“Mother… I’m pregnant.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m pregnant… with a baby.”

Marchioness Baldwin looked somewhat dumbfounded at Vivianne’s bombshell announcement. A pregnancy out of nowhere. She seemed too young and naive to become a mother. Of course, she had been found having miscarried before, but to the Marchioness, Vivianne still seemed like a child.

Besides, hadn’t she said with her own mouth that she’d broken up with the Duke of Larson not long ago?

“I only found out recently myself. I’m sorry for telling you just now.”

“I see. I understand. So, Vivi, what do you plan to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

Vivianne responded with an innocent expression to the Marchioness’s question.

“Does the father know you’re pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“So… the baby is definitely the Duke of Larson’s, correct?”

“That’s right. It’s Kian’s baby.”

“But you said you broke up with the Duke of Larson.”

“I did.”

Vivianne didn’t deny it. Somehow, the more questions asked, the less clear things became, like falling into a labyrinth.

According to Vivianne, she had grown tired of him and left him, but the Marchioness didn’t take those words at face value. She thought Vivianne had made up that excuse because there were difficult circumstances she couldn’t talk about.

Surely someone so delicate wouldn’t break up for such a trivial reason.

But now she was pregnant. This had become quite troublesome.

Yet the person most concerned, Vivianne herself, seemed completely unbothered.

By this point, the Marchioness felt angry at the Duke of Larson too. He got her pregnant when he couldn’t wait until after marriage, despite being engaged? He seemed attentive for a while, but apparently a leopard doesn’t change its spots.

“Do you plan to have the baby and raise it?”

“Yes. Is that not allowed?”

Meanwhile, Vivianne couldn’t understand the Marchioness’s reaction.

Wasn’t it perfectly natural for a female to conceive after mating? When a female becomes pregnant, she gives birth in “a nest she considers safe.”

For Vivianne, that place was the Baldwin household.

Of course, she knew that in human cases, people sometimes mate without wanting babies.

But Vivianne’s case was different. The baby was created because Kian, the male, wanted it, and although she was confused at first, Vivianne had been growing attached to the baby by talking to it every day.

“Did that b*stard tell you to? Did he say you should raise it alone since you broke up?”

The Marchioness’s neck veins bulged in anger.

Why is she suddenly so angry? Vivianne tilted her head in confusion.

“That b*stard?”

“The Duke of Larson or whatever, that good-for-nothing fellow.”

“Ah, that b*stard.”

Vivianne repeated “that b*stard”, finding the term amusing, giggling repeatedly.

“Good-for-nothing fellow” was also funny, and saying “bad man!” directly felt satisfying, like scratching an itch in exactly the right spot. She knew they were bad words, but they felt somewhat gratifying and rolled off the tongue nicely.

“I didn’t ask him.”

“…”

“I’ll ask when I see him later.”

After what happened at Port Erich, Vivianne had said she wanted to be alone. She didn’t want to see him right away.

Kian had said he would continue to seek forgiveness, and Vivianne had only said she would think about it. Despite what happened, she had no intention of returning to Kian immediately.

She thought saving Kian that day was enough.

But seeing the Marchioness’s reaction made her wonder if she should have asked him, leaving her slightly confused.

“I just want to keep living with you, Mother. I like it here better than Larson. Is that not allowed…?”

Vivianne asked hesitantly.

The Marchioness’s face softened with emotion as she grabbed both of Vivianne’s hands.

“Of course it’s allowed. I’d be delighted, actually.”

“That’s a relief. Thank you, Mother…!”

Excited about something again, Vivianne hung from the Marchioness’s neck.

Let people point fingers about her having a child out of wedlock if they wanted. That was their business, and if Vivianne was happy, that was all that mattered. The Marchioness patted Vivianne’s back, thinking this.

“…The Duke of Larson will be the problem.”

The Marchioness muttered to herself with a sigh.

Vivianne had said she hadn’t asked about what would happen next, but that he already knew about the pregnancy.

He wasn’t the type to give up easily. What would he try next?

Her head was already throbbing at the thought.

* * *

“Sorry for calling such a busy person.”

“Not at all, Master.”

Kian had summoned Matilda to the townhouse where he was staying.

It was a townhouse near Baldwin. He had originally planned to stay briefly but ended up paying extra to purchase it outright. He didn’t know how long it would take to bring Vivianne back to Larson.

“Honestly, I don’t trust anyone but you, Matilda.”

“You have Richard.”

“Richard is a man. I think a woman’s eye would be more accurate for things like this.”

“I’m honored by your trust.”

The two were chatting while walking down a long corridor when they encountered Richard in front of a door.

“You’ve arrived, Master.”

“Everything is properly prepared, I presume?”

“Yes. This way.”

When the door opened, an incredibly lavish baby room appeared. Matilda’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I tried to keep it simple. What do you think, Matilda?”

This is considered simple?

It was luxurious enough to make one’s eyes spin. The baby’s crib was the highest quality, supposedly used only by the imperial family. The mobile adorned with jewels, dolls, wooden blocks, and rocking horses were all arranged by color.

And that wasn’t all. Opening the wardrobe revealed clothes, shoes, and hats for a baby not yet born, also organized by color, with sizes ranging from newborn to toddler.

“Did Richard arrange all this?”

“No. I merely followed the Master’s instructions for procuring items and decorating. This is modest. What we’ve prepared at Larson is a bit more…”

“…”

If this was considered modest, what on earth was waiting at Larson?

Matilda was speechless. Not only was the decor elaborate and filled with numerous items, but all the furniture corners were rounded to prevent the baby from getting hurt.

“Is it lacking something?”

Kian asked, looking directly at Matilda. His tone was uncharacteristically urgent.

“There are still months left before the due date. This isn’t the finished product, so if anything is missing, we can get it. Feel free to tell me anything.”

“This is more than enough, Master.”

Kian continued staring at Matilda, perhaps finding her answer insufficient.

“…And I’m sure Vivi will love it too.”

With the ribbon decorations as accents, there was no way Vivianne wouldn’t like it.

He seemed to have finally heard what he wanted. The tension in Kian’s face melted away like a spring breeze.

“A wet nurse will arrive a month before the due date. The Countess of Roxburgh says she’s bored now that the young princess has grown up. Wouldn’t it be good for her to befriend Vivi first?”

“…”

“Of course, if Vivi finds this place uncomfortable, I plan to send the wet nurse to Baldwin. So please tell the Marchioness that you don’t need to find a wet nurse.”

Her belly hadn’t even started showing yet, but he had already scouted a wet nurse from the imperial family. His thoroughness was impressive enough to make one’s tongue wag.

“Has anything happened at Baldwin lately?”

“No, nothing.”

She simply said nothing was happening because nothing was, but Kian kept staring at her, seemingly waiting for more.

Ah, she had been insensitive again.

He wasn’t really asking about Baldwin’s well-being. Matilda finally decided to give Kian the answer he wanted.

“Vivi has been having some morning sickness…”

“Is it severe? Is it difficult for her to eat? I heard sometimes it’s so bad they can’t even drink water.”

“Ah, no, it’s not that bad. Just a little…”

“What did the doctor say? In your opinion, how skilled is Baldwin’s doctor? Is he reliable?”

Matilda found her master unfamiliar. She had raised him since childhood, but this was the first time she’d seen him firing questions like a machine gun, unable to sit still.

“She keeps saying she wants something sour and refreshing.”

* * *

She had started taking her meals separately in her room right after learning about her pregnancy. At first, she had hidden the fact she was pregnant, and since she didn’t particularly have food cravings, she would simply have light meals in her room.

After revealing her condition, she couldn’t go down to the dining room for fear that food smells might make her nauseous.

“What is all this?”

Vivianne exclaimed in shock at the table filled with fruits and desserts.

“W-well… the Duke sent these, Vivi.”

“Kian did? Why?”

“You said you wanted something sour and refreshing, remember? When I mentioned that to him, he sent all this…”

Indeed, everything that could be described as sour and refreshing was gathered there.

From ordinary seasonal fruits to expensive imported ones, it was far too much for a single pregnant woman to consume.

The desserts were the same. From cakes to cookies and chocolates, everything was selected to have mild scents and featured Vivianne’s favorite items.

“I like this one.”

After trying a bite of various things, Vivianne finally chose one.

It was cold gelato. She found it fascinating how it melted away in her mouth, and it gave her the feeling that her bloated stomach was settling down.

“And this…”

Matilda handed her an envelope.

KIAN VON LARSON

It was a letter from Kian.