that the doctor would notice what she had been up to all night.
“Huh? You don’t look well."
“Huh? You don’t look well."
"Why are you bothering me so much when I said I was fine?”
Doana cut the maid off with a stern voice and shouted.
The maid could only blink at the sudden loud noise.
“Oh, that’s a surprise. Even thinking about it, it’s already a mess!”
The maid had been worried that she would be scolded if Doana did something wrong while Eric was away.
“...Since that foul-tempered girl is still the same, I guess she’s not seriously ill.”
The maid grumbled to herself and carried Doana to her room.
Left alone, Doana lay on the bed and tried to suppress her anger.
“Oh, this is annoying! I would have chased her if my stomach didn’t hurt.”
Why did my stomach have to hurt!
The thought of Beliana and Eric spending time together made her stomach churn.
Unable to control her anger, Doana pounded the poor bed.
Through the thumping of the bedsheets, she faintly heard a child’s cry.
-Ugh!
Doana flinched and quickly looked around.
“What, what is it? It’s creepy.”
The hairs on her head stood on end as she heard the crying that had plagued her all night in her dream.
Doana looked around without letting her guard down.
At that moment, the crying sound was heard once more.
- Meow!
“... Kitten?”
The sound she heard again was not the crying of a child, but the crying of a cat.
Doana, who had been listening intently, was finally relieved.
A kitten with pure white fur entered Doana’s field of vision.
- Meow!
“Oh my, how cute. How did you get in here?”
Doana walked towards the cat, trembling in a corner of her room.
“Hi.”
Forgetting about Eric, she picked up the cat with a bright smile.
Doana cut the maid off with a stern voice and shouted.
The maid could only blink at the sudden loud noise.
“Oh, that’s a surprise. Even thinking about it, it’s already a mess!”
The maid had been worried that she would be scolded if Doana did something wrong while Eric was away.
“...Since that foul-tempered girl is still the same, I guess she’s not seriously ill.”
The maid grumbled to herself and carried Doana to her room.
Left alone, Doana lay on the bed and tried to suppress her anger.
“Oh, this is annoying! I would have chased her if my stomach didn’t hurt.”
Why did my stomach have to hurt!
The thought of Beliana and Eric spending time together made her stomach churn.
Unable to control her anger, Doana pounded the poor bed.
Through the thumping of the bedsheets, she faintly heard a child’s cry.
-Ugh!
Doana flinched and quickly looked around.
“What, what is it? It’s creepy.”
The hairs on her head stood on end as she heard the crying that had plagued her all night in her dream.
Doana looked around without letting her guard down.
At that moment, the crying sound was heard once more.
- Meow!
“... Kitten?”
The sound she heard again was not the crying of a child, but the crying of a cat.
Doana, who had been listening intently, was finally relieved.
A kitten with pure white fur entered Doana’s field of vision.
- Meow!
“Oh my, how cute. How did you get in here?”
Doana walked towards the cat, trembling in a corner of her room.
“Hi.”
Forgetting about Eric, she picked up the cat with a bright smile.
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