33. Marriage in Haste

Why pretend not to know? There are things like mating for reproduction or individual population control for a species, you know.

Did he not consider that when he bought me and brought me all the way to the far north? It suddenly crossed my mind.

My annoyance rose to my throat, but I decided to let it go.

“My speculation is accurate. No, it’s not speculation; it’s a fact.”

“…”

“Your Excellency, if I were to have a child, and that child were born with that blood.”

I swallowed my saliva and forced out the words I had kept inside.

“If I were to offer the child, could I continue to live?”

“What?”

“Your Lordship only needs one bloodline. Even if a new bloodline is created, the blood might become a bit diluted, but I hope you’ll consider it. Recognize my contribution in creating young blood.”

“You…”

His face was filled with confusion, but he restrained himself from speaking. My throat was getting sore. I needed to finish my words quickly.

“You’ll choose a strong body on your own, I’m sure, but it would be nice if she were beautiful. It’s a loveless marriage, so we should at least have looks to enjoy. I hope the age gap isn’t too big; it would be better if he’s of a similar age.”

Were these too many conditions compared to the nobility in the Baron’s family?

His gaze was wavering.

“Young Lady, why… did you suddenly become eager to marry? Just because you want to leave this place?”

“…”

“Is that all there is to it? It doesn’t seem like it. There must be another reason.”

His gaze was piercing. His unexpectedly flustered tone was unfamiliar.

I couldn’t honestly say that the fact of the next-generation blood within Elizabeth’s womb was the reason.

I racked my brain and carefully chose words that he might accept.

“The poverty is overwhelming. I want to escape from even the mixed-blooded Barony family.”

“Is it really all of a sudden like this?”

“It’s not sudden. It’s always been this way.”

He sighed deeply.

“Marriage shouldn’t be decided on a whim like this. And entrusting the introductions to me, who am I to introduce someone like that?”

“It’s okay. No matter which family I marry into, it will be better than our household.”

Our property, family honor, and history were all short and pitiful.

I remembered hearing that one of our ancestors had entered as a concubine into a noble family as a way to repay a debt they had incurred. They had emptied their entire fortune to buy their way into the noble family, which had become the current Baron’s family over time. Truth tends to distort over the years, and I couldn’t be sure if it was true or not, but regardless, the status of the Baron’s family was illustrious to the point that no one could refute it. In a negative way.

“Was the reason you wanted to marry me all this time because of that?”

I didn’t say a word.

He must have thought my silence was an answer because he continued.

“Regardless of the reason, it’s not going to happen.”

“Why not? I’m a fragile human. I’ll die someday. There’s no set order, but I have a feeling I’ll go before Your Lordship.”

“…”

“What will you do if I die like this, and the next blood isn’t replenished in time? It would be better for Your Excellency to plan for the future, wouldn’t it?”

“You were supposed to live a long time.”

For some reason, his voice sounded a bit choked.

I weakly smiled.

“Haha. That’s just something I said. What are the chances that a fragile lady like me will live longer than the Duke?”

My throat felt dry. When I cleared my throat, the Duke offered me water.

My hand holding the cup trembled.

“What will you do if I die and no new blood is born? Wouldn’t it be better to consider a replacement or plan for the future now?”

“There’s no need for that. You’ll be healthy.”

He replied firmly to my words.

Ah, of course, I’ll be healthy. As long as you don’t kill me, I won’t die.

“Yes, don’t worry. I, I will never die.”

It’s just a promise from a mere four months old.

He slowly reached out his hand. I took a step back, but he didn’t retract his hand.

With a tender touch, he wiped my tears away.

“Leonie, why are you crying?”

My cheeks were wet without me noticing. I wiped my eyes. I seemed to be shedding tears unconsciously.

It’s absurd.

Tears welled up again. Slowly, little by little. I was crumbling helplessly.

* * *

I sat at the table for the first time in a while and enjoyed the breeze. It was the first tea I had drunk since falling ill.

Elizabeth sat across from me.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, I’ve improved a lot. Thanks to you. I appreciate your concern.”

“It’s really fortunate, Lady Leonie. It seems like you’ve been overwhelmed with fatigue from above. You’ve been making an effort to appear composed for the sake of both the Duke and me, right? It must have been tough, so don’t overexert yourself and rest well.”

Is it because Elizabeth has also adapted to the Duke’s lifestyle?

Her complexion had noticeably improved since our first meeting in the mansion. She even seemed more robust than when I first saw her.

“Have you had a check-up, my lady? Is the child alright? You should take better care of yourself than I do.”

“The doctor said I’m fine. The child is healthy and safe too. They said I managed to endure the difficult journey well.”

Safe and sound.

And growing robustly, all while feeding on my blood.

I couldn’t decide whether I should show a favorable reaction to the news about the child or dislike it, so I just picked up the fork hesitantly and then set it back down.

She quietly watched me for a moment and then handed the fork back to me.

“My lady, you need to become healthier than I am. Not only the Duke and the maids but even the head chef is worried that you’ve been eating less than before. In fact… your complexion seems worse than when you were detained above.”

Elizabeth carefully delivered the news about my deteriorating health.

She raised her hand to the window next to the terrace. The cold chill of the frosted glass rose through her palm.

As she said, the reflection on the window made my face appear significantly paler, perhaps even more so than when I first woke up here.

“It might be better not to open the windows.”

Elizabeth said cautiously.

“Even though it looks like the weather has cleared up, they say the wind is strong. And the Duke…”

“Yes, don’t worry. I just saw it.”

I lowered the hand that had been on the window and gave her a reasSureng smile.

On snowy days, taking a walk had become an unspoken taboo. Since it rarely stopped snowing in the northern region, I was trapped within the castle, just like when I was confined.

I had also stopped the daily ventilation that Suren used to insist on.

It seemed like there was a strong misconception that my illness was due to the cold weather, even though my pregnancy was the cause.

Even at a glance, my face reflected in the window appeared extremely pale. My cheeks were sunken, making me look as if I had been suffering from a long-standing illness.

It was quite reasonable to think that way, considering there were two people who were taking from me: Deon and the baby inside her womb, soon to be born.

The Duke taking my blood and the baby taking my sanity. Being tormented by both of them, my body had been deteriorating.

The doctor had mentioned that I had just passed the 20-week mark.

After 20 weeks, would my eyes open?

The baby, with pure hands that had never touched anything before, easily gripped my throat.

I was too exhausted to even stand on my two feet. I had to choose my words carefully so as not to worry her. I muttered to myself as if talking to myself.

“Your child is strong. Perhaps it’s because it’s a boy…”

My words startled Elizabeth, and she looked up.

“Oh, how do you know it’s a boy? I haven’t even found out because I haven’t had a gender prediction at the temple.”

How would I know? I just knew because the heroine’s niece was a boy.

“Just… I heard it by chance before. There’s a saying that you can determine the gender from the womb…”

“I see. Actually… I also secretly hoped it would be a boy. I wanted to send him as a knight for the Duke, but the northern region is just too cold, and I couldn’t bear to send my daughter there.”

She laughed heartily.

“Lady Leonie, it’s amazing that you work in the north. You must be resilient to the cold. You may appear delicate on the outside, but you seem strong. I fell in love with you at first sight when you were holding a sword back then. If I have a daughter, I want to raise her like you.”

She shyly expressed her wishes with a small smile.

But really, it was a fate that wouldn’t happen, whether it’s a boy or a girl.

Whether it’s a boy or a girl, that child would be just like me, and eventually, they would live a different life.

Unlike Leonie, that child would have a righteous family.

Elizabeth didn’t notice at all that I wasn’t here by choice, confined against my will.

I had no intention of informing her that I couldn’t escape from here, either.

“Lady. Arin? Are you… planning to dedicate that child to the Duke?”

“To the Duke?”

She nodded in response to my question.

“I don’t know what it means to dedicate, but if it’s a vow of loyalty, then of course. It’s something that must be done.”

“But what if the child refuses? A predetermined destiny… What if the lady’s child has talent as a scholar, and that child ends up on the battlefield, risking their life? If they have to live as an unmarried person for their entire life?”

Elizabeth, who had been deep in thought, responded.

“There’s no other choice.”

“No other choice?”

“If they have to give up their life, then naturally, they will. It’s like when we couldn’t prevent the previous Empress, Duke’s mother, from being dethroned. There were quite a few who gave up their territory or chose to end their lives due to misfortune.”

Her eyes, which had always been melancholic, shone brightly.

“We survived that time to protect the Duke, the son of the former Empress. We’ll do anything for his sake.”

“Do all members of the family share the same sentiment?”

“Well, maybe not.”

No, Elizabeth, it won’t be like that. Your sister loves her young niece dearly, enough to raise her with pride in the Duke’s family. She’ll be as dedicated to her niece as she once was to the sword she pulled from the family’s storage and wielded on behalf of the Duke.

It was bitter.

Leonie didn’t have any relatives to embrace her or someone brave enough to confront the Duke alongside her with a sword.

“Don’t you have an appetite? Shall I bring more pastries?”

Elizabeth asked as she watched me poking at my food in mid-air.

“I’ve had enough. How about some tea instead of cookies?”

She nodded.

“I’ll have coffee.”

“Then I’ll have lemon tea. Here, will you prepare the tea for us?”

Elizabeth gestured to the maid who had been waiting outside the door.

Soon, a tray with a freshly brewed teapot and beautiful teacups arrived.

“I’ll prepare the tea for you.”

I raised my head at the familiar voice.

Through the tall tray, I saw a familiar face. It wasn’t a kitchen maid; it was Suren.

Suren pulled the tray towards the tea table. She lifted the teapot lid and then placed it back down.

Her movements were surprisingly brisk and efficient.

There was really no need for her to do this.

I furrowed my brow and looked at the teacup that was rattling.

The water in the pot was boiling vigorously.

Right before it spilled over, she turned off the stove. Then, she poured the water into the cups.

The first cup of tea is usually discarded, but she didn’t tilt the teacup to do so.

As I watched her, a sentence flashed in my mind, a conversation I had with Suren in the room, just before I fell ill.

‘It can be used as a sedative, but it can be fatal to pregnant women. There’s a risk of miscarriage.’

I turned to Suren.

She was opening a container and putting white powder into the teacup.

One spoonful.

Two spoonfuls.

Three spoonfuls.

Suren put several spoons into the sugar container.

It was a greater amount than Elizabeth usually consumed.