Chapter 14

There was a need to confirm everything clearly. 

Elina wanted to check directly, asking Floyd to summon the physician, which he readily agreed to. 

Thus, the physician stood before her. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Bianca Dilbon.” 

Upon hearing her words, Elina realized she was the physician who had been in charge since the day she fell down the stairs. With her light blonde hair tightly tied, she approached Elina with a pleasant smile. 

“May I have your wrist for a moment?” 

Elina let a final tear drop and offered her wrist. Glancing at Floyd beside her, he reassured Elina that everything was fine. 

Elina raised an eyebrow, watching Bianca concentrate on feeling her pulse. 

Bianca seemed like a young lady from a decent family, appearing close in age to her. 

Perhaps that’s why Elina hadn’t initially thought of her as a physician when she entered the bedroom. 

Then Bianca muttered in a sharp voice. 

“Oh, why is this… sorry. I’ll check the other wrist.” 

Elina looked down at the wrist Bianca held, noticing the red marks left by her firm grip. 

“Can’t you feel the pulse…?” 

A worst-case scenario flashed through her mind. The child was fine a few hours ago, but now something might be wrong. She didn’t want to entertain such thoughts. 

Floyd raised his voice from beside her. 

“You said the child was okay yesterday, no, just a while ago.” 

“Hold on… I’ll try again. In early pregnancy, the pulse can be unstable and hard to detect. Also, the young lady’s blood vessels are too thin, so let me…” 

Her mind was dizzy. Covering her mouth with trembling hands, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. 

It was like floundering endlessly in the deep sea without a glimpse of light. 

The presence she had resented so much a few hours ago was now desperately missed. 

“Are you in much pain? Haa… I haven’t found the right medicine yet.” 

Seeing Elina overwhelmed by anxiety, Floyd placed a cool hand on her forehead, instantly calming her. 

“Is the fever high…?” 

“No, no. It’ll go down soon.” 

Floyd awkwardly sat beside her, unable to embrace her, as he brought a wet cloth to Elina’s cheeks. 

Elina couldn’t even think of confronting him about the lies from that night, quietly leaning on his shoulder. 

She just hoped the child would be okay. 

She promised not to say anything bad again.

Please. Please…. 

“It’ll be okay.” 

Floyd whispered, holding Elina’s hand not gripped by the physician. His voice was filled with earnestness. 

“Ah… a bit weak but safely fine.” 

After what felt like an eternity, the physician turned her light golden hair, smiling at Elina with relief. 

She added that the child was stronger than expected. 

Elina was grateful that the child remained safe despite the ordeal. 

Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness. 

Elina offered a prayer of thanks to gods she didn’t believe in. 

Though it was news born of a lapse, she didn’t know if she could call it truly joyful news, but for now, she was sufficiently happy. 

Elina, who had been trembling with anxiety, suddenly felt all tension release. 

Floyd, beside her, felt the same. Though he had heard the child was fine a few hours ago, he was still worried. 

“Congratulations on your pregnancy, young lady.” 

As the physician left with a bow after this final remark, Elina burst into tears she had been holding back. 

It was the first congratulation she had heard. 

She cried so much that she couldn’t see ahead because of the tears pouring down. 

Handling the last remaining guilt and overwhelming relief together. 

“It’s okay. Our child is fine. Don’t cry; it’ll harm your health.” 

With those words, Elina bit her lip and covered her tear-filled eyes with a handkerchief. Sniffling, Floyd approached and held her in his arms. 

“They said to be careful because it’s early.” 

Seeing this man’s gentle demeanor reminded her of the scene where he laughed with an unknown woman over tea. 

A child was the child, but there was much to confront…. 

“My head hurts….” 

“Ah… do you want to sleep again? No. Let’s fill your stomach first. Are you hungry?” 

Thinking about it, she seemed hungry. 

Though she could skip meals, knowing there was a child inside, she couldn’t. 

Elina nodded silently. 

It was just a struggle to survive. 

Her head hurt, and she couldn’t think of anything. The embrace of the man with relatively lower body temperature felt refreshingly cool, making her not want to move a finger. 

With one hand, he dragged the table beside the bed to place it in front of Elina. 

The mushroom soup she had seen earlier still emitted warmth. When a silver spoon was placed in her hand, Elina took a spoonful and held it in her mouth. 

Even a small taste was filled with the luxurious flavor of mushrooms. 

It was a world apart from the pepper-filled mushroom soup she had hastily eaten at the Valois residence. 

“It’s delicious.” 

Above all, the child inside seemed to like it. The soup probably contained milk, but there was no aversion. 

Floyd, who handed lukewarm water to Elina between bites of soup, suddenly stopped as he tidied her disheveled hair, seemingly struck by a thought. 

“Is there anything else you want to eat?” 

Hmm… there was no need to keep silent here. Elina hesitated, considering whether to mention the fruit she had been thinking about for weeks, and finally spoke. 

“I want to eat an orange.” 

“Ah.” 

With those words, Floyd stood up, seemingly ready to dash out of the bedroom immediately. 

Without much more thought, he said he’d bring it quickly and left. 

She was suddenly left alone in the bedroom. 

Elina ate another spoonful of the half-finished soup, then set the spoon down in the bowl. 

He said he’d bring an orange, so it would take quite some time for him to return. 

Oranges weren’t in season now. 

How did this happen to me?

Elina repeatedly opened and closed her hands. 

Thinking of facing reality from now on made her feel desolate. 

The man who spent a night with her was actually the Empire’s only Grand Duke, and the child inside her was his child. 

Elina placed her hand on her still flat abdomen, lightly stroking it. After staring for a while, she eventually let out a hollow laugh. 

The title of Grand Duke Rennes was bestowed upon the son of the previous Emperor. 

Reflecting on her memories of studying the Empire’s history years ago, it seemed so. The current Grand Duke Rennes was a young man, likely inheriting the title from his father. 

There’s no need to think so complicatedly. 

The man who had been in this bedroom was an Imperial Family member. And one with a high succession order. 

Children of the Imperial Family, regardless of legitimacy, receive Imperial treatment. Thus, the child in her belly, not yet formed, was also of the Imperial Family. 

Would the child in my belly become this man’s illegitimate child? 

She was happy just knowing the child was safe inside her, but suddenly she thought of that. 

Should I demand he marry me formally for the sake of our child as soon as he returned? 

The child was inside her, so inevitably Elina had to beg. The man, if he ignored the child, would be criticized as a heartless father…. 

Then a fresh fruit scent wafted in from outside the door. It was the scent of the orange she wanted so much. 

He must have been in such a hurry, carrying a large tray not used in the Grand Ducal residence, filled with fresh oranges, and a small knife in one hand, half running inside. 

Elina, who had been contemplating the future for the child inside her, was distracted by the fresh orange scent. 

The only thought now was wanting to eat all those mountain-like oranges. 

The mushroom soup had been delicious, so how much more delicious would those oranges be? 

“I hurried, so… I’ll peel them quickly. Finish the soup.” 

Seeing Elina’s gaze fixed on the vivid orange-colored oranges, Floyd lifted the knife and smiled faintly. 

Elina, who had been eating the soup deliciously, didn’t know if it was going into her mouth or nose, and she diligently moved the spoon. 

Wondering how he got oranges so quickly this season, it seemed they were imported from another Empire with a different climate. 

He repeatedly poked the oranges with the small knife, peeling off the thick skin. 

Orange juice dripped onto the tray. 

The peeled oranges were less than half their original size and looked clumsy. 

After massacring a few oranges, Floyd tilted his head, realizing something was off. 

No matter how he looked, the shape wasn’t pretty. 

Elina, lying on the bed, stared at the massacred oranges with a wistful expression. 

“Hmm. I’ll peel them again.” 

“Well… you can just give them to me. No, just give them.” 

“They say when you’re pregnant, you should eat pretty things.” 

What was this man? 

Elina was on the verge of tears. She asked for oranges because she wanted to eat them, but he wouldn’t give them to her despite having them right in front of her. 

“Then just cut the stem part thinly with a knife and carefully peel the skin by hand. Or give them to me. I’ll eat them myself.” 

She wanted those oranges so much. She had been tightly gripping the small fork on one side of the tray for a while. 

Fortunately, he seemed to understand Elina’s words well, quickly slicing a pretty-shaped orange and sticking it onto Elina’s fork. 

Floyd’s hands were stained orange from the juice. 

Without realizing it, Elina burst the fresh orange juice in her mouth. 

“Ah, it’s delicious.” 

Elina covered her slightly parted lips with one hand, exclaiming. After devouring several more oranges, she finally set down the fork. 

The large tray was filled with neatly peeled orange skins and the massacred oranges from earlier. Elina looked at it and smacked her lips. 

“Should I make juice from this?” 

Floyd asked in a low voice as he cleaned up the surroundings. 

Elina nodded immediately. Fresh juice made from ground oranges. The child would surely like it too. 

“I’m glad the child is safe.” 

“Yes, it’s fortunate… it’s fortunate.” 

But at his passing remark, it suddenly felt like her heart was collapsing. 

Ah. Was he treating me well because of the child inside me? 

With a sudden wave of bitter emotion, her mind became clear.