Deep Boredom - Part 3

‘…….’

Rasha’s lips still tasted the lingering scent of another woman, still lingering on the tip of her nose. She rose quietly and slipped out into the parlor that led to the bedroom. She opened the last drawer in the corner and pulled out the glass vial she’d hidden at the bottom of a tattered piece of cloth.

She approached the window where the flowerpot was placed, holding it in her hands. With a clink, liquid spilled over the glass jar.

As the world leaps forward at a breathless pace, news spreads faster than light. As it progressed, it was not surprising that magic, once a rare power, became common enough to be used in some areas of life. Unlike in the past, when a doctor’s prescription was always required, people could now use magic to diagnose their own conditions.

‘If you inject a drop of blood, you can determine pregnancy.’

Rasha opened the tightly sealed stopper and let the liquid inside flow into the soil of the flowerpot.

‘If it stays blue, you’re not pregnant, if it turns purple, you’re pregnant.’

The pouring violet liquid seeped into the flowerpot and disappeared without a trace.

She was congenitally weak in health.

She had been labeled a premature baby, as she didn’t spend enough time in her mother’s womb. Since then, she had experienced various illnesses and ailments due to not receiving proper care from a young age.

‘Natural conception seems difficult.’

Receiving a diagnosis that is similar level to infertility As winter arrived and temperatures dropped, her uterine walls were weak enough to induce spontaneous miscarriages. So it wasn’t easy for the seed inside her to conceive properly.

Because of that, both she and him were a bit careless. Although Chedev occasionally made sure to take contraceptive pills just in case, his frequent absences from the mansion due to his expeditions meant that their physical intimacy and the frequency of taking the pills were inconsistent.

In that state, they intertwined their bodies for several years, with his s*men overflowing downwards. Considering her frail physical condition, it was a weak and feeble method that was surprisingly remarkable for her to become pregnant after seven years.

‘Just a passing curiosity, nothing more and nothing less. And to think it had to be a commoner… Tsk.’

The words of Chedev’s late mother, the former Duchess, came to mind out of the blue.

From her perspective, I was a presence unworthy of facing her on equal terms, so the conversation proceeded with me kneeling in front of her. I had knelt there for hours as if surrendering, waiting to see if I could meet with her son. It felt as if the blood circulation in my thighs, continuing down to my calves, was cut off and tingling as if it would be severed.

‘The nobler one is, the more they tend to be attracted to something trivial. It’s only natural to be drawn to something different from oneself at least once. It’s as if you have to taste it for yourself to truly know that it will definitely go sour.’

‘……’

‘How long do you think this relationship will last? Two years? Three years? I don’t see it lasting that long. Right now, it’s just a temporary entanglement driven by youthful impetuosity. Later, when a lovely young lady appears, naturally his heart will turn towards her. It’s a different caliber from someone like you who knows nothing, an esteemed young lady on the same level as us.’

‘……’

‘Nothing is eternal in this world. Among them, I believe that love, as claimed by human beings, is the most transient. So eventually, my son will also grow tired of you. He will pity and regret the time he wasted on you, and he will personally cast you aside.’

The Duchess raised a chilled teacup that had cooled during the hours-long confrontation. Soon, it tilted over the head of kneeling Rasha. The lukewarm tea fell onto her cheeks like tears.

‘So, settle things amicably and leave when it’s time. If you want money, you’ll have money. If you want jewels, you’ll have jewels. Anything else you desire, just ask.’

When she heard those words, although it might have unsettled any other commoner, Rasha remained completely unfazed. It was also because of the moment when he held her tightly and showered her with love last night, leaving behind the scent and traces of the man.

‘I… I don’t need such things.’

She wasn’t being audacious, nor was she acting submissive or clueless. She simply remained composed and calm, as if facing an anticipated event.

Her response, saying she didn’t need it, was no different from vowing to stick to Chedev’s side like a shadow in the future. The Duchess, who understood that, had a frosty expression on her face, like it had turned to ice.

Since that day, Rasha had been confined to a small room in a corner, unable to see the sunlight. She barely endured, filling her stomach with meals carefully brought by the maid entrusted by Chedev, while avoiding the mistress’s gaze. Finally, on the day Chedev returned from his expedition, she managed to survive unharmed. She had thought she could withstand being locked in the small room, but strangely enough, as soon as she saw him, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

That night, Chedev embraced Rasha with more warmth and tenderness than anyone else.

‘I can’t take you on the expedition, damn it.’

His eyes, burning fiercely, shimmered with an unsettling light in his bloodshot pupils.

In retrospect, that day became the starting point where he and his parents became completely at odds, and at the same time, it was the day he harbored a longing to ascend to the position of Duke as soon as possible.

‘……’

Rasha quietly gazed at the discarded flowerpot, which contained the discarded medicine that revealed her pregnancy. The brilliant sunlight made the green leaves glisten. Perhaps the pounding in her head was due to morning sickness.

She probably knew the answer already. She buried her face in her hands.

‘How long do you think this relationship will last? Two years? Three years?’

Unlike the Duchess’s nagging, their love had been full and continued for a long period of seven years.

‘Someday, my son will grow tired of you too.’

But what couldn’t be denied was that the time for its end had finally arrived.

Perhaps it would have been better if it happened a little sooner. Before his child was conceived, before they had time to become accustomed to the seven years that had passed…… she should have sorted out this relationship.

Rasha already knew the answer to that question. No matter how things turned out, she wouldn’t be able to leave him. She believed that the love they had built together could overcome anything.

If Chedev’s love remained steadfast, she wouldn’t be shaken. But when his affection wavered, Rasha became anxious as well. As long as his love for her was the reason she could stay in this household, she realized day by day that she had no place of her own here. Both her body and her heart sank unbearably.

Drizzling rain fell both outside and within her.