Chapter 92

Draping a robe over her thin slip, Harriet took a deep breath before knocking on the door of the study.  

“Lennox, may I come in?”  

“Come in.”  

The permission came almost immediately. Turning the doorknob slowly, Harriet stepped inside. Lennox, who had been working on some documents, set them aside.  

“Have you eaten?”  

“I was planning to eat with you anyway, so I thought I’d wait.”  

“You should’ve gone ahead; it must be tiring for you to move around.”  

Lennox was wearing glasses. Harriet, seeing this for the first time, hesitated and narrowed her eyes.  

“Do you usually wear glasses?”  

“Only when it’s dark.”  

Lennox removed the glasses and placed them in their case, waiting for her next words.  

Harriet hesitated for a moment before speaking honestly.  

“I have something I want to ask you.”  

“Come here.”  

Lennox stood, stretched, and walked toward the couch. He gathered a few cushions, making the seat more comfortable, and gestured for her to sit.  

“What are you curious about?”  

Harriet didn’t want to sit, but she felt that if she didn’t, the conversation wouldn’t proceed. Reluctantly, she plopped down in the seat he had prepared and got straight to the point.  

“You want to have meals together from now on? And what about outings?”  

“I’ll be working from the mansion for the time being.”  

“I see… So does that mean I can leave my room now?”  

“You can, as long as you’re accompanied by a maid. Light walks are fine too. The garden is spacious enough for a stroll.”  

It was an unexpected answer. Harriet blinked in surprise before asking bluntly.  

“What if… I run away?”  

“…”  

“What if I use that opportunity to escape?”  

“Pfft.”  

Lennox let out a small laugh. He tried to suppress it, covering his mouth with his fist, but soon failed and burst into laughter.  

Watching him, Harriet furrowed her brow in irritation. Only then did Lennox stop laughing and apologize.  

“Sorry. I didn’t expect you to say that so suddenly.”  

“…”  

“Your straightforwardness is one of your charms. Though you’ve been keeping more secrets lately.”  

“…Just answer the question.”  

Harriet pursed her lips and glared at his annoyingly composed face. After a brief silence, Lennox clasped his hands together and leaned forward slightly, tilting his head to look up at her.  

“Before I answer, let me ask you something. Why didn’t you run away?”  

“…What?”  

It was an unexpected counterquestion. Momentarily at a loss for words, Harriet eventually responded.  

“You had people tailing me. With all that surveillance, how could I run?”  

“There were plenty of people around to help you. Even your younger brother Aaron would’ve listened to you.”  

“Well…”  

Even if she had told Aaron, she wasn’t sure he would believe that Lennox was the kind of man who would do such things. But she didn’t want to admit that.  

“Should I have gone around telling everyone you’re insane? I’m still your wife, you know.”  

“Because of appearances…”  

Lennox murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips.  

“No. Deep down, you already know. That escaping me is impossible.”  

“…”  

A suffocating silence followed. Harriet clenched her fists and glared sharply at him.  

“Do you think I’ll just give up?”  

“No. You’re not the kind of woman to give up easily. That’s why I’ve put in so much effort.”  

Though that effort had ultimately been shattered. Lennox swallowed the rest of his words, a bitter smile on his face, and leaned back against the couch.  

“How much longer until our baby is born? Four months?”  

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Harriet counted the weeks in her head before answering.  

“Four months and… about fifteen days.”  

Time truly flew by like running water. Just a few months ago, her belly could be concealed with a coat. Now, even with a coat, it was clear she was pregnant.  

Lennox’s gaze softened as he looked at her rounded belly, as if tracing its gentle curve with his eyes.  

“I propose a truce until then.”  

“A… truce?”  

“The most important thing right now is for the baby to be born safely, Coco. My love.”  

“…”  

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Right now, nothing was more important than the baby growing inside her.  

“What about after the baby is born? What then?”  

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. For now, the priority is for you to deliver safely.”  

Though he said this, in truth, the mother was more important to Lennox than the baby. 

If anything happened to Harriet because of the baby…

Lennox briefly entertained the thought of an impossible scenario and quickly dismissed it, lowering his gaze back to her belly.  

If you harm your mother and come into this world, it would’ve been better if you never existed.  

At that moment.  

As if responding to the father’s unspoken threat, Harriet frowned slightly and placed a hand on her belly.  

“Oh…”  

“Coco?”  

The brief, chilling stare at her belly was interrupted as Lennox immediately knelt at her feet, carefully examining her face.  

“Are you in pain?”  

“No… It’s just the baby moving.”  

“What?”  

The unfamiliar term made Lennox freeze. Harriet hesitated briefly before grabbing his hand and guiding it to her belly.  

Lennox, unsure of what was happening, soon realized the reason.  

“Oh…”  

Something inside her belly gave a soft, tapping sensation. When he pressed gently, it stopped.  

“Is this… the baby kicking?”  

“Yes.”  

Harriet nodded and gently caressed her belly.  

“What does it feel like?”  

“Hmm…”  

After a moment of thought, Harriet replied,  

“At first, it felt like bubbles popping… but now it feels like the baby is sliding around inside.”  

It was something Lennox couldn’t fully comprehend, even if he tried to imagine it. He gazed at her belly with fascinated eyes.  

“…Does it hurt?”  

“Sometimes it keeps me from sleeping at night, but it’s fine for now.”  

Harriet, who had initially intended to brush off the question, answered honestly when she saw the boyish curiosity in Lennox’s gaze.  

What would the baby look like if it resembled Lennox?  

As the thought struck her, she suddenly recalled a childhood portrait of Lennox she had once seen at an island villa.  

Although she didn’t want to admit it now, young Lennox had been an irresistibly adorable boy. Aside from appearing slightly more mature than his peers, he had been a picture-perfect child.  

His round cheeks had been delightfully plump, with a hint of blush, and his gray eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.  

“If the baby is born, I hope they take after you.”  

Perhaps thinking along the same lines, Lennox murmured suddenly,  

“I’d love it if we had a daughter who looked like you.”  

“Are you sure about that?”  

“What?”  

“Don’t you need an heir?”  

“Does it matter whether it’s a boy or a girl? As long as they’re strong and healthy, that’s all that matters.”  

His face was sincere. There wasn’t a hint of falsehood in his earnest expression, and Harriet found herself asking, almost unconsciously,  

“What if… they’re like Aaron?”  

“Aaron?”  

“What if they run away from this family, declaring they want to become an artist?”  

Even if, by some stroke of luck, they divorced, there was no escaping the fact that the child would inherit the Diorne Ducal bloodline—especially as the firstborn. Complete separation from the ducal family would be impossible.  

After a brief pause, Lennox replied calmly,  

“Then I’d support their dream.”  

“…What?”  

“Forcing someone to do something against their will isn’t right. In my case, I didn’t have any choices at all.”  

“…”  

“I just want our child to be happy. Because if they’re happy, you’ll be happy too.”  

Lennox, resting his cheek on her knee, whispered softly. Harriet, as if testing him, asked quietly,  

“What if this child is your only one? Would you still feel the same?”  

“Then we could adopt a capable child from a collateral branch.”  

Raising his head, Lennox carefully took her hand. Harriet hesitated, considering whether to pull away, but eventually relaxed her grip.  

“I’ll accept your proposal…”  

“Coco!”  

Lennox looked up at her with eyes full of joy.  

“Don’t get too excited. It’s just a truce.”  

After all, attempting to escape with her body nearing full term would be dangerous. With the restrictions gradually easing, meeting Yvonne would soon no longer be an issue. She would figure out a plan after giving birth.  

“Coco.”  

Lost in her thoughts, Harriet was startled when Lennox kissed her belly lightly, his face radiant.  

“I love you.”  

“…”  

His face, as he confessed, was still as beautiful as ever. His golden hair shimmered like threads spun from sunlight, and his mysterious gray eyes sparkled.  

Even in the throes of betrayal, she couldn’t bring herself to hate that face.  

As much as she despised him, she hoped the baby would inherit his face—just his face, and nothing else.  

Instead of responding, Harriet brushed her hand across his cheek, her expression conflicted, before slowly rising to her feet.  

“I’m hungry. Let’s go have dinner.”  

After agreeing to the truce, the two of them returned to their previous dynamic, as if they had never fought so fiercely.  

Though it couldn’t compare to the days when they openly confessed their love and affection for each other, they still maintained enough of a façade to appear as a harmonious couple to outsiders.  

What softened Harriet’s stance the most was Lennox loosening the restrictions he had placed on her.