“Your Majesty, I think I might be pregnant.”

Kasallin, even as she spoke those words herself, felt no sense of reality.

At the same time, the memory of carrying Shallen’s child felt as vivid as if it had happened just yesterday.

“A child? A child, you say? You’re pregnant before we’ve even held the wedding ceremony?”

His bewildered expression, faintly visible through his eyes, which he couldn’t quite conceal.

His voice, repeatedly asking, “How did this happen?” as if it were someone else’s affair, still lingered in her mind.

“The heir to the Kan royal family will be born sooner than expected. We should start thinking about a name for our crown prince.”

His selfish smile, speaking in a subtly pressuring tone, as if he hadn’t even considered the possibility of a princess, simply reveling in his joy.

All of those moments remained in Kasallin’s heart like an old scar.

At this very moment, the anxiety of that day was beginning to resurface.

In a flustered voice, Kasallin stammered on.

“No, perhaps it’s not true. It could just be food poisoning, or maybe, unluckily, some other illness.”

“Kasallin.”

“Please don’t worry too much, Your Majesty. It’ll be fine. I…”

“Kasallin. Calm down and look at me.”

As if soothing a startled child, his large hands gently cupped her cheeks.

His earnest, honey-colored eyes, as if sprinkled with stardust, carefully studied Kasallin’s face.

Parnes, disregarding decorum, sat down on the bathroom floor beside Kasallin and pulled her into his embrace.

“I just told you, didn’t I? I’m always by your side.”

“Your Majesty.”

“It’s natural to be scared. There’s nothing strange about it. How shocked and confused you must be. Yet, to remain this composed, I think you’re truly remarkable and admirable.”

Though Parnes appeared quite surprised, he neither panicked nor became overly excited, calmly considering what needed to be done.

He gently tidied Kasallin’s sweat-dampened hair and kissed her face in various places.

Thanks to him, Kasallin was able to gradually calm her heart.

“Thank you for saying that, Your Majesty.”

“I’m your husband. It’s only natural, nothing to be thankful for. If anything, I should have noticed your condition first.”

“Please don’t say that. I only just realized myself.”

“It’ll be tough, but we should call the court physician for a check-up first. You can just lean on me comfortably.”

Parnes carried Kasallin out of the bathroom.

Crossing into the next room, he rang the bell, and Lady Dawson and Sir Nigel, hurrying in, immediately sensed something had happened from the atmosphere.

“Your Majesty, what is the matter?”

“Summon the court physician at once. But do so discreetly, without causing a stir.”

“Yes, Your Majesty’s command will be obeyed.”

Sir Nigel left to fetch the physician.

The quick-witted Lady Dawson lit the fireplace to warm the room and brought a handkerchief and water.

Shortly after, Sir Leon, the court physician, arrived and, after glancing at Kasallin’s complexion, asked Parnes what was wrong.

“The Empress’s condition seems unusual. We need a thorough examination, so prepare immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please wait a moment.”

The court physician, quick to understand, seemed to grasp what was needed.

He instructed his assistant to fetch the necessary equipment from the laboratory, and soon the table was lined with various herbs and elixirs.

“We need to draw blood for the examination. I humbly request permission to touch Your Majesty’s person.”

“Go ahead, as much as needed.”

Kasallin extended her arm, trembling slightly at the chilling sensation of the sharpened medical knife grazing her skin.

Sir Leon placed the blood in a bottle with a clear liquid, stirred it, and then mixed it at regular intervals with an elixir that smelled faintly of grass.

Soon, bubbles began to rise in the elixir as if it were heated, and its color started to change, like paint dripping into water.

Lady Dawson, watching silently from the side, was the first to grasp the meaning of the result, her eyes widening as a married woman would.

“How is it?”

“This is…”

Kasallin and Parnes waited anxiously for Sir Leon’s response, their faces tense.

Sir Leon set down the elixir, stood up, and bowed respectfully.

“Congratulations. You are with child.”

As the unbelievable became reality before her eyes, Kasallin was at a loss for words.

She hadn’t anticipated things would turn out this way, and questions about how this could happen grew larger.

But above all, her greatest concern was Parnes’s reaction.

She wasn’t confident he would take the news joyfully, as he had never shown even the slightest desire for an heir.

Kasallin looked up with a half-doubting expression and, upon seeing him, realized all her worries had been unnecessary.

“…My lady.”

Kasallin swore she had never seen such an expression on Parnes’s face before.

She couldn’t even begin to describe the myriad emotions flickering across his face.

Would it be like someone who had lived their whole life in an underground city, emerging to the surface for the first time and seeing a lush forest and the sea?

No, that didn’t quite capture it.

A faint joy emanated from his trembling eyes, his lips were tightly pressed with a hint of fear, and his arms, firmly embracing Kasallin’s waist, conveyed a steadfast sense of responsibility.

He was taking this situation very seriously and cautiously, yet an intense, uncontainable joy was also surging within him.

“My lady, are you alright?”

Parnes studied Kasallin’s expression.

Kasallin, still a bit dazed but no longer confused, nodded.

“I think I’m happy. It doesn’t feel real yet, though. And you, Your Majesty?”

“It feels like I’ve placed too great a burden on your small frame, and I’m not sure what to say… but one thing is certain: I feel the same as you, my lady.”

That dream had been real.

When they had left everything behind in the Kan Kingdom and first entered the Renel Empire with Parnes.

That strange dream, where a beautiful boy called her mother and ran into her arms, was clearly not just a fleeting daydream.

Kasallin looked at Sir Leon.

“Sir Leon, I never thought I could conceive. A doctor once told me I wouldn’t be able to have children. How did this happen?”

“I can assure you, Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with your health. If I may be so bold, that doctor likely misdiagnosed due to their own limited knowledge.”

The fragrant tea poured from the teapot, filling the round teacup with a clear sound.

Aster, while pouring the tea, glanced sideways at the unexpected guest.

Then, with a light scoff between his teeth, he let out a faint smirk.

“It feels like just yesterday you said you couldn’t stand the sight of my face, yet today isn’t even allowance day. So why the visit, our dear Queen?”

Aster set the teacup on the table and sat across from Rose.

Rose, sipping the translucent tea with rising steam, spoke in a calm, measured voice.

“Your family has been researching alchemy for generations. Calling yourselves pharmacists was just an excuse for the world to see.”

“I don’t recall ever telling you that directly. How did you know?”

“I am the Queen, after all.”

The Renel Empire was the only nation in the Western Continent that recognized alchemy.

In contrast, the Kan Kingdom persecuted alchemy, branding it as heretical sorcery that threatened royal and divine authority, and it had nearly vanished there.

Ironically, the Kan Kingdom’s upper class, which so fiercely suppressed alchemy, secretly engaged in active trade with Renel Empire alchemists.

“Thanks to the high and mighty, that old glory has long faded. So why bring it up now?”

Aster said, sipping his tea loudly.

Rose pulled a few gold bars from her pouch and placed them on the table.

Aster’s greedy gaze naturally turned toward them.

“What’s this?”

“An elixir to conceive a prince. I desperately need it now. I’ll discreetly support you to avoid the Papal Court’s eyes, so make it.”

“And if I refuse?”

At his blunt refusal without a moment’s hesitation, Rose frowned.

“Don’t you understand the situation? I’m saying I’ll provide everything needed to make the elixir.”

“Look, Rose Robepon Riche, aren’t you the one who doesn’t understand the situation?”

“What… what did you just say?”

The teacup in Aster’s hand was set down on the table with a clink.

“Why should I do something that would help you?”

“So you’re saying we’re making a deal, aren’t you? Don’t you jump at anything involving money?”

“That’s true. The world may betray me, but money doesn’t. But you know what? I enjoy watching someone squirm in pain and slowly fall to ruin even more than immediate profit.”

That’s a spectacle money can’t buy.

Muttering this, Aster kissed the gold bar and gently returned it to Rose’s hand.

Trembling with rage as if her whole body were shaking like an aspen, Rose finally hurled the gold bar at his head, screaming.

“Aster, are you really going to be like this? I’m ordering you! I’m the Queen! The mistress of this country!”

“…”

“Why does everyone ignore me? Why do they all love and miss Kasallin? I’m trying so hard too. To protect my place!”

“…Tch, what a temper.”

Aster clicked his tongue and rubbed his head where the gold bar had struck.

“Ow, that hurt.”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“No, I’m not. I don’t know what you want me to do. If you thought the love and glory you gained by betraying your sister would stay sweet forever, maybe your conscience picked the wrong place to settle.”

“What did you say…?”

Aster stood, saying he had nothing more to say, and left the room without sparing her a glance.

Rose, standing in a daze, shocked, took a step forward but suddenly stopped.

Her eyes trembled ominously, and a chill ran down her spine.

“No, it’ll be fine.”

Muttering incomprehensible words to herself as if casting a spell, she moved forward, already seeming to sense something ominous.