Early in the morning, Dr. Hans visited the Haneder estate. Upon entering the duchess’s room, he immediately began examining Yuis.

Everyone in the estate, including Edric and Hans himself, was overly sensitive when it came to Yuis’s health.

Watching the doctor fuss over her, Yuis let out a small laugh and began describing the recent changes in her body.

“I haven’t been feeling well lately. I’m also quite tired.”

Hans’s expression hardened at once. A deep concern instantly appeared in his eyes.

“In what way, my lady? Are you having trouble with digestion?”

Seeing the seriousness on Dr. Hans’s face, Yuis quickly added more.

“It’s not that… I just… crave foods I normally don’t like, and I’ve been sleeping more than usual. Sometimes I feel chills, like I’m coming down with a cold. Oh, and I didn’t get my period this time.”

Only after the somber expression vanished from Hans’s face did Yuis manage to smile again.

Dr. Hans began asking more detailed questions and proceeded with the examination.

Yuis waited, slightly nervous, right up to the moment just before Dr. Hans opened his mouth to speak.

“Congratulations, my lady.”

At his words, happiness bloomed across Yuis’s entire face. Her hand instinctively moved to her lower abdomen, and her heart began to flutter with joy.

“You are indeed with child.”

Hearing it from Dr. Hans’s own mouth made it feel real. Truly, a child was growing inside her.

It was something she had longed for deeply. To bear his child and build a family together.

Yuis’s heart beat a little faster. The loud thumping in her ears filled her with excitement.

“Your body is in good health thanks to sufficient rest, so there’s nothing to worry about. Still, it’s best to be cautious during the early stages, okay?”

Yuis’s gaze, which had been resting on her belly, slowly rose to meet Dr. Hans’s. He wore a gentle smile as he looked into her violet eyes. Yuis returned that warmth with a smile of her own.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

And he didn’t forget to give a word of advice for the duchess’s sake.

“You’re still quite slender, even if not as much as before, so it would be good to put on a little weight. If there’s anything you crave, eat it—whatever it may be. Judging by how things went last year, you might experience morning sickness again. That’s what concerns me most.”

Yuis answered with firm resolve.

“I’ll eat well—for the baby’s sake.”

At her words, Dr. Hans shook his head. When Yuis widened her eyes and tilted her head in confusion, he quickly added:

“No, that’s not what I meant. My lady, a mother must be happy for the child to be happy. A mother’s happiness is everything.”

“I’m already more than happy, Doctor.”

“I can see that as well. That’s a relief, my lady. I’ll come again in two weeks. Until then, keep your mind at ease and go for light walks when you can.”

“I will.”

After Dr. Hans bowed deeply and took his leave, a pleasant tremor filled Yuis’s chest as she gently caressed her stomach.

She still couldn’t quite believe it that within this still-flat belly, a new life was growing.

Her slender fingers lingered on her abdomen for a long time. Before she knew it, her eyes had turned red, heat welling behind them.

Droplets slowly began to fall from her violet eyes, which were now glistening with unshed tears.

They trickled onto her hand, which was still resting on her stomach.

She had thought that feeling would never return.

Even when she was pregnant with her first child, she never dared to wish for more — not as his wife, nor as the mother of his child.

Back then, she had only hoped that the child would not be abandoned simply because he was his child, too. Those long-buried memories came rushing back.

She felt sorry for the child she had lost. So sorry, it made her heart ache with guilt. And yet, she also felt an overwhelming happiness to be carrying a child again.

‘This time, I’ll do it right.’

Yuis repeated the words again and again, without pause. This time, she would be happy. This time, she would do well. She would.

This time, she truly believed it was possible. She would give everything she hadn’t been able to before, because now, she could.

She could give this child an abundance of love from both mother and father.

And so, Yuis wept tears of joy for a long, long while.

***

“My lord, at the lady’s request, Dr. Hans is scheduled to visit the estate today.”

Miles had quietly approached Edric just as he was heading out early that morning, to pass on the message.

Recalling those words now, a faint smile crept onto Edric’s face.

Dr Hans regularly visited the estate to examine both husband and wife.

Recently, Yuis had not experienced any health issues.

This meant that there was only one possible reason for her to see the doctor now.

They had decided to try for a child.

His wife, who used to run into his arms first, who once initiated sudden kisses and clumsy yet thrilling provocations  had quietly disappeared.

By the time he returned home and went to the bedroom, she was already fast asleep.

One evening, during dinner, she barely touched her food.

Her gaze was fixed intently on the piece of meat on his plate.

The changes in his wife pointed to only one thing: A new life had come to them: a child.

Edric put down his pen, leaned back in his armchair and closed his eyes.

He is about to become a father.

He still wasn’t quite sure what that would entail.

Having someone else to be responsible for meant that his world was about to expand.

Beyond that, nothing was clear to him.

Still, there was one thing he found himself wishing for: a child with violet eyes, just like Yuis’s.

He didn’t know how not to love eyes like hers.

If a child with those eyes looked up at him and smiled, their gaze fixed only on him, how could he not fall in love?

Opening his eyes, which he had momentarily closed, Edric called for Noah.

He had to go and see Yuis. Right now.

With the social season about to begin, all urgent business had already been concluded.

Once he had confirmed that his schedule would not be disrupted, Edric quickly boarded the carriage bound for the estate.

As the carriage reached the entrance, Edric asked it to stop and stepped down, making his way toward the garden. At this hour, his wife would always be out on a walk.

He didn’t want her to know he was coming; he wanted to approach her quietly. Each of his unhurried steps brought him closer to her and filled him with happiness. Hidden behind his back was a small bouquet.

Yuis stood in the garden of the estate, where yellow roses were in full bloom. She smiled as she listened to the gardener’s explanation.

Even from afar, he could picture her perfectly: the soft curve of her smiling eyes, the slight scrunch of her nose, the gentle lift of her lips.

His gaze never left Yuis’s radiant smile as he walked towards her. He didn’t want to look away for even a second.

Edric’s steps gradually quickened. There was no hesitation in his stride. Only certainty remained as he moved towards the woman who had shown him a whole new world filled with love.

That ever-expanding world would surely be filled with happiness because, as long as she was by his side, anything was possible.

Yuis’s eyes widened when she saw Edric approaching, and her smile grew even brighter.

“Edric!”

She leapt into his arms, wrapping her own tightly around his neck. As she looked down, she caught sight of the bouquet in his hand.

Overcome with emotion, Yuis buried her face in the crook of his neck, taking in a deep breath—his familiar scent washed over her.

That cool, comforting scent that always embraced her somehow made her feel just a little more fragile today.

“Yuis.”

Even at the sound of Edric calling her name, Yuis didn’t lift her head.

“Yuis, you have to look at me.”

At his gentle urging, she finally looked up and met his eyes.

Her violet gaze shimmered with unshed tears, and Edric’s blue eyes, too, were reddened.

He pressed a light kiss to her lips, and then whispered the sweetest words in the world—

“I love you.”

A vow of love that would never change, the sweetest whisper in all the world.

Yuis was now ready to respond without hesitation, eager to express her love for Edric wholeheartedly.

“I love you more, Edric.”

A warm breeze, carrying the scent of yellow roses, swept gently between them as they whispered their love, blessing a union that would last forever.

***Side Story Complete

***