‘I collapsed in the restaurant… Where is this place?’
The space where I was standing now was a seashore with blue waves rippling.
‘Am I dreaming right now?’
Somehow, it felt familiar, as if I had been here once before. I saw children of similar height playing in the sea, splashing water at each other.
They were children with the same silver hair. A girl with eyes as blue as the sea laughed brightly while playing in the water.
The red eyes of the boy who was retaliating against the girl in the same way were full of life.
It was a face I had seen before. Just once, for an extremely brief moment.
How could I forget the face of my child?
It was then that I realized. A few years ago, after my miscarriage, I had come to this place in a dream in the same way.
“My child!”
I hurriedly entered the seashore.
“Mom!”
The boy was not crying like last time. He welcomed me, waving his hand.
I approached the boy and hugged him tightly. I could touch him. Last time, even when I touched him, it didn’t feel like I had, but this time…
“My child, I’m sorry. For leaving you here alone. You must have been very lonely. Scared. I’m really sorry…”
“Mom, I wasn’t alone. I played with her.”
The boy denied my words and looked to the side. I stared blankly at the girl.
Silver hair resembling Jade’s, and sea-colored eyes like mine.
Eye corners similar to Blanche’s.
“Are you my child too?”
The girl nodded silently. I felt grateful and affectionate, thinking that thanks to her, the boy wouldn’t have been lonely.
“So you two were together, were you having fun playing? Are you both uninjured anywhere?”
I spread my arms wide, carefully examining the children.
The children hugged me simultaneously, as if they had made a promise.
“Mom.”
The boy called me.
“Yes, my child.”
“I originally couldn’t be born as your baby because I let go of your hand. I had to live here continuously.”
I felt sorry. After all, it was me who let go of the child’s hand.
“But she came here. She’s going to you this time, and she said to come together. She said if I hold her hand, I can go to you. She came to get me.”
I raised my head and looked at the children side by side.
“Is that… really true?”
“So, Mom. This time, I’ll find my way to you well. I remembered the way to get to you. Let’s meet again for sure.”
“My child…”
Saying they’ll find their way well. Remembering the way to go.
How can they give love that they haven’t received, when I couldn’t properly carry and give birth to them, and haven’t given them love?
The girl came close to my side and whispered in my ear.
“Mom, I’m super strong! I’ll never let go of big brother’s hand, we’ll come to see you together! Do you believe me?”
I kissed the girl’s round forehead. Then I did the same to the boy’s cheek.
“Of course, I believe you. Mom will be waiting for you. Let’s meet again for sure.”
With those final words, the children disappeared.
“Children?”
There was no answer in return.
[This is the timeline separator]“She suddenly collapsed in the restaurant. I hope it’s not because there was poison in the food Larien ate.”
“No, Your Excellency. It’s because the madam is pregnant and felt dizzy.”
“Pregnant?”
“Yes. It seems to be about 3 months now. The due date would be in winter.”
I could faintly hear Jade’s and the doctor’s voices. It was awkward to let them know I was awake in the serious atmosphere of their conversation.
I had thought I had lost the children again.
‘Thank goodness…’
That was only for a moment. The doctor expressed reluctance in a troubled voice.
“What’s wrong? Is there some problem with Larien?”
“We’ll need to wait a few more months to be certain, but it seems the madam might be carrying twins.”
“Twins? Not just one child?”
The children I saw in my dream had indeed come, holding each other’s hands.
“Do you remember what I told you before?”
“You said the uterus had weakened, making it difficult to conceive again.”
“Yes. While it’s a cause for celebration that you’re expecting again… because it’s twins, it will put even greater strain on the madam’s body. In the process, you might lose the babies again.”
I held my breath, trying not to show I was awake at the doctor’s following words.
‘We might… lose the children again?’
No. How can that be, when we’ve just met them.
We even promised to meet again for sure.
“What about Larien?”
“Pardon?”
“If it’s enough to lose the children, couldn’t there be problems for Larien’s body too?”
Jade was more worried about me than the children. He had lost his composure.
Even without seeing his face directly, I naturally came to know.
“Yes. During the birthing process, we can’t rule out the possibility that the madam might also be in danger. Therefore, although I’m truly sorry to the babies… I recommend inducing a miscarriage in the early stages.”
“Then, Larien would be alright?”
Induce a miscarriage? We just met again. They said they would come, holding their sibling’s hand.
It was words I could no longer pretend to be asleep for. I raised my body and pulled on Jade’s sleeve.
“…No, Jade.”
“Larien, when did you wake up?”
Jade sat on the bed, putting a pillow behind my back.
“Jade. They’re our babies, exactly like Blanche.”
“…So you heard everything.”
Jade gestured with his eyes for the doctor to leave. The doctor bowed his head and quietly left the bedroom.
“Yes. They’re our children. Although it’s not certain yet that they’re twins.”
“They are twins. I…”
I met them in a dream. They said they would come to me.
For some inexplicable reason, I couldn’t utter the rest. It felt like something was blocking my throat.
“It’s dangerous. You could die if something goes wrong…”
Jade turned his head abruptly as he spoke. It was a gesture showing he didn’t even dare to imagine it. Even though he didn’t say it directly, it was clear Jade agreed with the doctor.
“I know. I know, but we’ve already lost a child. We can’t lose them twice. I’ll be careful. I’ll stay in bed almost all the time until the birth. I won’t even go to Earl Boston’s estate occasionally to work.”
“…Larien.”
“So, don’t say you’re going to give up on the babies too. You’re their father.”
I pulled Jade’s hand and placed it on my belly. His large hand enveloped my stomach.
Jade flinched and removed his hand.
“Larien. I’m scared of you dying.”
I know. How could I not know?
How he struggled with my death, and how he was when we met again.
He would never forget it.
“And I’m even more scared that I won’t be able to love these children.”
“What… do you mean? Jade, you. Don’t you know how good of a father you are to Blanche? You love Blanche.”
Jade felt guilty towards Blanche. Because he couldn’t protect her when she was young.
Even after doing one thing for her, he wanted to do two more.
When Blanche said she loved him, he would easily return the words of love.
How could such a Jade be afraid that he might not be able to love the children?
“Yes. I love Blanche. I could give my life for her. But sometimes I think, if Blanche resembled me instead of you, Larien, would I have loved her the same way I do now?”
Of course, at first, Jade took a liking to Blanche because she resembled me.
But sometimes, when Jade noticed traces of his younger self in Blanche, he would smile.
‘Why doesn’t he know that he loves Blanche because she resembles both of us equally?’
It was heartbreaking.
“It doesn’t matter who they resemble, Jade.”
In my eyes, I could see Jade becoming someone who would love the children more than anyone.
“What’s important is that they’re our children. I’m their mother, and you’re their father. I wish you’d just remember that.”
“…I’ll try.”
“Mmm. You don’t need to force yourself to love them from the start. Honestly, how could you love them right away, when even I, who will carry them for ten months, might not?”
Let alone Jade, when even maternal love doesn’t come immediately just because you’re pregnant.
‘I should ask Jade to greet the children every day.’
I wanted the children to become familiar with Jade’s voice. Just as they know I’m their mother, I wanted them to recognize Jade as their father.
“Larien. Then you remember this too. We already have Blanche, and I can’t bear to lose you. Your safety is the top priority. When it’s dangerous, think of yourself first, not the children. Don’t leave me and Blanche alone.”
Jade urged for an answer.
‘I don’t know. If I can really prioritize myself.’
I lied to reassure Jade.
“I will. Don’t worry too much. It’s just a possibility after all, nothing’s certain.”
“…It’s because there’s even a slight possibility that I’m like this.”
I wanted to divert Jade’s attention elsewhere.
“Ah, Jade. I should write a letter to Blanche. If we tell her she’s getting siblings, don’t you think she’ll come home?”
I tried to get out of bed to write a letter to Blanche.
“Don’t move and stay still. I’ll bring you writing paper and a quill.”
At Jade’s stern warning, I quietly slipped back under the covers.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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