Chapter 9 (Part 1)

Butler Ferrell greeted Luda, Yuliana’s personal maid, upon her sudden visit. Sensing something unusual in Luda’s face, which he hadn’t seen in a while, Ferrell raised an eyebrow.

“What brings you here, Miss Luda?”

“I’m sorry. It’s an urgent matter…”

Seeing Luda’s worried expression, Ferrell smiled and told her to speak freely.

Luda expressed her concern for Yuliana, who would become the mistress of Rockbellion, and requested a diagnosis from the Duke’s residence physician.

“Since she will soon be the prospective Duchess… I thought it would be good for the Duke’s physician to examine her.”

The health of the prospective Duchess was one of the most confidential matters in the Ducal  residence.

“And lately, the Young Lady seems unwell… If Earl Loengrin finds out, he will cause a commotion. So I wanted to have a quiet diagnosis.”

Hearing Luda’s difficult request, Ferrell’s brows furrowed, suspecting it wasn’t an ordinary illness.

“Could you tell me a bit about the symptoms?”

Luda remained silent.

“We need to know to prepare.”

“Our Young Lady loves lemons… but lately, she hasn’t been drinking lemon tea. The foods and snacks she eats are very different from usual. She easily eats about five peaches a day. Yesterday, she ate three plates of lamb steak.”

Everyone in the Loengrin and Rockbellion families knew how much Yuliana loved lemon tea.

“Her eating habits have completely changed.”

Luda calmly continued.

“She sleeps all day and, when she wakes up, eats again, then sleeps again.”

“It seems the fatigue from the territorial battle hasn’t worn off.”

Luda sighed at Ferrell’s oblivious remark.

“And currently… it’s time for her period… but it hasn’t come. You understand what I’m saying, right, Butler Ferrell?”

Luda drank a glass of water in front of her to quench her throat and slammed the cup down on the table.

“So I came hoping the Duke’s physician could check her current condition.”

“Is that true, Miss Luda?”

“Yes.”

Ferrell shed tears at Luda’s words.

“Butler, why are you crying?”

“I am so moved…”

“What do you mean by moved when my Young Lady might be pregnant! Butler Ferrell!”

“Is that really true?!”

Frey entered the drawing room with a higher-pitched voice.

“Miss Luda, I heard some of the conversation from outside, but could you tell me in detail what you just mentioned?”

Luda, with her shoulders drooping, repeated the story she had told Ferrell to Frey.

“The likelihood of pregnancy is high. Very high. Am I going to be a grandmother now?”

Frey clapped her hands with joy. Ferrell took out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes.

“If the Young Lady is indeed pregnant… Duke Anthus’s life is in danger. Earl Matthias and Young Lord Louis won’t stay still.”

Despite Luda’s urgent words, Frey spoke leisurely.

“It’s okay. If he touched a precious daughter before marriage, he should offer his life several times over. Even if Earl Loengrin throws a white glove at Yan’s face. If Yan dies, Philip and I can raise Lia well.”

“Lady Frey!”

“But to be sure, we need a diagnosis, right? Luda, don’t worry too much. Now, to get a diagnosis, we must bring our Lia to the Ducal residence. We’ll send a carriage from Rockbellion, so come with it. Tell them the teleportation is broken, so it won’t affect the baby.”

“Understood.”

Returning to the Earl’s residence, Luda went straight to Yuliana’s room. Hearing Yuliana say she had eaten peaches all day, Luda looked around the room.

“Young Lady… How many did you eat?”

The room was filled with the scent of peaches, and there was a pile of tangerine peels.

“Uh? I didn’t count how many I ate.”

Seeing Yuliana swallowing her saliva and looking for tangerines and peaches, Luda’s eyes wavered.

“I also want to eat apples, thick venison, and peaches. I keep wanting to eat soft peaches. I think I’m going to gain weight.”

“I’ll prepare it for dinner.”

“Please have the peaches made into sorbet.”

“Don’t you want to drink lemon tea?”

“No, I’m not drawn to it at all.”

Luda’s suspicion that it wasn’t pregnancy was turning into certainty.

It wasn’t the menu Young Lady Yuliana usually enjoyed. What she loved was lemon tea.

“Strangely, I don’t feel like drinking lemon tea.”

Luda staggered to her feet. Maybe the baby was rejecting lemons because of the strong taste… 

No, no. I shouldn’t get ahead of herself. But just the tangerines Yuliana devoured today were about twenty…

But Yuliana continued to peel and eat tangerines repeatedly.

“This is a letter from Lady Frey.”

“A letter?”

The letter from Frey that Luda handed over said that she should visit tomorrow, and that there was an issue with the teleportation, so she should come by the Rockbellion carriage.

“She’s asking me to come?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I will also take the carriage to the Ducal residence tomorrow.”

“Okay, Luda. Could you bring me the peaches right away? I want to eat them so badly…”

“Yes, I’ll prepare them and bring them.”

Luda trudged out of the room, silently wishing Anthus well.

Rubbing her full belly from peaches and tangerines, Yuliana said she might not be able to eat dinner, but when she saw the thick venison on the table, she devoured three plates.

“Our Lia eats a lot, this Father is happy.”

“Yes, I really wanted to eat venison.”

Luda’s hands trembled.

There was only one thought in her mind. It was a prayer for Duke Anthus’s well-being.

* * *

Early in the morning, a carriage from the Rockbellion family arrived at Earl Loengrin’s residence.

“But why did they ask me to come, Luda?”

“Well, we’ll find out when we get there.”

“Luda, you’ve looked unwell since yesterday. Is something wrong?”

“Thank you for your concern. I’m just not feeling very well.”

“If you feel any worse, go back and rest today.”

“Yes.”

Arriving at the Rockbellion residence, Yuliana got off the carriage and greeted Frey, who had come out to meet her.

“Lia, just follow me.”

“Huh? Okay.”

Frey took Yuliana to the Duchess’s room.

“Lia.”

“Yes, Lady Frey.”

“Don’t you want to eat peaches?”

Yuliana nodded with sparkling eyes. As Head Maid Sydney brought the peaches, Luda skillfully peeled them.

Looking at the beautifully arranged peaches on the plate, Yuliana swallowed her saliva and began to eat them bit by bit.

“They’re so delicious!”

“There’s plenty, so eat as much as you want.”

“Okay. But how did you know I wanted to eat peaches?”

“I also had a time when I only ate peach dishes…”

“Really?”

Yuliana tilted her head and continued eating the peaches. Frey watched Yuliana eating happily with great satisfaction.

“Then, Lia…”

While eating the peaches, Yuliana looked at Frey, who was calling her, and listened to her explanation.

“Lia, you know that you are a precious prospective Duchess of the Rockbellion family and part of our family, right?”

“Yes.”

“So from now on, you will have regular comprehensive health check-ups by the Duke’s residence physician.”

Even if a noble is healthy, they typically have a mandatory check-up every three months.

Hearing that she would be managed by the Rockbellion family’s physician instead of Earl Loengrin’s, Yuliana felt strange. It made her realize that she was indeed engaged to Anthus.

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

Frey glanced at Sydney. She bowed and left the room.

.

A little later, a person who seemed to be the physician entered the room. She was a gentle-looking lady, appearing to be in her 50s.

“Hello, I am Diana from the Macolton family, serving as the Duchess’s physician for the Rockbellion family.”

“Hello, Lady Macolton.”

“Lia, Diana has been a wonderful physician taking care of the Rockbellion family for a long time. She will also take care of your health regularly.”

“Please take good care of me, Lady Macolton.”

“Please feel free to call me by my name.”

Yuliana’s face flushed slightly at Diana’s friendly smile.

“I will, Lady Diana.”

“Before the examination, I’ll ask you a few questions.”

Diana asked Yuliana questions. Yuliana answered them accordingly.

“So I’m a little worried about gaining weight.”

“…Besides eating a lot lately, you seem healthy, but we should check, so please lie down on the bed.”

Yuliana lay down on the bed. Diana took Yuliana’s hand and closed her eyes.

After a while, blue light emanated from Diana’s hand and began to envelop Yuliana’s body. Retracting the blue mana, Diana tilted her head with a complex expression.

“Diana, what’s wrong?”

Frey asked Diana.

“It’s nothing serious…”

Diana gently placed an artifact on Yuliana’s stomach. The artifact began to glow brightly.

“It’s an artifact imbued with divine power, so there’s no need to worry.”

Gradually, the light faded.

“Diana…?”

Frey looked at Diana with calm eyes. Yuliana also felt tense seeing Diana’s unusual demeanor.

Diana suggested to Frey that they step outside for a moment.

Outside the room, Diana relaxed her expression and spoke.

“It’s wonderful that the Young Master has grown up so well… but… in a state where they’re not even married… Where is the Young Master, Lady Frey!”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“The Young Master has caused a problem.”

The kind and gentle-looking Diana, who seemed so amiable in front of Yuliana, frowned and said Anthus should not be left alone.

“She’s pregnant.”

At Diana’s confirmation, Frey jumped up in excitement.

“And it was a bit unusual.”

“What was unusual?”

“The energy of the artifact imbued with divine power flowed into Lady Yuliana’s womb and was absorbed. Well, since it’s divine power, it doesn’t pose any problems for the baby. This is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation.”

Frey pondered Diana’s words.

“Could the unborn child have divine power?”

“Well? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Accepting divine power isn’t a bad thing, but for now, keep this matter to yourself.”

“Understood.”

“Lady Yuliana seems to know nothing… The Young Master has seduced such a pure-looking lady and… Oh dear…”

Diana shook her head and pressed her forehead with her hand.

“Diana, let’s keep the pregnancy a secret until Yan returns.”

“What?”

“Shouldn’t we tease him a bit?”

“Have you forgotten the trouble caused by such pranks before?”

“I haven’t forgotten, but I think we need to tease Yan a little.”

“I agree with that.”

Frey, with a happy expression, opened the door again.

Sitting up on the bed, Yuliana asked seriously.

“Lady Frey, do I have a serious illness?”

Yuliana asked with a slightly fearful face. Seeing that, Frey put on a gloomy expression.

“We should wait until Yan returns to the Ducal residence to discuss it together.”

“I had no issues until recently.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t have had any issues until recently.”

Diana answered Yuliana’s question.

“It seems to be a disease with a latent period.”

“It’s not that serious. Don’t worry.”

“Is it a curable illness?”

“Certainly. Madame, there’s nothing to worry about. There’s no problem at all.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Lia, as the future Duchess, when you receive health check-ups, Yan, the head of the family, must be informed. So let’s talk when Yan arrives. Would you like more peaches? Is there anything you want to eat?

“Peaches are more appealing to me right now.”

“Then eat peaches and if you feel sleepy, sleep on the bed until Yan arrives.”

“I was feeling sleepy anyway…”

With a bright face, Yuliana lay on the bed with a peach in her mouth.