The midwife measured the temperature of Maletta, checked her pulse, and checked her secretions, and then declared.

“She’s definitely pregnant.”

Maletta, her face pale, asked again.

“Grandma, is it real?”

“Have you ever seen me lie? It’s early, but no doubt. You’re pregnant.”

“It’s done…!”

The old woman clicked her tongue at the sight of the maiden happily jumping around even though she was pregnant. It seemed like a time when morality and ethics had fallen to the ground.

“Be careful for a while. Don’t drink. Even if the baby’s father begs, don’t accept. You could have a miscarriage early on. You have to take care of your body.”

“Yes, yes!”

Maletta handed the midwife five Florentine silver coins and hurriedly returned to the archbishop’s residence of De Mare. She had to tell this good news to Sir Epolito quickly.

Maletta, who had been wearing a fur cloak, tossed it to a domestic standing at the entrance as soon as she entered the front door. It was as if she had achieved a great victory.

One domestic looked at Maletta with a look of ‘Is this person crazy?’ but he was forced to take Maletta’s fur cloak under her momentum.

“Sir—!”

Maletta headed to Epolito’s room on the second floor, calling out to him at the top of her voice. Fortunately, Epolito was in his room. He was lying diagonally, taking a rare break.

“Sir, we have the fruit of love!”

“Oh?”

Maletta imagined that Epolito would hug her in his arms and rejoice, but Epolito didn’t move an inch from his lying position. But Maletta was not the one to back down here.

“Sir, when will our wedding be?”

Epolito’s expression became subtle. But Maletta continued to drive Epolito with her own confidence. Partly because she was excited, she didn’t see Epolito’s reaction, and the rest was the composure of the dominant.

I’m pregnant with a baby, what are you going to do if you don’t like it, the marriage is a foregone conclusion, that was the attitude.

“Have you told His Excellency the Archbishop and Madam Lucrezia? When will you tell them? You’re going to tell them, right? It’s better than me doing it, isn’t it?”

Finally, a crack appeared in Epolito’s expression. It was a change that came out as soon as he mentioned His Excellency the Archbishop. He didn’t look like a young father who was happy to have a child.

“That’s right, Maletta.”

Epolito quickly caught Maletta’s words.

“I have to tell my parents. It’s good that it came out. I’m going to tell my mother right now.”

He got up quickly.

“Don’t go anywhere, just wait here quietly.”

Epolito earnestly asked Maletta.

“Yes, yes!”

Maletta shouted with a happy face.

And about an hour had passed since Epolito left. Maletta did not expect Epolito to obediently go to the Archbishop’s De Mare couple, confess the fact of pregnancy, and immediately set a wedding date.

But when he didn’t return for an hour, she started to feel anxious.

‘He didn’t run away, did he……?’

It wasn’t something she hadn’t thought of, but she didn’t think he would go that far.

Maletta made up her mind. Even if Sir Epolito ran away, it was the best strategy to stay in this house. They won’t kick me out when I’m pregnant with the only grandson of their only son.

As Maletta was pondering this and that, the door opened. Maletta turned pale and stood up from her chair.

“Sir?”

However, those who rushed in were completely unexpected people. It was Aunt Loretta, who became a new maid of Lucrezia after Gioda died, and a few servants under Butler Nicolo.

“You shameless thing! How dare a virgin who hasn’t even married not be ashamed and sleep with an outsider?!”

“What? What?”

“I don’t know who you messed with, but you can’t stay in this mansion anymore!”

“Who would it be! It’s obviously Sir Epolito’s child……”

“Shut up! Come on, drag her out!”

The servants sent by Butler Nicolo grabbed Maletta’s limbs.

“Ah!”

Maletta hunched over to protect her lower abdomen, but when the strong men lifted her limbs into the air, she was helpless and had to be thrown down.

“Ugh!”

Maletta writhed desperately.

“You rascals! Let go of me! Don’t you know there’s a child in my belly! It’s the child of Lord Ippolito!”

As she shrieked loudly, the perplexed Loretta slapped Malleta’s cheek.

“You, be quiet!”

“In my belly! There’s Lord Ippolito’s child!”

“This is really…”

In her hurry, Loretta took out a dirty rag from her front pocket and shoved it into Malleta’s mouth.

“Guk!! Guk!!”

Whether she hated the rag being in her mouth, wanted to speak, or was choking, it was impossible to understand the howl that erupted from Malleta’s mouth. But Loretta was satisfied that Malleta had finally shut up.

“Let’s go quickly!”

She led the soldiers away from the 2nd floor where the family lived, and quickly headed towards the annex on the ground floor. It was a place used for dishwashing and storage, and where the maids were punished.

An hour ago, as soon as Ippolito left his room, he headed towards his mother, Lucrezia’s room on the 1st floor. It was certainly not to ask for permission to marry.

“Mom.”