I Became a Mother of a Sub-Male Son

While she was shouting in her mind over and over again, she heard the Duke’s voice.

 

“I heard you haven’t been able to sleep these days. Are you feeling okay?”

 

“I just had a hard time sleeping at night because I was thinking about so many things.”

 

“What you are worried about will not happen.”

 

“I feel reassured that the Duke said that. Even if war breaks out.”

 

Although the subject was missing in the conversation, it was not difficult to figure out what was related to the word ‘war’. It must be because of the magic stone mine discovered in the Kennat Kingdom. War will break out in the near future, so you’re probably worried about that.

 

“If I discover just one more magic stone mine, I won’t have any more wishes… Don’t you think so, Duke?”

 

“I agree.”

 

“If that is too difficult, how about completely handing over the third mine to the imperial family?”

 

The air became heavy again as the words revealed their true feelings.

 

“It’s impossible unless the law is revised. No, we’ll have to break the oath before that. Is that possible?”

 

The Duke’s frost-like voice echoed throughout the space.

 

“Well, I know it’s impossible. It’s just my lament, so I guess we should just skip this time.”

 

She felt like she was going to be shocked to see the Emperor acting like a snake climbing over a wall.

 

“I was just telling you about the current situation. Never mind.”

 

“You’re saying it’s obvious. More than that…”

 

The Emperor’s eyes turned to her again. And with quite unusual eyes. At that moment, she realized that something quite embarrassing was about to come out of the Emperor’s mouth.

 

“I heard you went to the temple a while ago? With Ladiana and the young lord.”

 

“Yes, we did.”

 

“You might have met Minister Loud there too.”

 

“…yes.”

 

He was taking this pause to say something. Feeling a little anxious, she glanced at the Duke and was shocked. It was because the Duke’s eyes were so harsh that she wondered if it was okay to be like this. Without realizing it, she turned her head again and waited for the Emperor to say something.

 

“You know that I often go to the temple, right?”

 

“I know.”

 

“I met Minister Loud a while ago, and he said something quite strange.”

 

“…What do you mean?”

 

“They said that the young lady had a very clean body, probably too much, no, unnaturally white.”

 

At that moment, why did she remember what the Magic Top Lord had said to her? She acted as if nothing had happened, trying to keep her composure, which sounded similar to what she had said about not having even a small amount of mana, like a dead person.

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand, Your Majesty.”

 

“Ah, yes. You don’t understand. Of course.”

 

The Emperor took a relaxed posture, slightly curling one corner of his mouth.

 

“Isn’t the Lady aware that High Priest Loud’s divine power is superior to that of any other priest?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What this means is that he reacts quite sensitively to the ‘energy’ flowing out of the human body. To put it simply, they relate to the energy of different life forms.”

 

“I roughly understand, but what does it mean?”

 

The Emperor smiled as if he had been waiting for her question.

 

“He said he couldn’t feel any ‘energy’ from the lady. Not any life energy. Like a dead person.”

 

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about. As you can see, I’m breathing like this. To be honest, I’m very embarrassed to hear that I look like a dead person.”

 

“Of course it doesn’t make sense, I know. I just said it.”

 

The Emperor lightly shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Still, if High Priest Loud said that, isn’t there something wrong with the lady?”

 

“I know my body well. And I’m alright, your Majesty.”

 

“Or, how about getting a detailed confirmation from High Priest Loud? Also, you never know. There is a slim chance that one of those who directly receives God’s protection could be the Lady.”

 

The Emperor ignored what she said and continued talking about whatever he wanted. What do you mean by God’s protection? She was not the Pope, she didn’t receive God’s protection directly… Wait a moment. Suddenly a bird of light appeared. In an instant, a chill ran down her spine and her skin stood on end.

 

“I don’t know what it means to receive God’s protection directly. Why do you keep saying things I don’t understand?”

 

Even though the person in front of her was the Emperor, her words kept coming out sharply. Her patience was gradually reaching its limit as the Emperor continued to get on her nerves by hitting her right on the head. If things continued like this, rather than maintaining a calm demeanor, she felt like she would only get angry.

 

“Everyone in this empire receives the protection of the god ‘Karmadan’. Among them, the priests are the ones who receive the god’s protection closely. So, of course, what about the Pope?”

 

“…”

 

“The Pope, who receives the blessings of God so closely and directly, lives a very long life due to that influence.”

 

The Emperor paused for a moment and slightly tilted his head.

 

“And that means not being human. The only person who cannot feel the energy of life is the Pope, who receives God’s protection directly.”

 

“But the Pope is currently sick…”

 

“Ah, that’s right. It’s been quite a while since he was sick in bed. It’s as if God’s protection is running out.”

 

Everything the Emperor said just now was disturbing her mind. After meeting the white bird at the temple, she guessed that the bird was related to God, but… She had never once thought that she might be the one who directly receives God’s protection.

 

The Pope the Emperor was referring to was ‘Sevenio Giovan’, who had lived in this Empire for a very long time. According to the contents of the book, Pope Sevenio Giovan was the person who most directly received God’s protection. However, the Pope was currently lying in his bed. Because the Pope, who had maintained eternal life under God’s protection, suddenly collapsed. The reason was unknown. All they knew was that he collapsed from an unknown cause and has been asleep for several months. Because of this, rumors were spreading throughout the empire that the Pope would finally be replaced and a new Pope would be born. But she didn’t think it had anything to do with her.

 

It’s still the same now, but the Emperor kept making her think in strange ways by insisting on reminding her of that fact. Maybe the reason she possessed a character there in the book had something to do with it.

 

“What does the young lady think about this?”

 

“I…”

 

She paused for a moment before speaking. It was because her mind couldn’t be organized at all.

 

“So, try receiving a purification ritual from High Priest Laud. Just in case…”

 

The Emperor stared at her, his words slurred. She was even more nervous because she didn’t know what the omitted words were. She learned that the ordinary purification ritual was just as its name suggested, but the purification ritual he was mentioning now has a different purpose. The purification ritual the Emperor was talking about would be a search. The purification ritual not only purifies the person’s body of turbid energy, but also thoroughly examines the entire body.

 

She bit her tongue. How could she get out? She knew that even if it was done through invitation, it was no different from coercion. Did he think that High Priest Loud would do anything and accept the purification ritual obediently? As she was thinking about not being able to think of a good reason to refuse, a voice came from the side.

 

“If so, I would know why.”

 

“Hoo, the Duke knows?”

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

“Is this a reason that makes sense to me?”

 

The Duke stared at the Emperor for a moment and stretched out his hand. The bracelet hidden by the sleeve eventually appeared towards her wrist, which was none other than the bracelet.

 

“It’s because of this bracelet.”

 

The Emperor’s narrowed eyes focused on her bracelet. To be exact, it was a jewel embedded in a bracelet,

 

“Your Majesty, what you guessed is correct. This is a seal.”

 

…A seal? This bracelet hanging on her wrist?

 

“This is also quite interesting. It is a sealing sphere that completely controls the luck of the person who is called a benefactor… What is the reason for filling the sealing sphere?”

 

“This is because when my son Deluan was kidnapped, the wizard who was the kidnapper placed a curse spell on the lady.”

 

“Curse magic?”

 

“Yes. Due to the curse magic, the energy of the body continues to be distorted, so I made her wear a sealing device as a temporary measure.”

 

…What did this mean? As she listened quietly, she felt like the Duke was trying to get her out of the situation. It seemed like he was trying to help.

 

“Isn’t it enough for you to make a request to the magic tower lord? If you’re an Allegrobian, you’ll be able to lift the curse, right?”

 

The Emperor’s eyes shone sharply. The Duke just walked away without reacting to that look.

 

“At that time, the wizard was not in perfect condition. Because of that, the curse magic technique was distorted and something went wrong, which had a negative impact on the lady.”

 

“So?”

 

“No matter how much of a magic tower they are, it is difficult to unravel the twisted techniques of complex curse magic.”

 

“But it’s not completely impossible, is it?”

 

“That’s why I made her wear a sealing device to temporarily prevent the side effects. Because it takes time for the magic tower lord to unravel the twisted spell.”

 

“…Hmm.”

 

“Are you convinced now, Your Majesty?”

 

“I’m a little surprised because it was something I hadn’t thought about. Yes, if that were the case, it wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t feel life in the lady’s body.”

 

“Then, knowing that, I will assume that this matter will not be brought up any more.”

 

He headed to the Emperor, who was horribly sunken. Suddenly, she noticed the Duke’s attention as the situation became suffocating. He seemed so angry, was he okay? The Emperor, who was receiving the Duke’s gaze, soon shrugged his shoulders and gently waved his hand.

 

“Yes, that’s right. So just open your eyes and don’t do anything wrong like killing someone.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Yeah, you don’t know.”

 

The Emperor looked at the clock hanging on the wall with a look of lost interest.

 

“It’s already like this. I have a date scheduled for later.”

 

The Duke stood up and bowed.

 

“Then I will leave now, Your Majesty.”

 

“It was an honor to meet you.”

 

“Ah, okay. I’ll go out first, so let’s go back slowly.”

 

The Emperor got up and suddenly went outside. In the room where Muk was hovering, she let out a small sigh. She felt relieved now that she had finally ended the conversation safely. However, it was also true that she could see the Duke’s feelings independently of that. Because what the Emperor said must have bothered him as well.

 

At that time, the Duke stood up without a word and ran outside. She hurriedly followed the Duke, but her steps gradually became faster. Even as he left the palace and headed toward the carriage, the Duke did not slow down his pace.

 

“Whoa, whoa… Duke, why are you going so fast?”

 

“…”

 

“Whoa, Duke?”

 

She barely followed along and asked one more time, but there was no answer. She looked at the Duke’s side face for a moment and then spoke cautiously.

 

“I’m grateful for that.”

 

The Duke’s gaze rested on her for a moment.

 

“Thank you for helping me when I was in trouble.”

 

“It’s not a big deal, so don’t worry.”

 

“Well, Duke, I’m talking about what you said…”

 

“Nothing to worry about.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Why did he mention it?

 

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

 

“…Are you sure?”

 

“Okay.”

 

She looked blankly at the Duke, who answered firmly, for a moment, then lowered his head. It was difficult to look him in the eye because she didn’t know why he was saying that. After taking a deep breath for a moment, she looked up and pretended like nothing had happened.

 

“But is this bracelet really a sealing tool?”

 

It was only after the Duke, who had kept his mouth shut, got into the carriage that he gave an answer.

 

“Yes. I’m not confirming that only life is sealed.”

 

“So what is that other thing? Can you tell me now?”

 

“Sometimes it’s easier not to know.”

 

She still wanted to know. She couldn’t believe it’s so scary, what she thought was right… It’s not that bad, right? She had guessed something for a long time. If she took any action, something would be triggered and her life would be in danger, or something like that. Well, she guessed she just shouldn’t ask.

 

“I suddenly stopped being curious.”

 

“That’s a smart idea.”

 

“…But, it’s safe, right? It’s not that I think it’s strange. Well, there haven’t been any problems so far, but if it’s something like this, there’s a risk that it could cause a big problem.”

 

‘Just take off that bracelet, you human being, huh?’

 

She swallowed back her words and gave the Duke a strong look.

 

“That won’t happen.”

 

“How can you be so sure? What if something like that happens?”

 

The Duke suddenly stuck his head out at her words. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sudden action. What happened all of a sudden?

 

“…That will never happen. No matter what happens, never.”

 

A strangely low voice rang in her ears. Eyes that seemed more serious than ever were directed at her. At that moment, her heart began to feel strange and her physical condition began to feel strange. She was embarrassed because her heart was beating so fast and she felt like her body was not normal.

 

“…yes. Ah, I get it.”

 

She stuttered without realizing it and then turned her head. She could no longer look straight at the Duke. Still, she felt her own actions were ridiculous. Didn’t it seem like she was just made to like the Duke? In the end, she ended up closing her eyes tightly because the feeling was unbearable.

 

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Translator Note: