Episode 125. Side Story 5

“Elkais, are you insane?”

“Yeah. I’m crazy about you.”

The moment Eveline stepped into the glass conservatory, her eyes widened in shock at the large magic circle and the group of mages standing inside. She turned to Elkais with disbelief.

“What is all this?”

“I don’t want you to suffer.”

“…What are you trying to do with this many mages?”

Elkais gently set Eveline down and looked into her eyes as he spoke.

“I want to take your pain away.”

“You really are crazy.”

“They say among ancient magics, there’s one that transfers another’s pain.”

“You want to use some unproven ancient spell on our baby?!”

“No, on me.”

Elkais said it calmly and smiled at her. Eveline, flustered, quickly grabbed his hand tightly.

“H-how do you even know what might happen?!”

“It’ll draw the pain you’re supposed to experience and place it in me.”

“Is it tested?”

“It is.”

Still, Eveline didn’t feel like it was the right thing to do. More than anything, she didn’t want Elkais to bear her pain.

“You’re really going to go through with it?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Unlike the panicked Eveline, Elkais was completely composed. She couldn’t understand how he could be so calm about something like this.

“I don’t want you to be in pain, Elkais.”

“And I hate it even more when you’re in pain. Besides, I’m stronger than you, physically. I’ve got more stamina, and I’ve been through war—I’m used to pain.”

“No one ever gets used to pain.”

“Right here.”

Eveline was stunned—Elkais had never insisted on anything against her will before.

He sounded unreasonable, but she knew he was being this way for her—which only made it harder to be angry or know how to respond.

Then, seeing the seriousness in his eyes, she finally spoke.

“Elkais.”

“What is it?”

“What if I said I wanted to take on your pain when you were hurt?”

At that, Elkais’s expression turned somber.

“If it meant you wouldn’t suffer…”

“And what if something happened to you? What about our child?”

He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t even joke about dying anymore. Pressing his lips tightly together, he looked at Eveline and sighed.

“…I didn’t think this through.”

“Exactly. And honestly… this pain doesn’t bother me that much.”

“How can it not? I hate that you’re hurting—especially when it’s because of me.”

His words made Eveline let out a soft laugh.

“Well, I hate it when you’re hurting. And pregnancy is supposed to be hard. No one gets through ten months without discomfort.”

“…I still wish it could be easier. Just knowing you have another six months of this makes me so sad.”

Eveline understood. She could tell Elkais had gone through all this without even discussing it with her, just for her sake. It was touching—but also upsetting, seeing how little he cared for his own wellbeing.

“I know. But I really, really wanted a child. I gave up divine power for this. If the baby looks like both of us, I can bear anything.”

At her words, Elkais’s eyes began to glisten. Eveline gently stroked his cheek as she spoke.

“My love… you’ve been scared because I’ve been getting sick so often, haven’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

“You were afraid I might leave, weren’t you?”

“Yes. And I hated that I was so healthy while you were suffering so much.”

Eveline smiled brightly at that and hugged him tightly.

“Let’s go back to our room. And you’re not healthy—look at how much weight you’ve lost.”

She couldn’t ignore how he’d skipped so many meals while worrying over her. His cheeks were sunken, and the dark circles under his eyes were clearly visible.

She’d even worried that he might collapse from exhaustion first.

“Touch me more.”

“Ugh, you…”

Eveline looped her arms around his neck, and together, they returned to the main house.

* * *

And just like that, time passed, and spring was on its way.

Eveline’s belly had grown considerably, and now, whenever she walked, she had to support her lower back and waddle with her belly leading the way.

Elkais wanted to carry her, of course, but Eveline insisted on walking, saying it actually hurt her back more if she didn’t. So she held his hand, and the two of them strolled through a field of blooming canola flowers.

“Look at this—aren’t they pretty?”

“My wife is always beautiful, no matter what.”

Eveline tucked one of the flowers into her hair as she spoke, but Elkais answered with something completely unrelated.

“I meant the flowers.”

“Flowers? Compared to my wife, they’re practically trash. You can’t eat them, and all they do is attract bees.”

“…What is wrong with you?”

Eveline already knew he wasn’t fond of flowers. Still, she also knew he arranged fresh ones in a vase for her every single day, just because she liked them.

So even if he talked like that, she found it funny—and oddly endearing. She hooked her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“If you wanted to show me the flowers were pretty, you shouldn’t have stuck one in your hair.”

“Yes, yes.”

Eveline quickly replied, suspecting he was about to say something cheesy again.

“Next to a rose, baby’s breath is just filler. Like air.”

“So… you’re saying I’m the rose?”

“And even a rose is trash compared to my wife.”

“Oh, gods. I really shouldn’t even try talking to you.”

Flustered, she unlinked their arms and tried to walk faster—but with the difference in their stride, Elkais could easily match her three steps with just two.

And since Eveline was pregnant, no matter how fast she tried to go, she couldn’t beat him.

“Eep!”

“Eveline!”

As she tried to speed up, she stumbled—but Elkais quickly caught her in his arms.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes. My belly…”

Startled, Eveline instinctively cradled her stomach. She felt a strange jolt—like something stirred inside her—and it hurt just a little.

“Did the baby just kick?”

“I think so. But… is it supposed to hurt like that?”

“…They say fetal movement can hurt, depending on the mother.”

His face immediately darkened with worry. Eveline found his concerned expression so endearing, she reached out and tugged gently at his cheek.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re too handsome. I’m trying to ruin that a bit. It’s not fair.”

His ears turned red again. Every time she gave him that playful look, it made his heart ache in the best way.

“My wife is too beautiful. It makes everything else in life feel like a nuisance.”

“Stop with the nonsense. Take me home and go get some work done.”

Eveline had a hunch that ever since she got pregnant, Elkais hadn’t been going to the palace much.

In truth, whenever she fell ill or fainted, he would skip imperial meetings and state affairs entirely. The Duke of Wilden had been scrambling to cover for him, running around to clean up the mess.

Of course, Elkais was perfectly capable of handling administrative duties from home. But a duke wasn’t meant to just stay in the house all day. There were public appearances, formal events, and visible leadership to maintain.

And since Elkais had started managing everything from the estate, those responsibilities had naturally fallen to Duke Wilden.

Even when Elkais was at the palace, if he so much as heard that Eveline was unwell, he’d drop everything, mount a horse, and rush back home. No one at the palace dared to stop him or force him to do anything anymore.

“What would you think… if we left for the estate after the baby’s born and you’ve recovered a bit?”

“After I give birth, I need to return as Duchess of Wilden.”

“How about becoming a duchess while you’re at it?”

“That’d be nice. But to do that, we’d both have to stay in the capital.”

At her reply, Elkais paused, then said thoughtfully,

“What if I gave up the dukedom and stayed home to raise the baby?”

“Then some second-rate fool would become general, and Bestia would fall.”

Eveline meant it.

Since the founding of Bestia, Elkais was the most powerful swordmaster the country had ever seen. If he stepped down, the surrounding nations would surely see Bestia as weak.

The territories he’d helped expand—tenfold compared to before—would immediately face instability and possible rebellion from the vassal states.

Elkais remaining as general held enormous significance.

While he seemed to think being her husband was the most meaningful role, Eveline thought the better path was for him to stay general and keep leading Bestia.

And once she resumed her duties as Duchess, they could always leave the child in the care of a nursemaid.

She didn’t worry too much. Even if Elkais neglected outside affairs, she knew he’d never ignore her or their child. If anything, the problem was how completely he focused on their family.

“We can’t have that. Our child needs to inherit the family legacy.”

“Exactly.”

“Right.”

Seeing Elkais nod, Eveline smiled and hugged him tightly.

“Did you know, El?”

“I don’t know what it is, but I already like the sound of your voice.”

She chuckled, thinking how sharp his intuition always was.

“I’ve officially entered the stable stage.”

Elkais stared at her, not quite catching her meaning. Then Eveline smiled and said,

“The doctor said that from now on, making love is actually good for the baby.”

At that, Elkais swept her up in his arms and broke into a run.

“Ahh!”

Eveline let out a squeal and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding on for dear life as he raced them home.