Chapter 43

Sophie, while fixing Hazel’s hair, glanced at Kaiden through the mirror and whispered into Hazel’s ear. Sophie had been overjoyed at the news of Hazel’s marriage, as if it were her own.  

“The Duke is so handsome no matter when you see him. You’re so lucky to be marrying such a man!”  

“That’s true.”  

“And even before the wedding, he adored you so much. Now, he doesn’t even leave your side!”  

“Yeah.”  

Although Hazel had already noticed it herself, realizing that others could see it too made her face flush with heat.  

Feeling how much Kaiden loved her filled her heart with happiness, but it was a little embarrassing that others thought of him as a lovesick fool.  

Even in the carriage on the way to the Imperial Palace, Kaiden had stayed glued to her side. He showed no intention of leaving her even at the entrance to the assembly hall.  

Whether he sat next to her or in the back gallery, they were still in the same space, but Kaiden acted as though being apart was unbearable, as if the string tying them together would snap.  

“Lily, can’t I just sit next to her?”  

“No. Sit in the back gallery.”  

“What if Humohr tries something? Do you think these weak guards will be able to handle it properly?”  

After hearing Hazel’s account of how Humohr had used the Veil of Transformation to disguise himself as Kaiden and suggest breaking up, as well as pressuring her to marry him, Kaiden had been unable to sleep at night.  

Even though his proposal had been successful and their marriage had been approved, Kaiden still felt like Hazel wasn’t entirely his.  

Humohr, who hadn’t been thrown into the underground prison, continued to shamelessly roam the city. Who knew when he might use the Veil of Transformation again?  

And now, they were suggesting that Hazel should sit alone across from Humohr? Absolutely not.  

“That won’t happen. I promise.”  

Lily reminded Kaiden that it was time and urged him to take his seat, but he loudly insisted on addressing the poor management of the ancient records first.  

Unable to watch any longer, Hazel grabbed Kaiden’s hand.  

“Your Grace, I want to finish this quickly and go home to rest.”  

At her words, Kaiden’s fierce red eyes softened completely.  

“So, could you please wait here, in the seat closest to the witness stand?”  

When Hazel pointed to a spot about ten steps away from the witness stand, Kaiden nodded. Watching from the side, Lily clicked her tongue in disbelief.  

“Fine. If anything happens, I’ll come right away.”  

“Don’t worry.”  

Though Hazel felt nervous about facing Humohr and recounting the events of that day, she forced herself to appear calm. If she showed her fear, Kaiden might truly refuse to leave her side. She sat in the witness stand, pretending to be composed.  

After taking a brief oath to tell the truth, Hazel calmly recounted the events of that day—from receiving the letter summoning her to the fragrance factory, to their conversation, and how pulling on something invisible in the workshop caused Humohr’s eyes and hair to turn gold. The nobles in the gallery began murmuring.  

Hazel submitted the letter summoning her to the workshop for handwriting analysis as the first piece of evidence. For the second, she presented a petition from the owner of the Gentlemen’s Club, accusing Humohr of borrowing a large sum of gold coins and failing to repay it, claiming the Erban Marquisate’s business would soon be his.  

As the murmurs in the gallery grew louder, Humohr’s face turned pale.  

Perhaps realizing that even his family’s contributions couldn’t mitigate his actions, Humohr suddenly stood up and shouted.  

“Hazel seduced me first! She even sent me a partner invitation! Investigate that first!”  

Humohr screamed toward the gallery, seemingly ready to charge at Hazel. The guards pressed down on his shoulders, but he continued to seethe with anger.  

“You invited me to your room, ate meals with me, and then chose Kaiden! You played with me, didn’t you? You and Kaiden planned this together, didn’t you?”  

Hazel, shocked by Humohr’s outburst, froze in place as cold sweat dripped down her temples. The tension she had been suppressing surged back, and a sharp pain tightened her lower abdomen. Hazel raised her hand.  

“May I… leave now?”  

She could no longer bear to sit there.  

Though the guards supported her, the sweat wouldn’t stop, and her hardened abdomen began to pulse faintly.  

“Ka… Kaiden, Your Grace… please.”  

As soon as Kaiden rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her, Hazel collapsed weakly against him.  

“Hazel! Stay with me, Hazel!”  

Kaiden, pale with fear, carried Hazel out of the hall. Humohr was dragged away by the guards, while Lily quickly worked to restore order in the assembly hall.  

***

Kaiden stood beside Hazel’s bed, watching the physician check her pulse. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck.  

He regretted not breaking Humohr’s legs earlier. Even now, he wanted to throw Humohr into the underground prison. The bitterness in his mouth was unbearable.  

“Could it be that the fragrance addiction caused the problem?”  

“No, that’s not it. Actually…”  

The physician double-checked Hazel’s pulse before nodding confidently.  

“She’s pregnant.”  

Nordic, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed drinking cold water, dropped his glass at the words that broke the silence. Kate, too, was too startled to speak.  

Among them, Kaiden was the most shocked, gripping the edge of the bed with both hands to steady his trembling legs.  

“Then… Hazel… Is our Hazel okay?”  

“Yes, she’s fine. She was just startled, so as long as she gets plenty of rest and relaxation after waking up, she’ll recover quickly.”  

“And… the baby…?”  

Kaiden, uncharacteristically fumbling over his words, wiped his dry lips with his hand, his face filled with worry. Nordic and Kate clasped their hands together, waiting for the physician’s answer.  

“The baby is safe.”  

At those short words, a collective sigh of relief filled the room.  

The physician asked to be contacted again when Hazel woke up and left the room, escorted by Nordic and Kate.  

“Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”  

Kaiden sat beside Hazel, who was breathing softly in her sleep, and gently stroked her hair. Even in her sleep, Hazel’s lips curled into a faint smile, as if his touch brought her comfort.  

The realization that a new life now connected them both filled Kaiden with overwhelming joy, but it also brought a wave of worry.  

‘A baby… in such a small body.’  

Now that there was a baby, Hazel would need to eat twice as much. Had she been eating too little until now? Was walking uncomfortable for her? Had the wedding preparations been too exhausting? His mind was flooded with concerns.  

The greater his happiness grew, the more guilty he felt for putting Hazel through difficult times. He wished he could take on all her pain and struggles, but knowing he couldn’t only deepened his sense of helplessness. Without realizing it, his eyes grew misty.  

Kaiden had no one to share his complicated emotions with, so his gaze fell to the contraceptive ring on his finger. 

What a useless magical artifact.  

It was supposed to last a year, but he could already see faint cracks forming on it.  

Kaiden, unaware that his stamina far exceeded the average and that even the number and intensity of his releases were too much for the magic stone to handle, could only blame the unfortunate seller.  

As he was silently fuming, Hazel stirred in her sleep.  

“Ka… Your Grace, were you crying?”  

Hazel, half-asleep, reached out to touch the corners of Kaiden’s eyes, which were still damp.  

“Crying? Of course not.”  

Kaiden turned his head away, stretching his neck, but his actions only made Hazel worry more.  

“What’s wrong? Did they say I’m very sick? Is it… some kind of incurable disease?”  

Her imagination ran wild, conjuring up all sorts of illnesses in an instant.  

Recently, she had lost her appetite, felt constantly sleepy, and even after sleeping all day, her body felt heavy instead of refreshed. She had dismissed these symptoms as mere nerves from the upcoming wedding, but now she wondered if she had been wrong to ignore them.  

“You’re pregnant, Hazel.”  

Kaiden placed his warm hand over the back of Hazel’s.  

She was speechless. 

Pregnant?  

“What?”  

“There’s a baby in your belly, Hazel. The baby is healthy, and you were just a little startled.”  

“A baby…”  

Hazel placed her hand over her still-flat stomach.  

The thought of a tiny baby growing inside her made her feel like she needed to be more careful with her body. Just thinking about the baby, who hadn’t even entered the world yet, made her emotions swirl.  

It was both ticklish and tear-inducing.  

“Your Grace, it’s amazing. What about you?”  

“I’m so happy, but I’m worried about how much this will tire you out.”  

Kaiden’s hand, which had been stroking her hair, hovered uncertainly in the air, unsure whether he should touch her stomach or not. Hazel let out a soft laugh and guided his hand to rest on her belly.  

“Your Grace, you will protect our baby well, right?”  

“Of course. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you both.”  

Kaiden traced small circles over Hazel’s stomach with his hand.  

“Hazel, I think we should hurry up with the wedding. What do you think?”  

Considering that her belly would soon begin to show, it didn’t seem wise to wait indefinitely for her brother to return. She wanted to get it over with and enjoy her married life with Kaiden without any worries. However, she knew the temple and the priests who officiated weddings were always fully booked.  

“I’d like to do it as soon as possible… but we’ll probably have to wait at least a month, right?”  

“What about next week?”  

“That would be great, but do you think the temple will have an opening?”  

“Don’t worry about that.”  

Kaiden’s confident expression erased any doubts Hazel had.