On the day Helen stood in the square as the new Lord of Fortrion, Walter acted as if he were trying to escape, luring the assassins who were attacking him to a deserted location.
Walter thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to reveal to the people in the square that he possessed magical powers, but Elizabeth’s assassins were already aware of his magic abilities.
Once they reached a secluded forest area, Walter stopped and turned to face the assassins.
“Since you’ve followed me so well, as a reward, how about I show you something fun?”
The assassins, who had been aiming their swords at him with fierce eyes, chuckled mockingly, warning him not to be pretentious.
Crack―!
Suddenly, as their ribs and leg bones broke, they gritted their teeth in excruciating pain.
“Ugh!”
Most of them lost consciousness due to the intense agony caused by Lexion’s magic destroying their bodies.
『 Did they all faint?』
Walter, who had withdrawn his magic, wanted to confirm if the assassins had indeed lost consciousness.
“…”
But for some reason, Walter was struck by an intense headache.
Even though he clenched his teeth, his brain felt like it was being squeezed, and somewhere in the distance, a scratching sound on a chalkboard painfully echoed in his ears.
As Walter dropped his head in pain that felt like his heart was being torn apart, something splattered on the dirt floor. It was blood bursting from his nose.
『 … Why is this happening?』
Knowing that Cassius was following, Walter quickly tore off the unconscious assassin’s clothes.
As he used the improvised rag to stop the bleeding and wipe his face, the blonde assassin whom Walter had assumed was unconscious ran away.
“That bastard!”
“Walter!”
Thanks to Cassius following him at the right time, they were able to give chase and recapture the blond assassin, but the memory of that moment was quite a shock to Walter, even though he was dulled by pain.
If Walter hadn’t been confused, he would have lied to Cassius and said that it was not the blood pouring from his nose but the blood of the assassins.
『 I didn’t think it was a normal symptom, but it was indeed related to my magic.』
Judging from the doctor’s expressions, it seemed like his condition was serious. Just then, when Walter heard Edith’s gentle and lively voice coming from the next room, it made him feel as if he had fallen into the underworld.
To a dark world where he will be forever separated from Edith and the little one in her womb. He could live by her side as long as he didn’t use magic any further, but the situation didn’t seem like it would work out that way.
Walter asked, barely able to keep his mind from fading away.
“In the letter you sent earlier, you mentioned something like the baby needing my magic power.”
“That’s…”
George instantly shrank as if he had just faced a predator. There was no room for him to come up with plausible lies regarding the young master’s health.
After hearing about the baby’s condition from Thelma, who was examining in the next room, he returned to his place.
“I’ll be honest with you. The baby in the Lady’s womb needs the magic of its biological father. If she doesn’t receive the necessary magical energy during pregnancy, then the baby…”
George struggled to continue speaking for a while but eventually opened his mouth under Walter’s relentless stare.
“There is a high possibility that the baby will become terminally ill, just like Lady Leah.”
“…”
“For more details, we will have to perform a checkup after the baby is born, but even if the baby drinks three or four potions every day, it will only live until its mid to late twenties.”
Franz wiped his pale face with both hands.
To him, this was a nightmare. A nightmare that God had bestowed upon him for not having found Leah’s child earlier.
The idea that Edith and Walter’s child would have a short life was more agonizing for Franz than anyone else. But Walter squeezed the last of his patience and asked, suppressing his emotions.
“What if I infuse magic into the baby now?”
“Young Master’s magic power has not yet reached the awakening stage. If we calculate the amount that would be consumed to awaken it…”
George derived the result from a complicated formula by considering Walter’s current magical state and quantity.
“Even if you don’t use any magic at all after sharing it with the child, you have three years. After that, there will be a magical outburst, and you’ll lose all your memories. Unlike the first outburst, your body will be too damaged to function.”
“…”
“At least, since the lady has no magic, the baby’s magic power will be less than that of Lady Leah.”
Franz, almost out of his mind, asked if it wouldn’t work with his own magical power, to which George shook his head with a deep bow, unable to meet Franz’s gaze.
Seeing this, Franz couldn’t bear to listen any longer and was prepared to get up.
In a moment of resolute determination, Walter called him back in a firm voice.
“Grandfather.”
“…”
Walter’s eyes were so cold that both Franz and George froze in place.
“Even if my body is damaged, my life will not end, so for now, I would like to keep today’s incident a complete secret.”
Walter’s intense green eyes shone as if to convey that there was no room for negotiation.
In reality, Walter had no intention of changing his mind.
⋙“I’m pregnant. It’s this man’s child.”⋘
At that moment, recalling the trust and affection Walter saw in Edith’s eyes, his decision seemed perfectly natural.
Edith never mentioned it directly, but Walter knew it implicitly.
The reason she got used to doing everything on her own was that after her mother died, there was no one to lend her a shoulder during what must have been the most difficult and frightening time of her life.
Walter often wondered if things would have been easier for her if he had been by her side.
Finally, he had gained the trust of that woman, and now that he was unable to protect their child, he thought he would have been better off dead.
“Don’t you say I have three years for the awakening and share magic with the baby? But the baby has less than a year.”
“…”
“So, first, let’s give the baby some magic power, and then spend the next three years looking for a solution to my problem. I happened to find a mage who has a good understanding of magic.”
Franz and George were at a loss for words as the person concerned, who could lose his memory and suffer physical damage if something went wrong, came forward strongly.
Walter emphasized to the two of them.
“I trust that you will keep this a secret until we find a solution, especially from Edith.”
Walter had no intention of telling Edith about what was happening to his body.
At this point, there was no solution to the problem.
If he uses Lexion’s resources, he might be able to find a solution.
Just a few days ago, Walter was hugging Edith from behind, lying side by side with his hands on her still-small belly. Now, he couldn’t bear to put her in a situation where she had to choose between their baby and him.
The complexity of his emotions was enough to deal with alone.
Edith, carrying their child, should see only good things, and think only good things.
All she had to do was give birth safely to their baby.
“… Walter.”
Just as he was thinking that, Walter heard a trembling voice from behind him.
Edith couldn’t hear the entire conversation, but she sensed that the atmosphere was heavy.
Seeing Walter’s gesture, the others briefly left the room. When they were alone, he hugged Edith and whispered to her.
“Edith, I’ve heard about the baby. They said I can reach my awakening quickly and give it to our child, so don’t worry.”
“…”
Edith recalled the atmosphere from a moment ago.
Of course, the idea of the baby becoming terminally ill if they didn’t take action was as horrifying to her as it was to anyone else.
However, the expressions on the Duke’s and the doctor’s faces were a bit darker as they discussed a problem that showed no signs of being resolved.
『 I thought the doctor said the baby’s problem wasn’t difficult to solve.』
As she was about to ask if they were really talking about that, Walter pressed his lips to her forehead.
“You just need to know that I will never give up on you or our child under any circumstances, Edith.”
His sincere words left no room for doubt.
──────────✿◦•
Around the same time, a simple tea gathering was taking place at the capital’s manor that Elizabeth had acquired with her inheritance.
“Thank you for inviting me, Elizabeth.”
It was Viscountess Carter addressing her with such a pretense of friendliness.
Elizabeth forced a fake smile and thought to herself.
『 Why did she pressure me into inviting her when we’re not even close?』
Viscountess Carter was also a close aide of the Imperial Consort Dowager, and while she maintained a polite facade, they were by no means close enough to share tea together.
Elizabeth didn’t like her because she persistently sought a Lady-in-waiting position, even though she had no special abilities or keen instincts to serve the Imperial Consort Dowager closely.
Elizabeth felt a strangely unpleasant sensation because she felt like she was looking at herself as if she had to rely on a greater power.
『 It’s not like I’d blindly cling to anyone without knowing my place.』
Above all, the woman in front of her secretly disparaged her status until she became one of Nicholas Fortrion’s wives.
She must surely remember that incident, but if she came to see me, despite swallowing her pride…
『 Does she need money?』
As Elizabeth pondered the woman’s true motives, the woman spoke first.
“It may be nothing, but the Imperial Consort is very worried about Lexion. I heard that the Duke of Lexion invited Edith Fortrion to his manor this morning.”
“…”
“Wasn’t Elizabeth’s role to prevent the heir from coming to the capital?”
This was the main reason why Elizabeth disliked Viscountess Carter.
Viscountess Carter was known to be lacking in the ability to handle significant tasks, but she certainly lit up when there was gossip. She knew a lot of information as she managed to insert herself into important events by going the extra mile, giving gifts like a key figure of the Imperial Consort Dowager’s faction.
“The Imperial Consort Dowager is very angry. I stopped by because I wanted to comfort you with this sweet news.”
Viscountess Carter continued, justifying her personal regret of being disgraced by the Duke of Lexion, caused by Edith, as a benefit to her cause.
“I’m thinking of saying a few words about Edith Fortrion, as people might enjoy the story, but I was hoping you could support me financially.”
There was a wicked smile on her lips as she said that.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
