“What are you saying…?”
“Lydia is in here, isn’t she? I’ve already heard the news that she’s pregnant. The Duke of Dorothea’s family informed me while requesting to break off the engagement.”
It seemed like the Dorothea family acted swiftly. It was wise, as there could be nothing more humiliating than having the royal family hear about it first.
“But I told them not to worry because I’m certain the child is mine!”
His tone was full of confidence, accompanied by an air of arrogance.
Even Natasha wondered, ‘Isn’t he so sure? Could the child really be the Crown Prince’s?’
“We’ll have to hastily prepare for the wedding. It should be held before her belly grows even bigger.”
“Yes, Your Highness. That is indeed something to celebrate…”
The words, “Have you forgotten there are two other men besides Lydia?” almost slipped from her lips.
“So open the door already! We cannot let someone carrying the royal heir stay in such a poor environment.”
He brazenly referred to Natasha’s office as a “poor environment.”
For a moment, her eyes flashed in anger, but she barely managed to calm down.
‘There’s no way to stop this.’
How could a mere lawyer stand in the way of the empire’s Crown Prince? If she didn’t open the door, he looked ready to tear it down.
“…Please come in.”
Click.
In the end, Natasha had no choice but to open the door willingly.
“Natasha, I’m here… Huh?”
Lydia, who was drying her wet hair with a towel, widened her eyes.
“Leon?”
“Lydia…!”
He rushed to her and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Lydia still looked bewildered.
“You’ve gone through so much. I didn’t even know you were carrying my child. That is a grave and unforgivable sin on my part. From now on, let’s stop the suffering and move to the palace, where you can rest and take care of yourself.”
Who suffered, exactly?
It had only been a few hours since she stormed out of the Dorothea family. Yet Leon spoke as if Lydia had been living on the streets for years.
“Father?”
“Yes, I am the father of this child.”
Leon gently stroked Lydia’s belly with a cautious hand.
“…Really?”
His certainty left Lydia confused, as though she wasn’t sure herself.
“You must not have forgotten. That night of the ball! You downed a cocktail with a high alcohol content in one go and got so drunk that you…!”
Leon couldn’t finish his sentence and blushed deeply. But it was clear what he was implying.
“Ah, that’s right.”
Lydia seemed to remember now and nodded quietly.
“I heard you’re eight weeks pregnant. If we calculate the dates… this child is definitely mine.”
Leon wasn’t just being stubborn. He genuinely believed he was the father.
“Ah… Have you decided on a name for the baby?”
“Maxi.”
“Maxi, huh. I will give this child the world…”
Leon knelt on one knee and gently rested his head on Lydia’s belly, whispering softly. The scene was so moving that even the knights accompanying him held their breath.
But the joy didn’t last long.
Bang!
“Lydia!”
Aidan barged in without even knocking.
He hesitated for a moment upon seeing Leon and his knights, but soon strode forward confidently.
“Lady Lydia, I’ve heard everything.”
Aidan grabbed Lydia’s hand tightly.
“It’s my child, isn’t it?”
What?
“You said she’s eight weeks pregnant. That would be around the time of the hunting competition when we were trapped together….”
He wasn’t finished yet.
Clatter!
This time, the window flew open, and Dennis appeared.
“What nonsense is that? That child is obviously mine.”
Even Denis?!
Natasha felt faint, betrayed even by the brother she had trusted.
“You haven’t forgotten that night, have you, Lia?”
With magic, he floated gracefully into the room, raindrops dripping from his soaked coat.
“If you’ve forgotten, I can help you remember.”
Denis chuckled slyly as he caressed Lydia’s cheek.
“What are you doing with someone else’s fiancée? How utterly disrespectful.”
“As far as I know, the Dorothea family has officially requested to break off the engagement.”
“I refused.”
“Well, an engagement can be broken off anytime if one party desires it.”
Their eyes gleamed as they glared at each other, none of them willing to back down.
“Lydia!”
“Lady Lydia!”
“Lia.”
Their growling stopped briefly as they all turned to Lydia, awaiting her response.
“Who is the father of the child?”
“That’s…”
Lydia hesitated, seemingly unsure herself.
“There’s nothing to discuss. Lydia, be my Crown Princess. Everyone will admire and envy you. I’ll make sure of it.”
Leon confidently proposed.
“Lady Lydia, Winchester has officially submitted a marriage proposal. If it pleases you, I will pledge my knightly oath to you.”
Aidan vowed earnestly.
“Wouldn’t it be stifling to be the Crown Princess or a Duchess? How about roaming the continent with me?”
Denis grinned mischievously, extending his hand to Lydia.
Each option was irresistibly tempting. But faced with such overwhelming choices, Lydia…
Grrr.
“Ah.”
She clutched her growling stomach and turned to Natasha.
“Do you have any food?”
“I brought some from the house downstairs. Would you like some bread to start with?”
“Alright.”
Lydia smiled brightly as she accepted the bread.
“Oh my, are you starving? Let me immediately tell the palace chef to prepare a meal.”
“How long would that take? I’ll just go out and buy more food myself.”
“It seems we have ingredients. How about I cook for you?”
He was making quite the fuss to win Lydia’s favor, though she simply munched on her bread, seemingly indifferent.
Sensing that this could go on forever, Natasha decided to intervene.
“Everyone, leave.”
“What?”
“Article 391, Clause 1 of the Penal Code: Those who unlawfully enter a residence, building, ship, or occupied space shall be punished with up to three years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 500 gold.”
Everyone hesitated at Natasha’s stern command.
“Article 391, Clause 2: Those who, after being asked to leave the aforementioned premises, refuse to comply shall be subject to the same punishment.”
“Ugh…”
“If you don’t want a lawsuit, I suggest you all leave now.”
“How dare you talk to me, the Crown Prince…”
“Your Highness, I’m sure you don’t want to stir unnecessary trouble before your ascension, do you?”
The law is one of the three pillars that uphold the Empire. How could a representative of the royal family ignore it?
When Natasha pointed to the door, all three hesitated.
“Now!”
Only after she yelled did they hurriedly start moving.
“Lydia, I’ll be waiting for you!”
“My Lady, I’ll await your reply to my proposal.”
After Leon and Aiden left, Denis slyly approached Natasha.
“Do I have to leave too, sis?”
He only acted cute when things weren’t going his way. Natasha firmly pointed to the door once more.
“Well, I guess I have no choice. See you again, Lia.”
Thud.
Only after Denis left did Natasha finally let out a deep sigh.
Sigh.
It was a sigh from the depths of her heart.
‘I knew this would turn into a hassle.’
Wasn’t it worse than expected? Yet, Lydia, the one involved, seemed absorbed in finishing her bread.
“Miss Lydia.”
“Mmm?”
“What are you planning to do now?”
Lydia looked at Natasha, chewing, as if to ask what she meant.
“You said you don’t know who the child’s father is.”
“Mmm.”
“They all seem to think the child is theirs. Wouldn’t it be better to just marry one of them?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, since the Empire doesn’t recognize illegitimate children, whoever it is would be considered your child’s father under the law.”
It didn’t really matter who the biological father was. Legally, the child would be recognized as the offspring of the married couple, unless one of the parents raised an issue.
“Besides, those three are all excellent candidates for a husband.”
The Crown Prince, along with the second and third sons of a duke’s family—these are the kinds of men noblewomen would envy.
Gulp.
Lydia swallowed the bread in her mouth and asked,
“…Do I really have to choose?”
“Pardon?”
“To be honest, I don’t really need a husband.”
Her tone was calm and indifferent. Well, considering she was the second daughter of the Duke of Dorothea and a genius painter, she probably didn’t need much anyway…
“Pregnancy and childbirth aren’t easy, you know.”
“Can’t I just hire people with money?”
That was a valid point.
“I’ll hire a chef, maids, a nanny… Maybe even a gardener.”
Natasha realized her concerns had been unnecessary. Of course! There’s nothing money can’t solve in this world!
If something seems impossible, it just means you don’t have enough money.
Natasha briefly reflected on having forgotten such a simple truth.
“Should I connect you with a broker?”
“Hmm…”
Lydia pondered for a moment before shaking her head.
“For now, I’ll just stay here.”
“Excuse me?”
“Is that a problem?”
“…For how long?”
Natasha thought of the necklace she had tucked away. Right, she had received a few thousand gold. She could afford to do this much.
“About three days. That should be enough.”
Enough for what?
Did Lydia mean she could really clean up this mess in three days? Natasha didn’t quite understand, but as always, Lydia remained unfazed.
“There was a similar ending before. Even if you don’t know, everyone else’s reactions are predictable.”
Even though Lydia explained it, Natasha still had no idea what she meant.
***
Exactly three days later, Natasha finally understood what Lydia had meant.
“…The three of you?”
“Yes. None of us could give up on Lydia, and Lydia didn’t reject any of us.”
Despite Natasha’s utterly bewildered expression, Leon looked quite pleased with himself.
“Oh, and don’t worry about the lawsuit against Aidn and Denis. I withdrew it. After all, I can’t have my child’s godfather being a criminal.”
“…And what about the marriage registration?”
“We’ve decided to go with mine first. While it may not matter much to the second or third sons of a duke, it’s an important issue for me.”
No, it probably mattered to the duke’s sons as well…
Natasha was at a loss for words in the face of this absurd situation.
“…So, to sum it up, you’re going to marry the Crown Prince first, and since no one knows who the father is, all three of them will act as fathers?”
“Precisely. Of course, I firmly believe the child is mine, but the others insisted on claiming paternity as well, so we had to reach an agreement. No need to worry—it was a mutual decision.”
Oh, Valda.
Natasha wasn’t a devout follower of Verdio, but now she understood why Valda had insisted on monogamy.
“There was an ending where we all lived together.”
Lydia whispered softly into Natasha’s ear as she stood there in disbelief.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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