Side Story 1 – Early Spring (Part 5)

“Mm…”  

Cherta, who was whispering to the children inside her belly, careful not to wake Ria, suddenly lifted his head at the sound of a faint noise. Her long eyelashes quivered slightly before revealing drowsy, brown eyes.  

“…Cherta.”  

Recognizing him, Ria murmured his name, her lips moving as she tried to sit up. Cherta gently laid her back down. Judging by her still-drowsy eyes, she was clearly still sleepy.  

Ria’s body followed his touch and lay back down, though she didn’t fall back asleep, even with his gentle pats. Instead, she yawned lazily but stayed awake.  

These days, she often woke up during the night, leaving her tired and prone to naps during the day, though she no longer dozed off at random times. After a while, Ria fully woke and smiled faintly.  

“When did you get here?”  

“Just now.”  

When Cherta smiled back and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, Ria stretched out her arms. Naturally and familiarly, he picked her up, seating her comfortably on his lap as he sat on the sofa.  

“Is there anything you’d like to eat?”  

“Hmm, not yet? I ate so much fruit before I fell asleep that I don’t feel like eating anything right now.”  

Leaning comfortably against his broad chest, Ria suddenly paused and let out a short sigh. She grabbed his hand, which was resting on her knee, and placed it on her rounded belly.  

“You know, they’re both boys.”  

Cherta’s golden eyes, which had been quietly observing her actions, widened in surprise. Ria, laughing softly at his startled expression, turned slightly and handed him a letter from the nearby table.  

Cherta, still in a daze, took the letter and lowered his gaze to it. Beside him, Ria’s gentle voice added an explanation.  

“Elpis was the first to notice I was pregnant, so I asked if it was possible to know the genders. Look here.”  

[In most cases, it’s hard to confirm without directly examining the situation, but since they are the children of the Duke of Astina and the Duke of Carlisle, they’re both likely boys.]  

Ria pointed to a specific part of the letter. As Cherta read it, a memory of something His Holiness had once muttered in passing surfaced vividly in his mind.  

The gender of a child would never change under any circumstances because it was predetermined by the divine.  

When they had pressed him for clarification, His Holiness had reluctantly shared a shocking revelation:  

The divine had decreed that the children born from the relationships of the mythological men and the children of the divine would always be male. This was because the divine’s power could only be fully passed down to female descendants of the divine or those carrying the blood of the divine. Otherwise, the protective barrier might mistake the female child as the new owner of the divine power.  

In simple terms, if a female child were born who could fully inherit the divine power, the barrier might transfer all its power from the original owner to the child, leaving the original owner vulnerable.  

When the divine power and protective barrier, which made up a significant part of the body, disappeared, the outcome for the divine child was predictable. As Elpis had once said, in the worst-case scenario, they would die—or, if they barely survived, they would live a short life in a weakened state.  

Cherta’s face hardened slightly as he finished his brief reflection.  

From the beginning, they had been told there was no need to worry, as Rune, Eden, and himself would never father a daughter due to divine intervention. Kahin, not being part of the mythological relationships, was an exception, even if he had a daughter. Still, recalling the situation left him unsettled.  

Childbirth was far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.  

Ria had read through all the related books dozens of times since she became pregnant, yet every time, she felt surprised and anxious. And each time, she made a resolution.

There would be no more children after these two.

Compared to the devastation of losing Ria, his wretched, dark desires were nothing but a drop in the ocean.

But Ria, unaware of his inner turmoil, whispered softly into his ear.  

“So, I hope the next child will be a daughter. Honestly, I’d be happy whether it’s a boy or a girl, but since we’re having two boys, it’d be nice if at least one was a girl…”  

“No.”  

“Huh?”  

Before Ria, who didn’t realize the gravity of her words, could finish speaking, a firm voice interrupted her. She blinked her wide eyes a few times in surprise.  

Only then did Cherta, realizing his mistake, smile and gently stroke her belly.  

“We don’t know how your body will be after giving birth to these two. For now, let’s focus on them.”  

Since what he said wasn’t wrong, Ria nodded without any suspicion. When she thought about it, it was indeed too early to think about the next child.  

Soon, as she intertwined her hand with his and slowly stroked her belly, she softly spoke to the unborn children, asking them to be born healthy. Watching her, Cherta sighed inwardly.  

It seemed best not to bring up the topic of the next child again.  

***

As her morning sickness gradually subsided, Ria began craving Korean foods more often. However, due to differences in the basic ingredients available, no matter how hard the four men tried, they couldn’t fully satisfy her cravings. Even though they worked tirelessly to establish trade routes with various countries, the exact ingredients Ria desired couldn’t be found.  

Fortunately, the rolled omelets, the Korean dish Ria craved most, could be made without limit.  

The four men didn’t leave the task to the chefs but made the rolled omelets themselves.  

One early morning, when their schedules didn’t align due to Ria’s irregular sleep patterns, Rune and Eden returned from work to find Ria in the hallway.  

When they had left briefly to deal with urgent documents, she had been sound asleep on the bed. The shock they felt when they realized she had disappeared in that short time was something they still couldn’t forget.  

Just as they were considering waking the servants to search for her, they spotted her small figure crouched at the end of the hallway. The relief they felt at that moment was equally unforgettable.  

When they asked her what happened, she explained that she had woken up from a dream about fluffy rolled omelets and suddenly craved them. Since it was too early to call anyone, she had decided to head to the kitchen herself but had felt slightly faint and stopped to rest. Hearing her explanation, they found her adorable but also felt like crying.  

So, they carried her to the kitchen and made the omelets for her. Though it was their first attempt and the omelets were far from perfect, Ria ate them happily. Watching her enjoy the messy dish, they resolved to practice and make them themselves moving forward.  

With their determination and natural talent for excelling at anything, their skills improved quickly.  

Now, they could easily make rolled omelets with various flavors and ingredients tailored to her preferences.  

Seeing her happily eat the dishes they made was always delightful. As they experimented with other recipes, they became proficient at cooking most dishes.  

If someone were to ask them about their happiest moment during Ria’s pregnancy, they would, without hesitation, say it was this.  

However, the seemingly slow-paced, blissful days flew by, and before they knew it, the due date was approaching.  

Although they had been fully prepared for a long time, the anxiety of the four men grew with each passing day. In contrast, Ria appeared much calmer.  

Part of her composure came from wanting to reassure them, as they seemed too restless. But truthfully, she wasn’t very worried. She had a vague sense that everything would go smoothly, that she would give birth to two healthy children without any issues.  

But on a day a few days earlier than the due date, while walking in the garden, her water broke, catching even Ria, who had been calmly preparing for the birth, off guard.  

Feeling the dampness spreading down her legs beneath her thick autumn dress, she froze in place. Rune, who had just returned from an urgent summons to the palace, found her at that moment. Perhaps sensing that their father was near, the labor pains began immediately.  

“Ah!”  

Ria let out a small cry, clutching her belly as her body curled up. Rune, his face stiffening as he froze in shock, quickly picked her up and carried her inside, moving as fast as he could without alarming Ria or the unborn children.  

The preparations for the birth began urgently, and the four men stayed by Ria’s side as she lay on the bed.  

But that was only until her labor pains intensified.  

The last thing they saw before being forced out was Ria’s face, contorted in pain, her eyes tightly shut, and her lips bitten to suppress her cries. Rune’s sleeve bore the marks of her grip, the fabric wrinkled and creased.  

When the Emperor and Empress, Knox, Letban, and Elpis arrived at the estate after hearing the news, they found the four men pacing anxiously outside the bedroom.  

One leaned against the door with his lips tightly pressed together, another clasped his hands tightly, while a third paced the room with quick steps, and the fourth repeatedly ran his hands through his hair, rubbing his face.  

Their unusual behavior was enough to surprise even the Emperor and Empress, who had rushed over without regard for decorum.  

But for the four men, it couldn’t be helped.  

Ria, already small and frail, was carrying two children. Although she had gained some weight after her morning sickness subsided and she began eating more, she had been so thin that she was only now comparable to an average person.  

Even her every step had been a source of worry as her body grew heavier. They had wanted to carry her everywhere but refrained, knowing she needed some exercise.  

Every time they felt the babies move, they rejoiced with Ria at the strength of the kicks but also found themselves scolding the unborn children, asking them not to trouble their mother.  

But how could it be the children’s fault? The real culprits were themselves.  

They were the ones who had selfishly wanted her to carry their children, who had made her endure the weight of two lives.  

“Don’t worry too much. She took her medicine on time, so both Ria and the babies will be healthy…”  

“Ah!”  

Elpis, stepping forward to reassure the half-crazed men, was interrupted by another pained cry from beyond the door.  

The four men froze, their faces hardening, and Elpis had no choice but to step back.  

Time, which felt like an eternity in their torment, finally brought the sound they had been waiting for: a loud, healthy cry.  

Their heads snapped up simultaneously.  

As they rushed to the door, a midwife emerged to announce that both babies had been safely delivered and that the mother was also healthy. Without hesitation, they entered the room.  

Ria lay exhausted on the bed, her black hair plastered to her sweat-soaked forehead. She looked utterly drained, but her brown eyes, fixed on the two babies swaddled in her arms, shone brightly.  

That sight was etched into their hearts.  

The overwhelming emotion they felt at that moment surpassed even the joy they had experienced upon first learning of her pregnancy. The birth of life was truly miraculous, and Ria, who had brought that life into the world, was a miracle herself.  

Their eyes grew hot with unshed tears.  

When Ria noticed their tearful expressions, she smiled faintly and gestured for them to come closer.  

Rune reached her first, gently brushing back the hair stuck to her damp forehead and pressing a kiss to her temple.  

The kiss, lingering and filled with countless emotions, conveyed gratitude, admiration for her strength, and love.  

“…I love you.”  

The first words they uttered, their voices choked with emotion, were:  

“I love you, Ria.”  

It was a declaration of their love for her.