“…What do you mean?”

Emily explained everything in careful detail.

Since Annely’s last period had indeed been two months earlier, Emily answered honestly before going downstairs to attend to her duties. Suddenly, Amber appeared, holding a bloodstained negligée, and asked Emily to bring sanitary pads and painkillers.

“When I went in, Madam’s face was pale, and she appeared exactly as she always does during her menstruation.”

Even after Emily had finished speaking, Carlos remained silent.

He remained bent over in silence for several long minutes. Tension crept into the back of Emily’s neck as she hesitantly raised her gaze, despite feeling uncomfortable doing so.

The instant their eyes met, she reflexively drew in a sharp breath and hurriedly lowered her gaze again.

Her heart hammered and her mouth went dry.

When she first met Carlos, he had just returned from the battlefield. She could never forget the Carlos of that time. This was not simply because he was her first master, nor because of his striking appearance.

Having spent years roaming battlefields without even the most basic education, Carlos had the presence of an untamed beast. His aura was as sharp as a blade, cutting to the bone the moment it brushed against you. Whenever his piercing gaze fell on her, her body would tremble as though she had been stabbed by a dagger.

As time passed and he learned the manners of the nobility, that killing intent gradually faded. It was only after he married Annely that Carlos began to resemble an ordinary man.

Over the past five years of serving Annely as her maid, Emily had seen sides of Carlos that she had never known before. For the first time, she recognized him as being not so different from herself.

Even so, she had never forgotten the Carlos she had first encountered, and sometimes she still saw him in her nightmares.

She had never seen that image again after his marriage to Annely, and it had long since faded from her memory.

But now—

Facing that sharp, feral presence once more after several years, Emily’s body began to tremble instinctively.

She could no longer endure it. Her strength gave out.

She dropped to her knees and shook violently, her shoulders curling inward. Although she knew it was not directed at her, the pressure was so overwhelming that she could hardly breathe.

“M-my lord…”

As she called to him in a trembling voice, the oppressive force seemed to ease slightly. Then she heard his cold voice.

“…Did you confirm it?”

“Yes, I did.”

She had not only seen the blood on the negligee; she had confirmed its presence firsthand. This was not because she had anticipated such a situation, but because Amber had arrived late. Emily had attended to Annely herself and verified the bloodstain directly.

Emily expected Carlos to fall silent again, but he spoke immediately instead.

“You may leave.”

“Yes.”

Emily hurried out of the office, feeling like a condemned prisoner who had been granted a last-minute pardon and overwhelmed by relief.

When the door closed behind her, Carlos took a deep breath, closed his eyes and opened them again.

Since Annely’s miscarriage, he had read extensively about the female body. While most nobles were raised by wet nurses, a bastard child would never have received such care. Annely had grown up in the north without a wet nurse either, and when she arrived at the imperial palace, she came with only Amber and a handful of knights.

They had both been young and inexperienced, and failed to take proper precautions — the result was an accident. Carlos had never wanted to let that happen again.

Light spotting can occur after conception, but judging by Emily’s reaction, this was clearly more than a trace of blood.

It was her period.

Not pregnancy.

Carlos slowly tapped the paper beneath his hand with the sharp tip of his pen. The sheet was densely covered in small writing. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a list of childcare supplies.

He had devoted himself to this document more than any other over the past six hours.

Now it was utterly useless, but while he had been writing it, he had been happy imagining a child of his own who looked like Annely.

“..…”

That hazy vision lost its shape entirely and dissolved without a trace, like cotton candy left to soak in water.

Before he could register the emptiness, he was consumed by ridicule, scorn and contempt directed squarely at himself.

Carlos let out a quiet breath and summoned Knox.

The moment Knox entered, Carlos sensed that something was amiss and lowered his posture instinctively. Carlos handed him the note.

“Memorize it. Buy everything on it.”

At a glance, it was clear that the list contained childcare items. Knox was visibly taken aback, but did not show it. Bowing respectfully, he quickly memorized the dozens of items on the list.

“Yes, my lord.”

After Knox withdrew, Carlos stood up straight as though nothing had happened, steadying his breathing in the process.

Either way was fine.

He had stopped taking contraceptives. She could conceive now, and there would be plenty of opportunities. Besides, she had also become pregnant in less than half a year before. They were both healthy and there had never been any issues.

Murmuring this to himself, Carlos left his office and headed for Annely.

The sun had already set and evening had settled in. The room was quiet, lit only by a soft glow. Carlos went straight to the bedroom.

It was dark inside, but he could easily make out the figure on the bed. As he drew closer, he looked down at Annely, who was curled up tightly. There was a glass of milk on the bedside table and the room was warmer than usual.

Carlos took off his clothes and got into bed. With Annely facing inwards, he was able to pull her into his arms from behind easily. Their bodies fit together perfectly, and the unpleasant emotions melted away, replaced by a deep, quiet calm.

Carlos’s large hand came to rest over Annely’s lower abdomen.

Suddenly, Annely let out a small sound and shifted position.

“Carlos?”

When she turned and called his name in a drowsy voice, Carlos answered quietly.

“Did I wake you?”

“I was just dozing.”

It was still too early to call it a night.

Unable to rest his hand on her lower abdomen because of their position, Carlos put it on her waist instead.

“I’ll bring a new physician. You don’t seem well these days.”

If it wasn’t pregnancy, then sleeping too much and constant fatigue were signs of poor health.

“I’m just tired…”

Annely tried to play it down, but Carlos was not going to let it go.

He had already instructed Knox to find a new physician, but someone with an impeccable background and exceptional skills was not easily found.

Lowering his head, Carlos buried his face in Annely’s soft hair. Gradually, the faint brush of his breath against the nape of her neck steadied, and he felt the warm body in his arms relax.

“Annely.”

Taking advantage of the moment when she seemed asleep, Carlos spoke.

“Have my child.”

Carlos had thought that the ‘pretending’ period would be nothing special. After all, it was something they had done to exhaustion over the past three years — he didn’t think anything could make it any different.

Yet when he returned to it after such a long time, he found himself sinking helplessly into it once more.

Despite knowing it was a quagmire from which one could never escape once submerged, he wished it were real. He wanted to sink into it forever.

He could no longer remember why they had started pretending in the first place.

Trapped in that sweet, suffocating swamp, Carlos closed his eyes and blocked out everything else, wishing only to keep sinking — endlessly.

“Don’t leave me.”

Even if his feelings were real and Annely’s were only an act, Carlos wanted her entire lifetime.

***

Annely woke early, guided by Amber’s hand.

“Madam, even if you’re tired, you must get up. You need to see your brother off today.”

“Mm…”

Still half asleep, Annely nodded and took Amber’s hand, preparing to get up.

But before she could, a large hand gently supported her back and helped her up.

“Carlos?”

Startled by his touch, Annely opened her eyes to find Carlos fully dressed and looking down at her.

Seeing him stirred up memories of the night before immediately.

She had expected him to come and check on her, which was why she had gone to bed early. Since realizing she was pregnant, she had not had the courage to face him.

If she were not given a moment to steady herself, she feared she would abandon all her plans and flee the ducal household the moment she saw him.

Exhaustion finally overtook her and she drifted into a shallow sleep. Carlos slipped into the bed beside her.

She woke at once, but did not move.

No — she could not.

Despite being pressed against his warm body, she felt a chill instead, perhaps because she knew it was Carlos. Goosebumps rose on her skin, and she felt as though she might kick the bed away and spring up at any moment.

To avoid arousing suspicion, she had to remain still. However, the instant his hand moved towards her lower abdomen, Annely turned without thinking.

Staying in his arms had required all her self-control.

She was terrified.

She was afraid that the miracle child would disappear beneath his large, enclosing hand.