The Lady and the Stableman

Edith has worked at the clinic for more than seven years and has never seen a patient complain of symptoms like Walter’s.

He said his chest felt strained.

However, as she stood there, watching him slowly take his shirt off, she somehow began to understand more and more.

She wondered if it was these chest muscles that could be causing something like muscle pain.

The expression ‘strained’ is purely the patient’s subjective perception, after all.

“Please do something, Edith.” 

Walter propped up a pillow against the head of the bed and slowly leaned back.

Edith looked away for a moment, as his posture seemed more like that of a seductive statue than that of a patient.

“The strained spot is… um, if I gave you herbal oil, you could give me a massage.” 

“A massage?”

“Yeah. Just slide your fingertips along the feeling of muscle knots.” 

He gave Edith small bottles of herbal oil, which had several uses.

On a dark night, as they both smelled the bittersweet scent alone in his room, the vivid memories of the night when Walter got hurt while trying to save her from being kidnapped came flooding back.

“…” 

Seeing his back for the first time, she couldn’t help but be surprised when she involuntarily placed her hand on his captivating body.

For some reason, her lips felt dry, and the atmosphere seemed to grow strange. She felt as if something might happen if she didn’t leave the room immediately.

Walter grasped her slender wrist as if he didn’t want to miss her agitation.

“You treated the others yourself, Edith.”

“…!” 

Because he grabbed the hand holding the herbal oil, Edith ended up spilling the herbal oil on his chest.

The slick oil flowed along the curves of his deeply sculpted chest muscles.

The bittersweet aroma of the herbal oil now seemed as captivating as musk.

Edith felt embarrassed when she realized that the oil was spilling over his body and soaking his tanned skin, but at the same time, she couldn’t take her eyes off Walter, who was sensually feeling the slowly flowing liquid. 

Her body moved on its own as she remembered his sensuality. 

“… Then I’ll just show you a demonstration.” 

Edith put down the bottle of herbal oil and slid her fingertips over his chest. 

She could feel his Adam’s apple moving violently and his heartbeat speeding up.

When she sensed his sincere reaction that he couldn’t hide or conceal, her heart raced.

Without even realizing it, she was thinking about the time when she had engraved countless traces of herself on his perfect body that seemed crafted by God.

Walter smiled in satisfaction as he watched her gulp, even though she had left only faint fingerprints on his skin.

“Edith, why don’t you be honest now? You’re attracted to me right now.” 

She wanted to deny his words, but she couldn’t as soon as she looked into his dark green eyes.

Walter whispered, cooling her cheeks, which were hot like delicious fruits, with the back of his hand.

“I’ll go to the kitchen and bring some wine, so let’s have a meaningful conversation over a drink.” 

Edith did not hesitate because she also had something to say to him. If she went to get the wine and didn’t drink it, he would naturally ask for a reason, making it easier to reveal the fact that she was pregnant.

“I’ll go and get it. You can wipe off the herbal oil.” 

After firmly pressing his shoulder as he tried to get up, Edith left the room.

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“Haah…” 

As soon as Edith left the room, she exhaled a deep breath.

Whenever Edith looked into his dark green eyes, within his dominant presence, it felt like her mind was malfunctioning.

She walked towards the kitchen, contemplating his fascinating appearance.

The thought of finally telling him that she was pregnant made her strangely nervous.

Moreover, there was another problem.

Edith didn’t know whether he liked children or disliked them.

When she first learned about the pregnancy, she had considered whether he would be capable of taking responsibility for the child or not. But now, she also thought that he might not want to become a father.

『 If he doesn’t want to…』

While working at the clinic, she had seen quite a few expressions on men’s faces when they heard the news of an unwanted child.

If Walter said it was okay and was happy, making the same facial expressions as those men, she would understand the depths of human emotion.

『 …I’m scared, Walter.』

Edith confessed silently to herself, trying to shake off the heavy emotions.

But someone approached her with cautious steps.

“Miss Edith.” 

A man named Merlin, who had seen her face a few times while she was eating, was calling to her.

Since she was no longer Lady Fortrion, it was fine for him to call her by her name.

However, the gaze of the man who called her and looked around with her was extremely unsettling.

“What’s the matter?”

“We have a patient, and I was hoping you could take a look.” 

“…A patient?”

“Yes, there’s someone who came back late. It’s nighttime, and the apothecary seems to be asleep.” 

Though she was reluctant to keep Walter waiting, upon hearing that someone was in pain, she eventually had no choice but to follow him.

In case he tried to take her outside the building, she was prepared to resist, but he led her to a room on the first floor of the building.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Edith.” 

Inside, a young woman was waiting for her.

The strange thing was that she seemed unusually calm for someone in pain, and the bag placed beside her was filled with medicinal herbs, much like those used by apothecaries.

“It seems like my arm might be broken. I was hoping you could take a look.” 

“…” 

A patient with a genuinely broken arm couldn’t be this calm.

Just as Edith was frowning and feeling that something was amiss, the woman grabbed her wrist with a pleading look on her face.

“Please.”

“Release me before I start yelling and wake people up.” 

Edith scolded her coldly.

But the woman smiled calmly and slowly let go of her wrist before asking,

“You shouldn’t make threats while you’re pregnant, Edith. What if the baby in your belly learns bad things first?” 

“…” 

When the woman confidently mentioned the word ‘pregnant,’ Edith felt a moment of loss.

For a brief moment, the woman in front of her held her wrist and seemed to read her pulse.

In that case, denying it would be futile.

However, if it were revealed, it would complicate the situation for many people, especially Walter.

Thinking that she had exposed a dangerous secret, Edith’s gaze sharpened.

Now that her pregnancy was known, she had to be even more careful about everything she said.

“Are you an apothecary or a doctor?” 

“I should have hidden my bag, but I couldn’t.” 

Edith glared at Merlin, who had staged a little play by bringing in a doctor to check if she was pregnant.

However, he just shrugged and responded as if he were innocent.

“Is it my fault? You messed around and ended up carrying another man’s child, and now that a better guy has appeared, you’re trying to live off him.” 

“…” 

It was a deeply insulting misunderstanding for Edith.

However, instead of getting angry, she reflected on Merlin’s words.

『 This man… did he already notice that I was pregnant?』

Considering that they had recently shared meals, if he had a keen eye and was knowledgeable about how women react when they’re pregnant, he might have had a clue.

『 But since I didn’t inform Walter about the pregnancy, maybe he thinks I’m hiding it because it’s another man’s child.』

Furthermore, as she listened to him, there was a strange feeling of him leaning slightly in Walter’s favor.

His intention didn’t seem entirely pure, though.

『 Moreover, the medicine that was in the bag earlier…』

Edith clearly saw what was in the doctor’s bag, seemingly hired by Merlin.

It contained a potion that, when taken early in pregnancy, had an effect on removing the fetus.

Since Edith found out that she was carrying Walter’s child, she had been constantly debating whether to terminate it or take responsibility and raise it.

But when she actually saw the medicine to terminate the pregnancy, her heart hardened as if she had never really thought about it.

Edith wanted to protect the child between her and him.

“Merlin… Please keep it a secret from Walter. I’m begging you.” 

“Hmm…”

“The baby is from someone who has helped me, and I ended up spending a night with him out of necessity. It was a situation where I needed ongoing help. Walter won’t even know that I met that man.” 

With a desperate expression, Edith deceives him by trying to pass her baby off as another man’s.

It was possible that Merlin could be Elizabeth’s henchman.

If not, there was a good chance he had heard rumors elsewhere and might be targeting the blood flowing from Walter’s body.

Even if telling a lie tarnished her own reputation a bit, this method would be safer since she was determined to protect the child.

Then, a wicked smile appeared in Merlin’s mouth as the answer he had expected and hoped for came out of her mouth.

Any man in the world would lose all his affection if the woman he was interested in had another man’s child.

『 Walter will be no different.』

Silently, he thought about whether there was a woman of the appropriate age in his household whom he could marry off to Walter.

He imagined how good it would be if luck favored him, and he could secure Walter a noble title, thereby elevating his household to noble status.

At the same time, he feigned sadness outwardly, as if he cared for Walter more than anyone else in the world.

“Miss Edith, isn’t it too harsh on Walter?” 

“…” 

“If you truly care for Walter, you shouldn’t use him anymore. If you keep saying it was just a mistake and cling to him to take advantage of the benefits he provides, is that sincere?” 

Saying that, Merlin gestured with his eyes toward the side door in the room.

“As you know, Walter is a man who can become prominent. You should know well what choices are in his best interest, right?” 

Just as she was about to sarcastically respond with “Who wants to cling to whom,” Merlin spoke up.

“Leave. For his sake.” 

“…” 

Edith glared at Merlin’s cold face and the small medical knife that the woman was fiddling with.

Judging by their expressions, it seemed like these people might resort to force if she didn’t leave willingly.

She had no confidence in winning a physical confrontation with them, and if they forced her to take a potion to remove the child, it seemed like she had no way to escape either.

Edith’s mind raced as she saw the smile that Merlin couldn’t hide.

『 There are places outside the Militia Force that I know of, even if it’s just for a short while…』

In her mind, Edith quickly devised several scripts to get Merlin expelled from the Militia, then lowered her eyes like a miserable person.

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