Chapter 188 - North Korean rabbit

Episode 188

‘What is this? How could I have neither stopped His Highness from leaving the palace nor been the least bit concerned about it?’

Yulken, who knew nothing of the power of the <Book of Fate>, was simply bewildered.

The matter of the two’s divorce, which had never actually happened and was merely recorded in the <Book of Fate>, naturally left no trace in his mind.

For Yulken, it was an absurd situation: Hilia vanished overnight, and neither he nor those around him felt anything amiss.

The more he tried to think deeply, the more tangled his thoughts became.

After a brief moment of confusion, Yulken snapped back to his senses.

He had been in the midst of trying to stop Arpad.

“Ah, wait! Your Highness!”

But Arpad’s figure had already disappeared into the distance.

A cloud of dust rose at the edge of his vision.

How far had he run in that brief moment?

Clutching his head, Yulken cried out.

“The entire Imperial Palace is frantically busy preparing for the coronation right now! What do you intend to do if the main protagonist disappears?!”

As he screamed in anguish, Yulken soon realized another fact.

All the coronation preparations they had been making so far were for Arpad alone.

Everything, from the crown and robes onward, was prepared solely for Arpad as the Emperor.

The preparations for the Empress, who should rightfully stand beside the Emperor, were woefully inadequate.

Yulken fell into confusion once more.

It made no sense for the Empress’s preparations to be entirely missing from the coronation plans.

Immediately after the Emperor expressed his intention to abdicate, when the coronation preparations began, items for the Empress were naturally being prepared as well.

The Emperor had even ordered the Empress’s Palace to be renovated entirely to Hilia’s taste.

In a way, one could say preparations for Hilia had started even before those for Arpad.

But from some point onward, the preparations for the Empress had stopped.

No one found it strange, no one raised an objection; they simply let it go.

‘Is such a thing even possible?’

His astonishment was brief.

Yulken’s mind began to race rapidly.

The man named Felix Yulken was an extreme realist.

Why it had happened, how it was possible—those were questions he could ponder and investigate later.

What was clear was that the Empress’s place at the coronation must not be empty.

Looking east, where Arpad had disappeared, Yulken bit his lip.

‘He ran off in such a furious state, so he’ll surely bring her back somehow.’

Praying fervently that they would return at least by the day before the coronation, Yulken sprang to his feet and began to move.

“The Head Lady-in-Waiting! Fetch the Head Lady-in-Waiting! Dame Loren (Ani) and Lord Beltain… no, they’re not here. Lord Müzen, Lady Isepin… Argh! I don’t know! Just bring everyone who’s available!!!”

The Duchess of Müzen, who had tendered her resignation to Arpad but, not having received permission, was still involved in the coronation preparations.

And Aaron, who naturally considered himself Arpad’s knight yet continued to feel a sense of dissonance.

Grand Duchess Axion, who felt a strange emptiness whenever she visited the Crown Prince’s Palace.

And Frida (Isepin), who, while making Hilia’s coronation dress, had heard the news of the divorce midway yet did not stop her work.

Without knowing why she was doing so.

Now that the fact of the divorce had been erased, these individuals, filled with bewilderment and a sense of strangeness, came rushing to the Crown Prince’s Palace.

“Why hasn’t any progress been made on the preparations?!”

Yulken concluded with a bright smile.

“Well, then we’ll just have to work hard from now on.”

The Duchess of Müzen asked, perplexed.

“But given the schedule, isn’t that utterly impossible?”

Yulken smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry. If we don’t sleep, we’ll manage somehow.”

“Um, but where is His Highness? We haven’t seen him for over a month either……”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince will handle it himself.”

It was a vividly, madly bright smile.

* * *

“…….”

I was so shocked I was left speechless.

Pregnant? Pregnant?

This was a first, even including my three regressions and everything before them.

As I sat there dumbfounded, the doctor wiped away cold sweat and muttered.

“It seems you were unaware.”

“Not at all……”

“You’ve been experiencing severe dizziness and nausea, haven’t you?”

“Well, yes, but……”

Come to think of it, those were typical symptoms of pregnancy.

‘My physical condition has been really poor for the last two or three weeks, but I never imagined this.’

Because of the regression, my immunity to entirely new experiences was weak.

I often gauged and guessed situations based on experiences from before the regression.

I had not anticipated this situation at all.

I muttered blankly.

“I thought it was motion sickness from riding in the carriage for too long.”

“How long have you been traveling by carriage to feel that way?”

The Black Snake quickly interjected.

“Over two weeks.”

The doctor clicked his tongue.

Wait, why is that Black Snake person suddenly butting in?

But the shock of the current reality was too great to spare any attention for the Black Snake.

“When was your last monthly visitor?”

“Well……”

My mind wasn’t working. Ani answered for me.

“She didn’t have one last month.”

“Then it’s been a little under two months. You’ve overexerted yourself too much in the early stages of pregnancy. Be careful from now on. Things could have gone wrong.”

At the doctor’s warning, my hand unconsciously went to my still-flat stomach.

As if to assert the doctor was right, or perhaps to scold me a little, my stomach tingled.

‘Surely nothing has actually gone wrong?’

I was suddenly frightened.

Fortunately, there was no further pain. Letting out a sigh of relief, I realized something.

From the moment I learned of its existence, I had been worried about this child.

The doctor earnestly advised absolute rest, prepared some tonic medicine, and left.

“…….”

“…….”

For a moment, the inn room was dominated by an eerie silence.

I was overwhelmed, both by worry for Arpad and by the shock of my sudden physical condition.

Ani and Lord Beltain were also shocked, while feeling worry and guilt concerning me.

Even though there was no need.

“I should have taken better care of you.”

“No. I was the stubborn one, Ani.”

“I should have ensured a safer, more comfortable journey……”

“You did your best, Lord Beltain.”

Soon, tension began to frost over their expressions.

Following the shock of the pregnancy and self-reproach for not protecting me properly, it seemed their awareness of reality was raising its head.

If I was pregnant, there could only be one father for the child.

Ani and Lord Beltain’s expressions grew complex and pale.

But they couldn’t mention it first, mindful of the outsider in their midst.

This sole outsider, heedless, pointed it out first.

“Then the Lady’s child is practically the sole Imperial grandchild now, isn’t it?”

“…!”

Ani and Lord Beltain’s faces turned ashen.

Not knowing this man’s identity or background, they couldn’t help but be startled.

Knowing full well who he was, I was even more unable to understand why this man was here meddling now.

‘First, let’s get rid of this man.’

He was irritating and unbearable.

Especially since I disliked that such intimate circumstances had been revealed before a strange man I’d only just met.

With Ani’s help, I managed to sit up, leaning back against the headboard of the bed.

Ani placed a cup of herbal tea sweetened with honey in my hands.

“You must drink it all.”

“I know.”

Holding the cup with both hands, warmth spread through my body.

After sipping the sweet tea, I finally gathered enough energy to attempt conversation.

“Lord Crow.”

Ani and Beltain didn’t know this man’s true identity.

So I called him by his name, not a nickname or surname.

At that, the Black Snake smiled slightly and looked at me.

The refreshing smile suited him better than expected. Surprising.

Probably because escaping the Tower Lord’s grasp had made life worth living again.

“You finally acknowledge my presence here. I’m touched.”

“Thank you for bringing the doctor.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“So let’s consider the debt fully repaid with this.”

“…What?”

For some reason, the man’s single eye narrowed fiercely.

“You helped me once, and I helped you this time. That settles it. I’d prefer we have no further association. That would be better for both you and me.”

It was my order for him to leave now.

But instead of agreeing and complying, the Black Snake dropped a completely unexpected bombshell.

“More importantly, don’t you need it?”

“Need what?”

“The child’s father.”

“…What?”

The cup slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.

Crash! Hearing the sound of shattered porcelain, my jaw dropped.

Romance, Fantasy,