“Madam, you must walk carefully!”

Daphne flinched and stepped more cautiously.

She felt sorry to the baby in her belly. Being a mother for the first time, her heart felt heavy for giving the baby such an insensitive mother.

‘I’m sorry, my baby.’

“By the way, have you thought of a prenatal name?”

“No…”

Daphne’s expression showed belated realization.

“His Grace sent word that he’ll be home early this evening. How about spending time together thinking of a prenatal name?”

She couldn’t imagine Astaire coming up with a prenatal name.

Would that cold man really put care into choosing a prenatal name?

Impossible.

His desire for a baby from her was ultimately more accurately described as wanting an heir to succeed him.

Not because he truly wanted a baby that resembled both her and him equally.

That’s how most nobles are.

Daphne swallowed a bitter laugh inside.

She wrapped her hands around her belly and murmured inwardly.

‘Mommy will think of a good prenatal name for you.’

Daphne headed to the study. Of course, she didn’t forget to be careful with her steps, just like the head maid said.

Avont Empire Language Dictionary.

Daphne stood on her tiptoes to reach that thick book on the top shelf of the study.

Just a bit more and she could grab the book. Just a bit more, just a bit more.

“Ah!”

Her fingertips finally touched the spine. But Daphne ended up dropping the thick Empire dictionary.

Thud!

At least she wasn’t hurt, thankfully.

The loud sound made her heart pound. Daphne reflexively clutched her belly.

The thick dictionary fell to the floor, its spine splayed open.

Daphne carefully bent down and picked up the book.

The moment she flipped over the open book, a word at the very top caught her eye.

“Deception.”

Below the brief word was this explanation:

Intentionally deceiving others or hiding the truth to cause misunderstanding.

“How unlucky.”

Daphne murmured quietly.

It was unpleasant that of all things, the first word she saw upon opening the Empire dictionary to find her baby’s prenatal name was this.

Feeling oddly uncomfortable, Daphne put the book back down. She could just find and read a dictionary from a different publisher instead of this one.

“I can’t find it no matter how much I look.”

She searched and searched, but couldn’t find it.

Calling someone to find the book seemed inappropriate since everyone looked busy earlier.

Daphne decided to come back to the study another time. Perhaps the Duke had already taken the book he needed. He often used the Empire dictionary to review contracts where every single word mattered.

“I don’t really need to find words in a dictionary anyway.”

There were plenty of good words in the world.

Daphne decided to think about it slowly from now on. She stroked her belly and whispered quietly.

“There are many pretty prenatal names even without finding words in a dictionary. Mommy will think hard about it.”

As expected, no matter how much she spoke, no answer came back.

It was a bit lonely, but even this would only be temporary.

Before long, the baby would answer from inside her belly.

That night, before going to sleep, Daphne quietly looked in the mirror.

After showering and before getting dressed, she stared at her belly reflected in the mirror.

Her belly hadn’t grown yet, so it was just white and smooth.

Daphne gently placed her hand on her belly.

“Are you really in there?”

The fact still didn’t feel real, leaving her dazed. Having life living and breathing inside her belly was an overwhelming emotion beyond words.

“Mommy will do well.”

Daphne gently stroked her belly and turned her body slightly as she spoke.

She carefully caressed her smooth belly and her even more sunken navel.

Right now it just felt like skin…

That’s when it happened.

“Ah!”

Daphne was startled to see in the mirror a man standing behind her, watching her—Astaire.

She quickly turned around. She even forgot to put back on the shower robe that had slipped to the floor.

Just as she belatedly realized and tried to pick up the robe—

“Do you really need to put it on?”

Astaire, who’d approached in an instant, grabbed her arm and whispered.

At the feel of the man’s firm arm touching her bare side, Daphne was startled and slightly crossed her legs.

Soon both feet lifted off the floor. And what touched her back was the soft feel of a blanket.

“Ah…”

Daphne immediately realized what Astaire was about to do and reflexively brought her hands to her belly.

“Don’t you want to?”

At Astaire’s low whisper, Daphne nodded matter-of-factly.

Yet he didn’t stop. The blanket slid down smoothly, and his fingertips sweeping over her bare skin showed no sign of stopping.

“Ah, the baby…”

“It’s fine.”

At his increasingly sticky touch, Daphne felt a sense of crisis. She knew it too. That in early pregnancy, one must always be careful, and careful again.

“Didn’t they… tell you?”

The gynecologist must have told him the precautions. Yet Astaire swept over her without hesitation.

Daphne raised her head to avoid his kiss. But the man’s head just followed upward.

Just before kissing her deeply, Astaire whispered.

“It’s fine.”

“There’s no way it’s fine.”

Daphne gradually grew anxious and uneasy.

My baby. She had to avoid anything that could harm her baby. Even if it was Astaire, she tried to refuse somehow.

“It’s fine.”

Yet Astaire was relentless.

Daphne felt her heart pounding rapidly.

She had to escape from here.

Her mind sent bright red signals. She tried to escape from the bed somehow.

“Ah!”

Then, one ankle was caught in a rough grip.

Unlike the merciless strength that bound her, the movement pulling her back to the bed was endlessly careful and gentle.

At that contradiction, Daphne ended up being dragged along.

“The baby, we have a baby. Your Grace.”

“Ah.”

Astaire needlessly drew out his words. Like it didn’t matter at all, making Daphne feel like she was falling off a cliff.

She’d thought he would at least cherish his own child terribly.

Was that not the case?

Was this man really such a beast faithful to his desires?

Astaire felt unfamiliar to Daphne because this wasn’t like the Astaire she knew.

“Your Grace, please.”

“Daphne.”

Astaire called her name quietly. Somehow, when she met his eyes, Daphne couldn’t look away.

Smoothly, his hand brushed past her cheek. Next her nape, then touched her collarbone.

Astaire laid Daphne on the bed and buried his lips in her sunken collarbone. At that moment, Daphne felt a subtle pleasure that made her toes curl.

She felt self-loathing.

At herself for being an unfit mother, and at herself for getting excited by this man’s touch in the midst of it all.

She completely forgot what action to take. It was a moment when her head filled entirely with this man.

“Do you really hate it?”

After burying his lips for a while, he slowly raised his head and asked.

At that moment, strangely, Daphne couldn’t bring herself to say she hated it.

The word of refusal circled in her mouth then disappeared completely.

Astaire slowly lowered his face, passing between her small mounds and bringing his lips to her smooth belly.

The moment he raised his hand and caressed her lower abdomen, Daphne had to bite her lips to keep from making a sound at the strange feeling.

“Must you… really?”

Daphne asked one last time.

She was desperate. The moment she saw the deep desire in Astaire’s eyes, she gave up. Resignation would be a more accurate word.

“Yes.”

“Then please be gentle, please.”

Daphne begged almost tearfully. Her eyes grew hot. She didn’t know why, but tears came from her eyes.

“We’ll see.”

Astaire, that devil of a man, smiled like a calm sea. At that moment, Daphne belatedly remembered. That this man had always acted opposite to what she wanted.

Throughout the deep night, Daphne clutched her lower abdomen.

The man, like it meant nothing, mockingly removed her hand and showered countless kisses on her lower abdomen.

In a way, it was strange.

Because he seemed to truly love the baby.

But to push ahead despite the child being there. Daphne became deeply confused.

And that confusion mixed with excitement throughout the night.

Indescribable time passed through night, dawn, and early morning.

Several more days passed after that.

Astaire held Daphne in his arms every night.

To the point where her initial efforts to protect the baby seemed meaningless, Daphne ended up falling for the man who held her gently.

Daphne felt comfort in this terrible man’s embrace. She hated herself for it. She hated him for continuing to push even though she was carrying a child. She loathed him for tormenting the people around her.

Daphne still hadn’t forgotten.

That this man was the one who imprisoned her.

Yet she fell for him helplessly. Even she didn’t know how to define these feelings she had for the father of the baby in her belly.

“Stop… stop now.”

The moment she opened her eyes, Daphne desperately grabbed the hand caressing her waist and whispered.

They’d already done enough the night before. Yet Astaire continued to desire her like a person in the desert seeking water.

Astaire obediently backed away.

“Fine.”

As soon as his touch left, empty air covered her skin.

“It’s disappointing, but there’s always tomorrow.”

She wasn’t disappointed at all. Daphne shuddered at the man’s words. She resolutely ignored the cold, empty air that filled in as the man moved away.

Tomorrow, again.

Daphne caressed her belly.

‘Mommy’s sorry.’

Then she whispered to the baby. She’d heard moderate physical activity helped babies too, but she didn’t remember hearing it was okay to do this much from so early on.

Rather, from the moment Daphne heard from the gynecologist that she was carrying a baby, Astaire had pursued her more intensely and frequently.

That part was strange.

It reminded her of long ago, when they’d tried with all their might to truly have an heir.

But why?

Astaire already had what he wanted.

His intentions were hard to understand.

“I have to leave early today. To the palace.”

At Astaire’s mention of the palace, Daphne trembled weakly. While Daphne lay in bed, Astaire got up first and gathered his clothes to dress.

While fastening the buttons on his cuffs, Astaire continued speaking with his broad bare back facing her.

“There’s no reason to worry about your father.”