Chapter 82
Stefan’s gaze remained fixed on the carriage Rita had departed in.
“Susan… said she wanted to travel for a while.”
“I can understand that, but the weather’s getting colder… I’ve heard winters on the Huawol continent are especially harsh.”
“I don’t know Susan’s exact destination. As you know, the two of us aren’t exactly… close siblings.”
Rachel glanced up at Stefan, sensing a certain emphasis on the word siblings. A faint, lazy smile hung on his lips.
“What about Thomas? Did he accompany her on the journey?”
“…Well, we couldn’t just send Susan off alone, could we?”
Nodding at Stefan’s reasonable response, Rachel agreed outwardly—but something still didn’t sit right.
‘Why Thomas? Susan has a personal maid, even a secretary or other attendants who could have gone…’
Even more suspicious was Rita’s unusually frantic reaction to Susan’s disappearance. She seemed more anxious now than when Susan had been trapped in the Marquis’s estate.
‘I wanted to check on Susan too… to see for myself that she’s okay…’
Rachel still believed Susan had suffered because of her. Though she couldn’t bring herself to apologize, she at least wanted to confirm her safety with her own eyes.
The thought that she might never see Susan again left her oddly unsettled.
As Rachel fell silent, having run out of questions to ask, Stefan turned his gaze toward her.
“Madam, do you have no more questions?”
“Ah… no, Your Grace.”
“Will you be staying at the Duke’s residence again tonight?”
“Yes, I think I’ll rest here for a while. Please let Finn know for me.”
“Of course.”
Stefan offered a faint smile, recalling the strange behavior Rachel had been exhibiting over the past few days.
Since that night, she had insisted on staying in bed, offering ridiculous excuses. She even ignored their designated sleeping arrangement—something she used to insist on—without a second thought.
Everything about her now reminded him of a woman expecting a child. The cautious way she walked, the way she gently stroked her still-flat belly…
They had been married for over six months, after all—it wasn’t unreasonable to expect a pregnancy by now.
‘But the higher the expectations, the deeper the disappointment…’
With a gentle smile, Stefan reached out his hand to Rachel.
“Shall we head inside now?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Shall I escort you to your chamber?”
“Thank you.”
Matching her gaze, Stefan smiled kindly and added a suggestive comment.
“You must’ve been quite exhausted from working at the accessory shop. I’ll ask the chef to prepare some nourishing dishes for you.”
“N-No, that’s not necessary. I’ll take good care of my own health, so there’s no need to worry.”
Rachel flinched at Stefan’s unexpected kindness.
‘Could he have noticed already? No—he must never find out.’
Though she suspected she might be pregnant, Rachel had no intention of telling anyone—not even Stefan. Especially not Stefan.
That was the only way she could escape from his grasp safely.
Compared to her previous life, Rita’s torment and Stefan’s indifference were tolerable now. But the thought of raising a child while constantly being wary of them again—
‘Once was enough. I won’t fall victim to the same people twice.’
Rachel subconsciously clutched Stefan’s hand for a moment before flinching.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I nearly tripped.”
“No worries.”
Stefan smiled warmly again and added another odd remark.
“My mother won’t be back for another week. So, please rest well.”
A week was a very ambiguous amount of time. If Rita truly had gone to the Huawol continent, she wouldn’t even have time to land before needing to return.
‘Where did Rita go, for him to be so certain it’ll take a week?’
Rachel was curious about Stefan’s true intentions, but she held her tongue. Something told her that pressing further would only lead to her own secret being exposed.
***
“Rachel, there’s no way to know for sure at this point.”
“Still, wouldn’t there be some sort of signal? Something faint and subtle, but undeniably a message from the child to their mother?”
“I’m telling you, there are no symptoms at all…”
Dorothy shook her head, visibly exhausted. I’d been badgering her for an hour straight.
Even though I had experienced pregnancy and childbirth in my previous life, I knew absolutely nothing about early pregnancy symptoms.
Back then, I had lived every day in anxiety, with no time or space to notice the changes in my body from being pregnant.
I had been an ignorant, unprepared mother. That’s why I was determined to be different this time—so I relentlessly pressed Dorothy with questions.
“That can’t be true, Miss Dorothy. A new life is growing inside, so how could there be no changes in the body?”
With a deep sigh, Dorothy cut straight to the point.
“When exactly did you have intercourse?”
“Five days ago.”
“And how many times?”
“Once?”
Dorothy moved closer to where I sat on the bed and gently took my hand.
“Rachel, it’s rare to get pregnant from just one time.”
In my past life, I got pregnant with twins after just one encounter. I remembered it clearly—because I hadn’t shared a bed with Stefan after that night.
“I’ve… seen someone get pregnant from just once, Miss Dorothy.”
“That’s possible, sure. But it’s extremely rare.”
“Rare?”
“Why else do you think people call pregnancy a blessing from the gods? It’s because it’s a low-probability miracle.”
Seeing me lower my head in silence, Dorothy moved to sit beside me on the bed and pulled me into a hug.
“I understand your desperate wish to have a child, but sometimes, that very desperation gets in the way.”
“You mean… I’m sabotaging myself?”
I asked weakly without even lifting my face from her arms. Dorothy chuckled softly.
“Don’t be so negative. I mean if you obsess over pregnancy too much, the stress can interfere.”
“…I suppose that’s true.”
Dorothy gently released me from her arms and responded with a big, cheerful smile.
“Rachel, don’t just lie in bed all day—do something productive.”
“Something productive?”
“If going to the accessory shop feels like too much, try a hobby instead. Many people read or sew for prenatal care.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
When I smiled brightly at her suggestion, Dorothy let out a relieved sigh.
After seeing her off, I returned to the bedroom and decided to focus on making handkerchiefs. With Christmas approaching, I planned to gift them to those I was thankful for.
“One for Leopold, one for Finn… I should make one for Miss Dorothy too. No rule says you can only give handkerchiefs to men.”
As I became absorbed in making them, my anxiety over whether I was pregnant seemed to fade.
Two days later, I stopped working on the handkerchiefs.
My period, which had been overdue, finally started.
‘I was too impatient. Even in my past life, I didn’t get pregnant until four years into marriage…’
Disappointment washed over me as all the hopeful anticipation deflated. I stared blankly at the pile of finished handkerchiefs.
“Might as well give them as gifts now that they’re done.”
Planning to return to the accessory shop tomorrow, I began wrapping the one meant for Finn.
I figured no teacher would be pleased with a student who came and went as she pleased.
***
At that very moment, Stefan sat in his office, anxiously staring at a letter on his desk.
The unease stemmed from the envelope bearing only the name Susan, with no Edmund attached to it.
It was a sign that Susan, now aware of the secret of her birth, no longer wished to be called Susan Edmund.
Stefan finally picked up the envelope with effort and opened the letter.
As soon as he read the first line, he closed his eyes tightly, then reopened them.
> ‘To Duke Stefan Edmund,
> First of all, I want to thank you for allowing me to borrow the title of Lady of House Edmund for the past twenty years.
> Though it was never my intention, I sincerely apologize for the turmoil I’ve caused in your life and the stain I’ve left on the Edmund name.
> After hearing the whole truth from Thomas (I still can’t bring myself to call him Father), I came to understand why my mother was so excessively obsessed with you.
> I won’t ask you to forgive her. I can’t forgive her myself.
> Even so, please understand that I cannot reveal the truth about who ordered the sinking of the Burke merchant ship. All the evidence has been destroyed, and I’ve asked Elliot to remain silent. I hope you’ll give up on pursuing this further.’
