“Del, are you alright?”

Pryde gently brushed Delphine’s cheek as she lay weakly on the bed.

She, who had not been able to eat anything for several days, could only nod her head with a pale, exhausted face.

“……”

Pryde’s eyes darkened heavily as he looked at her.

The old doctor who had drawn her blood kept a close eye on him, but did not hesitate to offer his advice as a physician.

“It’s good to have a loving relationship between husband and wife, but everything in moderation…. Above all.”

The doctor was quite perceptive.

He glanced at the quiet corridor of the mansion, devoid of any servants, and added,

“Even if your health is weak, taking appropriate outings and social activities… is good for both physical and mental well-being.”

Perhaps keeping her confined to the mansion was an unreasonable choice after all?

Of course, he knew this fact in his head.

In fact, he had even let her move about freely.

That was before he found out she had tried to deceive and betray him.

However, more than a month had passed since then.

During that time, they had spent every night and day together without fail.

Just the two of them.

Those were times of greater intimacy than any other moment.

‘After going through those times, have your thoughts changed even a little?’

Pryde brushed her hair, soft enough to melt, lost in thought.

He knew her better than anyone else.

That moist expression, voice, and body movements that drove him crazy when she was in his arms.

Those were never an act or a lie.

In those moments when they held each other, both she and he forgot all other facts.

Our births, our status, our past. Even the uncertain future…

He had changed so much, and he wondered if something had changed within her as well.

“It could be morning sickness.”

The moment she heard those words, what did her pale, frozen expression mean?

…Even if she wanted the fruit of these intimate times, he could not give it to her.

Ioan’s expression was darkly lowered as he stroked her hair.

Delphine looked up at him with a pale face, lost in thought.

“Call them. When you see an opportunity.”

Yes.

Perhaps it would be easier to call them from within than to have them invade from the outside.

As proof, Ioan had only stationed many knights around the mansion, but did not allow a single maid to enter the mansion itself.

The only outsider who had entered in a month was the doctor.

Now that she was sick and his guard seemed weakened, this was the opportunity.

How could she further break down his defenses from here?

Did he really believe her when she pretended to love him in order to deceive him?

If she used the same method again, a man who had never been fooled before would not fall for a second attempt.

…But if love doesn’t work, what about this?

When the doctor mentioned pregnancy, his face turned deathly pale.

There seemed to be some clue there.

Delphine, who had made up her mind, slowly parted her lips.

“Baby.”

At that one word, Ioan momentarily flinched with a subtle movement.

It was very rare for him, who was skilled at hiding his emotions.

Just as she thought.

Even when the doctor brought up the topic of pregnancy earlier, he was unable to hide the complex emotions that appeared on his face.

Perhaps this was his weakness?

Ioan, who had been observing her with a cautious expression, asked,

“…Could it be that you also desire a child, my lady?”

She had to answer well.

It was a blessing that her current physical condition was not good.

She didn’t have to try to show a joyful or bright appearance.

Delphine simply nodded, burying her face in the pillow as if her body was tired.

“I grew up lonely. My mother passed away early as well….”

“……”

Even if he pretended not to know and did not answer, he must know as well.

How lonely Delphine had been in this desolate mansion during her childhood.

When she mixed a little truth into the lie, like she had done before, his expression softened even more.

He believed her words to be true.

Hiding the feeling of victory deep in her heart, Delphine recited weakly.

As if the hidden sincerity was leaking out, taking advantage of her weakened state.

“That’s why I always thought it would be nice to have bright, playful children in this mansion….”

“…Children?”

He asked kindly, stroking her hair as if to soothe her.

“…Even if they are children with me?”

The end of his words trembled slightly.

It was the first time he had revealed his emotions so honestly.

When she slightly raised her head, she saw trembling auburn eyes filled with sincerity.

For a moment, guilt tried to wash over her, but Delphine quickly pulled herself together.

‘Get a grip. He’s the man who deceived and held you until now.’

“…You are my husband, and currently my entire world.”

Delphine buried her face in the pillow and answered weakly.

“Then whose children would they be?”

In an instant, a shudder visibly ran through his face.

Surprisingly, his eyes filled with moisture.

This time, Delphine could not hide her emotional turmoil and her eyes trembled finely.

She had never even thought that this man could cry.

Even in his boyhood, when he was younger and more fragile, he had never shed a single tear despite being brutally beaten.

“…Ioan?”

He embraced her with an intense gesture.

Even his solid body, covered in muscle, was trembling slightly.

“Del… To you, I….”

Her heart pounded and trembled at that choked, moist voice.

Delphine unknowingly raised her trembling hands and reached out towards him.

This shouldn’t be happening.

Please don’t do this. Get a grip, Delphine Pembrook.

But her body did not listen to her mind.

Could anyone really push away a man who bowed his huge and imposing body, as if her embrace was his everything?

Especially a man with whom they had shared everything, day and night?

Delphine could not bring herself to reject him, and with her thin arms, she held him tightly, unable to fully embrace his firm body.

The more she did so, the deeper he burrowed into her embrace.

Her heart was a muddy mess of guilt and disgust.

Yet the warmth of their tightly pressed bodies was inevitably comforting.

What was that intense flow of emotion he had shown that day?

She still couldn’t know for sure, but at least one thing was certain – the answer she had given was the right one.

After that, he noticeably let his guard down.

The stomachache also subsided quickly.

The period when she couldn’t swallow anything passed like a lie, and these days she strangely craved sour and sweet things.

It was a wonder, considering her original taste that didn’t particularly enjoy sweets.

However, even after her physical condition improved, he treated her very carefully, unlike before.

It was a clear change from the past when he sometimes acted so roughly that it was startling.

And Delphine could clearly feel that it wasn’t simply because he was worried about her health.

He was a man who was never satisfied even when they joined bodies day and night.

But lately, he was more gentle and mild than ever.

If she showed signs of struggling, he would finish after just once and pull away.

Yet the look of something unresolved that always lingered on his face had disappeared.

“Del.”

His eyes, gazing at her and softly kissing her forehead, held only satisfaction.

“…Ioan.”

At those times, Delphine also smiled back at him wistfully.

As if she had finally given up everything.

Pretending to have resigned herself like this, pretending to accept her fate, she had been slowly letting his guard down, until one day.

“Del. Shall we go out today, and visit the clinic as well?”

He asked with a face as gentle as a spring breeze.

“…The clinic?”

Her physical condition hadn’t been bad recently, so why?

As Delphine swallowed the seasonal fruit that had been continuously arriving these days and asked, he smiled softly.

“It’s time for the blood test results from last time. …It’s been a while, so you can take the opportunity to go out as well.”

It had been almost two months.

It was the first time she had been granted permission to go out since being confined to this mansion.

This was it.

A thrilling sense of victory rose in her heart.

The opportunity she had been waiting for so long seemed to have finally arrived.

But at times like this, one had to be cautious.

“…No.”

Delphine quietly shook her head.

Then, to him who was examining her with curious and slightly suspicious eyes, she quickly added,

“I still feel a bit unwell… If it’s a pregnancy, I heard it’s best to be careful in the early stages.”

At that, his eyes visibly trembled with an emotion he couldn’t hide.

It seemed that a certain degree of regret was mixed in there as well, and it was not just her imagination.

“No, the possibility of that is…”

That day, when the doctor came for the examination, she had secretly listened at the door.

The reason was still unknown, but he seemed to assure that she would not easily become pregnant.

That was also the reason why she did not particularly worry about pregnancy even though her health had definitely been poor in recent days.

Instead, she chose to actively take advantage of this situation.

“It would be terrible if something happened to our baby.”