The Lady and the Stableman

The first snow that fell last night was so light that the weather the next day was mild.

Thanks to Walter, who broke some branches and generously lit a fire, Edith could finally sleep in warmth and comfort.

As Walter gazed at her sleeping face, he recalled the expression she had shown the previous night.

⋙“Walter, the child is-.”⋘ 

When she said that, Edith was clearly hesitating. Her face resembled that of someone pondering whether to tell a lie.

『 Is she reluctant to reveal who the child’s father is?』

Walter frowned as he remembered Merlin’s words about Edith having another man’s child.

Walter looked around her nest carefully to organize his thoughts.

She didn’t seem to have a hobby of collecting knick-knacks, and in her modest-sized home, the most prominent items were books.

After Walter confirmed that she was fast asleep, he secretly took out the book she had been reading.

<Reproduction and Childbirth> 

The title was a bit appealing, but it was not that provocative because it mainly offered an academic explanation of the role and function of each body part.

『 How can one get excited reading something like this?』

No matter how much he thought about it, Walter couldn’t believe that Edith, who showed interest in such dull books, would send him away and entertain other men.

Even when Sophia asked her to have Hans’ child with the promise of a large sum of money, Edith did everything she could to refuse, determined to put a stop to it.

Walter had realized several times before that Edith’s nature was to use her wits to deceive others or escape from difficult situations.

For such a woman to resign herself completely, rely on another man’s help, and spend a night to have a child?

If it were Merlin who didn’t know her well and had underestimated her, he might have been deceived, but in the eyes of Walter, who had been watching Edith, it was a hasty lie.

Moreover, Walter knew that his physical condition made him very attractive to women.

There had been more than a few instances where he had been bothered by unwanted advances, so he couldn’t help but be aware of it.

『 There’s no way other guys would catch her eye.』

In fact, after bringing Edith to the Militia Building, Walter had asked Vivian if there had been anything unusual during his absence.

While he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Edith had prearranged things, Vivian mentioned that Edith had been leading a quiet daily life, even taking fewer walks.

If she spent the night for some unavoidable reason or because of her loneliness, it would have been someone she knew before, someone she trusted…

『 Benjamin and Isaac.』

Two names of men immediately came to mind, and Walter’s forehead furrowed slightly.

He had to meet Benjamin at least once before they left Fortrion, but it seemed like he would get into a fistfight as soon as he met him.

『 Maybe I should give it a shot when we meet.』

Walter shook his head and quickly skimmed through the rather unstimulating ‘reproduction’ section, moving on to the ‘childbirth’ part.

This section, too, was dominated by medical explanations, but there was no room for boredom.

In fact, as he read on, the unfamiliar horrors of a different world began to make his body stiffen.

『 So many women die while giving birth?』

Whether it dealt with medical content or not, the book seemed to be filled with descriptions of the risks and dangers of childbirth.

Thud―

Walter closed the book, unconsciously imagining Edith struggling in pain.

The fact that Edith had read this book forty times indicated that she was well aware of how demanding and dangerous childbirth could be.

However, there must have been a reason why Edith could not calmly say that she was the child’s biological father.

『 Maybe I’m still not trustworthy, or it might be better not to reveal it for some reason.』

In either case, Edith’s hesitation was likely the result of her anxiety and based on very reasonable conclusions.

Even when she first got entangled in Sophia’s pregnancy scheme, she momentarily had the cunning to propose a deal to him.

Unfortunately, the useless advice Cassius gave him crossed his mind.

⋙“Walter, if this brother can tell you something, usually women, who are good at everything on their own, are the hardest to seduce.”⋘

⋙“…”⋘ 

⋙“If the woman is the sloppy type, you can sneakily approach them and offer to help them, but women who are capable and smart don’t have a clue even when a crisis arises.”⋘

⋙“Why are you suddenly telling me this?”⋘

⋙“Well, anyway, those women always come up with the right answers. You know, there are remarkable, even if a child suddenly appears, they don’t think twice about raising it themselves, thinking the man isn’t really needed. That’s attractive in a way.”⋘

Come to think of it, Edith was also the type of person who grew up splendidly under her single mother’s care.

At this point, Walter had one thing on his mind.

『 …Could it be that she wants to raise the child on her own?』

If she were to declare that the child was fathered by another man, in essence, it would become a matter he couldn’t interfere with.

Moreover, considering his own situation, with memories and lineage not clearly revealed, Walter thought that Edith might even lie about the child’s father being someone else in order to protect the child.

『 And if she already heard that assassins were targeting me, it’s understandable that she became anxious.』

With a strange sense of defeat, he realized that he needed to get out of this uncertain situation as quickly as possible.

“I think you should get up, M’lady.” 

He said as he combed through Edith’s long blonde hair with his fingers.

She responded by stretching, making a strange noise that sounded like a small animal.

When he saw that there was no alertness, he had an unbearable urge.

Walter intentionally distanced himself from her.

While Edith quickly washed up and put on clothes that had dried well throughout the night, Walter prepared soup with ingredients that Philip had apparently bought.

He roughly chopped and cooked the ingredients, and although it looked rustic, it tasted quite excellent. 

As Edith ate it with pleasure, she glanced at Walter.

『 I thought he would keep asking who the child’s father was until the end.』

Of course, even if Walter had asked such a question, she would have remained tight-lipped for a while.

Maybe it was the right decision to hide the fact that the child is his to protect the baby and herself until Walter fully finds his place.

However, as Walter didn’t ask, Edith began to wonder if he believed Merlin’s words about her having another man’s child.

“Walter, if you’re curious about the child’s father, you can ask.”

She blurted out her words.

However, Walter was almost certain that she was pregnant with his child but was covering it up for some reason, so he didn’t feel particularly confused.

Still, he found her somewhat vexing as she spoke as if the child’s father was completely different. So, he decided not to miss the opportunity to ask.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Enjoy what?”

“The process of making a child. How was he, compared to being with me?”

“…”

Edith looked at him with a face filled with bewilderment, as if asking if that was really the only question.

But Walter met her gaze as if he were genuinely curious about only that.

“M’lady told me to ask if I was curious about the child’s father.”

“…”

“…Silence is probably the answer. Poor guy.”

After Walter replied confidently and audaciously, he added a few more words.

“Whatever you say about the child, I’ll raise that child with you, Edith.”

“…” 

Edith couldn’t help but be shaken by his words.

Walter seemed almost certain that the child was his, and the assumption that the child’s father was someone else didn’t seem to affect him much.

In that case, Edith thought it would be better to lie to others that the baby’s father is another man when they inevitably find out about her pregnancy.

After all, information had a way of leaking from unexpected sources.

『 As long as Walter’s situation becomes more stable than it is now.』

If it’s a lie to protect the child from Elizabeth and her higher-ups, then it would be worth it.

Walter briefly rolled his eyes and looked at her.

Looking at her reaction, it seemed like she was trying to figure out what to do with her child’s father.

No matter what she decides, he will end up raising the child by her side.

As they finished their meal, he said to her.

“If there are any items you want to take to the capital, take them with you. If there’s too much, we can get another wagon for transportation.”

Moving items to the distant capital would undoubtedly cost a significant amount of money, but Walter was telling her to take everything she wanted.

Edith wasn’t the type to buy a lot of things, so there wasn’t much to pack, but she appreciated his consideration.

“I’ll get ready quickly.” 

She brought out two large, worn-looking bags and pushed the small drawer where she kept her small tools to her side.

As she did so, a small hole in the floor that had been hidden by the drawer was revealed.

Edith put her finger into the hole and lifted out the flooring.

『 I’m glad Philip didn’t look around here.』

Everything inside this secret compartment was Edith’s treasure.

Cards exchanged with friends, gifts received from loved ones, and numerous letters that had been returned with a rejection stamp because she had only written the names, Isaac and Mrs. Leah, causing them to be sent back.

Edith carefully packed her treasures into the bag, smiling as she did so.

When she picked up a small wooden box that had been stored at the bottom, she recalled the tingling memories, causing her to burst into a small smile.

“Just these and the clothes Vivian brought… Ah!”

Edith suddenly stood up and searched through her bookshelf, as if she had almost forgotten something important.

She almost left behind her academy acceptance letter.

“I was originally supposed to enroll next autumn, but it seems difficult, so I should apply for a deferral of admission.”

Edith was well aware of the academy’s regulations.

If a person with the status of a baron or higher passed the entrance exam and got married, admission could be postponed for several years to take into account issues such as producing an heir.

『 There is at least one benefit to marrying a viscount.』

Edith cherished the acceptance letter.

It might have filled only a tenth of the bag she had confidently brought out.

Moreover, everything she had packed was essential for survival, and there were no signs of luxury items.

Walter thought that as soon as they moved to the capital, he should buy some cute things that she might like.

──────────✿◦•

Instead of heading straight to the Militia Building, the two of them decided to make a stop at the Homan Clinic.

“By now, Cassius will be looking into Merlin to see if he has superiors, so by the time we go in, we won’t even be able to see his face.”

The clinic happened to be nearby, and since he needed to give Cassius time to finish his work, he began to leisurely lead his horse to the clinic.

『 There are also some things I need to ask Benjamin.』

But as they got closer to the Homan Clinic, he noticed that Edith’s face turned brighter, so he thought it was a good decision to stop by.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen everyone, so I don’t know if they’ll be happy to see me.” 

Edith couldn’t determine how to face the people who had treated her like family for several years.

They must have been worried about the rumors surrounding her, thanks to the local newspapers and Benjamin, but she wonders if they will be taken aback to see her return with another man.

“Edith?”

The first person to spot the two people as they carefully approached the clinic was Benjamin, who was sweeping fallen leaves nearby.

“Benjamin!” 

Edith quickly got off the horse.

She intended to explain the situation to Benjamin and inquire if he could play along as if he were the child’s father.

However, it was Walter who acted faster by taking her aside rather than Edith taking Benjamin to a secluded spot.

“Edith, what if the baby in your womb gets startled when you get off the horse like that?”

As soon as he heard Walter’s words, Benjamin’s eyes widened.

Benjamin’s reaction ruled out the possibility that he had spent a night with Edith.

“Oh, a baby? With whom?”

“…” 

Edith, who had been outsmarted by Walter, looked embarrassed and averted her gaze.

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