A Reversal of Unrequited Love - Chapter 73

The North was truly beautiful.

The gray cat, Cory, who had accompanied her to the north, would surely agree. Although she worried that the climate might not suit him, Cory became even more vigorous in Bremlin than in Tyche. He seemed to have bonded with the head cat of Bremlin Castle after spirited fights, and they were often seen rubbing against each other all over the castle.

One day, when the temperature in Bremlin dropped sharply, Hyce had a rather peculiar dream while napping. She dreamed of boarding a wooden boat and crossing the night sky. Sitting on a boat that moved smoothly without rowing, she began to see a world filled with countless stars. Hyce quickly stood up. She had to find the prettiest, brightest, and strongest star among the many. It couldn’t be a gold star; it had to be silver. In her strange stubbornness, she searched and searched until the largest, most splendid silver star flew right in front of her nose.

“It’s you. Will you come with me?”

The moment she asked seriously, the star flew towards her, and… she woke up.

* * *

“Are you awake, Hyce?”

When had he moved her to the bed? Ethan, who was hugging her from behind, kissed the back of her neck. In the drowsy comfort, Hyce smiled faintly. She was about to tell him about the dream she had just had, about the brightest and prettiest star in the night sky. Blinking her heavy eyelids a couple of times, she quietly counted the days. According to her usual cycle, her period was due this weekend.

…Next week, or maybe the week after, it would become clear.

“Ethan.”

“Yes.”

“If you have a two-week business trip, can you cancel it?”

“I will.”

Ethan readily agreed without asking for any details.

* * *

They confirmed the pregnancy at the expected time, but in an unexpected way. Thanks to Ethan, who ran outside covering his mouth while trying to have breakfast as usual. The news of the only lord being ill turned Bremlin upside down, but the news of an heir turned it upside down in a different way. All the vassals came running with congratulations, and Seina, wiping away tears of joy, wrote a letter to inform Tyche of the good news.

Hyce, who gracefully received all the congratulations, revealed her unhealed wounds only when she was alone with her husband. It was the anxiety she had been chewing over since she suspected the pregnancy. In her previous life, the child had left the world before her. The child was so weak and frail that there were rumors it was born just to prove her innocence. It must have been because she had suffered so much pain during her pregnancy. It wouldn’t be like that now… but still, what if the child was born weak again? This anxiety tormented Hyce’s fingertips.

“Ethan. This time, this time… can we protect it?”

“We can.”

The desperate earnestness in her grip on her husband’s collar was palpable. So Ethan tightly embraced the woman carrying his child. Hyce Erentis’s fingertips were intact, and her arms were not broken. This life had certainly changed. Everything about him, her, and their relationship had changed. It was as if it hinted that he could keep the promise he couldn’t fulfill in the previous life. Ethan Erentis once again muttered the vow he should have kept the most.

“I will protect you.”

“…”

“Even if I can’t, it won’t be your fault, but mine. You know that, right, Hyce?”

“…”

“It’s all my fault.”

Just be happy. At these words, Hyce nodded with a frightened face. Ethan wiped the faint moisture from his wife’s eyes and kissed her forehead reverently.

“Thank you for giving me a family again, my love.”

As promised, Ethan carried his wife almost every day. It got to the point where the doctor advised that for her health, she needed to walk on her own. Only then did Ethan reluctantly put Hyce down from his arms, though he still watched her like a hawk. Until his wife reached a stable period, the doctor was pestered by the Duke every day. It wasn’t just the doctor in Bremlin. All the servants lived diligently for the Duchess’s safety.

Even the Duke’s extreme sensitivity, due to experiencing severe morning sickness in place of his wife, was feared. The morning sickness that troubled the father instead of the mother was long and severe. Some days, Ethan Erentis barely chewed and swallowed meat, and on other days, he couldn’t even drink water. According to nanny Seina the Duke’s sensitivity seemed to stem from not being able to eat properly. The sight of the increasingly haggard and irritable man turning into an angel in front of his wife was, well… not exactly easy to watch.

Occasionally, Ethan would complain to the physician that the Duchess seemed to have an overly protruding belly and that she was not eating well. Each time, the physician and Seina would fall silent simultaneously, exchanging looks of sympathy and solidarity.

Unlike Ethan Erentis, who seemed to have gone mad during his wife’s pregnancy, their minds were clear enough to state the truth. Hyacinth Erentis ate very well. Not only did she eat everything she wanted, but sometimes she ate so much that the physician and Seina had to secretly caution her behind the Duke’s back. It was a completely different scenario from Ethan Erentis, who could hardly eat anything.

Feeling sorry for her emaciating husband, Hyce tried to get Ethan to eat something. During those times, Ethan would force himself to eat well, suppressing his nausea, only to sneak outside and vomit everything out. Once his stomach felt a bit better, he would rush back to his wife, obsessively examining her fingers to ensure she was safe.

What on earth was on the Duchess’s fingertips? Seina examined her precious lady’s hands but could not understand the Duke of Trisel, Ethan Erentis’s, strange behavior. However, the Duchess seemed to understand. She too would occasionally inspect her fingertips.

Looking at Hyacinth Erentis’s fair face, Seina concluded that everything was fine as long as it was good. No matter how peculiar or extraordinary the methods, her lady was being loved.

Time passed diligently.

Hyacinth’s belly grew bigger, and Bremlin grew colder.

Then one day, a magnificent snowstorm fell, as if to swallow the entire world.

* * *

Due to Ethan’s insistence, Hyacinth had to dress in layers, almost to the point of resembling a pumpkin. She thought to herself that she might roll like a ball if she fell. While she sat on a chair in the garden, Ethan busily made ten snowmen. Hyacinth, who had waited patiently until then, gave the snowmen noses with the carrots she had gotten from the kitchen. The ten snowmen of various sizes looked like a large family.

They also drew a huge picture in the snowy garden. While Hyacinth drew a crooked erentis flower, Ethan skillfully drew a splendid rose. Hyce prayed earnestly that their child would inherit her husband’s dexterity rather than hers.

In the blank spaces around the picture, Ethan wrote her name in large letters. Hyacinth, playing along with his childish prank, wrote Ethan’s name right next to hers. Looking at their names, it began to feel real that they would be able to add a new name next year. It was time to decide the baby’s name.

Although they hadn’t discussed it yet, Hyce secretly hoped for a son. Not because of the issue of an heir… but because she hoped it would be that child. Surely, Ethan shared the same wish as hers. They hadn’t had a serious conversation about it, as they tried to keep their thoughts bright and hopeful during the pregnancy, but Hyce could tell. She could sense the longing and guilt in Ethan’s touch as he caressed her swollen belly.

“Shall we decide the baby’s name later?”

Ethan nodded at Hyce’s question.

“Let’s not decide here, Hyce. It’s cold, so we should go inside soon.”

“…Already?”

“Bremlin’s nights are long and the cold is harsh. We need to be careful as dusk approaches, Hyce.”

Hyce glanced westward. Everything was so white and blue that she hadn’t noticed, but a faint red sunset was setting in the distance. Ethan reached out his hand to her. Holding her husband’s hand carefully, Hyce walked gently.

No matter how warmly she dressed, she had to be cautious at all times. Thanks to her careful steps to avoid falling or slipping, she safely returned to the castle.

Even after dinner, the heavy snow did not stop. It fell relentlessly, as if it had an ambition to engulf the entire world in white. It was the kind of weather that made one understand why Bremlin and the north were so fed up with snow.

Hyce sat next to the fireplace, staring blankly out the window. Beside her, Ethan was also sitting on the floor, working on his official duties. Even as he scribbled signatures with one hand, he kept checking on Hyce with the other.

Their hands intertwined. As Ethan’s hand fumbled to find her pinky, Hyce blinked slowly. She tried not to think negative thoughts as much as possible, but it was difficult to control her consciousness. Was it because she was pregnant? Were her emotions running too wildly?