Episode 123. Side Story 3

“Eveline.”

Elkais was watching as Eveline moved her hand up and down, teasing him while gripping him. When she took him into her mouth, his body trembled.

“Mm…”

Eveline didn’t mind the taste. It was just that the size, filling her mouth completely, was still overwhelming.

But that discomfort eased when she looked into his eyes. Elkais’s gaze always sparkled with affection whenever he looked at her.

His red eyes, once wild like a beast’s, turned gentle like a gem whenever they met hers.

She used to think they were blood-red—but now, she thought of them as flames, warming her heart.

“Eveline.”

He let out a shaky sigh of pleasure as he gently brushed her red hair behind her ear.

Sensing his pleased breath, Eveline giggled softly and teased him more, making the wet sounds in the room grow louder and more intense.

Elkais had no intention of ending things here.

Her touch always excited him, always welcomed—and at this point, it was hard to keep holding back.

He had often imagined himself losing control and releasing over her face. But he never did, worried she might hate it.

Even if she was fine in the moment, she might come to loathe the unpleasant feeling afterward.

More than anything, Elkais feared that pregnancy would become something she resented—and that her resentment would turn toward him.

Pregnancy wasn’t easy. What came after was even harder.

Her morning sickness was severe—so bad she couldn’t keep food down.

Eveline would throw up even after drinking water, and without medication, she couldn’t even swallow a sip.

Peaches were sometimes manageable, but they weren’t exactly nourishing.

As much as he loved when she touched him like this, seeing her in pain, swollen, and irritable made him feel like it was all his fault.

And while he was grateful she never took it out on him, the fear that she could, at any moment, still haunted him.

If only he hadn’t gotten her pregnant…

“Eveline.”

He gently gripped her shoulders, trying to pull her away. But Eveline raked her nails along the base of his penis.

The sharp stimulation caused a jolt of pain, but when he saw her playful expression, he was swept right back into pleasure as if nothing had happened.

“Whenever you look at me like that, my heart races out of control.”

Elkais brushed her cheek with his hand.

“Even now, I feel like if someone told me to cough up my heart, I could actually do it.”

At his words, Eveline bit him with her teeth.

He flinched with a quiet grunt, his brows furrowing in pain—but then he smiled again and tried to gently pull her away.

“Once we’re past the stable period… let’s do it properly.”

At that, Eveline slowly let go and nodded.

And when he pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back, she felt tears prick at her eyes for no reason. She sniffled and fell asleep in his arms.

He held her like that, patting her softly, until she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

Some time passed, and the stable period finally arrived. Eveline’s morning sickness disappeared, and she no longer needed to take the medication.

Her swelling went down quickly, and she was quite pleased with how she looked.

“I look pretty again, don’t I?”

“My wife was always beautiful.”

“But don’t you think I’ve changed a little?”

Elkais wasn’t exactly sure what had changed, but he figured she’d be disappointed if he didn’t get it right—so he wracked his brain, trying to guess.

No matter how closely he looked, though, he couldn’t tell what was different.

Eveline was sitting at her vanity in a negligee. Her belly had a slight curve now, but her chest was still full and voluptuous.

And that teasing, gorgeous face looking his way—whenever he saw her eyes, his heart still pounded, and whenever she called his name, time seemed to slow down.

“Come on, guess what changed.”

“…I don’t know. But you’re too beautiful.”

He said that as he walked over to her.

“My swelling’s gone down!”

“Ah… I see.”

At her words, he realized it—her swelling had faded. Though, back then she’d looked like a cute little bunny, and now she was more like a sharp, elegant cat.

“You’re so beautiful… I think I’m going blind.”

“Right?”

She was happy to hear him say things like that—not just because of the words, but because she could tell they weren’t empty compliments. And she realized he’d spoken the same way even when she was all swollen.

It really did feel like, no matter what she looked like, that’s genuinely how he saw her.

“Eveline.”

“Yes?”

“Would you hate it… if I got ugly someday?”

“…How could you ever be ugly, Elkais?”

She asked with complete sincerity.

To her, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Even if his face swelled like hers had, his features would still be just as sharp.

“I should’ve just said it like that from the start.”

“Haha.”

Eveline smiled, realizing how much he must’ve worried over something so simple.

“My poor husband’s been having a rough time, hasn’t he?”

“No matter how hard it’s been for me, it’s nothing compared to what you’ve gone through.”

He sat down on the floor and rested his head on her thigh. As Eveline stroked his hair, she noticed just how much weight he had lost.

“My love’s gone and lost all this weight in my place.”

“I’ll put it back on. I know my wife likes that better, after all.”

When he looked up at her with a smile, Eveline hugged his face gently, wearing a rare, truly happy smile.

Elkais let out a soft, content sigh as he inhaled her scent—he loved how she smelled when she held him like this. It made him smile all over again.

* * *

“From now on, just prepare the ingredients.”

“Pardon? But…”

“I’ll be the one cooking for my wife.”

That’s what Elkais told the chefs in the kitchen.

With him standing there, the kitchen suddenly felt much smaller. His presence was overwhelming, and none of the chefs could speak up—or even lift their heads.

“If this is about the trout steak from last time…”

There had been an incident where Eveline gagged from the smell of the trout steak. They thought her morning sickness had passed, but it seemed there were still certain foods she couldn’t tolerate.

“That’s not the reason.”

It was partly the reason—but if he got angry about that, Eveline would scold him for being a bad master of the house. So he held it in.

“My wife’s been struggling. I want to put in some effort too.”

And he meant it.

“Understood, Your Grace.”

The chefs had no choice but to comply with his words.

* * *

When morning came, Elkais slowly opened his eyes. The moment he saw his wife sleeping with her head on his arm, he smiled without even realizing it—he was just that happy.

Eveline slept so deeply, it was like she wouldn’t even notice being carried away.

As he looked at her peaceful sleeping face, he felt his heart racing again. His face grew warm, his ears burned, and his mouth kept going dry.

Eveline was just so beautiful.

When he saw her full chest peeking through her negligee, forbidden thoughts started creeping into his mind again.

Carefully, he slid his arm out from under her and placed a soft pillow beneath her neck instead. Eveline was still fast asleep, breathing quietly and evenly.

Elkais rose from the bed with the utmost care, making sure not to shift the mattress or wake her.

Looking down at her, she looked just like a sleeping angel—like a portrait, stunningly beautiful.

He didn’t want to leave.

Not because cooking was a bother, but because he wanted to stay by her side a little longer.

But at the same time, he didn’t want to be the kind of husband who didn’t even make this small effort while his wife was struggling through pregnancy. So he kept looking back as he made his way to the kitchen.

And once there—Elkais was surprisingly skilled in the kitchen.

“Your Grace! When did you learn to do this…?!”

Elkais had quite a bit of pride when it came to cooking.

As a general, he’d often fought duels on the battlefield, and there were times he had to return alone, separated from his knights. Survival cooking was something he’d naturally picked up—and later, he learned finer dishes as a hobby.

What he was preparing now was a salmon steak.

With a long filleting knife in hand, he handled the salmon with ease and precision.

After preparing a smoked salmon steak, he plated it carefully and loaded it onto a trolley, entrusting it to an attendant.

Then, exactly three minutes before 9 a.m.—the time Eveline usually woke up like clockwork—he entered their bedroom and waited.

“Mm…”

Right at 9 o’clock, Eveline stirred awake. Elkais smiled as he watched her.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Since I’m awake, let’s eat.”

“Alright.”

Eveline stretched as she sat up, then leaned against Elkais’s shoulder.

“I smell something delicious…”

Elkais knew she liked salmon. It was milder than other fish and easier on the stomach.

As she snuggled up, he gently stroked her cheek and said,

“You’re seriously beautiful today.”

He’d meant to invite her to breakfast—but ended up blurting out his real thoughts.

Eveline, charmed by his affection, wrapped her arms around his waist even tighter.