‘What’s wrong?’
Did I say something wrong?
I don’t think I said anything to upset Kaern…
I averted my gaze slightly from him and stared into space, pondering over everything I had said so far.
I couldn’t bear to look directly at his frosty, ice-cold face.
But not wanting to obviously turn away and possibly upset him further, I came up with this subtle tactic.
Nevertheless, as I quickly racked my brain, I couldn’t figure out what I might have done wrong.
‘I really don’t know.’
It was no use.
As wonderful as it was to be alone with the person I secretly loved, my head had been a mess from overthinking.
I decided it would be better to leave and think things over, so I slightly moved my eyes.
Then, our eyes met – his icy stare and my bewildered gaze.
“I think I should go now, Duke.”
I tried to keep my face as neutral as possible as I spoke.
“…Leaving already?”
His expression slightly changed at my mention of leaving.
“Yes. I just remembered I have some things to sort out and tasks to do.”
I quickly blurted out what I needed to say, not wanting to get caught up in his pace again.
“Is this task so urgent that you need to rush back for it?”
Today, Kaern was acting really strangely.
He wasn’t the type to probe so persistently. Usually, he would leave first, even if he was with Adelia…
“So… uh…”
I hadn’t expected him to question me further and scrambled to think of tasks I had to do at home.
“Ah, I forgot to give Adelia a gift. It’s important, and I want to send it to her as soon as possible. She’d be happier if it arrives at her new home. I’m a bit anxious about it.”
It wasn’t a lie.
I had indeed forgotten one of the gifts I prepared for Adelia’s wedding and planned to send it with a letter as soon as I got back.
“…I’ll take you there.”
“What? No, you don’t have to do that. I can go by myself.”
Thankfully, my quick thinking seemed to work, but I politely declined his offer to take me home.
However, he just glanced at me and, ignoring my words, started walking.
‘Sigh…’
I sighed internally and quietly followed him.
The carriage of the Rabelion family was much larger than ours, allowing us to maintain a certain distance.
We both remained silent during the ride.
While he seemed unbothered as he was naturally taciturn, I felt uncomfortable.
I usually enjoyed chatting with people, so this silence felt especially awkward.
Yet, I resisted the urge to speak, fearing his unexpected response.
Fortunately, he spent the journey reading a book, sparing me from having to initiate a conversation.
Occasionally, I stole glances at him.
‘He really is incredibly handsome.’
Adelia was stunning in her own right, but Kaern, her brother, was equally remarkable in looks.
Anyone seeing the Rabelion siblings together would surely be awestruck by their appearance.
Though they resembled each other, they gave off entirely different vibes.
If Adelia had black hair tinged with light brown, Kaern owned hair as dark as the night sky. Adelia had inherited the blue eyes of her father, the former Duke of Rabelion, while Kaern mirrored the vivid red eyes of his late mother, the Duchess.
Suddenly, seeing him, so reminiscent of Adelia, I longed for my friend, though we had parted not long ago.
‘What now…’
Though I had braced myself, the prospect of days without Adelia filled me with a rising tide of sorrow and loneliness, involuntarily bowing my head. I felt tears well up and forcefully restrained them to avoid crying.
Crying here would seem like I had to make a lengthy excuse to Kaern.
So, to divert my thoughts, a sudden idea struck me amidst the turmoil in my mind.
‘What if… I moved closer to where Adelia lives and quietly tended a garden?’
The thought of staying near her, as before, suddenly surfaced.
‘No.’
No, that wasn’t a viable option.
I gathered myself together. Adelia now had a lifelong partner at her side.
As much as I yearned to see her, I couldn’t intrude on the newly embarked life of my friend and her spouse.
We had always been inseparable unless something special occurred, but now we each had our own lives to lead.
‘My life.’
Reflecting, I realized I had never seriously considered what to do after graduating from the academy. I always assumed that whatever my future held, it would be with Adelia.
But that’s no longer the case.
So, what about my future…
Unconsciously, I glanced at Kaern, then quickly averted my gaze, fearing eye contact. Thankfully, he was still engrossed in his book.
Relieved, I continued my thoughts. For a noble lady, the typical future involved marrying a man from another noble family and bearing heirs.
My future might seem the same to others, given my highly desirable fiancé.
But my engagement with Kaern wasn’t typical.
It wasn’t a bond of strategy or contract, but one formed from his kindness.
That’s why, in the future I often imagined… he was never there.
He shouldn’t be.
My unrequited love, based on his kindness, had its limits.
‘Sigh…’
It was a sorrowful unrequited love, but if the feelings aren’t mutual, it’s right to give up.
Afterward, though it would hurt, I sincerely hoped he would find a good woman.
I planned to ask him for a breakup, the only kindness I could offer, knowing he would never suggest it first.
We became engaged when I was 14, and Kaern was 20.
I lost my parents in a carriage accident right after I turned 14.
I was in the carriage too, but only I miraculously survived when my parents passed away. It was thanks to my mother’s protection, who shielded me as the carriage overturned. But losing my parents wasn’t the only thing I faced.
We had the honor of nobility but not enough funds to sustain our barony. My parents had accumulated debts from various sources. Relatives, fearing these debts would be passed on to them, became desperate to marry me off to any wealthy household. They even eyed the position of a young bride for an elderly Duke, known for his immense wealth.
Fortunately, those plans did not materialize, but the threat of such unsavory prospects loomed over me constantly.
Trembling with anxiety and worry, one day, Kaern and Adelia came to see me. The siblings had lost their parents earlier and were left on their own. Despite his young age of twenty, Kaern was admirably leading the Rabelion Duchy in a manner no other noble could underestimate.
I vividly remember the day they visited. It’s a day I can never forget, a day so significant that even if someone threatened me with a sword to forget, it was impossible to erase from my memory.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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