The wound, bound with bandages, was hidden beneath a clean shirt. The injury from that night’s struggle had been deep enough to require stitches.

Richard, who was helping him dress, glanced at the wound before looking away. It was natural for him to wonder how his master had acquired such an injury after returning from military service.

Though self-inflicted, Kian found it somewhat amusing that his first scar came from a mermaid. What an ironic turn of events.

Not that it mattered. He should be grateful she couldn’t bring herself to stab him properly.

His hands remained steady as they fastened the cuffs at his wrists. As he was attending not as a military officer but as a duke, he needed to wear elaborate formal attire instead of his naval uniform. It was a troublesome affair in many ways.

“The doctor?”

After putting on his jacket, Kian casually inquired of the butler who was brushing his shoulders.

“He should arrive before noon.”

“I think we should change our physician from visiting to resident while we’re at it.”

“I’ll discuss the arrangements after he finishes examining Lady Vivianne.”

Vivianne’s condition had deteriorated. He’d initially thought her refusal to eat was mere stubbornness, but now it seemed habitual. She’d even been secretly drinking water at dawn, only to retch afterward.

“The carriage is ready at the entrance.”

“Thank you for your work.”

Kian looked at Vivianne’s pale face as she slept in his bed.

“I apologize, but if you wish to arrive at the Imperial Palace on time, you should depart now, my lord.”

He should have left early in the morning according to the schedule, but he’d delayed his departure to monitor her condition.

The Emperor’s birthday celebration was an annual event where all high nobles of the empire gathered.

Why make such a fuss over an old man’s birthday? What was there to celebrate about an elderly person aging another year?

Though irritated, he had to maintain appearances. The Emperor had awarded him a medal for his military achievements, and missing the banquet would surely earn his displeasure.

It would only be a week at most. If he excluded the useless social gatherings, he could return within four days.

“I’ll leave in five minutes. Would you give me some privacy?”

“Yes, my lord.”

After Richard left, Kian picked up the puppy sleeping on the cushion and placed it where he had been lying.

An toddled over to Vivianne’s pillow, curled up with his black nose against her crown. It seemed that had always been his spot on the bed.

Despite the puppy’s presence, the woman didn’t stir. Her complexion remained as pale as a porcelain doll. Kian gently kissed her rounded forehead and whispered:

“I’ll be back, Vivi.”

She wouldn’t answer him. Even if she were awake, she’d probably wish he’d never return.

“It’ll take about four days. I’ve brought An for you to play with. Matilda will look after you, so don’t skip your meals.”

This was a rare act of kindness since that day when the woman had tried to plunge a knife into his heart.

It would be nice if she showed even a little gratitude.

Of course, he knew perfectly well how much she despised him. That’s why he pursued her so relentlessly, determined to make her understand her situation until she accepted there was no escape.

This wasn’t something that would be resolved overnight. It would take time.

So why did he find it so difficult to leave?

Should he take her to the Imperial Palace? Her body probably couldn’t handle it. If he confined her to a hotel room, would she stay put? Or would he need to shackle her again?

Every night she would cry from excitement as he took her, then retch from unbearable shame. What rumors would spread if those sounds were overheard?

The eyes of his employees had long since changed when they looked at him. Theodore’s gaze, in particular, was pure contempt for evil.

It wasn’t a misunderstanding, so why should he care?

His decision to go alone was entirely for her stability.

Looking at his pocket watch, he saw the promised five minutes were almost up.

It was time to leave. Her motionless form looked no different from the taxidermied specimens downstairs. Seeing her alive yet seemingly dead stirred an inexplicable anxiety within him.

“Here’s my gift to you.”

Kian pulled back the blanket and removed the shackle from her ankle. In its place, he tied a lace ribbon with care.

“Have you tied many ribbons before?”

Even though he’d done it for her pleasure, she would often pout and ask such trivial questions.

Of course not. Who but you would make me engage in such childish romance?

Kian tucked her foot back under the blanket and left the room.

Nothing would happen. It was just a feeling.

After locking the door from outside, Kian lingered there for a moment.

A fog-like anxiety weighed on his mind.

* * *

After retching all through dawn and finally falling asleep, Vivianne opened her eyes to see a welcome face.

“…Matilda?”

“Oh! Vivi, you’re awake?”

It was delightful to see her after so long, and she wondered what good occasion had brought her here. Matilda wore an incredibly warm expression.

Usually when she woke up, she found herself alone in an empty room. Today was definitely different.

An wagged his tail cheerfully at her bedside.

“The master has gone to the Imperial Palace. He said it would take about four days. He left you in my care while he’s away. Isn’t that wonderful?”

So Kian wasn’t home. Feeling her ankle, she found not the heavy shackle but only a lace ribbon tied there.

“Did you miss me, Vivi?”

Instead of answering, Vivianne threw herself into Matilda’s arms.

As always, Matilda’s embrace was warm and comfortable, with such a pleasant scent.

“How could I not?”

Her voice caught in her throat as she spoke.

“I missed you so much, Matilda.”

“I was almost hurt by your silence.”

Matilda stroked her tangled hair smooth, like a mother grooming her recovered cub.

“Oh, I have some surprising news. Good news!”

“Good news?”

“Yes! I think you’ll be very happy when you hear it.”

Good news? Could there really be such a thing? She was bewildered. Since discovering the taxidermy, she had known nothing but thick despair.

“While you were sleeping, the doctor came by. And guess what… you’re pregnant with a baby.”

“…Me?”

“Yes!”

For a moment, all expression vanished from Vivianne’s face.

“Are you shocked? You must feel dazed. Come to think of it, I felt the same when I first became pregnant with Theo.”

Not understanding Vivianne’s reaction, Matilda smiled brightly, reminiscing about the past.

“But you must be happy, right? You’ve always wanted to have the master’s baby.”

That wasn’t wrong. From the moment she first saw Kian, she had wanted to be with him and bear his child.

Yet now, hearing the news, she somehow couldn’t feel joy.

Would she have been happy before being so utterly broken? No, even if she hadn’t seen the taxidermied sisters, would things have been different?

Even considering such possibilities filled her with guilt.

“I… don’t know.”

Should she be happy? After all, she was carrying the child she had so desperately wanted, as Matilda said.

Or should she be horrified? She had conceived the seed of the monster who killed Annabel.

I don’t know… I just don’t know.

Tears streamed down her blank face.

“Oh, our poor Vivi. Let me hold you. Come here.”

Matilda, who had been watching her pitiful state, pulled Vivianne into another tight embrace.

“You’ve been through so much. I know. I’ve been worried too, seeing that things haven’t been good between you and the master lately.”

So Matilda had been worried all along. But she probably didn’t know what had actually happened.

Her chest felt tight, burning from within. Yet somehow, she couldn’t say anything.

“Are you worried about the master’s reaction? I’m sure he’ll be pleased. The other day, he asked me to find books about pregnancy and childbirth. That was all for you, wasn’t it?”

“……”

“Now that there’s a baby, everything will be alright.”

* * *

After hearing the news of her pregnancy from Matilda, Vivianne found it impossible to sleep.

She lay under the blanket, silently blinking her eyes.

She was pregnant. Since she had never mated with another male, this was Kian’s child.

Would everything be alright now that there was a baby, as Matilda said? Would Kian love the child because it was his?

Even if it was born of a mermaid?

When she revealed her identity as a mermaid, he refused to believe it. Why wouldn’t he believe?

Was it because he hated mermaids so much? Or did he think she had lost her mind, claiming to be a mermaid while in a human body?

According to her contract with the witch, she had conceived that male’s child, and when the red moon rose, she would become human.

Kian wanted her to be human, and she would indeed become one. Should she just live in submission, pretending she had been human from the beginning?

But what about Annabel?

With Annabel preserved as a taxidermy specimen just one floor below, how could she pretend nothing had happened?

Bile rose in her throat. Thinking about it made her feel she was harboring vermin in her womb.

But Annabel, you told me to survive. What should I do when living is h*ll?

Every night, despite having a knife at her bedside, she couldn’t bring herself to kill Kian. Each time, self-loathing made her want to die.

The only reason she hadn’t died or escaped was her promise to Annabel that she would survive. Now she was exhausted and wanted to give up everything.

If she took her own life, the baby would die too. What sin had the baby committed?

The baby had saved her from turning to seafoam. So why did she view the baby with such horror and think only of k*lling it? She felt she might go mad.

“I’m sorry…”

Vivianne clutched her lower abdomen and began to sob.

She cried all night, thinking and thinking again. Though her concerns were complex, the conclusion was surprisingly clear.

It was Kian’s baby, but it was also her baby. Just as the baby had protected her, she would protect the baby.

And Kian wasn’t necessary for that. The contract with the witch only required her to “conceive that male’s child.”

Only one thing remained to be done.

She had to escape this place before he returned.