A bitter smile tugged at his lips as he gazed down at the two lifeless bodies sprawled on the ground. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if he ought to thank the parents he had never even known. Even now, having just stolen away two lives, he didn’t feel the urge to retch, nor the faintest trace of shock.

Killing Kaelid would be nothing. No—he would feel joy. But Reina… could he drive a sword into her chest?

The thought made his fingertips tremble.

‘She belongs to House Berend.’

He reminded himself again. Although she had entered the House of Berend as an adopted daughter, by living there and silently condoning everything they did, she had become complicit. Hadn’t she come to the marquisate herself? And hadn’t she claimed him as her spoils of war? She deserved to die. After all, it was Reina who had raised him under Berend’s roof, deceiving him all the while.

Slowly, Zephion dragged a hand down his face.

She had to die as well. The moment he reaffirmed that, his chest ached sharply.

That he could still love her—he despised himself for it. It was pathetic. It was monstrous.

Winter passed, and spring arrived. Yet despite being the season when all things awaken, the world looked dead.

Was it only in her eyes? Or did others feel the same, too?

The quiet days went by. Even with the shadow of war looming, it had no direct bearing on Reina. Perhaps, if Kaelid dragged her along, it would matter—but even then, the war itself held little meaning for her life.

Reina sank deeply into the hot bathwater and closed her eyes tightly. Although she enjoyed the warmth, she missed the days of shivering while washing in the cold. She remembered the hands that had wiped her slender back with a damp cloth.

She would never know that again.

She stayed under until her lungs burned, only rising when her head spun.

“Haa… ha…”

She gulped in rough breaths. Rose’s practiced hands washed her hair and body. Reina stayed curled in the tub, opening and closing her eyes slowly.

“You seem to have put on a little weight, my lady.”

“Do I?”

“Have you been eating well these days? Nothing seems to have changed, but with a little more weight, you look healthier.”

Reina glanced down at her body. Now that the maid mentioned it, she could feel it—she had gained a bit. Her waist seemed slightly fuller, and her stomach a little rounder.

‘Have I gained weight?’

A faint smile escaped her. Could it be that her mind had found some peace?

‘Impossible.’

Though she knew in her head how dreadful the present was, perhaps after only three months of hardship, she had grown lax in this place of comfort.

After her bath, she stood before the mirror, examining herself from different angles. Indeed, she had gained some weight. Having always been thin, the change was striking now that she noticed it.

“Yes, you certainly have.”

“It seems so.”

Reina answered calmly while Rose helped her into a dress. What had once fit snugly now felt uncomfortably tight. The waist was especially constricting; she could hardly breathe.

“Bring me something looser.”

“Well… if it’s looser…”

Rose rummaged through the wardrobe, which was filled with gowns. She finally chose one that wasn’t as tight around the waist. As she helped Reina change, she frowned slightly.

“Your clothes suddenly don’t fit. Are you sure you’re not unwell?”

“I’m fine.”

“No matter how well you ate before, you never put on weight. It’s so sudden.”

When Reina gave a faint laugh, the maid’s expression turned serious.

“They say sudden changes in the body can mean illness.”

“I’m really fine. I’m not in any pain, and the only difference is that I’ve gained a little weight.”

“I only say this because in all the time I’ve served you, you’ve never once gained weight.”

“It’s not as if I’ve suddenly grown a lot bigger! You’re worrying too much.”

“Still, just in case, I’ll bring a physician.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“If you truly are, the physician will confirm it.”

Reina told Rose that it was unnecessary to call a doctor over something as trivial as a little weight gain, but Rose refused to back down. She insisted, pointing out that Reina’s clothes had always fit her perfectly—making even the slightest change impossible to ignore.

“Don’t make trouble over nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, then all the better.”

“Haa…”

In the end, because Rose insisted, she had to sit across from an elderly physician.

“Do you have any pain?”

“No.”

“Or have you noticed anything different from before?”

“Nothing at all.”

Truly, she swore there was no change. Only a little weight gained. As Reina answered halfheartedly, the physician, after a moment of thought, carefully asked,

“Could there be a possibility that you are pregnant”

“No.”

She spoke firmly. It had been over ten years since she started taking the medication. As she had once told Zephion, it was impossible for her to conceive. Hadn’t she resumed taking it after returning to the estate? She had wanted to eliminate even the faintest chance of conceiving, however unlikely it was.

When the man tilted his head slightly and suspicion flickered across his face, Reina smiled slightly.

“There isn’t the slightest chance—not even a sliver.”

“May I examine you for a moment?”

With a shrug of her shoulders, she offered her hand. The physician lightly touched her wrist, then parted his lips.

“…Why are you so certain you are not pregnant?”

“I’ve been taking a medicine made from moon-flowers for over ten years.”

“Long-term use does often increase the risk of infertility, yes… but.”

He exhaled a short sigh, speaking with care.

“You are not infertile.”

Her eyes blinked in surprise. What did that mean? Did it imply she was pregnant? For a moment, Reina’s expression went blank.

“That’s impossible. I’ve taken the medicine faithfully. Even yesterday.”

“Have there ever been times when you missed a dose?”

She was certain—when she had left with Zephion, she had not taken it. But after returning, she had resumed without fail.

“Only for a very short while. But after that, I kept taking it. Doesn’t a medicine made from moon-flowers end a pregnancy even if one has already begun?”

“It cannot terminate a child once it has formed. It most likely happened at that point.”

“That’s impossible.”

Her brow furrowed. Pregnant? She laid a hand on her stomach but felt nothing. Didn’t pregnant women usually show? Yet all she had was a bit of weight gained.

“My belly isn’t even that big.”

“If you were unaware, the child may have concealed its presence. There are even cases where a woman does not realize she is pregnant until just before the birth.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

At her denial, the physician cautiously asked,

“May I touch your abdomen?”

“Go ahead. Clearly, you’ve made a serious mistake.”

“…You are indeed pregnant.”

The physician, after carefully examining her abdomen, spoke with certainty. At his words, her lips pressed tightly together.

Pregnant. To think she was carrying a child. Her head throbbed.

‘Could it be Zephion’s child?’

He was the only one it could be. She had taken no medicine while with him. Reina rubbed her stomach with her palm. Whatever the physician had felt to speak so firmly, she herself could sense nothing at all.

If it was Zephion’s child… what should she do? She shut her eyes tightly, then forced them open again.

“Can you… tell when it happened?”

“It seems to have been about five months ago.”

Five months—exactly when Kaelid had found her.

‘No… it can’t be Kaelid’s.’

She had taken the medicine as soon as she returned to the estate. That meant she must have conceived just before then. Her mind was in complete disarray.

If it were Kaelid’s, she would not hesitate to end it. But Zephion’s child—she could not bring herself to kill it.

‘But I can’t give birth to it, either.’

Reina bit down hard on her lip. House Berend would be destroyed, and she would die too. But what about the child she had left behind? Should she confess to Zephion and leave the child with him?