SIDE STORY 3 (Part 1)

“This is so cute!”

Yan exclaimed excitedly, drawing her attention.

“Look at this! Oh my gosh, it’s so adorable!”

A tiny baby hat with teddy bear ears on top. When Yan handed it to her to feel, the material was soft and plush.

“It would look adorable on a baby. Let’s get this too.”

“Sure.”

“Rienn.”

Dian gestured for her to come back to where they were originally looking. There were baby pillows, quilts, blankets, and bassinets in different designs. They were all so cute, it made her heart tickle.

“Which one do you like?”

“I don’t know, I like them all…….”

She felt a warm sense of happiness but also indecision. The bedding was mostly white, light-colored, and embroidered with different animals and flowers.

“Haha, do you want to order them all?”

“No, it’s better for babies to have a few they can use regularly… You choose, Dian.”

She couldn’t decide, so she handed the choice over to him.

“Mmm…….”

Dian habitually placed his hand on her belly and carefully made his selection. His large hand gently caressed the bulge of her stomach.

“How about the one with bear embroidery over there?”

A beige bedding set with brown teddy bear embroidery. She gladly nodded in agreement.

“Sure, I like teddy bears.”

“Let’s get another one, you pick this one.”

“Um…”

After carefully considering, she pointed to the bedding with a red fox embroidery on white fabric.

“I’ll go with that one.”

“Alright.”

“Phew, we’ve chosen the bedding, and looked at blankets, so now…”

As they continued browsing the vast baby store, Dian suggested something.

“Shall we go look at the strollers over there?”

“Strollers? Yes! Yan, we’re going to look at strollers!”

“Oh, okay, I’ll be right here.”

Yan was engrossed in browsing baby hats and clothes, showing unexpected interest in baby items. He couldn’t contain his excitement, and his squeals echoed throughout the store.

As they made their way to where various strollers were displayed, there was a large mirror on one side. She glanced at it absentmindedly and was startled.

Why is my belly so big…?

It seemed larger than when she saw it at home. Perhaps she didn’t pay much attention to mirrors at home, or maybe her belly had really grown noticeably larger over time. 

Now nearing the end of the second trimester and heading into the third, she couldn’t help but notice how pregnant she looked. Calculating the dates, it seemed like she had become unmistakably pregnant almost immediately after stopping birth control. She had gotten pregnant in the fall, and now that winter had passed and spring had arrived, she was undeniably a pregnant woman.

“Why?”

Dian, who had been looking at strollers, came over to her. His giant frame was reflected in the mirror, and he looked puzzled.

“Oh, I was just surprised by my belly. It looks like it suddenly got bigger.”

“Yeah, it seems like it’s been growing a lot lately.”

“I see…”

It wasn’t just her imagination; objectively, her belly had been growing day by day. Dian’s frequent touching and massaging of her belly since the early stages of pregnancy, when it hadn’t even shown, and now that it was growing, made him accurate in his observations.

“It looks like the baby is growing well.”

Dian happily hugged her from behind, his hands cradling her belly. He had been touching it often since the early stages of pregnancy when it hadn’t shown at all, and now that it was visible, it had become a habit. It felt like her belly was pulling his hands toward it like a magnet.

“It seems like the baby is growing fast. Let’s choose a stroller for the baby.”

“Sure.”

Dian carefully examined the strollers again, bending down to inspect each part—the part where the baby would lie, the wheels, and the handlebar.

Despite receiving many baby items as gifts and having some prepared by the household staff, coming to the store to see and choose them personally felt like the right decision. 

The baby dolls, clothes, swaddles, blankets, handkerchiefs, and bedding—all felt so cute and comforting. Choosing them one by one made her realize that she was truly pregnant. Dian was actively and carefully choosing with her, and even now, he was pushing the stroller forward.

“How is it?”

She grabbed the handlebar and pushed it together with him.

“It’s great! The wheels are large, so you can push it without much effort. The place where the baby lies also looks comfortable.”

“Shall we go with this one?”

“Sure. These two have the same structure, but different designs. Which one do you like better?”

“Hmm…”

Once again, they were stuck in deliberation. Each stroller had a different combination of colors and designs for the baby’s lying area and the canopy. After much thought, they chose the one with cream color and golden patterns both above and below.

“Is everything done now?”

Feeling slightly tired from browsing the store, Yan suddenly let out another excited squeal.

“Why, what’s up?”

She ran up to him in alarm. With her belly feeling heavy and protruding forward, she steadied herself slowly.

“Look at this…”

Yan was holding a pair of light blue baby socks in his palm, looking amazed. The socks were so small, barely bigger than the tip of his finger.

“It’s incredible how tiny these are. Can you believe a foot fits into this?”

She couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. It was so absurd.

“They’re really small.”

Beyond just being cute, the tiny socks were fascinating.

“I mean, I can barely fit my finger in it.”

Like finger puppets, Yan slipped his two fingers inside, and the socks were snug. 

How tiny must a baby’s foot be? 

Feeling the presence of the baby inside her belly, her heart fluttered.

“We should buy a few pairs of socks.”

Dian, who had come over to them, leaned in.

“Rienn, aren’t you hungry?”

“Hmm, a little… What time is it now?”

Just hearing that made her hungry. He took out a pocket watch and showed it to her.

“It’s already lunchtime. Let’s go eat.”

“Yeah, let’s just buy some socks and go.”

“I’ll be placing orders for the items we’ve chosen.”

“Okay.”

While Dian was placing orders with the shop assistant, she picked out more socks and clothes with Yan. Yan had arrived at the Duke’s mansion the day before and was planning to stay for a few days. 

Although he was unmarried and, as far as Rienn knew, had no one he was dating, he seemed to be deeply immersed in baby items. He had always been a voracious consumer and the darling of all the shops, but it seemed that he had expanded his reach to baby products.

The list on the order form seemed endless. They ordered the large items to be delivered to the mansion and handed the smaller items to the coachman before heading to the restaurant.