Chapter 56

While resting in her room and reading the article, Rivera thought, 

‘Barbarians really don’t seem to think about anything, do they?’ 

The barbarian chief had lost his son, defied Adrian, and ultimately met his demise. The current chief who had been captured was the newly appointed leader.  

‘After all that, you’d think they’d learn their lesson.’  

Despite being defeated by Adrian, they had burned villages again and kidnapped citizens of the Empire. Their relentless determination was somewhat admirable, but their lack of intelligence seemed to cause more harm to themselves than to others.  

‘If it were me, I would have given up long ago.’  

The article mentioned that Adrian had rescued kidnapped citizens of the Empire during his operation and had found individuals who had previously been reported missing or dead. Those people, who had long since assimilated with the barbarians, still yearned for their homeland. Adrian had offered to provide them a place to live if they wished to stay together.  

Women who had given birth to barbarian children were often ostracized. However, living with the barbarians hadn’t exactly been a pleasant experience either.  

“Baby, don’t ever defy your father. Even if you had ten lives, they wouldn’t be enough.”  

Rivera chuckled as she gently rubbed her belly, even though the baby hadn’t been called for.  

“Shall I go see your father now?”  

It was close to the time Adrian was expected to return, and Rivera decided to go out and meet him.  

At first, the villa had been quiet with no one around, but now a few servants had entered, making it somewhat lively. Rivera smiled at the knight standing guard outside her door.  

“I’m going to see Adrian. You’ll come with me, right?”  

“Yes.”  

The knight bowed his head deeply, avoiding Rivera’s gaze.  

Rivera had a habit of looking people in the eye when talking to them, so she knew they found her intimidating. She also knew it was all because of Adrian.  

But she hadn’t expected this.  

[If I make eye contact with Madam, I’ll die.]  

Huh? What was that supposed to mean?  

“What did you just say?”  

“Pardon?”  

“You said something just now.”  

“I didn’t say anything, Madam.”  

“But just now—”  

At that moment, the knight’s lips didn’t move, yet the voice she had just heard echoed in her mind.  

[Why is she acting like this? Lord Adrian said he’d make me run fifty laps around the training ground if I talked to her for more than a minute.]  

What was going on?  

“What’s this about fifty laps around the training ground?”  

“Gasp. How did you know?”  

Rivera heard two voices from the knight.  

“This was supposed to be a secret.”  

[This was supposed to be a secret.]  

The strange thing was that she could hear two different voices—one was the knight speaking, and the other seemed to come from his thoughts. His lips didn’t move when the second voice spoke.  

‘Could this be…?’  

Rivera recalled what Adrian had once told her:  

– I can read people’s thoughts. 

Adrian had explained that only those who inherited the Bartman family’s bloodline could possess such an ability.  

But how was this happening to her?  

Rivera’s mind was consumed by the thought that she needed to tell him immediately.  

Just then, she heard the sound of Adrian and the knights returning. The sound of hooves grew louder as they approached.  

‘I need to tell him quickly.’  

As soon as she saw him, Rivera urgently gestured toward the villa and told him to come inside quickly.  

“Adrian, come here!”  

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”  

The knights who had returned with Adrian looked puzzled but didn’t follow him inside. Adrian, who hadn’t had time to clean up, felt uncomfortable facing her in his current state and was about to suggest taking a shower first.  

“Listen to me!!”  

Rivera had planned to say, ‘I can read other people’s thoughts!’ but when she looked into Adrian’s eyes, her right hand moved first.  

[Rivera, I want to strip you n*ked, tie you up with rope, and shove my thing into your mouth.]  

“You pervert!!”  

Smack!  

His cheek swelled. Rivera’s hand had moved instinctively, as if she had just encountered a predator.  

“Sorry.”  

Adrian and Rivera both wore holy relics around their necks.  

After slapping him, Adrian had briefly lost his temper. He hadn’t done anything, yet he was called a pervert, and it was the first time he had ever been hit by a woman, so it was understandable that he felt upset.  

‘I really hit him hard.’  

Adrian cooled the swelling on his cheek with an ice pack.  

“Anyway, you’re saying you can read other people’s thoughts now?”  

“Yes. What do I do?”  

“I think it’s because of the baby. I’m not certain, though.”  

Rivera rubbed her belly, feeling worried. Hearing other people’s thoughts wasn’t a good thing. She kept hearing things she didn’t want to know, and it left her feeling hurt.  

Earlier, before Adrian arrived, she had mentioned being hungry, only to overhear a maid’s inner thought complaining about how annoying it was. It had made her feel small and insecure.  

“I can’t live like this forever.”  

“You’ll get used to it. At first, it’s hard to distinguish between real and fake thoughts, but if you listen carefully, you’ll learn to tell the difference.”  

“But it’s uncomfortable.”  

“Then don’t look people in the eye.”  

Adrian offered plenty of advice.  

“How am I supposed to avoid looking people in the eye when talking to them?”  

“Then you’ll just have to hear their thoughts.”  

“Ugh.”  

Rivera puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.  

“Just hang in there. Haven’t you ever been curious about my thoughts? Now’s your chance to hear them all.”  

“I’ve never wanted to know.”  

Rivera was firm.  

“I don’t want to hear your dirty thoughts all the time.”  

“You have dirty thoughts too, don’t you?”  

He teased her again. Considering how sensitive she was due to her pregnancy, teasing her like this was uncalled for.  

“I’m going to cry.”  

He quickly apologized.  

“Alright, I won’t say anything anymore.”  

* * *  

Despite Adrian’s advice, controlling her ability wasn’t easy. She couldn’t help but look people in the eye, and even though she knew she shouldn’t, she kept reading their thoughts.  

One day, two soldiers on guard duty were talking about their homes. Outwardly, it seemed like a peaceful conversation, but inwardly, they were being brutally honest with each other.  

[What’s the scariest thing in the world? War? Death? You’re wrong. My kids are the scariest. Four sons. I must be crazy. Nothing survives in my house.]  

[Ha, four sons? Do you know how it feels when your wife, wearing nothing but a towel, sneaks up on you while your parents are sleeping in the next room? At least you moved out.]  

Why was it that even during ordinary family conversations, men’s inner thoughts were like this?  

These were relatively tame thoughts. When Rivera overheard the thoughts of women of marriageable age, her face burned with embarrassment.  

[Oh my, look at those solid muscles. That’s what they call horse thighs.]  

[That wild, stallion-like body. How did Lisa, that woman, get so lucky to date a man like that?]  

And today, when she glanced at Hans, the servant cleaning the window, she saw him clenching his b*ttocks tightly, trying to finish cleaning as quickly as possible.  

When she saw the reflection of his eyes in the glass, she instantly understood why he was acting that way.  

[Ugh, I need to poop.]  

Just go to the bathroom.  

Rivera sighed as she watched Hans trying to discreetly pass gas in the same space as her, pretending nothing was wrong.  

“Hans?”  

“Yes, Madam.”  

“The flowers in the garden on the first floor seem dry. Could you go water them?”  

“Right now?”  

[Ugh, so annoying.]  

Couldn’t he just do what I asked?  

Reading people’s thoughts made Rivera increasingly passive. Adrian had warned her that she might lose her personality entirely if this continued and had given her one piece of advice:  

Think about how much their monthly salary is.

After hearing that, she felt a bit more confident. The time it took to fetch a glass of water could earn them a loaf of bread, and watering flowers could buy them cheap jerky.  

By working all day, they could afford to dress their children in nice clothes, so Rivera decided to exercise her rights within reasonable limits.  

“Alright, I’ll go.”  

“Take your time and rest afterward.”  

As Hans left, he thought exactly what Rivera had intended.  

[Whatever, I’ll just go poop first.]  

Yes, go relieve yourself.  

While sipping fragrant tea, Rivera caught a whiff of an unpleasant smell from somewhere, which ruined her mood.  

She wondered if she would have to live like this until she gave birth.  

How had Adrian endured this?  

Knowing things she didn’t want to know wasn’t exactly pleasant.  

* * *  

After returning to the Bartman Ducal House, Rivera was enjoying a peaceful day when an invitation arrived from the Emperor for a banquet.  

The Emperor had sent a handwritten letter suggesting she should get some fresh air, so she traveled to the capital with Adrian.  

Since her belly had grown, none of her clothes fit, and she had to tailor a new dress. No matter what she wore, she felt uncomfortable. Even though the dress was made in a loose size, it felt heavy, and she couldn’t wear it for long.  

“I’m going to rest for a bit. You stay here.”  

“Should I come with you?”  

“It’s just right over there.”  

Rivera had planned to rest in the lounge when she encountered a man she had forgotten about in the middle of the banquet hall.  

“Why is he here…?”  

Jemarc Aiden.  

The lunatic who claimed he broke up with her because his mother told him to.  

Looking back, Rivera thought that was just an excuse, but after gaining the ability to read people’s thoughts due to her pregnancy, she realized his true feelings.  

[It’s her fault. It’s because of her that I had to join the military twice!]  

What?! How does he know?  

He frowned at Rivera.  

Rivera had thought she had handled things quietly, but apparently not. She realized there was no such thing as a perfect crime in this world. Feeling embarrassed by his intense stare, she sipped the juice nearby.  

Unfortunately, Jemarc was standing near the path to the lounge. Not wanting to approach him, she pretended to turn away while secretly reading his thoughts.  

[D*mn it, how does Duke Bartman know about the b*stard child?]  

Slurp.  

Rivera spat out her drink.  

“What?”  

Jemarc thought to himself as he watched Rivera spit out her juice.  

[Ugh. Disgusting.]  

The issue wasn’t whether it was disgusting. She hadn’t expected there to be a more shocking reason than his excuse involving his mother.  

Rivera, clutching her swollen belly, approached him in disbelief.  

“Hey.”  

“What is it?”  

Jemarc didn’t shout like he used to. Now that Rivera was Duchess Bartman, he knew better than to provoke her, as it could ruin his family.  

“What do you mean by ‘b*stard child’?”  

Flinch.  

He visibly panicked.