Side Story 1 – Early Spring (Part 3)

“How have you been, Sister?”

Elpis, dressed in pristine white robes, stopped in front of Ria and knelt on one knee. He naturally took her hand and kissed the back of it. His demeanor, playful and mischievous, was far removed from the sacred and noble image of the Holy One known to the public. Instead, it was closer to that of a mischievous rascal.

Yet, it felt more natural. For this was his true self.

The Emperor, watching Elpis rise from his position, asked, 

“When did you arrive?”

“I just got here. There was much to see before delivering new tidings. However, it seems you’ve already heard the news before I could share it.”

“You knew?” 

Ria’s eyes widened at Elpis’s words, which implied he had known even before she herself had found out. Elpis nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Of course. I knew from the moment you came to meet the deity that day. The deity also knew then.”

“…Wait, does that mean Ria was already with child at that time?” 

Cherta, snapping out of his daze, hurriedly asked. Struggling to piece together the timeline, something didn’t add up.

The day they had gone on that “outing” to her bedroom seemed to be the day the child was conceived. However, considering the timing of their regular contraceptive injections, the dates didn’t match. Then how… Ah.

‘We must have missed the timing for her injection while she was unconscious.’

In the chaos of caring for her after she fainted, they had forgotten to administer the contraceptive shot. This meant that all the countless times they had been together at the villa had occurred without any contraception.

In other words, any one of the four men could be the father of the child Ria was carrying.

Cherta ran a large hand down his face.

As his heart, already overwhelmed with indescribable emotions, began to pound with a new kind of excitement, a deep joy consumed his entire being. The thought that Ria might be carrying his child made his head spin with elation.

Ria would no longer be able to leave his side. Ever.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. The dry sensation in his throat made him lick his parched lips.

“…Do you know whose child it is?”

He asked, his voice low and husky with emotion. His golden eyes, filled with clear anticipation, fixated on Elpis, urging him to provide the answer he so desperately wanted. Not only he but also the blue, red, and green eyes of the other three men stared intently at Elpis with the same expectation.

Meeting each gaze in turn, Elpis finally opened his mouth.

The news that echoed through the room was astonishing enough to make everyone’s eyes widen.

***

After parting with Ria and returning to the Holy Kingdom, Elpis began preparing for the future step by step. Since the child of the deity was bound to differ in many ways from ordinary humans, he assumed the pregnancy and birth would be no exception. Even if that wasn’t the case, it was undoubtedly better to prepare in advance than to be caught unprepared.

However, despite his enthusiasm, the amount of material he could find was disappointingly small.

The second child of the deity, due to a tragic past, had neither been conceived nor met with any of the mythical figures, leaving only records of the first child, Leah. Naturally, the information was scarce.

It was then, as Elpis struggled with frustration, that the deity spoke to him.

Having already known of Ria’s pregnancy, the deity didn’t hesitate to assist Elpis. In fact, the deity seemed more enthusiastic about it than Elpis himself. During this process, Elpis learned two crucial pieces of information.

【Leah was very healthy. This means that preparing for Ria’s delivery based on Leah’s case would be a mistake.】

First, the few existing records were entirely useless.

【And also, it’s not just one child but twins… That makes things completely different.】

Second, Ria was carrying not one but two children.

“Did you just say… twins?” 

Elpis asked in disbelief.

【Yes.】

“I only saw the bloodline of the Astina Duchy. Does that mean both children belong to the Astina Duchy?”

【Hmm? No.】

The deity, who had been lounging lazily against his own statue, scratched his cheek.

【There’s one child from Astina and one from Carlisle.】

“…”

Elpis momentarily doubted his hearing. Twins, with one child from the Astina Duchy and the other from the Carlisle Duchy? It was an idea so preposterous it was hard to believe.

“Is that even possible?” 

He asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. His expression was nothing short of rebellious. However, the deity, as if accustomed to such reactions, nodded casually. Or rather, he pretended to nod while subtly averting his gaze.

It was clear that he had something to hide.

Frowning ominously, Elpis stepped forward and snatched the plate of fresh fruit from the deity’s hands. Knowing well the fiery temper of the man before him, the deity raised his hands in surrender and hesitantly began to explain.

【Well, it’s not something that happens easily. But I only helped a little! From the moment I saw Ria, there were already two lives in her womb.】

“Explain in detail.” 

Elpis demanded, tilting the plate threateningly. The fresh fruits began sliding toward the edge, ready to fall.

For the deity, who cherished the fresh fruits of the mortal world above all else, this was a heartbreaking moment.

In the end, the deity straightened his slouched posture, floating upright with his feet pressed together. Before anyone realized it, the plate Elpis had taken was back in the deity’s hands.

【I told you to control your temper.】

“I behave well enough outside, especially in front of my sister. Now stop dodging the question.”

Tsk. Clicking his tongue, the deity popped a grape into his mouth and began to speak.

【Normally, a woman carries one child at a time. This is especially true in the Empire. Twins are only possible with the blessing of the deity.】

“So, did you bless her?”

【Not exactly. I only helped. When the bloodline of Astina first took root in her womb, the bloodline of Carlisle, which came slightly later, began to weaken. I simply ensured that both could thrive.】

Isn’t that a blessing?

Elpis’s gaze seemed to scold the deity, who shrugged nonchalantly as he popped the last grape into his mouth.

【Could I have let a life fade away when I knew of its existence?】

“……”

Elpis pressed his lips into a firm line, rendered speechless.

There was no room for rebuttal; the deity’s words were entirely correct. In truth, Elpis had been concerned about whether Ria’s body could handle giving birth to twins, which is why he had demanded a detailed explanation in the first place. But when it came to the birth of life itself, he believed the deity’s decision was the right one.

After all, he would have made the same choice in that situation.

Sigh.

As Elpis finished a brief reflection during the silence that followed his revelation of Ria carrying one child each from the bloodlines of Astina and Carlisle, he sighed inwardly.

The expressions of disbelief directed at him were identical to the one he had shown the deity when he had first heard the news. It was, in a way, amusing.

“It’s not impossible.”

However, Elpis did not share the full truth he had learned from the deity. To put it more bluntly, he couldn’t.

Why? Because he couldn’t be sure that the Duke of Astina wouldn’t immediately march on the Holy Kingdom upon learning the truth!

Even in normal circumstances, all four men harbored an intense possessiveness toward Ria. Their constant vigilance against each other and their desire to monopolize her made that abundantly clear. The problem was that this possessiveness extended to the child she was carrying as well.

If he were to say, “Originally, the child was only from Astina’s bloodline, but the deity intervened to allow Carlisle’s bloodline to take root too!”—did anyone believe that the Duke of Astina would simply say, “Oh, I see,” and let it go? Especially when Astina and Carlisle had been sworn enemies for generations?!

Of course, Elpis was aware that his concerns might be exaggerated. He kept in mind that his conclusions were drawn from extreme assumptions.

But the reality before him was that four men existed who could turn such exaggerations and leaps of logic into truth when it came to Ria.

Knowing this, he couldn’t reveal the truth. It was only natural that Elpis resolved—no matter what—to keep his mouth shut.

“…These damned fools!”

But this was something he hadn’t anticipated at all!