Belladonna nervously paced around the room, biting her lower lip.
By now, Escalion must have heard the news too? He would return to the bedroom soon after finishing his work, and while she was excited to see his reaction upon learning about the baby, she was also worried.
‘Escalion…’
Belladonna recalled the time a few months ago when she had discussed children with him.
She had said to him as he spoke somewhat curtly.
It was a memory of being puzzled by his firm words that cut off her speech.
What was his answer to my question back then? Belladonna narrowed her eyes.
Ah, that’s how he had answered.
Belladonna sighed, slumping her shoulders.
Perhaps he wouldn’t be happy about the news of having a child.
But still… wouldn’t he be at least a little bit happy?
As she pondered, footsteps began to echo from the end of the corridor.
Belladonna perked up her ears and took a step back from the door.
“Bella.”
Soon, the door burst open and Escalion appeared.
Bringing in the cold air from outside with him, he stopped abruptly upon seeing her standing right in front of him.
A brief silence fell between them.
Belladonna spoke first, her voice slightly tense.
“Escalion, you know…”
“Wait, don’t come closer.”
Escalion extended his hand to stop her. Belladonna halted her steps towards him in surprise.
“What? Why so suddenly…”
Seeing his reaction as if avoiding her, it reminded her of his previous reluctance towards children.
Belladonna felt her heart sink as she looked up at him.
Seeing her despairing face, Escalion furrowed his brow and spoke.
“Please don’t make that expression. It’s not like that.”
“Then why…”
“Just a moment, I can’t… control myself…”
Escalion raised a hand to cover his eyes. His chest heaved up and down greatly, as if suddenly out of breath.
Belladonna stared with surprised eyes at his hand that was even trembling slightly.
“Escalion, are you alright?”
“Is what I heard correct?”
Escalion asked in a shaky voice.
In his current state with his face covered, she couldn’t tell how he was feeling.
Belladonna just looked up at him silently, unsure of how to respond.
“Is what Wolf told me true? That you’re… pregnant?”
When Belladonna didn’t answer, he slowly lowered the hand covering his eyes.
His golden eyes were filled with overwhelming emotion.
Still unable to grasp the situation, Belladonna slowly nodded.
“Haa…”
Confirming her answer, Escalion let out a deep breath.
With an expression that made it hard to tell if he was happy or not, he fully entered the room and began to spin around.
Escalion laughed for a moment, then suddenly shook his head, then took a surprised breath, then slowly exhaled, repeating this cycle.
Why is he acting like that? Belladonna, who had been quietly observing his strange behavior, opened her mouth.
“Escalion…? Will you calm down?”
At her voice, Escalion who had been wandering around the room stopped abruptly.
He stood there blankly for a moment like a broken toy, then strode towards her.
“Bella.”
About to embrace Belladonna instinctively, he paused his outstretched arms and spoke.
“…May I hug you?”
“Of course.”
“I’m not sure how careful I need to be in early pregnancy.”
Escalion carefully pulled her into his arms. Belladonna naturally rested her ear against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his thick waist.
His rapidly beating heart was making an incredibly loud sound.
Soon, he spoke in an extremely excited voice.
“I can’t believe it. That we’re… having a child.”
“Didn’t Escalion not want children?”
“What?”
Startled by Belladonna’s question, Escalion pulled away. He looked at her with a bewildered expression.
“That I didn’t want children?”
“You said you weren’t really thinking about children, that you liked the peaceful days we spend together.”
“When did I…”
Escalion, about to protest when he had said such a thing, stopped mid-sentence.
Recalling that he had indeed said that, he soon sighed with a troubled face.
“Back then, you seemed so disheartened…”
“Me?”
Looking down at Belladonna’s puzzled face, Escalion slowly began to speak.
“You clearly wanted a child, but it wasn’t happening right away.”
“Ah…?”
“I didn’t want to pressure you. And it’s true that I enjoyed the days I spent with you.”
So that’s what it was…?
Escalion had been considering her feelings.
Belladonna felt her heart tighten with emotion as she looked up at him.
His golden eyes, filled with the same emotion as hers, seemed so lovable.
“So Escalion is happy after all?”
“Can’t you tell? I’m losing my mind, unable to come to my senses.”
“I can see that! You look like a strange person!”
Belladonna nodded immediately.
Escalion chuckled at her response and embraced her again. Belladonna shifted to burrow deeper into his warm embrace.
“Bella, it’s going to be tough from now on. Tell me anytime if you’re uncomfortable.”
Escalion said in a low voice as he gently stroked the back of Belladonna’s head.
“If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell me right away.”
Belladonna nodded.
“I really… can’t believe it. I never imagined there would be the sound of a baby crying in Castle Griblata.”
His voice began to tremble subtly again.
Belladonna nodded once more, feeling her own chest trembling as well. She felt as if she were floating from the happiness that filled her to the brim.
[This is the timeline separator]A few weeks later.
Morning sunlight streamed into the couple’s bedroom. Belladonna opened her eyes feeling fresh and invigorated as usual.
Usually, nausea and vomiting begin in early pregnancy, but even several weeks after learning of her pregnancy, Belladonna hadn’t experienced any negative symptoms.
‘Is the baby well-behaved?’
Belladonna slowly raised her upper body while rubbing her still-flat lower abdomen.
As she gazed at the gradually brightening window, she naturally turned her head to look at Escalion sleeping beside her.
Huh? But…
“…You weren’t asleep?”
Escalion, who had been looking at her with his eyes open, nodded instead of answering.
Feeling somehow shy, Belladonna opened her mouth.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were sleeping so soundly.”
She quietly closed her mouth and looked at her husband, whose features had become somewhat sharper. He had lost a bit of weight compared to a few weeks ago.
Belladonna placed her hand on his sunken cheek and asked.
“Did you not sleep well last night either?”
“I did sleep.”
Escalion answered briefly, nuzzling her hand with his face as if complaining.
Belladonna looked at him with concerned eyes.
“I’m really fine, I tell you…”
“I know. It’s just me being anxious.”
Contrary to her maintaining a better condition than usual, Escalion was becoming more sensitive with each passing day.
Knowing how taxing pregnancy and childbirth can be on a woman’s body, he was on edge, worrying that Belladonna might feel even the slightest discomfort or pain.
For weeks, he had been barely sleeping, watching over her all night.
“Please try to relax. It’s not like I’m going to collapse as soon as the baby is born, right?”
“I know that too. I know, but I can’t help it.”
Having said that, he lay down looking at the ceiling as if tension had left his body.
“If others saw, they’d think Escalion was the pregnant one, not me. My complexion is improving like this, while Escalion is becoming more haggard day by day.”
At Belladonna’s words, Escalion chuckled with a low laugh. He shook his head and opened his mouth.
“How am I going to endure several more months in this state? I don’t have confidence.”
“Don’t worry excessively or imagine ominous things, try to picture a happy future.”
Belladonna lay down next to him. She looked at Escalion for a moment, then placed her finger on his chest and moved it lightly.
“Imagine the child being born and walking around this room.”
“It will be chaotic, I think.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“But it will be happy. It might be cute to see a little one walking around busily on tiny feet.”
At Escalion’s words, Belladonna smiled brightly.
“Right?”
“But Bella.”
As she was pleasantly imagining their future with the child in her mind, Escalion suddenly caught her hand that was moving on his chest.
His hot thumb slowly stroked the back of her hand. A sly smile gradually turning upwards was visible to her bewildered gaze.
Huh? Somehow the atmosphere seems to have changed…?
“What did the physician say?”
“Pardon?”
“Now that we’re past the very early stages, I wonder if it’s alright to be a bit rough at this point?”
Before she knew it, golden eyes filled with deep desire and emotion were looking at her.
Belladonna slightly pulled her body away from his now stiff body and asked in a small voice.
“W-Why did you suddenly become like this?”
“Because of your fingers trailing down my body.”
“When did I…”
Belladonna couldn’t finish her words as she blankly looked up at Escalion, who was now covering her body with his own raised torso.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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