A bakery cafe with a clear view of the clock tower in the square. This was the place where Aidel had promised to meet Ena, who said she worked at the dye factory.
Seated on the cafe terrace, Aidel purchased an afternoon tea set and bread to give to Ena, asking the owner to allow Ena to pick up the bread under her name when she wanted and to bill the Grand Ducal House for the payment.
As Aidel, Rainien Viel de Lisandro, and Bien seated between them were drinking tea, the clock tower chimed five o’clock in the afternoon. Not long after, a small figure approached them.
“Um… H-hello.”
It was Ena. Clutching a small bottle tightly in her hands, Ena greeted them awkwardly with a somewhat anxious look in her eyes. The child they met again seemed to have become shy once more.
“Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Seeing Ena’s face all tensed up like when they first met, Aidel responded in a gentle voice as if trying to ease the child’s tension.
“We were just taking a break. Would you like to sit here and have some refreshments, Ena?”
As Aidel gestured to the empty seat beside her, Ena began to move. It was when Ena’s somewhat limping body was passing by Rainien Viel de Lisandro and Bien, heading towards Aidel’s side.
“Ah…!”
As if her steps had tangled, Ena fell to the floor, bending her knees. At the same time, an unidentified liquid from the bottle she was holding spilled towards Rainien Viel de Lisandro and Bien’s legs.
“Eek!”
“…!”
Bien let out a short scream, startled and rising from her seat. Rainien Viel de Lisandro also widened his eyes in surprise at the liquid wetting the hem of his pants.
“I-I’m sorry…! I’m really sorry!”
Quickly getting up, Ena repeatedly bowed her head while holding the empty bottle, apologizing.
“What kind of liquid is this?”
“It’s… dye produced at the factory… The factory manager asked me to deliver samples to the client, so I was bringing it…”
When Bien asked about the liquid darkening the hem of her dress, the child answered tearfully. Aidel, who had been watching the situation, stepped in as if to resolve it.
“Are both of you alright? Ena, are you okay where you fell?”
“I’m fine. Just a bit uncomfortable with my dress being wet.”
“I’m also fine, just the hem of my pants is wet.”
Bien and Rainien Viel de Lisandro nodded as if they were okay, but Ena added with a trembling voice, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Um… clothes stained with dye need to be washed quickly to prevent stains…”
Worried about stains that might remain on the seemingly expensive dress and suit, the child fretted, not knowing what to do.
“It was an unavoidable mistake by Ena, so please, both Bien and Sir Rainien Viel de Lisandro, forgive her generously. More importantly, as Ena said, we should quickly wipe off the dye.”
Seeing Ena about to burst into tears, Aidel embraced the child and urged Bien and Rainien Viel de Lisandro.
“Then I’ll go to the restroom for a moment. Lady Aidel, will you be alright alone?”
“There are so many people around here. Don’t worry and go, Bien. And you too, Sir Rainien Viel de Lisandro.”
“Understood. I’ll be back quickly as well.”
Rainien Viel de Lisandro and Bien were worried about leaving Aidel alone, but they felt reassured as the cafe terrace was located in the square where many people were passing by.
After they left, Aidel, who remained behind, gently stroked the shoulder of the child who was still trembling anxiously.
“It’s okay, Ena. It was a small mistake. You don’t need to worry too much. If you’re concerned about the cleaning costs for those two, I’ll take responsibility since I called you here and this happened.”
“Sob… Th-thank you… And I’m s-sorry…”
“Don’t cry. It’s alright.”
Finally, tears began to fall from the child’s eyes. Aidel took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the child’s tears.
Yet, the child’s reddened eyes still wavered anxiously.
“Um… Actually, there’s one more thing I’m worried about…”
“Tell me comfortably.”
“If I don’t properly deliver the samples I was supposed to give to the client, the factory manager will scold me severely… What should I do…?”
Ena, still a young child, seemed truly frightened of the factory manager. Not only her hands that couldn’t let go of the empty bottle, but her entire small body trembled like an aspen leaf.
“Then I’ll explain the situation for you. I’ll tell them it happened because of my mistake, not yours.”
“R-really?”
“Of course.”
When Ena asked in disbelief while sniffling, Aidel nodded as if to give assurance. Ena then asked Aidel cautiously in a hesitant voice.
“Then… could you come with me now?”
“Now?”
“Yes… Actually, before coming here, the factory manager told me to finish the errand quickly and come right back. He’ll be waiting even now.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Seeing Ena’s urgent look, Aidel slightly furrowed her brow as if troubled. Rainien Viel de Lisandro and Bien had not yet returned. It was awkward to leave in this situation.
Moreover, wanting to meet Ena naturally without revealing her identity as the Grand Duchess, she hadn’t called for other attendants yet. They would be waiting at the entrance of the capital’s central area.
“Sob… If it’s difficult for you to come with me, I think I should go first.”
As Ena started to leave, shedding tears again, Aidel grabbed the child’s hand. She couldn’t let the child go alone like this.
“Wait a moment. Let’s go together.”
She was already thinking of going to the factory manager with the child to briefly explain the situation, and if necessary, offer compensation instead.
Although she was concerned about going with just Ena, leaving the others behind, the factory area wasn’t far from here, so they could return quickly. Seeing Ena trembling with anxiety, it seemed better to resolve the urgent situation first and then come back.
After finishing her thoughts, Aidel asked a passing waiter to relay a message to her companions, then took Ena’s hand and left the cafe.
The child fidgeted constantly with the hand holding Aidel’s, seemingly uncomfortable. Aidel thought the child’s obviously tense expression was due to the unfamiliar physical contact.
It was also Aidel’s first time walking while holding a child’s hand. Although unfamiliar, she felt her heart warm as the warmth from the child’s small hand seemed to seep into her.
“The factory is th-this way.”
Although she had visited during the day, the factory area to the east had winding alleys like a maze. It was an area difficult to find without a map.
As evening approached, the surroundings quickly darkened. Unlike the bustling central area of the capital, the factory district with few people had significantly less light illuminating the view.
As they went deeper into the alley, faint worry and tension entered Aidel’s eyes as well. However, the warmth of Ena’s hand in hers gave her courage.
“Is that the factory manager…?”
The silhouette of a man standing alone was visible in the alley where the child led. Due to the darkness around, the man’s face wasn’t clearly visible.
“Y-yes…”
Although the man standing alone in the deserted alley seemed somewhat strange, Aidel firmly believed Ena’s affirmative answer.
Aidel slowly approached the man with Ena. Sweat, from whose hand it was unclear, seeped through their clasped hands.
“Hello. I hear you’re the manager of the dye factory where Ena works.”
Aidel addressed the man from a step away. The man, wearing a pressed-down hat, finally raised his head to look at her.
He was a middle-aged man with a mustache. Judging by his appearance, he had the air of a neat gentleman one might commonly see passing by.
However, when she met his gloomy gaze, an inexplicable unease ran down her spine. She continued speaking, trying to maintain a calm voice.
“I came to apologize because Ena spilled the dye she was delivering due to my mistake. Please don’t scold the child, and if compensation is needed, I’ll provide it instead.”
“You say you’ll provide compensation instead?”
The man, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. From his speech, Aidel recognized an accent commonly used in the eastern region. His pronunciation and manner of speaking also seemed like that of an educated noble man.
‘Is he of noble origin from the east?’
Although the man’s identity wasn’t certain… given that he was working as a factory manager, he seemed to be a fallen noble from the eastern region.
“Yes, I’ll compensate you as much as you want.”
“As much as I want… Can you really compensate as much as I want?”
The man asked again, giggling as if amused. When he laughed, the atmosphere changed from his initial appearance of a neat gentleman. His gleaming eyes were filled with madness.
Feeling a strong sense of caution at the man’s demeanor, Aidel flinched and stepped back, holding Ena’s hand.
“First… tell me what you want.”
“I… lost everything, can you really compensate for all of it?”
“Lost everything…?”
“That’s right. Thanks to that illustrious ‘Grand Duke Ellios’, I lost everything.”
“What do you…”
Cutting off Aidel’s words as she was startled by the sudden mention of ‘Grand Duke Ellios’, the man took another step closer.
“Well then, shall we receive compensation? From the ‘Grand Duchess Ellios’ instead.”
“…!”
Realizing this was a trap when the man knew her identity that she hadn’t even revealed to Ena, Aidel felt the small warmth in her hand slip away.
“Ena…?”
“I-I’m sorry. They said my siblings would be in danger if I didn’t bring you here…”
Ena, who had let go of her hand, said tearfully with a darkened expression. The child seemed to have been threatened as well.
Seeing the child’s face stained with guilt, Aidel wanted to say it wasn’t her fault, but the child ran away crying, as if fleeing.
“Ena!”
As Aidel turned her body towards where Ena had run,
“Where do you think you’re going? You need to compensate, Your Grace.”
“Mmph!”
The man, who had somehow approached from behind, covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. A pungent, acrid smell flowed into her airway.
It seemed to be an inhalation anesthetic. Her body lost strength and her vision began to spin. As her body collapsed helplessly forward, the cloche hat she was wearing fell to the ground.
Through her consciousness scattering like windblown hair, she heard the man’s voice filled with vengeance.
“Grand Duke Ellios, you too shall feel it bitterly. What it’s like to lose what’s mine…!”
Caeron…
Calling out the name of the only person that came clearly to mind in her fading, flickering consciousness… Aidel completely lost consciousness.
__________
He Said He’s Pregnant, and It’s My Child (Female-dominant)
Intro 1
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro 2
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.