Chapter 2 (Part 10)
While waiting after registration, someone approached her cheerfully.
“Brienne, did you come alone?”
When she looked up, Madame Arten sat next to her with a smile. She nodded, lifting the corners of her mouth.
“Why didn’t you come with Cardin?”
She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“He said he had to repair the roof.”
“But if you registered with the gynecologist, shouldn’t he have come with you?”
“There are a lot of things to fix at home, so he seems busy.”
“But he should have come with you. You live far away.”
She answered with a smile instead of saying more. Madame Arten continued to look at her with curious eyes. When their eyes met, she brightened.
“Now that your husband is here, you’ll have a child soon, right?”
Her face turned red for a moment. She awkwardly lifted the corners of her mouth.
“…I suppose so.”
There were too many eyes watching to deny it. Moreover, in this village, there was a strong belief that if you were married, you should naturally have a child. She didn’t want to continue the conversation by contradicting that.
Madame Arten looked at her with a satisfied expression.
“If the child resembles both of you, they’ll be very pretty. Especially since Cardin is so handsome.”
She simply smiled without saying anything. Her hands were sweaty. She fiddled with her handkerchief while looking around, noticing that most of the people who had come before her had already gone in.
‘When will it be my turn?’
Madame Arten kept asking her burdensome questions about the baby and her relationship with Cardin.
“Is your husband going to stay here permanently now?”
She tightly gripped her handkerchief.
“Probably.”
If Cardin leaves, she plans to leave as well. Madame Arten’s eyes, still bright, focused intently on her. She looked at the clock.
‘It feels like I’ve been here for over an hour.’
Feeling frustrated, she glanced at the reception desk.
“Miss Brienne.”
She stood up immediately. Madame Arten looked at her in surprise. After excusing herself to Madame Arten, she hurried into the consultation room. The doctor was an older woman with many wrinkles. She looked at her with a tired expression.
“What brings you here?”
“I’d like to get a prescription for contraceptives.”
The doctor handed her a pink pill.
“If you take this pill, you won’t get pregnant even if you’ve had intercourse within the last two weeks. The effect lasts about a month.”
She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Could I get more?”
“The pills are expensive. Are you okay with that?”
“How much is it?”
“It’s 30,000 morque.”
It was quite a lot of money. Still, it was better than getting pregnant, so she nodded.
“It’s fine. Please give it to me.”
The doctor gave her two pills. She paid for them immediately. Then she remembered Madame Arten’s particularly curious gaze.
“Doctor, about these pills, could you not mention them to anyone else….”
“I won’t say anything. But be careful not to let Sisren see when you leave. She’s always trying to find out everything.”
Sisren was the nurse’s name. Like Madame Arten, she liked to talk and was friendly, often sharing patient information.
“Don’t worry.”
She securely placed the pills in her pocket. The doctor, seemingly finished with her work, stood up. Brienne thought about her stomachache and asked.
“My stomach hurts here, is it nothing serious?”
The doctor rummaged through her medicine bag and took out a yellow potion.
“It’s a simple diagnostic potion. Just wait ten minutes for the results.”
She handed her the potion. Although anxious, she didn’t refuse and drank it. She checked the clock.
“Is it something serious?”
“If it were very serious, you wouldn’t have been able to come here.”
Hearing that, her worried heart calmed down instantly. She waited, checking the clock from time to time. Three minutes, four minutes, five minutes…. Time seemed to crawl by. She wiped her forehead with a handkerchief. The doctor was organizing the medicine, placing them one by one in a container. Then the clock in front of the doctor rang. The doctor immediately took out a white paper.
“Ah, open your mouth.”
As she opened her mouth, the doctor touched her tongue with the white paper and then removed it. Shortly after, the paper turned red. Her heart pounded with anxiety. Somehow, the red color seemed like a bad omen. The doctor lifted the paper up and down to check again. Then she found a brown bottle and dripped its contents onto the paper. The colorless liquid turned blue instantly upon contact. The doctor turned to her immediately.
“It’s infertility.”
“What?”
“You don’t need to take the pills you bought earlier.”
Her mind went blank for a moment. Infertility? She had never thought about it, nor had she felt that her body was like that.
“Miss Brienne?”
When she finally looked up, the doctor spoke.
“If you return the pills, I’ll refund your money.”
“Doctor, am I really infertile?”
The doctor showed her the blue paper.
“Seeing this blue here confirms it.”
It was very blue. Like a clear autumn sky. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. Of course, she hadn’t thought she would get married in this situation….
She felt the doctor’s gaze. She took the pills out of her pocket. The doctor refunded her money promptly and said.
“Being infertile doesn’t mean your body is in danger. You just can’t conceive.”
“I have regular periods and no other discomfort.”
“That happens sometimes. It may not feel good, but….”
“Is there any treatment?”
“Currently, there’s no treatment available.”
The doctor’s words were firm. As if there was no way out. She gave up and stood up.
“Thank you.”
She thanked her weakly and left the consultation room. Infertility. Her mind was blank, yet she thought it might be for the best. At least she didn’t have to worry about having Cardin’s child.
In any case, marriage was impossible for her in her situation. There was no one to pay off her numerous debts.
‘Maybe it’s for the best.’
She tried to think positively as she left the hospital. The humid air outside hit her face warmly.
As she exhaled briefly, someone touched her shoulder. Startled, she turned around to see Madame Arten looking at her with concern.
“Brienne, are you okay?”
“What?”
“I called you earlier, but you didn’t seem to hear.”
“Oh, I must have been lost in thought.”
“Why? Are you feeling very unwell?”
“No, it’s not that… I’m not pregnant.”
Madame Arten squinted her eyes for a moment, then nodded as if she understood.
“Were you hoping for it?”
“I guess I was. I thought I was pregnant.”
She deliberately sounded very disappointed. It was a similar feeling to reality. Madame Arten smiled and lightly tapped her arm.
“Brienne, you’re still young. Why are you in such a hurry?”
“You’re right. I’m still young.”
Her expression barely formed a smile, but her heart sank endlessly. She felt Madame Arten’s gaze. She seemed to be examining her closely. Feeling like she had been talking too much, she quickly said.
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
As she bowed her head quickly, Madame Arten reluctantly replied.
“Alright, go ahead.”
She hurried away. She wanted to escape the prying eyes and the searing heat.
As she walked briskly, she felt someone following her. She turned her head quickly, but the surroundings were quiet. Feeling uneasy, she moved her feet, but someone blocked her path.
It was a man dressed entirely in black, as if he wasn’t hot. She recognized the familiar family crest on his arm. It was the Messerode family crest, with a dragon holding an emerald. When she hesitated, he spoke.
“Could you spare a moment?”
It was sooner than she expected. She hadn’t imagined someone from Cardin’s family would come so soon.
“Miss Brienne, it won’t take long.”
He even knew her name. Without saying more, she quietly followed him. He stopped at the entrance to the forest. The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of birds could be heard.
“Please leave the young master’s side.”
His sudden voice made her heart jump. The man continued, looking her in the eye.
“The young master originally came here to kill you, Miss Brienne.”
Her ears buzzed, unable to hear anything else. As expected, like the creditors, Cardin hadn’t come here with good intentions.
‘He came to kill me?’
It was more shocking than coming to collect money. Her hands trembled. Unaware, she had enjoyed a life with Cardin.
Even though she was anxious about him regaining his memory in the future, she willingly stayed with him. Looking back, it was a foolish thing to do.
‘I knew this would happen.’
She barely held back tears and bit her lip. Then the man handed her a thick envelope. The Messerode family crest caught her eye.
“This is a token of appreciation for taking care of our young master.”
She barely regained her composure and stepped back.
“I won’t accept the reward. And I’ll leave soon. To a place where I won’t be seen.”
She fled from there.
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