Yulia had to pause for a moment, but she tried to act as casually as possible.

What she needed to say next was incredibly important.

Keeping her gaze fixed on the antique carpet covering the reception room floor, she opened her mouth again.

“I know this will come as a shock…”

“Just speak comfortably.”

Yulia’s expression faltered slightly at his second interruption.

It felt as if Cassian was fixated on unnecessary formalities, not knowing what might come out of her mouth.

‘Of all things, he’s fixating on tone right now…?’

Yulia took a small breath, ensuring Cassian wouldn’t hear her sigh, and continued.

“So what I want to say is…”

“Yulia.”

His low voice echoed in her ears, causing Yulia to squeeze her eyes shut.

“Don’t bother with formalities. Just speak.”

“Haah…”

Yulia finally lifted her head to meet Cassian’s impassive gaze.

He was staring at her with his deep green eyes, showing no change in expression.

“…Why does the way I speak even matter right now?”

“That’s better.”

Cassian smiled with satisfaction at the frown on Yulia’s face.

It was a perfectly beautiful smile.

In that moment, Yulia felt a twisted impulse to erase that perfect smile from his face.

“I’m pregnant.”

She hadn’t intended to be so blunt.

But seeing him sitting there with such a composed demeanor, so different from her own turmoil, made her feel a bit resentful.

A heavy silence settled between them, separated only by the table.

“……”

Cassian didn’t break his gaze from Yulia as he lifted his teacup to his lips.

Though he appeared unfazed, the slight furrowing of his brows revealed his inner turmoil.

Even a man who seemed unshakeable would find it hard to remain composed when a woman told him she was carrying his child.

Yulia felt a shallow satisfaction rising within her, which was completely incongruous with the situation.

“Then let’s get married and live together.”

After a long silence, Cassian finally spoke.

It was the answer she had expected.

Though it wasn’t a satisfying response.

***

Cassian stared at the purple velvet chair where Yulia had been sitting moments ago.

He vividly recalled the scene of Yulia quietly rising and glancing around before bowing her head and leaving the room.

She said she was pregnant.

That couldn’t be true…

Yulia must be mistaken or lying.

If she thought she was carrying another man’s child and mistook it for his…

Cassian clenched his fist tightly on the armrest of the chair.

Just the thought of it made his blood boil.

He couldn’t maintain his calm at the mere image of Yulia with another man.

No, she was smart enough not to be mistaken.

And she shouldn’t be.

Cassian lit the thick cigar resting on the table, trying to calm his emotions.

What if this was a calculated lie?

“Haah…”

He couldn’t grasp her intentions at all.

Yulia, who seemed the least likely to follow the typical path of most women in the Tritan Empire—meeting a suitable man, marrying, and having beautiful children—was now standing before him with a pregnancy announcement.

She shouted that they should forget about that night, yet now she was here claiming to be pregnant?

Seeing Yulia’s face brought back memories of that night, causing him to unintentionally speak sharply.

He had acknowledged her statement, but his mind was a whirlwind.

Cassian leaned back against the chair’s backrest.

“What on earth are you thinking…?”

“Your Grace, the Duke and Duchess Duvert have arrived.”

At that moment, Abil’s voice came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a knock.

“Let them in.”

Cassian removed the thick cigar from his mouth and responded dismissively.

As Abil turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, two people rushed in, eagerly waiting for the grand wooden door to open.

The couple, entering without any decorum, exchanged surprised glances at the smoke-filled room.

“Sit.”

Cassian spoke without lifting his gaze.

The two took their seats in the same chairs where Yulia had sat earlier, taking a moment to collect themselves.

“Um, Your Grace, greetings. I am Duncan Duvert, and my wife is Catherine Duvert.”

Cassian inhaled deeply from the cigar he was holding.

“We… we came because… there’s something we must tell you about the girl who just left…”

Duncan pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow.

He couldn’t hide his nerves, fidgeting as he rubbed his sweaty forehead.

Cassian nodded, encouraging him to continue, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke.

Duncan’s face tightened at the approaching cigar smoke.

‘How insolent…’

He managed to open his mouth and began to speak.

“I don’t know exactly what Yulia told you, but… it was all a lie…”

Hearing Yulia’s name made Cassian turn his head.

He fixed his gaze on the pitiful duke sitting in front of him, who was swallowing nervously.

“Actually, that’s… we… um, we…”

Catherine, sitting next to Duncan, jabbed him sharply in the side.

“Your Grace, we gave Yulia a drug for certain reasons. A drug that makes her think she’s pregnant.”

“Y-Yes! We had some plans, and that’s how it turned out… so she’s absolutely not pregnant.”

The couple’s heads, previously clouded with anxiety and darkness, seemed to be illuminated by a ray of light.

“Of course she’s not! I’ll have her taken to get the antidote as soon as we leave.”

“Y-Yes! We’ll sort this out quickly. She’s definitely not pregnant with your child, so don’t worry! We’re sorry for causing you concern.”

Duncan bowed deeply, stammering.

“I know.”

Cassian extinguished the thick cigar in the glass ashtray on the table.

“Really? You know? What do you mean by that…?”

Duncan, with his forehead pressed to the ground, lifted his head in confusion.

“But I’d prefer she continues not knowing.”

A slow smile began to bloom on Cassian’s previously cold face.

***

Preparations for Cassian’s marriage proceeded swiftly.

Less than a week after being informed of the engagement, people began to flood into the Duvert dormitory.

“What… is all this?”

The visitors from the Isheide estate were all carrying boxes tied with ribbons and large shopping bags.

“These are gifts sent by Duke Cassian for his fiancée. Where should we put these boxes?”

“Uh, for now… stack them over there.”

Fiancée…?

Yulia greeted the servants with a dazed expression.

There were several dresses, hair accessories, watches, bracelets, and large and small boxes filled with sparkling jewels piled up in her room.

However, there was no way there was enough space in her small single dormitory room to store all of this.

Yulia looked around at the scattered items with a troubled expression.

“…I don’t even need these. They’re not my style.”

Holding up a red dress that was placed on the bed, Yulia shook her head.

Cassian seemed to have a much more extravagant taste than she anticipated.

Unlike Yulia, who mostly wore simple, monochromatic dresses, the dresses he sent were all bright colors with elaborate decorations.

They were luxurious outfits that seemed more suited for Catherine or other high-ranking noblewomen.

“Moreover, this…”

This kind of gift barrage felt like something one would do when marrying a truly beloved partner.

As if he were so delighted to be marrying her that he wanted to offer her all the treasures of the world…

She had thought it would be a formal marriage, yet here he was preparing all of this.

Being a duke, he certainly had a grand approach…

After the servants left, Yulia, sitting quietly on the floor, pushed aside the endless boxes with her feet.

“Ah! Why is there so much…? I’m already so busy!”

Yulia flopped back onto the floor.

Perhaps due to being in the early stages of pregnancy, even a little movement or stress made her feel overwhelmingly fatigued.

Lying down, she felt her eyelids growing heavy, as if sleep would come at any moment.

But today, she had things to do.

Yulia forced herself to sit up and pick up an envelope from her desk.

Today was the day she wrote a letter to her grandfather in Yeraf, a weekly routine.

He would be incredibly surprised by the sudden news… about the baby, about the marriage… and that it was with none other than Grand Duke Cassian…

Yulia let out a deep sigh.

“I was originally planning to bring him to Mondinium after getting a job, but maybe I need to bring him here sooner…”

Muttering softly to herself, Yulia threw on her coat and opened the dormitory door.

She wanted to quickly send the letter to the post office and return to rest deeply.

In her haste to leave, Yulia almost bumped directly into someone standing right in front of the door.

“Whoa…! Who…?”

Startled, Yulia halted her steps, and the man standing at the door turned to look at her.