“Ugh—!”

Ilenia had thought that everything would improve once she was pregnant. It was only now that she began to understand what people meant when they said that pregnancy was just the beginning.

Having grown up on a farm, she had always thought she was tough, but now she was retching helplessly.

‘This isn’t about having a weak stomach.’

The arrival of the child had turned her world completely upside down.

In fact, every scent in the world had become unbearable.

She could only manage three spoonfuls.

She forced herself to endure the nauseating smell, managing to swallow a few bites before finally dropping the spoon and pressing a hand over her mouth.

When Anna rushed over with a basin, she lost control and vomited up everything she had just eaten.

“My lady, are you all right?”

She didn’t have the strength to answer. She simply shook her head faintly.

The small amount of soup she had forced down, mixed with stomach acid, stained the basin.

“You were able to eat at least half yesterday, so I prepared it again today…”

“It seems I can’t even manage this today.”

‘Who on earth did this child take after to be this picky?’

Ilenia wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, quietly reassuring herself that the child had not inherited that particular trait from her, at least.

With each passing day, the number of foods she could tolerate was shrinking. Yesterday, it had been meunière. Today, even a thin mushroom soup was too much. Because of this, not only Ilenia but also the entire kitchen staff had fallen into a panic, desperately trying to prepare something — anything — that would suit the young master’s delicate appetite.

Ilenia took a star-shaped sugar candy out of the small glass bottle she always carried and put it in her mouth. It was just sugar, but it was the only thing her body would accept during her morning sickness.

It almost felt as if—’You mustn’t die, so I’ll allow you at least this much.’ A mercy that barely felt like mercy at all.

She wanted nothing more than to lie down and stop eating altogether. However, remembering her doctor’s warning that this would only make the nausea worse, she forced herself to keep the sweets in her mouth, clinging to them as if they were the only thing keeping her going.

“It must mean the young master will be very strong when he’s born. At least he won’t be sickly as a child.”

“Well, that’s something to be grateful for. As long as the baby is healthy, that’s enough.”

“But he’s making things far too hard on you, my lady.”

‘Don’t trouble her too much.’

In response to Anna’s quiet murmur addressed to her belly, Ilenia gave a faint, fragile smile.

She gently placed a hand on her stomach, which was still showing no visible signs of change. It had been around ten weeks now, hadn’t it? Despite the doctor saying it would soon become noticeable, her abdomen remained flat.

Perhaps it was because she was eating so little that she had actually begun to lose weight.

She could barely keep anything down, vomiting almost everything she tried to eat. The thought that the baby might not be getting enough nourishment was always at the back of her mind, quietly gnawing away at her.

As her morning sickness worsened, her doctor tentatively suggested herbal remedies, but she refused them.

She couldn’t bear the thought of anything, no matter how small, harming the child.

“I wish the master would return soon…”

“He’s busy.”

“But the young master seems to accept the food the master gives you so well. Maybe if we told him, he could come back a little earlier—”

“Don’t.”

Ilenia shook her head.

“He’s a busy man. Especially after finalizing the contract, he’s been working even more, sacrificing his sleep. I don’t want to add to his burden just for my own comfort.”

“Comfort? How can you call this comfort? You’re suffering so much…”

“At the very least, I’m here in the estate, doing nothing but resting like this. So… I should at least protect this child on my own.”

“My lady…”

“I’m fine.”

And it was true. Despite her weakness from not eating properly, she felt better than she had in days. At the very least, she was no longer wandering around the estate aimlessly, as she had been before.

Ilenia reached out and picked up the unfinished knitting.

“Is that for the young master?”

“Yes. They say things for babies don’t last long, so I wanted to make them one by one.”

She was knitting a pair of tiny mittens to prevent the baby from accidentally scratching itself with its uncontrollable arms.

She worked each stitch carefully, pouring quiet affection into every thread.

She had never imagined how small a baby’s hands would be. Even after finishing something no longer than one of her own fingers, it still didn’t feel quite real.

Anna blinked repeatedly, still amazed.

“I’ve helped take care of my younger sibling before, but I’ve never seen anything for a newborn like this.”

At Anna’s words, Ilenia absently searched through her own memories.

‘What was it like for me?’

In her village, it was common for children to be left in the care of the elderly while their parents worked in the fields or did other chores. However, even then, those children were usually already weaned.

She had never seen a baby this small.

“…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a newborn either.”

“Right? At that size, they’re usually always beside their mother.”

Ilenia looked again at the tiny mitten in her hands. Somehow, its small, delicate size felt even more meaningful now.

‘You, the little one, are coming to meet me soon.’

Though she had made it herself, a quiet sense of wonder filled her as she gently ran her fingers over the soft yarn.

‘…I want to meet you soon.’

Slowly, she lowered her hand and caressed her stomach.

But things did not continue so smoothly.

“At this rate, it’s dangerous.”

“…What?”

“Your morning sickness isn’t subsiding—it’s only getting worse. It’s a problem that the baby isn’t receiving enough nutrients, but at this rate… both you and the young master could be in danger.”

“The baby… in danger?”

Ilenia’s eyes widened.

“Wasn’t it said that morning sickness doesn’t affect the child?”

“That was true, but… if the morning sickness becomes severe, it can damage your organs—and it will begin to affect the baby as well. In the worst-case scenario, you may have to give up the child…”

“No!”

With a sharp cry, she clutched her stomach tightly.

“I will never give up this child. Find another way—please.”

“But at this rate, your life may be in danger, my lady. You’ve already been repeatedly vomiting stomach acid—your mouth has been badly damaged as well.”

“…Isn’t there anything that can be done? Please… please, don’t tell me to give up my child.”

At Ilenia’s desperate, almost obsessive plea, the physician let out a heavy sigh.

“Of course, I will do everything I can. But I cannot guarantee what lies ahead. In the end, you must endure this yourself. Drink as much ginger tea or lemon as you can. I know it will be difficult, but you must try.”

Ilenia nodded slowly.

“And as for the medicinal herbs—”

“No.”

Her pale face tightened as she held her stomach protectively.

The child in her womb was not meant to live a life of scorn and ridicule like she had. This child would take after Delphius completely—a child who would bring honor to the House of Lukehardt.

“If there’s even the slightest chance the medicine could harm the baby, I won’t take it.”

“…Very well. Then we’ll try to ease your symptoms using only food.”

When the examination ended and the physician left the room, Anna glanced at her with worried eyes.

“My lady…”

“I suppose I’ll have to get some lemon candy. I’m not very good with sour things.”

Ilenia forced a smile, but her cheeks had grown gaunt. Lately, she couldn’t even keep water down, and she was beginning to show signs of mild dehydration.

Fidgeting anxiously, Anna spoke again, more cautiously this time.

“Shouldn’t we inform the master? At this rate, both of you could be in danger.”

She was knitting a pair of tiny mittens to stop the baby from scratching itself with its flailing arms.

She worked each stitch carefully, pouring quiet affection into every thread.

She had never imagined quite how small a baby’s hands would be. Even after finishing something no longer than one of her own fingers, it still didn’t feel quite real.

Anna blinked repeatedly, still amazed.

“They say I just have to hold on a little longer. After fourteen weeks, the morning sickness should get better…”

Anna let out a deep sigh.

She could at least allow herself to be a little selfish—but her lady seemed almost incapable of that. When it came to putting herself first, she rejected it entirely.

She had simply been born too kind.

‘Why, of all times, did the master have to leave on a business trip…’

Anna pouted slightly, blaming Delphius—something she rarely ever did.

But the world was not a place one could survive on kindness alone.

Thinking of Meg, who relentlessly pressured her every week, Anna shook her head.

“I’ll go get more yarn.”

***

One day, while Ilenia was suffering from another bout of exhausting morning sickness, something unexpected happened.

The tightly sealed gates of the House of Lukehardt, which had been kept under strict lockdown in Delphius’s absence, were suddenly forced open.

Even the butler, who had rushed out with the rest of the staff amid the commotion, tried to stop the intruders, but they were too powerful and determined to be held back.

“I’m coming to my own estate. Why are you blocking my way?”

“Even so, you cannot arrive without notice, Young Master Daniel. At the very least, you should have spoken with Master Delphius—”

“I am a Lukehardt. Who dares to forbid a Lukehardt from entering a Lukehardt estate?”

It was none other than Delphius’s elder brother—Daniel Lukehardt—and his fiancée.