The servants finally realized the severity of the situation and sprang into action.
This was no ordinary matter — it was a gift from Lukehardt’s eldest son.
They should have known what that implied and understood its significance.
Yet they had been careless.
Meg took command, sharply reprimanding them as she directed everything.
“…How is she?”
“For now, there are no abnormalities with the child. The pulse and movement are both perfectly normal.”
Relieved sighs broke out across the room the moment it was confirmed that both mother and child were safe.
Anna, who had personally prepared the tea, had gone pale with anxiety, but could finally breathe again.
Amidst the confusion, Ilenia was the only one who drew in a quiet, trembling breath.
She could not forget the memory of just moments ago, when she had drunk the tea so readily and praised its taste.
Her stomach churned.
Without realizing it, she covered her mouth.
“However… it is indeed a tea that can induce miscarriage. Drinking it once unknowingly may not cause harm, but if taken repeatedly—twice, three times—the toxins begin to accumulate in the body.”
“…Poison?”
“Have your hands and feet been unusually cold lately?”
“I… that’s why I kept drinking it…”
The physician shook his head.
“It may be a warm tea, but it has properties that make the body colder. It chills the womb and induces contractions—making it impossible for the child to remain.”
“I… I did this to my baby…”
Her voice trembled as she spoke, her hand instinctively clutching at her throat.
If she could, she would rip open her stomach and force out every last drop of tea she had drunk.
Why hadn’t the nausea come at a moment like this?
Had the poison dulled her body’s instinct to protect the child?
Delphius’s voice echoed in her ears.
“Miscarriage is not an option.”
The child’s life.
Her own life.
There was no need to weigh which mattered more.
“Milady! Please, stop!”
“You mustn’t do that!”
“Let go! I have to— I have to throw it up—”
She tried to force her fingers down her throat, her voice breaking into something like a scream.
“You’ll be alright! You haven’t taken enough for it to be fatal!”
“But if something happens to the baby—”
No.
That could never happen.
She was already a failing mother—unable to even provide proper nourishment.
And now, she had fed her child poison with her own hands?
‘How pathetic.’
Even though he wasn’t there, it felt as though she could hear Delphius’s cold sigh ringing in her ears.
Tearing herself free from those holding her back, Ilenia forced her fingers into her mouth once more.
At last, the long-awaited retching began.
Through her fading, chaotic senses, she heard voices shouting and hands grabbing at her, as well as the physician urgently calling for an injection.
With nothing in her stomach, she vomited bitter, yellow bile.
Her vision flickered, then went black.
***
He returned on horseback.
Delphius leapt down from the saddle before the horse had even fully stopped, thrusting the reins into a servant’s hands without a word.
He strode into the estate at once, his voice sharp the moment he saw the butler.
“Tell me what happened. Now.”
“Milady consumed a small amount of poisoned tea. It was not long after ingestion, and neither she nor the child showed any abnormalities.”
Instead of replying, Delphius turned his head.
Beside the butler stood a maid, trembling so violently she could barely remain upright.
She must have been the one who served the tea—who attended to Ilenia.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t look so much like a condemned criminal.
“According to Milady and the attending maid, it was a gift from Lord Daniel and Lady Calante, in celebration of her pregnancy. They said it was a tea that helps with morning sickness…”
“…Ha. And she actually believed that?”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
He didn’t know who to blame.
Was it because he hadn’t warned her about Daniel?
Or was it because he hadn’t made it clear enough to prevent anyone from getting close to Lukehardt?
Or was it because he had said nothing at all?
Even if he had spoken up, would she have truly listened?
She was naive enough to believe that Ariella was a good person.
Even if he had warned her, she would have brushed it aside without a second thought.
Delphius dragged a hand roughly through his hair.
Logically, it was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.
That was the conclusion he forced himself to accept.
And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t calm down.
“Pregnant… yes, of course. Something to celebrate. But is there any guarantee the child will be born safely? If she were to miscarry, would you still have the confidence to claim the position then?”
So that was it.
The subtle confidence in his tone now made sense.
Delphius repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.
For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to storm into Lukehardt Castle and punch them both in the face.
But he refused to resort to such fleeting violence.
He had to endure.
Retaliating would be far too easy a way to get back at those who had dared to lay a hand on his wife and child.
Slowly, he forced his anger down, folding it away piece by piece until only steady breathing remained.
“…Where is Ilenia?”
Watching all of this, the butler swallowed hard before answering.
“Milady was overcome with severe anxiety after realizing she had consumed the poisoned tea. The physician administered a sedative so she could rest.”
“You may rest assured—the child is unharmed.”
Leaving those final words behind, the butler watched as Delphius strode quickly toward the bedroom.
Only after he disappeared from view did the butler slowly straighten, murmuring under his breath as if in quiet awe.
“…Truly, an extraordinary man.”
The person who had harmed his relatives was not a stranger, but someone from his own family.
The rage and sense of betrayal must have been beyond imagination, yet he suppressed them with nothing more than a steady breath and a clenched fist.
The butler swallowed the chill creeping down his spine as he stared at the spot where his master had stood.
His master was so rational that he was all the more terrifying.
He told himself that betraying such a master was unthinkable.
***
As he approached the bed, he saw Ilenia lying there.
She had been given a sedative, and though he had returned, there was no voice to greet him.
“…You always welcomed me.”
She had never fallen asleep in front of him before.
Even when she was too tired to stay awake, she would still be there, either leaning against the window or dozing lightly on the sofa while she waited.
It was always such a pitiful sight.
Whenever he carefully slipped an arm around her shoulders to carry her to bed, her pink eyes would flutter open and sparkle as they met his.
Then, as quietly as a whisper, she would greet him with a soft, radiant smile.
“Welcome back.”
But this time, even when he gently ran his fingers through her hair, she didn’t respond.
For a moment, he wondered if it was even her.
But there was no mistake. From head to toe, she was Ilenia.
And yet this silence felt unbearably unfamiliar.
Creak.
He carefully sat on the edge of the bed.
Up close, her complexion was paler than ever.
Her already slender face had grown sharper and the softness had completely disappeared.
There had once been gentle fullness to her cheeks that he could touch.
Now, that warmth had vanished.
Lost in a fleeting, pointless thought, Delphius let his gaze drift downward.
On her arm, exposed above the blanket, he noticed a mark he had never seen before.
That must be where the sedative had been injected.
It looked as though the needle had gone nearly to the bone.
It was hard to believe that such a thin arm could have endured it.
It seemed so fragile that there was nothing left but bone.
Delphius remained there for a long time, silently watching her.
Then, at last, he slowly rose.
“Watch over her, do not leave her unattended, not even for a single moment.”
“Understood.”
“If anything happens, report to me immediately.”
Delphius could no longer stand by and allow those who had harmed his wife and child to go unpunished.
Determined to see justice served, he set his plans in motion and left the bedroom.
Ilenia woke some time after he had left.
By the time her eyes slowly fluttered open, the sun had already begun to set.
Through her half-closed eyes, she quietly took in her surroundings.
Her gaze wandered aimlessly for a while, as if trying to comprehend her surroundings, until it finally rested on Anna, who was standing nearby.
Only then did her vision begin to clear.
“Ah…”
“Milady… are you awake?”
What happened?
Why was she lying down at this time of night?
Her thoughts refused to come together.
Then the memory struck her.
The nausea.
She sat up quickly.
Quickly, she wrapped her arms around her stomach.
Her gently rounded belly pressed against her palms.
“M-my baby… my baby—what about the baby?”
“Please don’t worry, Milady. The physician said everything is fine.”
Only after Anna desperately reassured her did Ilenia’s trembling shoulders begin to calm.
Her gaze drifted around the room—and finding it empty, she let out a quiet breath.
“Delphius… he didn’t come again.”
“Master was here for a while, but he had to leave due to urgent matters.”
“I see…”
She needed to get used to it.
To this loneliness.
To this emptiness.
Just as that thought settled in—
Tap.
Her eyes widened.
“…Huh?”
“What is it?”
“Just now… something touched my hand…”
Tap.
Once again, she felt a faint, bubbling sensation brushing against her palm.
In that instant, Ilenia realized, It was the baby’s first movement. It was as if the baby was telling her that she wasn’t alone. As if whispering that she didn’t need to be afraid.
She tightened her arms around her stomach.
“Thank you… my baby, thank you so much…”
She wasn’t alone anymore.
Holding her child close, she repeated it over and over—
‘I’ll protect you. No matter what, I’ll protect you.’
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Ellarosalita
Oh no. I can’t imagine what he’s going to do when she miscarries. He needs to open his d*mn eyes and stop being so consumed by his picture of a perfect family. Perfect families don’t exist.