Natasha, who had been confirmed dead, blinked her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to think, she couldn’t remember what happened last night.

“I can’t remember anything. Did I really… with him…”

“Just because you don’t remember doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. There’s clear evidence here on the blanket, you know.”

“But I’ve already had my first night. Can blood come out again this late?”

“Blood doesn’t only come out the first time. I’ve heard it can happen when the body isn’t ready after a long time. And, my lady.”

Cayena shifted her gaze as if trying to gloss over something. Just then, her eyes caught another piece of evidence. It was an even more embarrassing and precise proof than the blood left on the blanket.

“There’s too much evidence to deny yesterday’s passion with just a bit of blood, isn’t it?”

Following Cayena’s gaze, Natasha finally discovered her arms and legs covered in red marks.

“What is all this…!”

Startled, she approached the mirror.

Apart from her arms and legs, red passion flowers had bloomed here and there on her neck, collarbone, and chest. Her negligee was disheveled as if it had been taken off and put back on.

It was now beyond the point where she could deny it by saying she didn’t remember. Putting together Cayena’s testimony and all the evidence, it became an established fact that the two had been intimate since their first night.

After that day, her husband conveniently reverted to his old ways. He didn’t come to the dining room and didn’t join her on night walks. Instead of Natasha’s room changing, Sieghart’s room changed.

‘You think I’ll change my mind because of last night’s encounter. Just how lightly are you taking me?’

To that noble and beautiful man’s eyes, women must seem ridiculous. Turning a woman’s whim would be as easy as flexing one’s fingers.

‘I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.’

Natasha seized that opportunity.

‘I have enough money, and I’ve bribed the coachman to take me to the principality. As soon as I get there, I’ll try to negotiate again, and the moment negotiations progress, I’ll signal Cayena and Sir Dante.’

When his arrogance made him lax in watching over the woman, Natasha decided to escape with all her might.

Ten days.

That was the time left until Natasha’s departure for the principality.

Natasha first informed Cayena of the plan and asked her to relay this news to Sir Dante later. She wanted to tell him directly if possible, but she knew Sir Dante would surely come to the duchy to stop her.

At first, Cayena seemed worried about her mistress’s reckless challenge. Considering Natasha’s situation, she didn’t try to dissuade her from the plan.

So everything was supposed to proceed smoothly. In ten days at dawn, she was scheduled to leave for the principality in a carriage driven by a coachman she had bribed in advance.

“Oh my goodness…”

A sigh escaped Natasha’s lips as she checked the state of the flowerpot.

She had thought there was no way she could get pregnant in one night. That’s why she had dismissed Cayena’s concerns about not having her monthly cycle…

‘My lady, it seems you haven’t been having your monthly cycle lately. Are you perhaps…?’

It all started when Cayena asked about Natasha’s menstrual cycle.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t had her period for several months.

Cayena was startled by the negative response. She suggested that it might be good to have a physician check her condition before leaving by carriage, just in case.

Natasha had tried to brush it off, thinking it was more due to mental factors than physical ones. Cayena, counting on her fingers, suddenly worried about pregnancy.

She said results would show if they checked now, after fifteen days. While two months might be uncertain, three months was definitely worth suspecting, she urged Natasha.

Then, saying she knew a simple way to check, Cayena brought a flowerpot that could detect pregnancy. It was a tool that could determine pregnancy by whether flowers bloomed after dropping blood on the soil and waiting half a day.

Natasha followed the instructions, pricking her finger to draw blood and dropping it on the soil. Then she waited half a day.

“Am I… carrying a child?”

Half a day later, a yellow flower had fully bloomed on the test flowerpot for confirming pregnancy. It was clear evidence that the woman was pregnant.

Surprised, Natasha wandered outside even in the starry dawn. As she looked around, she eventually barged into the servants’ quarters.

She stopped in front of one room and knocked on the door. Soon after, her beloved friend Cayena appeared, rubbing her eyes.

“My lady? Why are you not sleeping at this late hour… Did something happen?”

Cayena was surprised twice – once at the unexpected visit, and again at the small trembling figure.

“Ca-Cayena.”

Natasha pulled out the flowerpot hidden inside her robe. The small blooming forsythia-colored flower announced the current duchess’s condition.

Recognizing the flowerpot she had given immediately, Cayena soon raised her voice. As if all fatigue had disappeared, she quickly smiled brightly. Her calm reaction continued as if she had anticipated this situation.

“My lady, congratulations. You’ve welcomed a new life!”

“…Am I really with child? Couldn’t the result be wrong?”

“Come now, flowers don’t bloom by mistake.”

“That’s true, but…”

“It’s not a scary thing, it’s a joyous occasion, so don’t tremble. You’ve been hoping for a child all along, after all.”

Cayena placed her hand over Natasha’s delicate one, telling her not to worry unnecessarily.

“You told me before. That you wanted to have a child. That you must continue the Charliee lineage. The moment you’ve been longing for has come.”

Looking back, it really was so. She was just surprised by the result of pregnancy, but it was actually a situation she had been wanting all along.

Natasha needed a child. A precious life that would share the same bloodline as her and continue the Charliee royal family was her only wish and her family’s last request.

Although it was an unwanted moment, and a child from an unwanted partner, she had nonetheless welcomed a new life that would continue the Charliee bloodline.

“That’s right, a child. I’m with child. It’s what I’ve wanted all along…”

“Of course. It must have been surprising since it’s your first time and it happened so suddenly, but it’s what you’ve been wanting all along, my lady. So you can calm down now.”

“Should I get it confirmed by a physician tomorrow morning?”

At last, Natasha fully accepted the miracle she had encountered.

“There’s no chance it’s a mistake, but it wouldn’t hurt to confirm. Let’s go to town together.”

Cayena suggested going to town for confirmation, just in case. Natasha readily accepted the proposal, as she was tired of rumors spreading in the duchy.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“Good, I’ll come to see you as soon as I wake up. Get plenty of rest today. A mother’s good sleep is essential for the child to grow healthy and beautiful.”

“Thank you, Cayena. Even though I came so suddenly at night…”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I only did what I should. Whenever you need me, please come anytime.”

The two parted after making a promise to leave for town the next morning.

The next day, they went to town together. The careful request to drive slowly tickled Natasha’s heart.

“Yes, you are pregnant.”

The physician confirmed the pregnancy after examining Natasha’s condition.

Cayena, who was listening together, jumped for joy. Her hand, about to embrace the mother-to-be, hesitated for a moment, then settled for patting her shoulder. She fussed unnecessarily, saying that a body carrying a child should be handled with care.

Not entirely disliking it, Natasha smiled gently.

“You must always be careful. Pay close attention to the ingredients of any medicine you take, and be especially mindful of what you eat. It’s best to refrain from marital relations for the time being.”

The doctor handed over the pregnancy report while explaining the precautions. According to the report, she was two weeks pregnant. It was exactly the time when the two had been intimate.

On the carriage ride home, Natasha stared blankly out the window. She slowly observed the all-too-familiar scenery. With each turn of the carriage wheels, she soothed the blessing that must have been surprised, patting her belly.

Caressing her flat stomach that didn’t yet show signs of pregnancy, she felt a small happiness. Although it had been a wish harbored for a distant future without any particular emotion, unlike her cold heart, the child approached her with great significance.

Was it because the fact that a tiny life was living inside her belly was extremely lovable? Or perhaps because the child was the only family Natasha had left.

“Cayena, if I leave for the principality, won’t it be dangerous for the child too?”

Cayena’s lips curled inward, making her philtrum stand out. She pondered what answer wouldn’t seem rude, then opened her mouth just before the silence grew too long.

“I’m afraid so. If we go according to plan, the journey to the principality would be quite arduous…”

It was indeed so.

The journey to the principality is perilous. Given that the mode of travel is a cramped carriage, movement would be uncomfortable all day long.

Moreover, there was a problem even after arrival. The principality that had already rejected her once wouldn’t welcome her warmly just because she came in person. She would have to wait indefinitely in front of the duchy’s gate in the cold weather, not knowing when they would receive her.

“Right? I’m scared too, but it would be even scarier for the child. And dangerous.”

Although it was for official reasons, Natasha had always longed to have a child. It was natural because a new life was needed to continue the Charliee lineage.

‘…A child I don’t know when I’ll be able to have again.’

It was a wish that might not be fulfilled if not now. The reckless challenge that wasn’t frightening when she was alone suddenly became scary.

Although it had been merely a wish harbored for a distant future without any particular emotion, unlike her cold heart, the child approached her with great significance.

A child growing on her nutrients, who would resemble her. In this cruel world where she couldn’t love anyone freely, the child was a miracle. It was a pure love that wouldn’t be enough no matter how much endless affection she gave, and wouldn’t be regretted even if unrequited.

‘I want to protect it.’

So she wanted to protect it.

‘To protect it…’

And Natasha knew well what the choices were to protect the child.