118 - 122

< — The Beginning and the End — > (5)

When Hugo returned to the mansion, it was already late into the night. He sat absentmindedly in his office for a while. He urged his brain to think but it refused to work properly. He didn't know where he should start from.

'The headache medicine. Yes…find out what happened with the headache medicine and then…'

After that was blank. His head was as empty as a blank sheet of paper. Nothing came up. He felt terribly helpless, like an abyss was slowly eaten away at him from his feet.

It was fear. His heart thumped with anxiety, growing louder by the minute and he felt suffocated. Even if he were about to die by having his limbs bound, stomach smashed, and heart ripped out, he would not be this scared.

Just thinking about the possibility of losing her filled Hugo with indescribable horror.

Hugo left his office at daybreak. He went into his wife's bedroom, and stood idly by the bed, watching his wife who was sound asleep. He lifted the blanket, climbed onto the bed and pulled her into his chest. Her body was slightly hot due to her mild fever.

The happiness and despair filled his heart. He could not live if he lost her. He felt like his heart would explode and kill him.

[I have never said this, have I? Thank you for marrying me.]

"…Not at all. You fell into a terrible swamp."

She went through all sorts of trouble to get a child that everyone else has, and the child she got with difficulty, became the main culprit eating away her life.

The only reason she had to go through things other people didn't was because she was married to him.

She should not have come to see him that day. If they had lived without knowing each other…if that had happened, then she likely wouldn't be facing such danger.

But if he had not met her, he would have lived with a frozen heart, watching a grey scenery for the rest of his life.[1]

'I can't let go.'

Even if he went back to the past right now, he had no confidence in being able to let her go. It was ugly selfishness.

"I love you."

Hugo whispered in her ear and closed his tingling eyes. Heat rushed to his eyes and something hot flowed from his eyes. His chest felt like it was tightening, and his throat hurt like it was seizing up.

As he shed tears for the first time, Hugo recalled the description of the word, 'cry'. It was a complex, intricate feeling that couldn't be expressed with something as dry as 'One cannot suppress their feelings and tears fall'.

* * *

Hugo spent the entire night wide-awake. He was thinking things over nonstop all night. The darkness withdrew, and the daybreak sun gradually brightened up the bedroom as he came to a conclusion after a long stretch of thought.

Lucia opened her eyes slightly earlier than usual this morning. She smiled, feeling the warmth against her back and the strong arms wrapped around her.

She shifted in her position and turned around to face him. When she met his gaze, she flashed a sweet smile and buried herself in his arms. His big hand found its way to her head and the feeling of his fingers combing through her hair was nice.

"Vivian. I think I have to go to the north."

Lucia lifted her head in surprise. His eyes had a subdued feeling of gravity in them.

"It won't take long. I'll come back soon."

"…Okay. It seems like an urgent matter."

"I'm sorry I can't be with you at a time like this."

"It's okay. There's still a long way to go before the child arrives. You'll be back before then, won't you?"

Seeing his wife trying to shrug it off like everything was fine, Hugo hugged her and squeezed tightly. His wife who always said that things were okay and smiled prettily had not changed.

Although he was taken aback by her complaints and annoyance, on the other hand, he was happy about it. It meant that she relied on him that much.

Hugo thought that he needed to thoroughly dig through the family secret room in Roam again. It was his only hope. He had to find even the slightest clue there. Still holding her in his arms, Hugo's eyes shone with resolve.

* * *

While her husband was away, Lucia tried to keep her mind and body in the best condition possible for the baby, at all times. And occasionally, she imagined various things, trying to solve the mystery of how she got pregnant.

"Milady. When did you start taking the headache medicine you were prescribed?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"There is something I need to look into."

Lucia had a strange feeling.

"What is it that you need to look into?"

When Lucia kept inquiring, Jerome hesitated then said:

"Master ordered the investigation."

'The headache medicine…it's related.'

Lucia sensed that her pregnancy and the headache medicine were related. Because the effect of her recent headache medicine was so good, Lucia knew exactly when she started taking it and clearly remembered who gave it to her.

'The medicine Anna gave me…?"

Lucia was shocked to think that there was a problem with the headache medicine. She had faith in the doctor, Anna on a fundamental level. She believed that there was no way Anna would mix something into the medicine deliberately. So, she decided to call Anna and ask her personally.

< — The Beginning and the End — >(5)

It was her first time meeting Anna since Anna stopped working for her. Lucia had received the headache medicine from Anna, but in the meantime, she had asked her maid to only give her that drug.

Anna was visibly pleased to see the Duchess whom she had not met in a long time. Lucia had a wry smile, knowing fully well that she had not called Anna here with good intentions. And she immediately went straight to business.

"We are suspicious that a special medication, targeted at me, was mixed into the drug for headache that you gave to me, Anna, and we are looking into it. Personally, I do not think you are involved, Anna. So I want you to honestly tell me everything, without hiding a single thing."

Anna's face went deathly pale with horror. She stumbled over her reply in complete disbelief.

"The-The prescription for the headache medicine…I got it from the Duke's doctor at Roam, Sir. Philip. But Milady, he's not someone like that."

Philip. Lucia felt strange hearing that name.

'We keep getting oddly involved with one another.'

In her dream, he was someone she was grateful to because he gave her the prescription for her treatment and in reality, he was the person whom her husband's late twin brother owed his life to.

However, because her husband appeared uneasy with Philip, Lucia couldn't feel any goodwill that Philip might be a good person.

"Anna. I am pregnant right now."

"My word! Congratulations."

"Thank you. As you know, I was infertile. But unbeknownst to me, I was treated, and I believe the source is the headache medicine."

Anna's expression gradually stiffened gravely.

"The fact that it resulted in my pregnancy does not matter. I have been taking a medication without me being aware of it. If it was a poison that was killing me slowly, what would become of it? Do you understand why I am taking this seriously?"

Anna heaved a sigh as if she had remembered something.

"I…I was used."

"Is there something you can think of?"

"Sir Philip was…obsessed with Milady's pregnancy. I didn't think much of it at the time but when I think about it now, it was excessive."

"I see. If I remember correctly, Sir. Philip tried to meet me through you. Now, I am curious why Sir. Philip tried to do that. Tell me everything, from beginning to end. Don't leave out what you talked about with him too."

Anna looked back, recalling her memories from her first meeting with Philip. And as she spoke, going into the details one by one, she realized Philip's intentions. Anna came to the end of her story with her eyes heavily reddened as she reeled from the immense shock.

"This is my fault. I…I was so foolish."

The headache drug was not only taken by the Duchess. A countless number of patients had taken Anna's headache medicine. All this while, she had sold a drug despite not knowing how it would affect a patient's body. She was so absorbed in the profit from selling that she had forgotten her duty as a doctor and she was completely disillusioned with herself.

Anna apologized several times before leaving with a haggard expression. After Anna left, Lucia began to solve the mystery based on the information she had gained.

The cure that Lucia knew had a unique scent. However, she couldn't detect such a scent on the headache medicine. Philip was someone who had the treatment method within his family's vision. He would have been able to change the drug's formulation as much as he wanted.

'He heard from Anna that I knew about the drug's unique scent and took the precaution to get rid of it. Why did he go to that extent? Plus, even if he treated my infertility, it's not like we could have a child just because my infertility got cured. My husband cannot have a child normally. He said that the woman has to prepare her body with a special herb.'

There was no way Philip wouldn't have known that.

'Mugwort!'

An idea suddenly flashed into her mind.

The Philip, whom she met in the dream, was very knowledge about mugwort's effects whereas other people had no idea, and he had a cure which he called his family's vision. The question was, why did Philip's family discovered the cure for such an uncommon illness and leave it as their family's vision?

'Since I took mugwort when I was a child, I made my body into something that is infertile but not infertile. It is an unreal coincidence, but if this condition was really the condition for having his child…'

[Sir. Philip said that for the treatment to be effective, Milady must have been pure before your bridal night. It is strange when I think about it now. Why did I believe such words back then?]

'So Philip checked if I met the conditions.'

Lucia felt a chill run down her spine. Philip's thoroughness made her very uncomfortable.

'I have to tell him.'

And there was something she wanted to ask him because she just couldn't figure out the answer.

* * *

Hugo, who went to the north, returned after three weeks. Hugo went straight to his office, followed by Jerome who had come out to greet him.

"Is my wife sleeping?"

"The Madam went to her bedroom early in the evening. I did not inform her that Your Grace would be returning."

"You did well. What happened to the prescription I gave you?"

Before Hugo left for Roam, he handed over the prescription that Philip gave him to Jerome. He told him that if Duchess began to suffer from sudden abdominal pain and the doctor couldn't find the cause but the pain persisted to an intolerable degree, she should be given medicine as the prescription states.

He hoped that what Philip said would not happen.

"Like Your Grace said, the Madam suffered from severe abdominal pain. After she took the prescribed medicine Your Grace gave me, it settled down quickly."

Hugo's hopes were shattered. He was greatly disappointed.

"In addition, I found out the components of the Madam's headache medicine that Your Grace spoke of. I also found out how the Madam's former doctor obtained that prescription. They are all included in my report."

Hugo picked up Jerome's report which was on top of his table and flipped through it. He once again realized Philip's craftiness in approaching Anna and lamented to himself. His mistake of not recognizing someone like this was painful.

"However, the Madam showed interest in the investigation of the headache medicine."

"What do you mean by interest?"

"The Madam called her former doctor and met her personally."

Hugo furrowed his brow. This was unexpected.

"And?"

"She had a pretty long conversation with the former doctor. I was not told what they had talked about."

Hugo didn't have any idea what she would have talked to her former doctor about. He sorted out a few urgent documents and headed up to the second floor with a heavy heart.

He had turned his family's secret room upside down for nearly ten days but couldn't find anything.

In his family's genealogical record, there were only records of the Dukes from generation to generation and the Duchesses who bore the successors. There was no information about the mothers of the Duchesses or the Duchess' parental homes. In the part about their lineage, Philip's family was mentioned many times, but there was no reference to what method.

As Hugo opened the door to the bedroom, readying to enter, he paused.

The bedroom was lit up moderately with candles and Lucia, who was lying on the bed, lifted her head and exclaimed in delight.

"Hugh! When did you come back?"

"I'll come to you. Don't get up."

Hugo stopped her since she looked like she was going to jump down from the bed. He quickly reached the bed and climbed up on his knees. She had her arms stretched out to him and he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight.

"You came back, and no one came to tell me."

"They probably thought you were sleeping."

"Hugh, do you know what happened a little while ago?"

Lucia took Hugo's hand and placed it on her stomach. Hugo was momentarily startled. In the span of a few weeks, her stomach had grown significantly.

"The baby sent me a signal that it's doing well in there. It was just a little while ago. I was just lying down, and I heard a sound like water drops. At first, I didn't know what it was. I thought it was just something like my stomach rumbling when I'm hungry. But after a moment, I heard it again, twice and suddenly, I got goosebumps and my heart started to race. And so I just knew. The baby is talking to me."

Lucia poured out a string of words without stopping for breath. Hugo could clearly see that she was overwhelmed with emotion and he was moved too. Hugo looked at his hand which was still on her stomach.

"…inside here…?"

"Yea. Wait a little."

The two of them waited with bated breath for a while but there was no movement from inside Lucia's abdomen.

Lucia wanted him to feel the overwhelming emotions she had felt. She inwardly urged the baby to move a few times, but it was still.

"It definitely moved a few minutes ago."

Hugo gently kissed his wife, who looked disappointed.

"Have you been well?"

"Yes. What of you? Did your trip go well?"

"Roughly. I heard your stomach hurt a lot?"

"It was fine soon after I took medication. I was more worried that something would go wrong with the baby."

"…I see."

Even if Philip didn't tell him that the mother would be endangered if he tried to get rid of the baby, Hugo already didn't plan on doing anything to the child. He had no intention of watching his wife wallow in despair over the loss of her child.

Philip won. When Hugo came back to the capital without finding anything in the secret room, he thought that as long as she could be safe, he would do whatever it takes, even if it meant playing into Philip's hands.

"Hugh. There is something I wanted to verify when you came back. The headache medicine."

"What about the headache medicine?"

"The reason I was able to get pregnant was because of the headache medicine, right?"

"…"

His wife was an interesting woman. Sometimes, she was naïve and innocent but at other times, she was very sharp.

Lucia told him about her entire conversation with Anna. Hugo listened attentively, not missing even the trivial parts of what she was saying.

This was high quality information that wasn't present in Jerome's report. He was able to get a clear idea of how Philip cleverly maneuvered through the gaps in Anna's heart, using her trust in him.

Hugo ground his teeth at Philip, who had hundreds of snakes crawling in his stomach.

'Mugwort, huh? Is that related?'

Hugo felt like he was grasping onto something. It seemed like there would be a way to use this information.

"But Hugh. What I can't understand the most is why Sir. Philip did this."

It was Lucia's biggest question and dilemma. She didn't know why Philip went to the extent of playing so many tricks so that she could get pregnant. It was too much to see it as mere loyalty. Not only was the method less than decent, she could feel an unpleasant obsession.

< — The Beginning and the End — > (5)

"You already have a successor. Did Sir. Philip say that he was dissatisfied because Damian is unqualified to succeed the family? But even that doesn't match up. I cannot have a son. There's no way Sir. Philip doesn't know that."

Hugo could not conceal his bafflement. Lucia realized that she had thrown out a sharp question. He usually gave her the honest answer to whatever she asked. But this time, no matter how long she waited, he did not open his mouth.

She did not want to ask him questions that made it difficult for him. If it was something he couldn't tell her, she didn't intend to interrogate further.

Lucia might have retreated if this was before she was with a child. However, the strong feelings she got from the baby's movement had not yet subsided. She felt wonder towards the life growing up within her and blossoming maternal love began to grow in her heart.

She couldn't let issues related to her baby just pass by. Even though she felt that the core of the secret he wanted to hide was related to this issue, she had no choice but to be stubborn.

"You promised me, Hugh. You said you would think again about telling me your secret if I implored you."

Her steady amber eyes were lit with stubbornness as she looked straight at him. Hugo let out a troubled sigh.

"If you just can't tell me even after thinking about it again, I will follow your will. I just want to know if the reason you can't tell me is because you're worried about revealing your secret."

"…it's not something good to hear. For you. And for the child too."

"I am fine. Our baby will be fine too. You boasted that there was no way your child was weak, didn't you?"

Hugo gave a brief chuckle, mixed with a sigh.

"I can't win against you."

Hugo revealed all of the secrets that he knew to her. He told her everything, his family's secret, the truth regarding the incestuous marriages, even Philip's lies.

The only thing he excluded was the fact that his identity was the abandoned 'Hue'. That fact was still a dragon's reverse scale that he didn't dare to touch.

"So Sir. Philip cannot escape from his nonsensical delusion."

Lucia simply stated how she felt. Unlike what he was concerned about, she accepted his surprising story calmly.

"Hugh. Damian is my son. And he will be an older brother to our newborn child. I want to raise my two children as close brother and sister. I do not want to pass the Taran family's secret to the children."

"I am of the same thought."

"Does this thing still worry you? Is that why you couldn't tell me?"

"I didn't tell you because…it was so disgusting."

Seeing her husband go quiet again, Lucia sighed.

"…did you think I might look at you differently…?"

"…"

His lack of response was like an answer. Lucia wonder what she should do with this timid black lion.(1) She felt like crying because she felt sorry and he seemed so loveable. She raised herself up, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face in his check.

Lucia wished love could be seen with the naked eyes. She wanted to open her heart and show him how much she loved him. How could she explain to him that even if he was hiding a dreadful secret, her love for him would not change?

"Actually, Hugh, I have a secret I have not been able to tell you too. Would you like to hear my story?"

Lucia opened the doors to the secret that she had been trying to bury her entire life. She began the story from the morning she woke up when she was 12 years old.

"…And like that, that terrible marriage life finally came to an end."

Lucia stopped talking for a moment and glanced at him to check his expression.

"Why did you stop? Continue."

"…you look very scary."

His expression was dripping with murderous intent. His red eyes were so brightly sharp that for the first time, Lucia felt he was a little scary.

"Do you…think it's too ridiculous so you're unhappy?"

"It's not that!"

Hugo breathed raggedly and swept up his hair in a rough manner.

Count Matin. He shouldn't have killed that bastard so easily. It was beyond vexing. He gnashed his teeth, filled with indignation. To hear that she had lived as the wife of such trash and went through all sorts of hardship was so gut-wrenching.

Furthermore, when he thought about the King's shameless mug, he was suddenly very irritated. The King was the chief instigator. Kwiz sold off his sister.

No. The biggest problem was the innocent woman before him.

"My wife, why are you like this, really? Why can't you be filled with spite?"

"…Huh?"

"You had to go through all that. But. You only ask me to take measures so that that bastard can't marry the princess?"

If he had known this, he would have given the bastard all the pain possible in the world and killed him in the most miserable way! The fact that the bastard was already dead infuriated him.

"…Hugh. Thank you for listening to me seriously. This isn't something that happened in reality so…"

"If you remember it then it is no different from experiencing it. It is not just a simple dream to you, is it? It is an experience you lived through."

"…Yes. Yes but…"

"If I knew then that bastard—!"

"He is already dead. What can one do to the dead?"

She thought that Count Matin had died in an accident and the fact the he couldn't truthfully tell her that he had taken action and gotten rid of him, frustrated him even more.

"If you're getting so worked up, I'll stop the story here."

Hugo breathed in a few times to calm himself down. He had to hear more. Although her story was unrealistic, he did not think it was absurd.

It strangely made things make sense. Whether it was her composure which was unsuitable for her age, or her shrewd ability to cope which was unlike a princess who had been locked up in the palace since childhood. Sometimes he had questions regarding her but just buried them, however, all those questions were being answers.

In addition, Hugo knew quite a lot about magical tools, thanks to his family's secret room. Like his wife said, the pendant was very likely a magical tool, and such a bizarre ability was very possible for a magical tool.

The reason why most currently widely known magical tools were seen as nothing more than a toy, was because the humans in the present age did not have the ability to recognize magical tools with more functions than a toy.

"Continue, I will just listen."

Lucia swallowed her laughter as she gazed at her husband who looked like he would explode if someone touched him. She was thankful for him for listening to her seriously and not assuming she was speaking nonsense. Rather, she was more concerned because he seemed too seriously immersed in her story.

Translator's Corner:

1. If I recall correctly, black lion is the symbol of the Taran family. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

T/N: One last time, the hangul for:

[Hugo] is [휴고]

[Hugh] is [휴]

[Hue] is [히우]

The [Hugh] Lucia calls, is like a short form of Hugo. [Hue] is Hugo's birth name. [Hugo] is his brother's birth name. His brother died, he took his brother's place as well as his brother's name. Fin.

< — The Beginning and the End — > (5)

Lucia began her story again. When she reached the part of the story where she started getting acquainted with a knight as she was running her workshop, his expression looked considerably sour.

As she talked about how she was swindled and lost all her money, Lucia secretly glanced at his expression and found that it was surprisingly okay. She was relieved that he understood that her story wasn't something that happened in reality.

However, inwardly, Hugo was thinking about something different.

'So there's a guy left for me to vent on.'

There was a bastard who could take Count Matin's share of the crushing. Hugo thought to himself that he had to coax her into telling him who the man was.

When she finished her lengthy story, Lucia sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a while. She used to think of her dream as something that she could never tell anyone. For the first time, she spoke of something that had only been lodged in her mind, and as she did so, she was yet again able to look back on it as another lifetime.

Lucia smiled bashfully at her husband, who was staring at her.

"You aren't thinking, 'this woman is crazy', right?"

Hugo felt stunned, but he couldn't explain why, so he silently hugged her. He didn't speak words of comfort about the exhausting life she experienced. Rather, he was the one being comforted.

He was saved by her, unlike himself in her dream. His other self who was unable to find her, would have spent his lifetime with a dried out heart.

"Hugh, I have lived a life where I was thrown around left and right. I am not a princess who grew up prettily in the palace. Do I seem different to you now?"

"You know that's impossible."

"It's the same for me too. No matter what secret you have. You are you."

Hugo gave a shallow laugh, still hugging her. What in the world was he afraid of? The darkness that had restricted him for so many years, dispersed with a light wave from her hand.

The slender woman in his arms had a heart so steady that it surprised him. He hadn't understood it when people said that a woman's will was sometimes stronger than a man's. But now he did.

"The problem is, Damian."

"Damian?"

"When that child grows up and finds a woman he loves, he won't be able to have a child in a normal way. But since I know the method, it should turn out fine somehow. Hugh, I told you that my illness was cured because I met a wandering doctor, right? That doctor was actually Sir. Philip."

"…What?"

Lucia gave a description of the Philip she had met in her dream.

"I haven't met Philip personally in reality, but is the doctor I met indeed Sir. Philip?"

"…I think it is."

"You know, I've thought about it and I think the mugwort herb is the key to the continuation of the Taran family lineage."

"…You are…right."

Hugo muttered vacantly. The prescription she received in her dreams must have been the vision that was passed down in Philip's family, from generation to generation. That vision was the only solution. He had to obtain it.

'Where in the world did they hide it?'

A record that has been around for such a long time would be quite large. To hide it, they would need to put it in a place that was inconspicuous but with a considerable amount of space.

Hugo remembered an old memory. In the days when he was acting like a doll, following the instructions of the late former Duke, he met his brother once a month in order to confirm his brother's safety.

He rode all day in a carriage without windows, arrived at a vast plain with nothing around, and then the carriage carrying his brother arrived. When he asked his brother where he was staying, his brother replied:

[I don't know either. It is a very small village, but I can't move around freely because there's someone watching me. I am always given drugs to sleep before I get on the carriage to see you. Going off by how often I woke up in the middle to eat, the carriage must have been moving for a few days.]

The small village that his brother talked about was in a very remote location, and he thought that it was something like a safe house. Maybe the hideout of Philip's family was there, and the records might be there as well.

When he became the Duke, he spent quite some time trying to find the hideout, but he failed. The search range of 'a few days' was too wide.

'She said the old man went to a secret location and brought the cure back in a week.'

Anna's testimony was an important clue. Philip must have gone to the hideout to make the cure. With how cautious Philip was, he would not have taken a carriage. He would have walked with care not to be followed, and if the time he took to make the drug was removed, it took the old man approximately three days to walk there. With this knowledge, the range had narrowed down significantly and it wasn't too vast to comb through to find that village.

The measurement of a 'a few days' taken from the carriage's traveling time had been deceptive.

'It must be an enclosed village. The entrance to the village will be hidden.'

He had to send an order to the north, giving specific search directions immediately. But despite having narrowed down the range, he couldn't guarantee when it could be found.

A thought suddenly flashed through his head. It was like a fog that was before him suddenly got cleared.

Hugo abruptly got up, startling his wife whose eyes got round, and seeing that sight, Hugo thought she couldn't look more pretty. He grabbed her face and planted kisses all over.

"My wife. You said you remember the cure, right? Tell it to me."

"Yea, sure."

Lucia replied, looking puzzled.

"Thank you. That is enough."

Hugo left his dazed wife behind and went out of the bedroom quickly.

Lucia couldn't understand his last words or strange actions, but she could tell that for some reason, he was very excited and it made her giggle. Lucia laid down on the bed and placed both hands on her stomach. She wanted to feel the baby's movement that she felt earlier, again.

"Baby. Move. It's your mom."

Lucia continued to speak slowly. After a good while, she felt a vibration like her water was moving, as if the baby was answering her. Lucia burst into cheery laughter.

< — The Beginning and the End — > (6)

A few days later, Hugo went to the safe house and into the underground secret chamber where Philip was confined. Before Hugo went into the room, his knights had already tied Philip to the chair like previously.

Hugo stared at Philip and slowly sat down on the opposite chair. Philip looked like he had aged drastically in the span of a month. He had only been fed enough to satisfy his hunger and hadn't seen the sun in a long time. Hugo's gaze was only filled with ferociousness as he looked at the haggard old man.

"Seeing as I haven't seen you in a long time, you must have gone to the North."

Hugo's eyebrow twitched.

"And I'm sure you couldn't find anything."

The Duke's only response was to silently stare at him, but Philip was convinced that he had seized a chance at victory.

Philip had absolutely no intention of doing anything to harm the precious little miss that would be born soon, but the Duke would not believe Philip. Although he would not believe Philip, the Duke was in a disadvantageous position. He would not refuse proposal that concerned the Duchess' safety.

"You want something."

"I will make medicine that will guarantee the safety of the Duchess and the little miss."

"I have no intention of letting you see even a strand of my wife's hair."

"Do as you wish. You can also give her the drug I make yourself."

Philip smiled with ease, looking at the Duke's eyes which were filled with distrust. He hadn't forgotten the proverb that a cornered mouse would bite the cat.

The Duke's cruel and ferocious nature could burst open at any time. If he was driven to a dead end, it was possible for him to kill Philip without thinking of the aftermath because he couldn't endure the humiliation of being controlled by Philip.

It was necessary for Philip to set up conditions that could sufficiently accommodate the Duke.

"I will not approach the Madam, nor will I approach your daughter. I will follow your intention to raise the little miss and young master Damian as siblings."

"Whether you will follow or not, is not something for you to decide. I can only hear that you are so deluded, you cannot even grasp your own position."

The Duke spoke bitingly but his voice had audibly softened. The corner of Philip's lips curved in a thin smile. He began to make a deal with the Duke.

"It is not exactly necessary for young master Damian's bride to be born from the Madam."

"Are you saying another woman should bear my child?"

Philip was silent as if admitting to it.

'The old man has a clever head on his shoulders.'

Hugo thought to himself that if the old man had advanced in the business world, he might have made a name for himself as a business tycoon.

His opponent was tense about what enormous demand he might make for the safety of both his pregnant wife and baby, but he caught his opponent off guard by proposing something seemingly minor in comparison to that, relieving the burden on his opponent's mind. It was an excellent way to make a deal.

However, Philip made the most fundamental mistake of not knowing his opponent well. A proposal to sleep with another woman under the pretext of doing it for his wife and soon-to-be-born child, was not a proposal accommodating or acceptable for Hugo.

Hugo had absolutely no intention of breaking his promise to be a faithful husband and above all, he still loathed his blood. His soon-to-be born child was only special because it was from his wife.

The mere thought of a woman other than his wife, bearing his blood, was nauseating. When he thought of a situation where he had to hold a strange woman to propagate his species, the biggest problem was that it was physically impossible.

'I don't think it will stand.'

Hugo folded his arms and fell into thought as he lowered his gaze to his lower abdomen. He wondered how Philip would look if he told him that he couldn't meet his demands due to physical issues.

It was a frivolous thought that didn't match the seriousness of the situation. Nothing had been solved, but he strangely felt at ease. It was a good feeling as if everything would turn out well.

Since the time Hugo captured Philip, he ordered a search into Philip's residence in Roam and Philip's residence at the northern border, and was still searching for Philip's hideout.

As expected, nothing was found in Philip's residence and the effort to find Philip's hideout was indefinite, like trying to find a needle in a desert.

However, a few days ago, Hugo got a few clues that narrowed the scope and was able to give concrete instructions. By now, the order must have already been delivered. He did not expect to find the hideout easily. He could find it within a few months or it could take even longer than that.

He couldn't wait indefinitely until he found Philip's hideout. If he didn't go to meet Philip for a long time, he didn't know what schemes might form in the old man's head. Hugo judged that now was the best time to catch the old bastard off guard.

The current Hugo was no longer in a unilaterally disadvantageous position. He had obtained sole but powerful information that was Philip's prescription.

Having this information, Hugo had more time to take a back seat and look at the situation from afar. He realized that his biggest mistake was getting enticed by Philip's deliberate words.

Philip's remark about his wife being in danger when she gave birth, had a loophole.

It was impossible for Philip not to know that with Hugo's personality, if the child had killed its mother on its way out, he would have sent the child after its mother. If it failed, the precious miss of Taran bloodline dies.

With the old man's craziness about the Taran bloodline, he didn't seem like one to gamble.

'This old bastard lies every time he opens his mouth.'

Hugo decided to make a decisive move. Philip watched the Duke's eyes cool down and judged that the Duke was willing to make a deal with him calmly.

"I cannot understand your proposal."

Hugo tried to find out a little more about Philip's plans.

"What might you mean?"

"Is it so easy to get a child? What if there are no issues until the child is born? If my wife gives birth safely, you're dead."

Philip didn't even blink despite the murderous intent that filled that last sentence.

"The Madam will have to keep taking my medicine until a bride for young master Damian is born. Why? Because until then, the medicine I give, will be less effective."

Philip had no intention of harming the Duchess' life for the yet to be born little miss, but he planned to alternate between a drug that deprived the Duchess' energy and one that restored it.

If she was confined to bed and recovered her energy after taking Philip's medicine, the Duke would have no choice but to listen to Philip to get the drug.

"Let's assume the child is born as you intended. What about after that? Do you think I will let you and the child live?"

"For that issue, you simply have to make a promise to assure my safety."

"Promise?"

Hugo broke out in a sneer.

"Do you believe I will keep that promise?"

Was this bastard that naïve? Hugo felt amused like he was watching a scene from a comedy skit.

"I want to believe but unfortunately, this is a world where trust can be found lacking. Does young master think that the heads of the Taran family were obediently convinced that something as crucial as continuing that Taran family line was in our family's hands?"

For many generations, every single head of the Taran family wished to know how to continue their bloodline after they came out of the secret room.

The ancestors of Philip's family held onto their secrets very tightly so they did not bring danger upon themselves. They released most of the facts that the Taran heads were curious about, according to demands.

In exchange for the head of the Taran family satisfying the curiosity, he had to promise not to tell anyone nor leave any record. Of course, it was not just a verbal promise. There was a way to make promises compulsory.

< — The Beginning and the End — > (6)

"There is a treasure passed down in our family for generations. It is a magical tool that binds its contractor." (Philip)

"Interesting. And how did you plan on getting that magical tool? You can't get a foot out of here."(Hugo)

"I've kept it in a safe place for safekeeping, but you can ask someone to bring it. No one else can use it anyways. It is an exclusive contract, so one of the contracting parties must be one of our family members."

Hugo lost interest in the unique magical tool. Philip was the only one remaining out of his family. The old man was basically saying that once he dies, the magical tool becomes garbage.

According to his investigations, Philip did not get married again after his wife and son died, and he was continually alone after his father died. Now that he thought about it, it was strange that the old man had no descendants to inherit his will, even though he was so obsessed.

'Well, this bastard's private situation is none of my concern.'

He decided that he must kill the old bastard. Philip's family would come to an end with Philip's death.

"What of the woman? Not any woman can have my child, no?"

"That is prepared."

"It is prepared?"

When Philip mentioned holding another woman, Hugo anticipated this, but to really hear Philip say that there was a woman, made him speechless. How much had the old man pulled wool over his eyes, scheming and deceiving him?

"So you mean you did such a thing arbitrarily, without my permission."

"It is a mission our family has done for generations. It is not something done after getting permission."

"And if the woman you prepared can't get pregnant?"

"There is a readied replacement."

"It's not just one or two women prepared, huh. You've set up a training camp."

Hugo burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"There's a limit to treating someone like a stud."

Hugo mumbled, irritatedly. He thought to himself that the heads of the Taran family who accepted such treatment were crazy bastards.

"Let's summarize this. In exchange for you giving my wife medication, I will share a bed with a woman you've prepared and have a child. You'll raise the child and I'll sign a contract, promising not to touch you. So what about after that? Do you think Damian will move the way you want?"

"I do not know much of the distant future. I simply do what I can do right now."

"You don't look at the future."

Hugo got an important clue. He seemed to have found the reason for Philip's confidence. When Philip was speaking about his wife not being safe after giving birth, his attitude wasn't confidence based on the truth but recklessness like a tiger moth running into a bonfire.

"Old man. I understand what you want. When should I make a decision?"

"She has to take the medicine at least a month before she is due, for strengthening of the body."

"So the more my wife's stomach grows, the more restless I will be. You know how to strike cleverly, old man. Is this also a method passed down in your family for generations?"

"…"

Philip's expression slightly stiffened. It wasn't that the Duke's provoking tone was bothering him. Philip was rather confident that he was in an advantageous position. If the Duke couldn't abandon the Duchess, he had no choice but to be drawn into his proposal.

However, that belief began to crack a little. No matter how he looked at it, the Duke's attitude wasn't that of someone with an unfavorable contract ahead. He couldn't shake off the strange feeling of incongruity.

'What might have gone wrong?'

He might have crossed the line that bordered the Duke's pride. If the Duke valued his pride more than the Duchess and refused to make a deal with Philip regardless of the Duchess' safety, then the plan was a failure. The Duchess would be fine even if she gave birth to the baby when she reached full term. If the Duke discovered Philip's lies, Philip was as good as dead.

'No. Even if affection is briefly passionate and nothing but lust, it is not yet time for the fire to go out.'

When one's momentum was suppressed, that was the end of it. Once you lost your footing, it became a situation where you were standing at a crossroads, plunging down an endless depth.

"I am going to need to definite answer. Will my wife die after giving birth if she does not take the medicine you give me?"

"For the Madam's safety…"

"Answer 'yes' or 'no'."

"…That is correct."

"What is 'correct'?"

"The Madam will not live long."

Philip tried to keep a calm expression as he faced the red eyes staring at him as if it could see right through him. When the Duke's lips slowly curved and he began to laugh, Philip felt chills on his back.

"You know, the reason I came to see your bastardous face today is because I was curious what bullshit you would spout. You do not disappoint."

The moment Philip's expression distorted, Hugo sensed that it was his victory. And he was confident of it.

"What do you think I found in the north?"

"…"

"Mugwort, it's called. Such an interesting thing. To think such a common weed was the secret to continuing the Taran bloodline."[1]

Philip's expression was unchanged. But his mind was furiously spinning. The Duke was bluffing. Philip had already anticipated this much. He had no intention of being trapped.

'He got clued to the mugwort through Anna and is making a vain guess.'

Philip gave a relaxed smile like usual and said.

"I do not know what you're talking about. I am aware of the Madam's absence of menstruation symptom due to intake of mugwort. That's why I said I would give her treatment."

Hugo chuckled and began listing off the names of herbs, one by one. These were the contents of the prescription that Lucia had received from Philip in her dream.

The smile on Philip's composed face began to stiffen. It was the complete mugwort prescription that was never to be revealed to the head of the Taran family. Indeed, it was the vision that was passed down only to the descendants of Philip's family for generations. He couldn't be sure without reading his family's secret notebook.

"I found your hideout, you bastard."

Philip's face completely collapsed. His distorted expression had turned black and his face was twitching. Hugo made his last verification, catching Philip off guard before he could put his brain to work properly.

"I looked through the records quite thoroughly, but I didn't see anything about something going wrong after giving birth."

Hugo watched Philip carefully. If it was true that his wife would die after giving birth, then Philip would immediately realize that Hugo was lying. Seeing Philip's dark complexion remaining unchanged, Hugo breathed a long, silent sigh.

It was a lie. His wife was safe. Once he put down his fear of possibly losing her, a strong desire to kill Philip surged within him.

"I will let you experience pain that will make you wish for a peaceful death."

He would never let him die peacefully. Hugo gazed at Philip with a piercing look in his eyes and spoke drearily.

"After Damian, no boy with black hair and red eyes will be born again."

Philip who had been looking spiritless, lifted his head abruptly. Hugo was pleased to see Philip's eyes full of despair.

"This is the end of this cursed blood."

Philip's face, which always had a relaxed look and a polite smile, was hideously twisted. He glared at Hugo through eyes filled with resentment, anger and despair then he began wailing with strange sounds.

Hugo looked at the convulsing sight of the bastard whom he wouldn't see again after today, then he turned around and left the room.

"Monitor him thoroughly, just in case he isn't willing."

One of the knights replied in affirmative and went into the room. As the stone doors closed, the racket coming from inside stopped. Hugo planned to leave Philip alone for the time being, for safety's sake. It was only until his wife gave birth safely and the search party had found Philip's hideout.

The fear that he would receive pain worse than death, despair that his family's secrets were all revealed and destroyed or Hugo's last words declaring the end of the Taran line.

'What would torment that bastard the most, among these three?'

Hugo's steps were light as he climbed up the stairs. He felt like he could breathe now. This feeling was like he had finally escaped the shadow of the Taran family that had been suppressing him.

Translator's Corner:

[1] It is way too late to change [mugwort] to [ssamyupsuk] now but the 'mugwort' in this story is completely made up. When I first started translating, I used mugwort which was the closest thing to an english name I could find but I should've made up something. We've already come so far calling it mugwort so I never changed it but yea.

Q: Is bastardous a word?

< — The Beginning and the End — > (6)

Lucia smiled cheerily, holding a pair of finished pink socks in one hand. The small sized item could barely fit a few of her fingers but it was lovely.

These days, Lucia had been having a lot of fun making little items for the baby that was coming. She had made a couple of bibs and handkerchiefs, and today, she began knitting a pair of socks in the morning and just finished.

"Oh gosh."

Lucia looked at her stomach in surprise at the sudden movement from inside. She couldn't remember when the light wiggles changed to strong kicking movements.

"Sweety, I'm making socks for you to wear. But you see, your mother isn't very experienced, so it took me almost half a day to make a pair."

"Will the baby even understand you?"

Lucia flashed a bright smile at her husband, who was approaching her. She didn't know when he came back. It had been quite a long time since she saw him in the afternoon.

Her husband was very busy lately. In addition to his usual schedule of going out in the morning and returning in the evening, when he was at home, people went in and out of his office until late at night.

Even when they were together, he looked like his mind had flown elsewhere. A few days ago, a carriage full of books and documents arrived and for several days, he was locked up in his office without going out.

"Of course, she understands. Are you done with what you were busy with?"

Lucia thought he looked somewhat lighthearted as he nodded his head.

Around two weeks ago, Hugo received a report that Philip's hideout had been found and a few days ago, he received all the extensive records from the hideout. Over the course of a few days, he went through the records and found the records of the women that had given birth to the Taran females.

All the women had given birth safely. And when the child was weaned off milk, they were disposed off for secrecy purposes.

Hugo wasn't even surprised since that was definitely something they would do. With the simple confirmation that his wife would be safe even after giving birth, he felt like a load was lifted off his shoulders. He suddenly missed his wife so much that he immediately left his office and went to the second floor.

Hugo sat next to her, picked up the small knitted socks from her knees and turned it left and right.

"It's this small?"

"I don't know either, I can't see the baby yet but I heard even this size is big. But they say the baby will grow into it quickly. Ah. It just moved. Come on, hurry."

Lucia quickly grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. She waited but there was nothing.

"I think she hates me."

Hugo had still not felt the baby moving. He wondered how the baby's movement felt but whenever he brought his hand to feel it, the baby who was just moving would become quiet.

Lucia felt bad for her husband who was disappointed every time, but she also thought it was cute and comforted him.

"There's no way she does. You're her father. I think she's just quite shy."

"It's good to be very cautious. I have to teach her well when she's born. I'm worried she will be too bold like you."

"What did I do?"

"You came to see me, all by yourself. Don't do something like that."

"Then I wouldn't have married you, you know? Another me might be seeing me in a dream right now. Would you like her to follow your advice?"

Seeing him pondering it, Lucia burst out laughing.

A small exclamation escaped both of their mouths as movement was felt from Lucia's stomach and they both looked at each other. After that, it moved a few more times in a row. It was as if it was saying that the movement a little while ago was not mistaken.

"The baby is saying hi to you."

Hugo blankly stared at his hand which was resting on Lucia's bulging stomach. He realized that a life was really growing inside there. As he watched her stomach grow more and more, he merely thought it was fascinating. Feeling the movement personally was strange for reasons he couldn't explain. Somewhere in his chest tightened at the feeling.

When he was on edge due to the issues surrounding his wife, he blamed the child at the bottom of his heart. After such dregs disappeared, he felt sorry for even blaming the baby who had done nothing wrong and he felt grateful that the child was growing well.

He lowered his head and kissed her. He smiled, seeing her flushed face, then he supported her back with his hand and followed with a deep kiss.

He swallowed her soft lips and traced every corner of her small mouth. Their tongues intertwined, and they were both absorbed in the heated kiss.

Hugo continued the intense kiss until she needed to breath, then he planted light kisses on her lips like a finishing touch.

"Let's do it."

His eyes were filled with lust. Lucia's face burned red.

"Let me do it. I endured for three months and a half."

He expected her to be startled or shocked, but she just avoided his gaze slightly. Hugo had been determined to use all means possible, whether it was persuading or pleading, but now, he didn't know whether her reaction was a good one or not. Hugo decided to interpret it as he liked, abandoning his principle of assuming the worst when in doubt.

She was giving permission. He promptly hugged her before she changed her mind. He put her down on the bed and began to undress.

"Is it okay?"

He climbed over her laying figure on the bed, being careful not to touch her belly, then he lowered his head and kissed her. He didn't want a situation where she was unwilling but didn't refuse. Hugo wanted to make love with her. He didn't want to resolve his desire one-sidedly.

Lucia's face reddened as she looked in his eyes filled with a mixture of sincerity and longing.

"…Do you really want to do it?"

"I'm at my limit. I don't know how many nights I've spent sleepless. You sleep very well by my side though."

Lucia pursed her lips slightly. There were times when she woke up at dawn and when she looked at him, he was sleeping quite well.

"Do you not want to? At all? I already asked the doctor. She said we just have to be careful. Since she said it's fine if I don't enter too deeply, I asked if we can do a few positions…"

Lucia slapped his arm with her face as red as an apple then she yelled.

"Argh, you're too much, seriously! Did you really ask that?"

"It's your doctor. Why not?"

Lucia glowered at his shameless face then she hesitated for a moment before confessing.

"…My body changes as my child grows…I thought you might not be attracted…"

"…Did you have another strange dream?"

"No. I didn't. It's just…it's been a long time since…three months passed."

Lucia thought that once the three months the doctor asked them to be careful about passed, he would immediately pounce on her. However, when the third month came, a day passed, a few days went by, but he showed no sign of doing anything of the sort, so she felt sad and her confidence faded.

"I know I haven't been very attentive lately. I'm sorry." (Hugo)

He had been getting frequent reports on the search for Philip's hideout and when he received the records, his mind was entirely focused on digging through them. Only after he was convinced she was safe, did he want to see her and hug her.

"I know you're busy. I understand. Just…I gain weight as my belly increases…"

Hugo looked at his wife's hesitant figure then he burst out laughing.

"Here I thought I was the only one pining after it, but you wanted to do it too. You should have said so." (Hugo)

"…you'll only tease me." (Lucia)

Hugo chuckled and kissed her lovely reddened lips.

"I love you. No matter what you look like." (Hugo)

Lucia smiled bashfully and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hugo put his hands around her back too and hugged her tightly.

"I like hugging you and just being like this." (Lucia)

Hugo moved away from the embrace and asked with a stiff expression.

"Don't tell me you changed your mind?" (Hugo)

Lucia couldn't suppress her laughter when she saw the overly serious look on his face so she spoke coyly.

"Even if we don't do it…"

"Argh, seriously."

He held Lucia's chin as she cackled, then he covered her lips with his own.

< — Epilogue– > (1)

Hugo suddenly stopped upon seeing the empty bed. He felt like he knew where she would be, so he heaved a helpless sigh and turned around.

As he expected, the light in the dining room on the first floor was on. She was there, sitting alone on the wide dining table and cutting a steak. Jerome was standing by her side, waiting on her, then he discovered his master and bowed his head. Lucia momentarily locked eyes with her husband as he walked into the dining room, but she turned away with a sullen expression.

Hugo didn't know if her food would digest when she ate so late and he was sincerely worried about her, so he tried to give her words of concern. But when he glanced sideways and saw his butler furiously shaking his head, he quickly shut his mouth. Right. He was better off not saying anything. These days, everything he said kept rubbing her the wrong way.

A few days ago, Hugo was surprised at her ability to devour a couple slices cake in one sitting at such a late time in the day, so he commented on it. There was no other meaning behind it. It was really just something he said without thinking about it.

[I think you eat too much at night.]

'What if you get an upset stomach?' was what he planned on following up with but she immediately put down her fork noisily, sprang to her feet and left. And she was completely in grouch mode; even if he tried to talk to her, she didn't reply and he didn't get to even touch her all night.

Several days passed, and her sulky energy still hadn't disappeared, so he was continuously on his tiptoes.

'Master, please.'

Jerome was afraid that his master would say the wrong thing.

Although Jerome was unmarried, he had watched the process of his nephews being born. Around the time when the baby was almost due, Fabian always made the same mistake and would end up getting kicked out in the middle of the night, then he would come to Jerome to whine.

[I only said I think she has gained some weight. Why is she throwing dishes at me because I said she's gained a few?]

[I mean, I felt like she was eating too much, and I was worried she might have an upset stomach, so I said it out of concern.]

When he heard it, he didn't think Fabian had said anything overboard. His sister-in-law was an easygoing person, so she wasn't the type to get angry over a slip of the tongue.

It was thanks to this that Jerome became enlightened. He gained the precious knowledge that pregnant women became very sensitive and one especially shouldn't speak about anything concerning food or body shape to a pregnant woman.

"Is there anything for me?"

When Hugo asked as he sat down at the table, Jerome swiftly replied.

"It will be brought out soon."

Lucia slightly glanced at Hugo, who had taken a seat, and she put a piece of steak into her mouth. It was really delicious. She savored the taste of the delicious meat that seemed to melt inside her mouth.

She didn't used to be the type to enjoy eating a lot of meat. However, ever since having a child in her stomach, her appetite had changed. Even she herself was aware of the fact that her appetite had dramatically increased and that she was eating a lot all the time.

'It's because the baby is hungry.'

Even the doctor said that it was good for the child's development, so she should eat as much as she wanted. Although she used the excuse that it was the baby, when she turned around after eating and found herself hungry again, she felt like she was seized by her instinctual appetite and she felt oddly frustrated. And her husband's comment in the midst of this made her very upset.

She knew he didn't mean to criticize her. However, the sulkiness she felt hadn't settle. Even though she was acting pointlessly cranky, he did not get annoyed, even once. On the contrary, he watched her as if he had made a huge mistake.

She felt both thankful and sorry. As she watched him cut his steak silently, the grudge she was holding alone, melted away.

"I went to the palace this afternoon." (Lucia)

The doctor advised that after her pregnancy was stable, some moderate movements would make for an easier delivery. So, Lucia made light visits outside. She visited the palace frequently, especially since Katherine had come back to visit and was staying at the palace.

"The princess has really grown up a lot. Children seem to really grow up in an instant." (Lucia)

Hugo relaxed, sensing that his wife's voice was amiable. It looked like her anger had disappeared. It wasn't like this before, but nowadays, if her feelings got hurt, it took quite some time before she relaxed.

His only comfort was that the doctor told him a pregnant woman's sensitivity would improve after childbirth.

'I can't do this a second time.'

He was glad that this was the first and last time. Although it was wonderful to watch the changes happening in his pregnant wife, it was also exhausting.

His wife's stomach getting bigger was only a marvel at first, now it was scary. He was struck with the fear that her stomach might burst if it kept growing without any limits.

His wife's increased appetite also worried him. Despite her eating so much, his wife's body shape didn't change much. He couldn't fathom just how much the baby in her stomach was eating.

The strange life growing within her had only felt unfamiliar to him. Nowadays, as the fetus fussed around and wriggled, he could feel it vividly.

Unlike his vague imagination, a human's growth process was close to an animal's. The doctor told him that it was a normal reaction and that the baby was showing normal growth, however, Hugo couldn't shake off the doubt that the baby could be unusual because it was his child.

There were 2-3 months left until the baby was born. The remaining days were still far off so Hugo's heart felt heavy.

"Today, Her Highness the Queen said that when the baby is born, we should tie the knot as in-laws."

Hugo's eyebrows contorted into a frown. The King also said the same thing. He asked if Hugo would consider tying the knot as in-laws, no matter if the baby turned out to be a boy or a girl. He said it in a manner where one wasn't sure if he was joking or serious, so Hugo interpreted it as a complete joke. To him, the royal couple were simply talking nonsense, so he spoke resolutely.

"That is out of the question."

"Why?"

"His Majesty's eldest son is ten years old. The age difference is too large for a child that's just being born."

"Oh? But His Majesty doesn't have only one son. Why do you only consider the first prince?"

"Then it makes even less sense. To marry my daughter, they have to at least be the next King."

Lucia forced a laugh in disbelief.

"So, because of age, it's a no. And because of status, it's a no. Wow. Our daughter will die an old spinster."

"Since we're on this topic, what do you think of bringing in a live-in son in law?"[1]

"We have Damian, why should we bring in a son-in-law?"

"What does this have to do with Damian?"

"Are you asking because you really don't know?"

Getting a live-in son-in-law was a final means in Xenon's family custom. It happened in cases where there was no son to continue the family and none of the relatives had a son for them to adopt. In other words, there were no cases where a live-in son-in-law was brought in when the family already had a son.

"He should be very grateful to even get married to my daughter."

Lucia gave her husband a sidelong scowl.

"Don't try to plan a future for a child that's not even born yet."

When Lucia placed down her fork, Hugo quickly did the same.

He expected her to get up quickly, but she asked Jerome to serve desserts instead. Hugo moved restlessly in his seat, stood up then sat back down. As he watched his wife devour the green grapes that Jerome had swiftly brought out, he felt a sense of wonder.

'How does she fit in all that food?'

"Is it okay to eat so much of one specific food?" (Hugo)

Ever since the harvest season for green grapes arrived, Lucia lived with them in her mouth. For several days after the green grapes were delivered to the ducal residence, she had almost nothing but grapes for her meals. Nevertheless, even though she was just eating them as snacks these days, she had a bunch a few times a day.

"The doctor said it was okay. She said it's best for me to eat what I want to."

After eating a huge cluster of green grapes, Lucia stood up.

"Jerome. Bring a bunch of green grapes to the second floor."

"Yes, Milady."

Hugo wanted to say it might be better for her to stop eating now but seeing Jerome shaking his head in a resolute manner made him close his mouth.

He decided to follow his butler's advice. After all, he didn't want to say something to annoy his wife when she only just forgave the last one. He quickly followed after his wife as she left the dining room.

Once his master and mistress left the dining room, Jerome heaved a sigh of relief. For some reason, he felt like he had just passed a crisis. As he was cleaning up from their meal, he began to laugh. His master didn't look like a wild beast at all, following after the Madam like that. He looked more like a docile big dog. His look seemed to get worse over time.

'I wonder why they are both so certain that the baby is going to be a girl? Is it that they are hoping for a girl?'

This was the question that was always on Jerome's mind, every time he heard his master and mistress talking.

Translator's Corner:

[1] A live-in son-in-law is a husband that takes his wife's family's name. Usually lives with his wife's parents too.

< — Epilogue– > (1)

In order to avoid putting pressure on her pronounced stomach, Hugo hugged her from behind while planting kisses on her back. His inner thighs were glued to her soft behind.

He slowly moved his waist, repeating shallow penetrations into her from behind. He took her bosom that had grown voluptuous after her pregnancy and kneaded them carefully. She didn't like it when he held it strongly because it would hurt.

He couldn't move too fiercely or enter too deeply. There were only a few positions that he could do.

They could only do it twice a week. When he got angry after being told to only do it once a week, the doctor reluctantly said that twice a week was okay as long as it was done carefully. This was the result he got after she took a step back.

'Huu…this is crazy.'

He was currently tasting a delicacy of heaven. It was difficult because he was anxious as he enjoyed himself, but if he didn't taste it at all, he didn't know how he'd survive. Even as he was doing it, he felt like he would explode from the frustrations.

He wanted to enter all the way in and feel her tightening on him. He wanted to try out all sorts of positions. He wanted to hear her cries and screams of pleasure.

"Hnn…"

When he heard the brief sigh that spilled from her lips, he pushed his soaring excitement back down again. She had grown more tired as her stomach got bigger, so she didn't feel much inclination to having sex, but her insides had become more sensitive and it made him tense.

He pushed in a little deeper and her moist innards spasmed before narrowing. Her hot vaginal walls squeezed his penis tightly and he clenched his teeth at this rising pleasure.

"Ah! Hugh, you're too…"

"Sorry. I went too hard there."

As soon as he entered strongly in his momentarily fuddled state, her reaction immediately showed that it was difficult for her. His wife was like a thin glass that seems like it would break with a single touch.

"Hugh, stop. My stomach is cramping."

He hadn't had a proper taste yet. But hearing her say that her stomach hurt made him incapable of disobeying. Hugo reacted very sensitively to what she said, not because of his worry for the child, but because he was afraid that something might go wrong with his wife, who was pregnant.

He tossed aside his insisting lingering regret and carefully pulled out. His unsatisfied desire was boiling over, so Hugo swallowed a sigh.

Once in three times when they did it, they would stopped like this in the middle. His patience was being tested. And in the process, he was discovering himself anew and realizing that he had a lot of patience.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay now."

"Shouldn't I call the doctor?"

"No, it's not that bad."

His voice in her ear was filled with worry. Lucia honestly like his unusually excessive worry of her. He poured all his care on her as if she would be blown away with a little wind. She felt like she had become a queen looking down at the world.

"Hugh, do you think the baby will have your hair and eyes?"

"I doubt it. Only the males are born with black hair and red eyes."

Lucia sighed disappointedly.

"I wanted her to have your hair or your eyes."

"I'd like it better if she looked like you."

Hugo was satisfied with both the fact that his child would be a girl and that she would not be born with the features pertaining to the loathsome Taran bloodline.

"You know, when the child is born, I would like for Damian to come home. The end of the semester should be in the winter. I want him to meet his new sibling."

"I'll ask the Academy for an outing permit in advance."

"I'm worried because the children will have quite a bit of an age difference. Damian is so mature, he might find his younger sister bothersome."

Lucia was very careful in telling Damian that he would be getting a younger sibling. She agonized about it, and when her pregnancy reached a stable period, she put down a few words at the end of her letter. She hoped that the birth of his sibling wouldn't hurt Damian in any way.

Sometime later, Damian replied with a long letter, reporting his life in the Academy as usual. And at the end, he wrote down his feedback in a brief sentence.

<< I am happy to hear the good news too. >>

There was no mention of his soon-to-be born sibling anywhere in the letter.

Lucia couldn't tell what Damian felt from the letter alone, so she was continually worried about him. No matter how dependable and mature Damian was, he was still a child. She worried that he might feel a sense of distance because of the fact that his mother and sister were different from him.

Moreover, Damian and the baby were born far apart from each other. She thought that she had to make frequent opportunities for the children to meet and build affection.

"Is it okay?" (Hugo)

"What?" (Lucia)

"I thought…you might be uncomfortable about Damian." (Hugo)

According to the customs of the Taran family, the soon-to-be-born baby was Damian's bride. After Hugo confided in her about all the secrets of the Taran family, he thought that even if there were any changes in her from before, especially in her attitude or feelings towards Damian, he could understand.

"…I see you didn't believe me." (Lucia)

Lucia was slightly shocked. Since he thought this way, Damian's thoughts could be more extreme. She was in low spirits because she felt like she could see the uneasy feelings of her distant son.

"I told you Damian is my son." (Lucia)

"…It's not that I didn't believe you."

"From the moment Damian called me 'mother', I became his mother. Do you know how happy I am to have such a kind son? He is young, yet so diligent. I want to take him around and brag that he is my son."

"You're really generous with the boy."

"He has a shortcoming too."

"Oh? What?"

Hugo asked intently.

"He is too blunt. We can put that aside as an inborn personality and say it can't be helped, but I am most worried about him becoming a playboy when he grows up."

She didn't add the words, 'like you', to that sentence, but Hugo flinched. Then he squeezed her tighter in his arms and whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry. Since he's like me, when he marries, he won't look at another woman again."

Lucia burst into laughter. He had been getting increasingly better at devising clever excuses. Seeing that she was in a good mood, Hugo's hand sneakily traced her inner thigh.

"Want to continue?"

"I'm going to sleep."

His ruthless wife flatly declined and fell fast asleep after a while. Hugo was saddened by the fact that he was the only one struggling with yearning for her warmth.

'Kid, when am I going to be able to see you?"

His anticipation for his daughter was closer to thinly-veiled personal interest, than paternal love.

< — Epilogue– > (2)

After summer ended, the cool autumn wind began to flow in. When it reached the month of the Duchess' due date, the ducal residence went into full-scale preparation for the delivery.

The Royal palace sent a skilled doctor, a seasoned midwife who had delivered royal descendants for decades, and assistants. As the number of residents in the mansion grew, the extensive ducal residence felt crowded.

Everyone's attention was focused on the Duchess. They were in a state of alert, waiting for the signs of the labor pains that could come at any moment.

Nowadays, Lucia was unable to be alone, anywhere. She felt uncomfortable being watched intently all day, but she endured it when she thought of the baby.

"Ah…"

Lucia put her teacup down, held her stomach and frowned. Starting from a few days ago, her stomach felt stiff and her lower belly ached softly. However, since she woke up this morning, a tingling pain climbing up her waist came frequently. It came earlier and now it started again.

"Are you having pain?"

The midwife checked the hourglass by the window. The intervals were still far apart but they were regular.

"I think the labor is starting. Please escort the Madam to the bedroom."

Suddenly, everyone began to move frantically. Jerome, who was serving the tea, blanched white. He blankly watched the maids help the Madam out of the receiving room, then he regained his sensed with a start. He remembered the first thing he had to do. He moved to inform his master of this news.

* * *

A carriage dashed into the ducal residence. Before the servant could open the doors from the outside, Hugo opened it personally and jumped out of the carriage.

Jerome sent a messenger to the palace to inform Hugo, but at the time, Hugo was in an important national conference. Two hours had already passed when he got the news after the meeting.

Hugo flew up the stairs, burst open the door to the bedroom, then he suddenly stopped. The bedroom was quiet, and when his wife saw him, she smiled sweetly at him from her spot on the bed.

Hugo approached her bed with confusion; he had run home, prepared to face a pandemonium.

"You've given birth?"

Pfft. Lucia burst out laughing and the people standing around, waiting on her, turned their heads away to laugh. Lucia gestured for everyone to leave and they emptied the room.

"They say it's still starting. Mysteriously enough, I'll be fine one moment, then the next, my stomach suddenly hurts a lot. And then I'm fine again."

"If it is the start…how long will it take?"

"The midwife said that because it is my first delivery, it will take a long time. The baby will probably be born by tomorrow."

She looked relaxed and carefree. He had been worried about the delivery since he had a vague concept of it, but if it was like this, then it was no big deal. As soon as Hugo thought that, Lucia grabbed her stomach in pain and curled her body.

She couldn't even speak, her face had gone white and she was breathing hard. Seeing his wife like this, blood drained from Hugo's face. He was thrown into disorder, fluttered around like a confused mess, then he screamed at the door.

"Is anyone outside?!"

The door opened, and people flooded in. The midwife quickly came to the bed. She began to stroke Lucia's back and advise Lucia on how to breathe. As Lucia followed the midwife's instruction, taking in deep breaths and exhaling, her expression gradually relaxed.

Although only a short period of time passed, beads of sweat had formed on Lucia's forehead.

When Lucia finally settled down, the people waiting on her withdrew again. The bedroom became quiet again as if the commotion from earlier was a lie. Hugo felt helpless because he couldn't do anything but just watch.

"Now I'll be fine again for a bit. It comes regularly."

He wanted to ask his wife, who was smiling sweetly as if nothing had happened: How could she smile like that after feeling such terrible pain, even if it was just for a moment?

'She had to undergo this process until tomorrow?'

He was already stunned silly.

However, the situation worsened beyond his expectations. The labor intervals became shorter, the pain grew more severe, and from around midnight, Lucia began to scream while holding her belly and rolling around.

Hugo couldn't ask her if she was okay. She was obviously not okay!

As Hugo listened to his wife scream, he grasped onto the midwife.

"She will get really hurt like this. Do something."

"This is the process of entering childbirth."

"She could die at this rate!"

"With Your Grace the Duke being restless here, the Madam cannot concentrate."

The midwife completely chased out the Duke who was pestering her. Hugo was kicked out under the pretext of it being done for the Madam's sake, and he was unable to utter any complaints.

Staring at the firmly closed bedroom door and listening to the screams coming from within, Hugo's face was as pale as someone standing at death's door. He would later remember this as the worst night of his life.

< — Epilogue– > (2)

"Milady, the path for the child to come out is opened. Don't put too much pressure on your stomach like that."[1]

As she watched over the situation, the midwife continued to advise the mother giving birth. From the looks of it, the progress was slow because it was her first delivery. The midwife did not let her guard down even though she had delivered numerous children before. Childbirth had many variables. There were times when a delivery was proceeding very smoothly, then suddenly, there were unexpected difficulties.

An assistant approached the midwife and whispered to her:

"His Grace the Duke is asking about the progress."

The midwife clicked her tongue. She didn't know how many times he had asked this. The delivery had only just begun and two hours or so had passed. She had replied a couple of times to the Duke's persistent questioning of the situation, that it was still far from over.

The midwife was in charge of the delivery of the precious noble lives in the royal family. The incoming baby was very important, but the parent could also not be ignored. No matter how busy and hectic it got due to the delivery, a proper level of tact was necessary.

"It looks like I need to go see the Duke. You, watch over the Madam and if you see anything strange, let me know immediately."

The midwife left the bedroom, leaving her skilled assistant to take her place in charge.

As soon as Hugo saw the midwife, he urgently asked.

"How is it?"

"There is still a long way to go, Your Grace."

"When exactly is that 'long way'! You've been telling me the same thing since earlier."

"Your Grace, I have said this several times. It will take a long time because this is the Madam's first delivery. From the way the situation is progressing, I can tell the baby is not likely to be born anytime soon. So please, calm down. If you get some sleep…"

"My wife looks like she's dying inside there and you're telling me to sleep?"

The midwife smacked her lips as she watched the Duke fly into a rage. Calling a woman, who was doing fine and giving birth to a child, 'dying', wasn't quite right. She hadn't seen any signs of a difficult delivery and it had only been two hours since the labor went into full-swing.

"Can't I go in and check if my wife is okay?"

"The delivery room zone is off-limits to men."

"I'll only see her face and leave."

The midwife had never even imagined a man entering into the delivery room and hearing the Duke say that he would do just that, the midwife really doubted whether he was in his right mind.

When she delivered children in the royal family, the husband was only informed when the labor began and when the child was delivered. In the case of the king's concubines' delivery, the king often came a few days after the child was born.

This was the first time in the seasoned midwife's long career, that a husband was lingering around the delivery room and raising hell.

'It is unusual indeed.'

The elderly midwife had been quite nervous, leaving the palace and heading to the ducal residence, because it was her first time dealing closely with the Duke of Taran, who was rumored to be scary. However, the Duke of Taran whom she routinely met was much too different from the one in the rumors.

He had a big stature, but he couldn't move an inch in front of the small sized Madam. Once he had a little free time, he would just be following the Madam around. She thought it was quite nice for a couple that had been together for 3 years now to have such a good marital relationship. However, she didn't know that when the time for the delivery came, he would be this particular, without caring about appearances.

"Please wait, Your Grace. If Your Grace keeps asking about the progress, I cannot fully concentrate on the Madam. Your Grace cannot be interrupting if you want the Madam to give birth safely and healthily."

The midwife said firmly, revealing her stern temperament. She wouldn't stand for any interference with the process of childbirth, even if it were the King not the Duke.

"She will be safe, right?"

Hugo's spirit dampened once the midwife mentioned his wife's safety.

"Ease your worries. The Madam is doing well. Your Grace will be more anxious if you stay here. I think it would be better for Your Grace to wait somewhere else…"

"I'll stay here."

The midwife forced down her wry smile upon hearing the Duke's determined reply. If someone saw this, they'd think the Duchess was the only person in the world that had given birth.

Hugo stood with a somber expression as he watched the midwife go back inside the room.

Fabian's lips twitched as he stole a glance at his lord's expression. Such a rare, precious sight. He knew he shouldn't, he knew how serious the Duke's state of mind was, but he couldn't resist the laughter bubbling up within him.

Eventually, he stealthily withdrew. As he was coming down from the second floor, Fabian met Jerome, who was just climbing up the stairs. He grabbed Jerome by the arm and went into Jerome's office.

"What is it?"

Jerome was momentarily dazed due to the serious look on Fabian's face and let himself be dragged to his office. Fabian closed the door, threw himself on the sofa and burst out laughing. He was afraid the sound of his laughter would be heard beyond the door, so he giggled under his breath.

"Oh god, I'm going crazy. His Grace looks so soulless. I bet you won't see that expression on his face even if the sky falls down."

Fabian had heard the news from Jerome a little while ago and hurriedly ran over. His heart skipped a beat at the thought that the Madam might have encountered difficulty during delivery. To the Fabian who had run over till he was out of breath, Jerome said:

[You have experience. I called you because you might be of help.]

[Have I given birth before? Help? What help!]

Fabian lost his temper at Jerome because he had run over after being startled awake from a good sleep. Since he had already come, he couldn't just go back. He had entered an arduous path where he was stuck until the delivery was over and he didn't even know when that would be, so he didn't even want to see Jerome's face.

However, because of the sight from earlier, his anger at Jerome had changed to gratitude. Thanks to Jerome, he was able to enjoy such a scene.

Jerome slapped his brother on the back of his head. Fabian held the back of his head and screamed.

"Hey!"

Jerome firmly seized the back of Fabian's neck and pulled him up.

"They say there's still a long way to go. What will come out of standing there till it's over?" (Fabian)

"So noisy. Master is very anxious, so as a subordinate, you have to share his pain." (Jerome)

"Do it yourself!" (Fabian)

As he was dragged away by Jerome, Fabian protested but Jerome acted like he couldn't hear anything.

* * *

The morning sun shone blindingly through the window, causing Fabian to close his eyes. His whole body felt sore after sleeping scrunched up on the sofa and he stretched with all the strength he could muster.

"Is the baby born?"

Fabian had endured passably till around dawn. In order to fight off the sleepiness, he had drunk so much tea till it was stale in his mouth, but his eyes kept closing and he felt like he would lose his mind. He hadn't even stayed up all night when his own baby was born. He couldn't treat the situation of his lord's child being born as serious as his job.

Still, he thought of it as the predicament of a subordinate and endured. He could hear the vivid screams of childbirth pain, coming from beyond the walls and they chased the sleep away from his sunken eyes. However, before he even realized it, he dozed off.

Jerome couldn't keep watching Fabian, who kept nodding off, so he sent Fabian to sleep. Fabian acted like he was giving in, went downstairs and fell asleep on the sofa in Jerome's office.

He had only slept for a few hours but his mind felt refreshed. Fabian poked his head out of the door of the office and looked around. It was quiet and he couldn't see anyone. He began to climb up the stairs while checking around him.

Remembering the expression his lord had on his face till around dawn, he chuckled lightly. It was his first time seeing the Duke look so aghast and restless. He couldn't stay still for even a moment and went back and forth in the same place for hours.

When he reached the second floor, it was quiet but as he walked through the hallway, he could hear a scream from afar. The delivery was still currently underway. Fabian wove himself in as if he had been staying there all night. The Duke didn't have the leisure to care about his vacancy.

'How energetic.'

The Duke's footsteps as he walked around impatiently were still with much vigor. Fabian wasn't very surprised since he had already witnessed the Duke filled with resilient energy even after staying up for a few nights.

'Even if we say His Grace is His Grace. The amazing one is that guy.'

When he was born, he was Fabian's twin brother, but later on, he was reborn as a servant of the Taran family without permission from his parents. That Jerome was standing there, with his feet firmly rooted to the floor as if he was waiting for the birth of his own child.

'Why did you call me then? Huh?'

Fabian completely wiped out his gratitude towards Jerome for letting him get some sleep and inwardly poured out curses on his intolerable brother.

But suddenly, Jerome lifted his head. Surprised by this, Fabian also shifted his gaze. The Duke who had been senselessly walking around also came to an abrupt halt and stared at the bedroom door.

Fabian sensed a strange silence and immediately realized the change. The noise coming from inside the room had disappeared. Everyone held their breath for a short moment, but it felt like a long time. And from inside the walls, the cry of a child could be heard.

"Phew…"

It was unknown who had sighed. There was also a smile at the corner of Fabian's lips. Although he was grumpy throughout, he had been very worried too.

At a glance, it looked like everyone was easily having children, but there were many women who were left with issues after quietly giving birth. Fabian didn't even want to think about the unpleasant things that would follow if something had happened to the Madam. He couldn't imagine the Duke of Taran without the Madam by his side.

The Madam was like a kind of safety device to Fabian. She was the last fortress. In the past, the Duke's decision was a final decision. If you were asked to die, you had no choice but to do so.

But now there was room for a final struggle. There was somewhere to cling to if you were going to die either ways. He hoped that the Madam would tame the beast known as the Duke and hold onto his collar for a very long time.

Translator Corner:

[1] I dunno what this is trying to say tbh. Never given birth nor am I a doctor. When I don't know, I translate as literally as possible. (Apparently, putting pressure on your cervix makes it hard for the baby to come out.)