Chapter 31
* * *
I messed up. I really messed up.
My announcement of pregnancy left everyone in the meeting hall stunned.
The Emperor, seated on his throne, stood up abruptly, and Princess Caroline was shrieking something.
I could see Crown Prince Marius and Prince Lucas, forgetting all decorum, with their mouths agape.
The meeting turned into chaos.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at Kaiden’s face right beside me.
[You idiot!]
Bled, hovering near my shoulder, yelled in my head.
‘What was I supposed to do?! If I get sent to the east, I’ll faint at the sight of blood! I could die a dog’s death!’
[You’re so reckless!]
That was true. What now? The future looked bleak. Just then, Kaiden raised his hand to request a break from the Emperor.
“V-Very well. Let’s reconvene in ten minutes.”
Forgetting his dignity, the Emperor stammered as he declared a recess.
Kaiden grabbed my wrist and dragged me to an empty room in the imperial palace.
Feeling like a criminal, I experienced a sense of déjà vu.
On the day Kaiden proposed to me, we had also gone to an empty room in the palace. Though this time, the one getting angry was different.
“What were you thinking?!”
Kaiden shouted, a rare occurrence. He roughly ran a hand through his hair in frustration. I glanced at him and said in a tiny voice.
“Sh-Should I actually get pregnant?”
Kaiden stopped and looked at me. His blue eyes wavered.
“Do you… even know what you’re saying?”
I answered with a tearful face.
“What do I do?”
“Haa…”
Kaiden rubbed his face with one hand, looking tormented.
During the break, we put our heads together to think.
What could we do? But no matter how much we racked our brains, ten minutes wasn’t enough to come up with a solution. Kaiden said in a serious tone.
“The imperial doctor might come.”
“Why?”
“They’ll want to verify if you’re really pregnant.”
That was a disaster.
If a doctor examined me, the lie would be exposed immediately. Then, because of my lie, I’d be charged with insolence and likely dragged off to the east.
Not only that, but Kaiden would be implicated too. We were practically joint guarantors now.
“Say you thought you were pregnant.”
“What?”
I looked up at Kaiden, and he said reassuringly.
“Say you thought you were pregnant because you’ve been feeling unwell and nauseous lately. That it was a misunderstanding. It’s the only way.”
“But…”
“I won’t let you be sent to the east.”
Kaiden looked at me directly.
“How?”
“Whatever it takes.”
*Knock knock*
Someone knocked on the door.
“The break is over!”
It was a servant.
I hung my head like a criminal.
I’d have to pay the price for my lie. The Emperor wouldn’t miss this chance to make demands of Kaiden.
Unable to handle blood, I was as good as useless. I could deal with one or two beasts, but I couldn’t handle swarms of them coming from all directions.
“Marion.”
At that moment, Kaiden grabbed my cheeks with both hands and lifted my face. I looked at him, startled.
“Why are you so worried? It’ll be fine.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s only natural for a superior to clean up their subordinate’s mess.”
As I stared at him blankly, Kaiden gave a small smile.
“Let’s go.”
Kaiden took my hand again and opened the door. I looked at his back, overwhelmed with guilt and self-reproach.
I was furious at my own stupidity. I should’ve just stayed quiet.
Moreover, this incident meant our marriage was as good as over. No one would let a liar stay by the Archduke’s side.
Maybe that was for the best for Kaiden. A fool like me marrying the Archduke of the empire? It was absurd from the start.
Then Bled shouted.
[I’ve got an idea!]
‘What?’
Bled answered in a bright voice.
[You can pretend to be pregnant!]
‘Tell me more.’
As I urged him, Bled explained the plan. While walking through the palace corridors with Kaiden, I tried to listen carefully to every word he said.
Bled’s plan was astonishing. It was so brilliant I wanted to grab the tiny dragon and shower him with kisses.
[It might be tough. Can you pull it off?]
‘I have to.’
I answered immediately to Bled’s concerned question.
“Your Grace.”
Just before entering the meeting hall, I called out to Kaiden, and he turned to look at me.
As the surrounding nobles whispered about us, I whispered as quietly as I could.
“Please trust me just this once.”
“What?”
“I have a plan.”
Kaiden’s eyes widened. I looked at him and gave a small smile.
* * *
Kaiden looked at Marion, who was walking ahead, with a dumbfounded expression.
‘What is she planning?’
He was uneasy.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Marion, but he couldn’t ignore the years they’d spent together.
Even excluding the times she was falsely accused, Marion had a track record of causing trouble. Knowing that, how could he not be uneasy?
But this was a grand assembly with the Emperor and all the empire’s nobles present. There was nothing here to stop Marion’s mouth. Kaiden steeled himself and resolved.
‘Whatever trouble she causes, I’ll take responsibility.’
The Emperor spoke.
“Marion, is it true that you’re pregnant with the Archduke of Baltstein’s child?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
“Did the Archduke not know?”
Kaiden answered.
“No. I just found out.”
Marion added an explanation.
“I only recently found out myself. As Your Majesty knows, my condition hasn’t been good lately. I’ve been fainting suddenly, feeling nauseous, and craving certain foods.”
The nobles stirred.
Some noblewomen nodded, saying, “She’s pregnant, definitely pregnant!” while some gentlemen cleared their throats, saying,
“Ahem, they said the Archduke was impotent, but clearly not.”
On the dais, Crown Prince Marius and Prince Lucas were glaring at Kaiden with murderous intensity. Princess Caroline was glaring at Marion with equal ferocity.
Kaiden faced them with a brazen expression.
The Emperor said.
“Then, shall we verify it?”
“Yes.”
Marion answered calmly. Everyone thought, *She must really be pregnant.*
But Kaiden was uneasy. He had no idea what Marion was planning.
“Very well. Bring the imperial physician.”
At the Emperor’s command, the imperial doctor, who had been on standby, stepped forward.
Kaiden and Marion followed a servant’s lead to approach the dais where the royals were.
“Sir Marion, may I see your wrist?”
At the doctor’s request, Marion extended her wrist. The physician placed three fingers on it. Not even the sound of an ant passing could be heard.
How much time had passed?
To Kaiden, each second felt like ten minutes. When the doctor carefully released Marion’s wrist, Kaiden looked at him with a tense expression.
Not just Kaiden, but everyone else in the room was on edge.
The imperial doctor spoke.
“She’s pregnant.”
“Good heavens!”
“Congratulations!”
The nobles in the grand assembly clapped so loudly it shook the hall. The Emperor, with a resigned expression, clapped as well, while the Crown Prince and Prince glared at Kaiden with sour faces.
“Your Grace.”
At Marion’s call, Kaiden looked down at her, still dazed. Marion mouthed silently.
‘Did I do well?’
He couldn’t help but laugh.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
By Anna 💓
