The tongue that had been licking annoyingly suddenly froze. It seems that even when a handsome face turns stupid, its beauty doesn’t disappear. Seeing the man’s face frozen with his mouth wide open and tongue sticking out, a strange sense of elation welled up in her. Feeling like she had landed a solid blow, Belita stretched her lips into a wide grin and shrugged her shoulders.

“So, get off me. We shouldn’t be doing this anymore.”

“……Are you joking?”

“You’d like to believe it’s a joke, but sadly, the joke is—”

“Butler!”

“!”

Suddenly, the man got up and walked n*ked to the door, fiercely shaking the bell hanging there. Then he came back, put on a robe, and stared at her. It was Belita who was surprised by the words she had uttered to shock him. He was truly a man with extraordinary drive. Why was his personality so hasty?

“Rian! I-it’s a joke!”

“A joke…? Whether it’s a joke or not, we’ll find out soon enough. No wonder your br*asts seemed bigger today. It felt like something was coming out when I sucked them.”

“What…are you saying? Are you joking now? I’m telling you, I just said it!”

“Well, we’ll know whether it was just something you said or not when Font arrives.”

At the sound of urgent footsteps approaching, Belita pulled the blanket up to the tip of her nose. As expected, the man threw just two words, “Bring Font!” to the butler who had quickly rushed in, and then approached the bed again. As the butler’s footsteps rapidly faded away, following the master’s order, Belita wanted to sew her mouth shut.

“Rian, it’s really not true. Just… just something I said, eek!”

He suddenly pulled back the blanket and put his ear to her flat lower abdomen. At this unexpected action, Belita held her breath.

What is he trying to hear? Surely not the baby’s heartbeat or something like that? ……Good heavens.

It was just something she had said without thinking, but she never expected him to react like this.

“……Rian, I’m sorry. It was really a joke.”

“……Be quiet. It’s beating.”

“What? What is…?”

“How would I know? But something is definitely beating loudly.”

I must be crazy….. What on earth is beating…!?

At that moment, she thought she heard a rumbling sound from her stomach. Her tense body must be contracting her intestines, making her lower abdomen feel slightly painful.

“Rian!”

She urgently pushed his head away, jumped up, and pulled up the blanket. The man, with a deeply furrowed brow, looked at her seriously and asked.

“When did you do that?”

“What?”

“That! The thing women do every month.”

The man, whose face had reddened for some reason, subtly averted his gaze. Belita let out a chuckle at the man’s unfamiliar behavior of lowering his voice and turning his gaze away. Rian’s behavior was so unfamiliar that she wondered if this was the same man who had been spouting those obscene words so casually.

Ah…? Come to think of it, when did that happen…?

Only then did Belita start counting the days on her fingers, recalling that day that seemed like a long time ago. Her nerves were also on edge under the man’s serious gaze. Looking at his deeply furrowed face, it seemed like his mood was severely twisted. Counting the days, she slowly lowered her hand that had been counting one by one, seeing the man’s hardened face as he looked at her.

Does he hate it…? Is he making that expression because he’s afraid I might really be pregnant?

“What.”

“……Nothing.”

“Nothing, what were you thinking again?”

“Hoo……Nothing, I said.”

“……Damn. I want to split that head open and see inside.”

“……”

She had only wanted to surprise him, but the atmosphere had become strange. And she herself now wanted to look inside Rian’s head. They stared at each other silently for a long time. Each hiding their own feelings, only their gazes met. And a little later, several urgent footsteps were heard.

“Rian!”

“Are you here?”

“What’s going on? What went wrong this time?”

Thinking there might be a problem with his personality, Font, Rian’s friend, rushed over despite the deepening night. She suddenly felt envious that he had such a friend. She wished she had a friend to whom she could pour out her inner thoughts too.

“Not me, my wife.”

“What?”

“She says she’s pregnant.”

“Rian!”

“What!?”

At Rian’s bomb of a statement, delivered directly without any filter, not only Belita’s but also the butler’s and Font’s eyes widened in shock.

“N-no, that’s not true. This is driving me crazy. I’m really sorry. I just said it as a joke, but Rian unnecessarily…”

“Her br*asts got bigger. And it seemed like something was coming out, and from her own mouth.”

“RIAN!!!”

That crazy bastard!

With a face turned bright red, Belita glared as she swallowed the curses she couldn’t bring herself to spit out.

“Ahem. Well, since I’ve come rushing like a madman in this late hour, I might as well examine her before I go. It would feel unfair to just leave…”

“Wait, my wife is currently in her primordial state. Turn around for a moment.”

The shameless man approached with big strides. Either not seeing the steam rising from Belita’s head or ignoring her narrowed eyes that had turned triangular, he approached casually and helped her dress.

“Now, come quickly and check.”

“Ahem…”

Font, whose face had also turned embarrassed, carefully approached and placed a chair next to her before sitting down. Then he cautiously began the examination.

If everyone leaves, I really won’t hold back today. Grinding her teeth, Belita turned her head away sharply.

After a brief silence, Font, having finished the examination, let out a deep sigh. Of course, there was nothing wrong with her body, but she was mortified at the situation where she had to face her husband’s friend n*ked because of Rian’s fuss.

“How is it? Is she really pregnant?”

Rian asked with an anxious face, as if he had been waiting every night for a child to be conceived.

“This is serious.”

“What?”

At Font’s puzzling words, Belita’s gaze brushed past Rian and turned to Font.

“You, are forbidden from entering this room from now on.”

“What…? Why!?”

Everyone stared at Font’s lips with blank expressions. As if enjoying the public attention, the man kept his mouth tightly shut for a while before looking at Belita with a gentle smile.

Blinking with a blank expression, Belita’s heart began to race as she saw the man smiling brightly at her. Why was he looking at her like that?

No way, no way…. It can’t be…? It can’t be, right?

“What do you prefer?”

“What…?”

“A son? A daughter?”

“……?”

At Font’s words, Belita’s pupils gradually widened. And the same happened to Rian’s.

“Hey! Is it true? Is she really pregnant?”

“That’s why I said you’re forbidden from entering this room now. Stability is important in the early stages.”

“……Ha! This is crazy. Really?”

What is this all about? Belita felt dazed, as if she had been hit by something. And unconsciously, she placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

Right here now…. My child is here? Rian’s child? Really…?

She had impulsively blurted it out just to make Rian flustered, but to think it was actually true.

“Absolutely no fooling around. Your wife needs plenty of rest now. Make sure she eats well.”

“……Ha! Come out with me.”

“Huh?”

“I said come out, you bastard!”

At the man’s sudden outburst, Belita’s body shrank. With a fiercely distorted face, Rian grabbed Font’s wrist and pulled him. Font seemed as surprised as she was by his sudden action. Belita bit her lip as she watched the two men leave after an awkward eye greeting.

After they left, even the butler with his hardened face exited the room. Left alone in an instant, Belita was enveloped by an indescribable emotion. She hadn’t expected words of congratulation. She hadn’t even thought of words of gratitude. But….

Did he hate it that much? Does he really hate it to that extent…?

She hadn’t expected him to have a face full of emotion as if he had the whole world, but still. Belita couldn’t help but smile bitterly at his unexpected reaction.

To think he would get so angry at the news of having his own child. Her eyes reddened and a stone seemed to settle in her chest. Her nose stung and something welled up inside her. She didn’t know why she felt so sad, but once the tears started, they burst forth like a broken dam.

It was just a loveless marriage anyway. She hadn’t really believed his playful words of “I love you” and “I like you” all this time, but still, for some reason, it hurt her heart.

They had only just become a little closer than strangers. Had she already leaned her heart on him in that short time…. How foolish….

His words echoed in her ears again.

‘I like you, Belita.’

“Liar. You’re the liar.”

Before her heart could even swell, her mood plummeted to the ground. She felt sorry for the child who wasn’t welcomed by its father, and she felt sorry for being the mother of this precious child. If she had married proudly as a daughter of a proper noble family, she wouldn’t have faced such a situation.

How was her situation, having been sold off, any different from commoners? No, perhaps those who married for love lived happier lives than her. It seemed that being an ordinary woman who was loved would be happier than being a noble in name only.