Side Story 1 – Early Spring (Part 4)

Knox, who had been quietly listening to the Imperial Physician and Elpis in turn, suddenly swung the cane he was holding and let out an angry roar. His fury had erupted as he belatedly comprehended the situation.

“They can’t even manage their seed properly when they haven’t even had a proper engagement yet! I knew this would happen!”

Knox had never been fully satisfied with the four men to begin with. And now, without so much as a proper wedding or even an engagement, they had gone ahead and gotten his granddaughter pregnant.

With twins, no less!

“Calm yourself, Marquis!”

“Let go of me, Your Majesty. Today is the day I rid us of these fools!”

Ria was already frail. Pregnancy and childbirth were physically taxing enough!

The aura of the Snow Wolf of the Northern Peaks, fitting for the master of the North, surged around Knox. The drawing room quickly descended into chaos due to his outburst.

It was only when Letban embraced Knox tightly and shouted that Ria would be frightened by his ferocity that Knox finally calmed down. But even then, it was only a temporary reprieve.

Later that afternoon, Knox summoned the four men individually and spent half a day scolding and berating them, even drawing his sword.

***

Following the news of Ria’s pregnancy, their overprotectiveness intensified.

A softer carpet was laid across every inch of the ducal estate’s floors, and shaded resting spots were set up at short intervals throughout the gardens. Moreover, the four men, who had already been reluctant to leave Ria’s side, practically moved into the ducal estate after that day.

Once again, it was their aides who bore the brunt of the changes, though this time they couldn’t even complain. After all, it wasn’t just the four men who were highly attuned to Ria’s pregnancy.

From the Marquis of Verdnandi to the Imperial Family, and even those who were close to Ria, everyone treated the matter with utmost importance. Naturally, the aides also regarded it as the most critical issue.

Still, it was a relief that they no longer had to run around the vast palace to get approvals. Everything could now be handled within the ducal estate, thanks to the expansions made to the Astina estate while Eden and Cherta had been staying at the villa to create office spaces.

Who would have thought that the decision to push for this expansion, simply because Ria felt most comfortable at the Astina estate, would end up satisfying even their subordinates?

In any case, as a result, the four men had more time to spend with Ria, and they no longer had to worry about appearances—not that they ever cared about such things in the first place—which made them very content.

“Has His Holiness sent any word?”

“Not yet.”

Cherta, who had just handed over the final document to his aide for review, set down his quill. Hearing the response, he waved his hand in dismissal, and the aide bowed before quietly leaving the room.

Left alone, he leaned back in his chair to relax, but soon straightened up and got to his feet. His steps, as expected, led him to where Ria was.

In truth, there was a valid reason for their heightened overprotectiveness. The day after they learned of the pregnancy, Elpis had sought them out and shared some warnings.

Among his words, the one that struck the deepest chord was related to childbirth.

He had mentioned that Ria, unlike ordinary people, was not in robust health, and that her condition during childbirth was unpredictable. When they first heard this, their minds froze once again.

Given their positions, they had received education on the importance of producing heirs. However, none of the lessons had ever gone into detail about childbirth for those with frail health.

This was understandable. Most people in the Empire were healthy, and even those with weaker constitutions rarely faced fatal complications during childbirth, thanks to the Empire’s advanced technology in both childbirth and contraception.

As such, the topic was usually glossed over, with only a brief mention of ancient times when such issues were more common.

This was precisely why they had never considered Ria’s frailty to be an issue, even as they harbored desires to have children with her. The thought that she might die had never crossed their minds.

But now, they were told that Ria’s case couldn’t be treated like others. That factors beyond the Empire’s technology were at play. Specifically, the accursed protective barrier that had severed her consciousness when it had intervened to block the dark magic that had invaded her body!

According to Elpis, the barrier’s ultimate purpose was to assist the will of the deity. It had protected the deity’s child, who had inherited the power of the deity to pacify the mythical figures. Naturally, it would also protect any child conceived thereafter.

In the worst-case scenario, if both the mother and child were in danger, the barrier might abandon the mother to protect the child. This horrifying possibility was the reason for such grim words.

Elpis had admitted that there was only one recorded case of a deity’s child being conceived and born, so he couldn’t be certain. Moreover, there had never been a case of twins before, making the situation even more unprecedented.

But by then, the four men had stopped listening. Even if they had heard, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

Not one child, but two. Things could only get worse, not better. Anyone could see that. Even a passing dog would know that the worst-case scenario was the child surviving while Ria perished. The mere thought of losing Ria forever drove them to madness. They berated themselves for their foolishness and resolved to terminate the pregnancy immediately. To them, no child, even one of their own blood, was more precious than Ria.

What stopped them was Elpis’s next words.

“Do you think I’d bring this up without a solution?”

Elpis, who had been preparing for this scenario, had already found a way.

“The deity has begun crafting a remedy to prevent such an outcome. It’s the first attempt, so it’ll take a few months to complete, but as long as Ria takes it a month before the due date, it will work perfectly.”

Hearing that both the child and Ria could be saved, the four men finally regained their composure. Elpis, seeing this, sighed inwardly and added a warning.

“However, the process requires a bit of Ria’s blood, which might cause her to experience severe anemia.”

So, he urged them to take good care of her, not to entertain any foolish ideas, and to act as if nothing had happened in front of Ria until the remedy arrived.

It was only natural that their overprotectiveness intensified after that.

***

The moment the door opened, a fragrant floral scent gently wafted to the tip of the nose. These days, Ria spent most of her time in this greenhouse, where they had planted flowers of the types she had mentioned.  

Cherta, who had stepped inside with his long legs, soon discovered Ria asleep on a plush sofa nestled among the flowers. Familiar with such scenes, he carefully adjusted her posture to ensure she wouldn’t wake, tucked the disheveled blanket over her, and then sat down on the floor.  

The smile that naturally formed on his face as he tucked her hair behind her ear, which had fallen across her face, faded slightly upon noticing her slightly hollow cheeks.  

Since the news of her pregnancy had spread, familiar symptoms had started appearing one by one, as if waiting for the announcement.  

Ria began dozing off wherever and whenever, and just as Elpis had mentioned, she occasionally showed signs of anemia. Her body temperature rose, and she developed a slight fever, almost like a cold.  

Fortunately, these symptoms were not much different from those in ordinary cases and could be managed with the help of the attending physician.  

However, there was a bigger issue. Severe morning sickness had struck her.  

She couldn’t even approach her favorite foods, no matter what they were. Even desserts like cakes were no exception. She couldn’t eat anything sweet at all.  

The only things she barely managed to eat were sour fruits and bland soups packed with nutrients and stripped of strong odors, but even then, she could only take a few bites. More often than not, she would vomit shortly after eating.  

Naturally, instead of gaining weight, she continued to lose it.  

How could she lose more weight when she was already so thin? Watching her already slender body grow even thinner tormented the hearts of the four men around her day by day. Rune and Eden, in particular, were even more distraught. After all, they had promised countless times not to let Ria suffer, only to feel utterly helpless now.  

Thankfully, the situation had improved slightly in recent weeks, as her pregnancy progressed into the mid-stage. She began eating small amounts of meat with subdued smells and sought fruits more often. Interestingly, all the fruits she craved were ones Rune and Eden enjoyed.  

Because of this, when Ria remarked with amazement, “It’s just like your father’s tastes,” both men felt a mix of overwhelming emotion and regret, wishing they had developed a preference for meat or sweets as well.  

Golden eyes, which had been gazing at Ria’s sleeping face for some time, moved slowly. They traveled from her thin arms, visible even through the fabric, to the blanket-covered belly beneath.  

Her rounded belly, now prominent enough to be noticeable even through her dress, evoked a strange and profound emotion in them every time they saw it—even in Cherta and Kahin, who were not the fathers of the twins.  

Cherta gently stroked her belly through the blanket.  

To say he wasn’t disappointed would be a lie. He was surprised by how deeply he desired his first child. Early on, seeing Ria suffer from severe morning sickness, he even found himself resenting the unborn children.  

Could he truly love these children, who did not share his blood?  

But Ria’s happiness while carrying the children changed everything. Her strength in overcoming the hardships of morning sickness, simply because she was creating a complete family bound by blood, was remarkable. She spoke of the future, not the past, while making clothes and dolls for the unborn children.  

Because of this, his thoughts shifted entirely.  

“Please don’t trouble your mother anymore, alright?”  

Cherta whispered softly, his face filled with a tender smile as he leaned closer to her belly with his hand resting on it.  

From the beginning, it had been a foolish thought. How could he not love children who were bound to resemble Ria, even in the slightest?