Dion and Clementina watched Gerard panting, at a loss for words.

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know who the father of the egg in Gerard’s belly might be?”

“No. That’s not it. But……”

“Goo—”

Gerard made a short sound toward them.

“Gasp!”

Clementina covered her mouth with both hands.

“Really?”

“Goo—”

Gerard smiled with her eyes curved so much they were barely visible. She looked like a mother full of love. No, perhaps like a female in love.

“Surely it’s not what I’m thinking?”

The scent of lilies mixed with Gerard as she buried her nose in Lili’s nest. A flower fragrance was added to Gerard’s strong, pungent scent of mint and nutmeg. It was so intoxicating that one couldn’t help but feel drunk.

Gerard the dragon was happy now.

⁕⁕⁕

Aeskis Castle was in an uproar.

The kitchen staff began preparing special nutritious food for the pregnant dragon. They also started asking women throughout Drasia who had given birth to many children about how to make various nutritious foods that wouldn’t be disgusting.

Hessen in the infirmary also became busy. Another dragon had joined Lili, who was resting in the dragon infirmary.

Looking at the two together, they appeared to be perfect lovers. No, perhaps they were even an old married couple.

The more welcome news was that Dimint, who heard the news from his sickbed, literally jumped up. Dimint, who had mistakenly thought the dragon carrying an egg was Lili, blurted out something inappropriate in front of Jeremiah.

“Which bastard did this to my precious Lili!”

“What do you mean which bastard! It’s my Gerard who’s carrying an egg!”

“Ha! How could Gerard carry an egg?”

“You still don’t understand the situation? Lili is male.”

Upon hearing this, Dimint blinked his eyes and then fainted again.

This incident caused widespread confusion among the dragon riders. Each of them was seized by the fear that their own dragon might have a gender completely different from what they thought.

It didn’t matter whether they were female or male.

The shame of not properly knowing their own dragon’s gender despite being the supposedly great dragon riders made them kick off their blankets in bed and pull their hair out.

No one could readily ask about their own dragon.

For fear that they might have been wrong all along.

“Ah! What should I do? Today is truly a perfect day. Look at the weather. How can it be this bright? Mmm! It’s been so long since I’ve felt such refreshing air.”

Jan opened the window of Clementina’s reception room. Clementina raised her head over the screen while changing clothes. As Jan said, a cool breeze came in.

Clementina emerged from behind the screen.

She wore a deep purple gown over a farthingale wrapped only around her waist. The gown revealed her shoulders completely, and the sleeves had long holes at regular intervals. The top she wore underneath puffed out through the holes like decorations.

“Wow! I knew it would suit you well! This one, let’s go with this one today.”

Jan scurried over to Clementina like a squirrel that had found an acorn. In her hand was a hair ornament with emerald pieces embedded in a diamond mesh.

Jan placed the hair ornament on Clementina’s abundant hair, which she had let down. Though not in the form of a crown, Clementina’s lemon-colored hair matched the hair ornament, making it as splendid as any crown.

“Jan. This is too uncomfortable.”

“Oh my, that can’t be. I’m sorry, but could you walk a bit? Where is it uncomfortable?”

In truth, Clementina hadn’t been uncomfortable at all since coming out from behind the screen. Of course, there was no problem walking, but she felt she was wearing too many layers.

“It’s not really.”

Jan lifted her face and proudly raised her nose.

“Of course. I once went to the Kingdom of Jihelona with my father. I saw some women there using this farthingale.”

The farthingale Clementina wore wasn’t the long, wide form of whale bone pieces that extended from the waist to the ankle.

It was wrapped only around the waist in a circular shape, yet it made the skirt full. It was even lightweight, so Clementina actually felt no discomfort at all.

She just wanted Jan to tone down her excitement a bit, as she had been making a fuss ever since Clementina started having breakfast with Dion every morning a few days ago.

“You’ve been to the Kingdom of Jihelona?”

“Yes! I was criticized the whole way there about what a woman was doing going there, but I have to have thick skin, you know. Such nagging, well, it tickles me now.”

“Is that possible? Can you just ignore what your father says?”

“Why not? Father doesn’t know. Who I am. Since he doesn’t know his daughter well, what he says to me isn’t really directed at me.”

“What do you mean he doesn’t know his daughter?”

Clementina frowned. Sometimes Jan said things that she couldn’t understand with her way of thinking.

“What I like, what I’m good at, what books I read, what I think about. He doesn’t even know how much I hate my middle name.”

“Well, he’s busy.”

“Oh my! That’s no excuse. And then he says with his mouth, ‘Do you know how much I love you? So do as I say!’ He says he loves me but doesn’t know anything about me.”

“If you love someone, you should know about them?”

“Of course. This isn’t just something that applies to lovers.”

“……Between lovers, they should be curious about such things, though?”

“Of course! Duchess, aren’t you curious about many things regarding the Duke?”

Oh no. Clementina felt a pang in her heart.

This kind of assumption from people around them who thought they were passionately in love felt awkward and uncomfortable today.

Jan looked at the flustered Clementina and smiled bitterly.

“It’s okay. The Duke loves you.”

Jan removed the fan attached to the bead decoration on the front of Clementina’s dress and replaced it with a mirror. Then she whispered softly.

“I didn’t consider that you might not feel the same yet, Duchess . I’m sorry. But someday, when you fall in love too, you’ll surely understand what I mean.”

Jan lifted her head and smiled brightly.

The marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Drasia was known to have started from the courtship of the Duke of Drasia who had fallen in love. The wishes of Clementina, the other party, weren’t important.

People naturally thought that she should love him too.

“All done. You look perfect. You’re my ideal type.”

Clementina found the brightly smiling Jan particularly reliable today. So she decided to bestow a small favor.

“Jan. From now on, do as you wish. I’ll wear whatever you want me to.”

“Kyaaa! Really?”

Jan jumped up and down, cheering. Since Jan became a maid, Clementina had been quite picky with her in a strange way.

She didn’t like clothes with too many layers, clothes that were too heavy, or clothes that were too flashy. Except for the dress she wore to the charity banquet, she had rarely worn anything as Jan suggested.

Yet she never got angry or criticized Jan. She just removed some of the clothing items.

“Today, you’re perfect, Duchess.”

No matter how much Clementina removed the clothes or didn’t like what Jan had prepared, Jan always added this remark.

That the current Clementina was perfect.

⁕⁕⁕

“Just tell me. There are six here now. What happens to the other four?”

Breakfast was set in the greenhouse of Aeskis Castle. There were only two chairs at the white iron table.

The greenhouse was filled with exotic plants. The flowers and trees were appropriately arranged, pleasing to the eye.

Not too hot, not too cold—just the right temperature, sweet smells, butterflies that had flown in from somewhere busily working, and even the bowl filled with raspberries and peaches—everything was excellent.

It was a place Dion had put some effort into.