“Um.”
Annette, pondering the earnest request Cardin had made, sighed softly and cradled her head in her hands.
‘Without permission, do whatever I want, as I wish.’
For Annette, who had lived a repressed life since birth, confined to a detached palace by the king’s order, this was an overwhelmingly difficult concept.
Her only act of defiance so far had been to recklessly approach the king, asking to be allowed to join the demon subjugation.
But looking back, she wasn’t sure if that was truly what she wanted.
Was it the nurse’s words, promising that she would accomplish something great one day, that lingered in her mind?
Hoping that such recognition would change her situation or treatment.
‘No, that’s not it.’
She had only thought that was the only way to escape the suffocating palace.
‘Right, what I really wanted was…’
To confidently walk out of the detached palace.
Yet, even in battling demons, Annette never thought of leaving the palace on her own.
With her distinctive red hair and eyes, she believed that wherever she went, someone would recognize her, and the world, like the maids who came and went from the detached palace, would fear and despise her.
That’s why Annette never even dreamt of living a normal life.
It was still the same now.
Had she thought a normal life was possible, she wouldn’t have come to the Alkan Empire.
And she was content with just having warm food and a safe place to sleep. She never expected to have a family.
‘But now, all of a sudden…’
Annette, pressing her forehead, was nonetheless relieved about one thing.
Thankfully, the Duke had set a condition.
To not leave his side, to be his wife.
〈I don’t mind if you drain the Duke’s estate or laze around in bed all day, but I am your husband, so I hope you’ll respect me. Of course, I’ll do the same.〉
The condition of mutual respect as a couple was a continuation of their earlier conversation about being faithful in marriage.
And.
‘Oddly enough, he reacted sensitively when I brought up concubines…’
Annette blankly nodded to Cardin’s statement, not expecting that the topics of concubines and illegitimate children she mentioned would apply to herself as well.
After all, she had never been close to a man, let alone anyone.
Regardless, contrary to expectations, the Duke seemed genuinely committed to the marriage.
Had she known, she might have slightly regretted showing an attitude of having no expectations from this marriage, but she was genuinely relieved that there was at least some clarity in what the Duke desired.
She would have been overwhelmed like a prisoner suddenly given freedom if there were no such limitations.
That’s when it happened.
“Your Highness, may I come in?”
The sound of a knock and a voice from outside the door made Annette jump to her feet.
“Empress Dowager, please come in!”
She hurried to the door and swung it open, inwardly surprised that it was already time for her appointment with the Dowager Empress.
After parting with Cardin in the morning, Annette had returned to her room.
After lunch, where she faced Serina’s subtle questioning, she finally had a moment alone to reflect on her first encounter with the Duke, but time had flown by so quickly.
Looking back, she realized she had indeed had a lengthy conversation with Cardin.
“But it passed by so quickly, it didn’t feel long at all.”
Even though it was her first time talking to someone for such a long duration, Annette didn’t find it uncomfortable.
She never felt this way even when conversing with the Empress, who was friendly toward her.
‘Is that a good thing?’
According to the Duke, they were to be together for a lifetime, so it wouldn’t be good if being together felt too uncomfortable.
Of course, it wasn’t without tension, but it was surprisingly not too distressing or difficult for Annette, even when the conversation flowed into uncomfortable topics.
“Sorry, Your Highness, for making you dine alone.”
“Oh no, Your Majesty. I’m not a child, and Serina was there with me.”
Annette smiled and responded to Charlotte, who immediately apologized upon seeing her.
She didn’t specifically mention that dining alone was more comfortable for her, having lived without attendants her whole life.
“Did you have a pleasant meal, Your Majesty?”
“Well, I heard many interesting stories, but about the meal, I’m not sure. I couldn’t tell if the food was going in my mouth or my nose.”
Charlotte mentioned being preoccupied at a luncheon with influential noblewomen, gathering recent news of the capital. Annette looked at her with a sympathetic eye.
Soon, Charlotte led Annette to the Dowager Empress’s palace, with only Serina following behind as a maid.
“By the way, Your Highness, it seems you’ve become quite close to Serina, calling her by her name.”
Charlotte’s voice had a hint of playful jealousy, causing Annette to startle.
Annette cleared her throat and said,
“Your Majesty, I find it still difficult to address you casually. But if you wish, you may call me by my name.”
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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