A man named Merlin, whom she had seen a few times during meals, was calling her.

Since she was no longer a lady of the house, it was okay for him to address her by her name. However, the man’s gaze as he called her and looked around together was somehow unsettling.
“What’s going on?”

“There’s a patient, and I was hoping you could take a look.”

“A patient?”

“Yes. We have one who returned late. It’s nighttime, so it seems the apothecary is asleep.”
Although she was caught off guard by the fact that Valter was waiting, with the news of someone in pain, she eventually had no choice but to follow him on foot.
If he had tried to drag her outside the building as if he might, she intended to resist, but instead, he led her to a room on the first floor of the volunteer army building.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Edith.”
Inside, a young woman was waiting for her. The strange thing was that she was surprisingly calm for someone in pain, and the bag placed next to her was filled to the brim with medicinal herbs, no different from those of pharmacists.
“It feels like my arm is broken, so I’d appreciate it if you could take a look.”

“…….”

A real patient with a broken arm couldn’t be this calm. When Edith felt something was off and furrowed her brow, the woman grabbed her wrist with a desperate look.

“Please.”
“Before you shout and wake people up, please let go of this.”

Edith scolded coldly. However, the woman chuckled casually, then slowly released Edith’s wrist and asked, “May I?”
“You shouldn’t make threats while pregnant, Edith. What good will it do if the child in your womb learns bad things first?”

“…….”
When she confidently mentioned the word “pregnant,” Edith felt a momentary daze. The woman in front of her seemed to have read her pulse by holding her wrist for a very short time.
In that case, denying it would be futile. But if it were revealed, it would only complicate matters for many, especially in Baxter’s situation.
Thinking that her dangerous secret had been exposed, Edith’s gaze sharpened. Since her pregnancy had been revealed, she had to be even more careful with every word she uttered.

“You, are you also a pharmacist or a doctor?”

“I should have hidden the bag, but I couldn’t.”

(Note: It seems there might be a slight error or inconsistency in the Korean text, as the dialogue doesn’t directly reference the bag. I’ve translated it based on the context provided.)
Edith, trying to confirm her pregnancy, had brought a doctor to confront Merlin in a brief drama. However, he shrugged, responding as if he were innocent.

(Note: The name “Merlin” is used here, and it’s consistent with the earlier context you provided.)
“Is it my fault? You twist your body around and have another man’s child, and now that a better guy has shown up, you want to leech onto him. It’s your fault, not mine.”

(Note: The names remain consistent with the context you provided earlier.)
To Edith, it was a rather insulting misunderstanding. However, instead of getting angry, she contemplated Merlin’s words.

“Did he actually realize that I was pregnant a while ago?”

(Note: The names remain consistent with the context you provided earlier.)
Since they had recently shared a meal, if someone had a keen eye and was familiar with how women react when they are pregnant, they might have had some suspicions.
“But since I haven’t informed Valter about the pregnancy, this person probably thinks I’m hiding it because it belongs to another man.”
Moreover, listening to him, there was a strange feeling of leaning towards Valter. His intentions didn’t seem entirely pure.

“And besides, the medicine that was in the bag earlier…”
Edith carefully examined what was inside the doctor-like bag hired by Merlin. It was a medication that, when taken early in pregnancy, had the effect of aborting the child.
After learning that she was carrying Valter’s child, Edith had been contemplating whether to erase the child or take responsibility and raise it. However, when she saw the abortion pills, her decision seemed firm as if she had never hesitated.

Edith wanted to protect the child that existed between them.
“……Merlin. Please keep it a secret from Valter. It’s a request.”

“Heh.”

“The person who helps me and the one-night stand I had. It was a situation where I needed continuous help. Valter won’t even know that I met that man.”
Edith deceived the father of the child with a desperate look. Merlin might not even know about Elizabeth’s existence. Otherwise, there was a good chance he had heard rumors elsewhere and was after Valter’s blood.
Even if it tarnished my honor a bit, as long as it’s a safer way to protect the child, him, this method is better. When the answer she had expected and hoped for came out of her mouth, a wicked smile played on Merlin’s lips.
No man in the world would remain unscathed if the woman he was interested in had another man’s child. ‘Balter won’t be any different,’ she thought.
He thought silently about whether there was a woman of an appropriate age for Balter’s marriage in his household. If luck were to favor him and Balter were to obtain noble status, how wonderful it would be for his household to have a noble son-in-law.
At the same time, she outwardly feigned regret as if she were the one who cared the most about Balter in the world.

“Miss Edith. Aren’t you being too harsh on Balter?”
“If you truly care for Balter, you shouldn’t use him anymore. Pretending it was just a mistake with words while sticking to him to gain benefits he provides, is that sincere?”

Saying so, Merlin gestured with his eyes towards the side door in the room.
“I understand, but Balter has the potential to become someone significant. You should know well what the right choice is for him.”

As she was being sarcastic, trying to imply who wants to cling to whom, Merlin spoke up.

“Leave. For his sake.”

“…….”
Edith carefully observed Merlin’s cold expression and the small medical knife that the apothecary was fiddling with. From their looks, it seemed that these people might resort to force if she didn’t leave on her own accord.
She knew she couldn’t win a physical confrontation with the two of them, and if they resorted to forcibly giving her a potion to terminate the pregnancy, she saw no way to escape.

Seeing Merlin’s uncontrollable laughter, Edith shook her head.
“Although I don’t have many acquaintances outside of the volunteer unit, if it’s just for a moment…”

She mentally rehearsed a few scripts for getting Merlin out of the volunteer unit, then looked down with a cold expression.