Chapter 45 – Strange

“When did you get here?”

Upon finding Cabellenus, Alicia’s eyes widened.

“I just stopped by for a minute. I have to return later.”

“You don’t have to come here if you’re busy…….”

Alicia stopped talking and wrinkled her brows.

It was apparent why the busy Cabellenus came this time.

“……By any chance, have you heard the news?”

“……yes.”

Cabellenus hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

Alicia wriggled her fingers as she stared at the man.

In retrospect, it wasn’t just her child.

As Mrs Morco said, it was a child between the two of them.

Cabellenus could also harbour feelings for the child, and the emotions he felt could be sufficiently different from Alica.

When she thought so, her heart became heavy.

Even though the child didn’t even exist from the start, it felt like she had somehow done something terrible to Cabellenus.

“Are you all right?”

Cabellenus carefully wrapped his hands around her cheeks.

Seeing his undisguised concern, Alicia lost the confidence to say that she didn’t want a child.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing to be sorry about.”

Cabellenus’s grip tightened.

When he saw the woman with a grim expression, a bitter taste lingered in his mouth.

He had not forgotten the advice from his aide.

“There’s no need to rush in having a child. You can take your time.”

“You don’t have to comfort me.”

“It’s a relief if I’m able to make you feel better. I don’t know what to say because I’m clumsy at this.”

Cabellenus gave a short laugh.

Alicia smiled awkwardly and nuzzled her cheeks into his big hands.

“It’s not something that deserves comfort. There was only a slight mistake.”

“It’s not your fault. Just as you said, there was a mistake.”

“But you must be disappointed.”

Alicia muttered helplessly.

Cabellenus kept his mouth shut.

He wasn’t disappointed because he didn’t expect it, but he couldn’t tell Alicia that reason.

“I’m not disappointed.”

“Really?”

“I was rather troubled. Because the timing wasn’t good.”

“…….”

“Of course, it’s not that I don’t want a child with you.”

Cabellenus clicked his tongue.

Since when did he have such a smooth tongue? He felt like a fool for telling such a lie.

[T/N: To have a “smooth tongue” means to have the ability/tendency to use insincere flattery or persuasion.]

But he had no choice.

He was finally getting closer to Alicia.

Recognizing that, he didn’t want to ruin the relationship that was heading in a good direction.

He wanted to mimic what Alicia desired and protect the current relationship with her.

“……I just didn’t want you to be sad.”

Nevertheless, he meant what he said.

Cabellenus laughed bitterly.

“I’m not sad.”

“You don’t have to pretend to be strong in front of me.”

“Did you think I’ll be sad?”

“That’s how it usually is.”

Imitating what Gazeff had said, Cabellenus avoided Alicia’s gaze.

Although he was speaking appropriately, he didn’t know what the usual standard was.

“……yes.”

Alicia smiled and raised her head.

As Cabellenus’s hand moved away, the warmth naturally disappeared.

“Just take a good rest for the time being. The first thing to do is to get your mind together.”

“Yes, I will.”

“You haven’t had dinner yet, right? I’ve brought you some things that I thought you might like, but I don’t know if you’ll like them.”

Cabellenus stealthily grabbed Alicia’s hand.

“Things that I like?”

Without taking away her hand, Alicia looked at him.

“It’s ridiculous to study in this situation, and it’s also not a good day to take a walk together, either.”

There was another thought that came to mind, but Cabellenus deliberately omitted it.

To place Alicia in a room with another man due to classes…….

There was no reason to bring James up or to remind her of him by mentioning painting.

“I thought about a mix of things because I wanted to relieve your mood, but I didn’t know what I should do for you.”

“…….”

“So, I decided to prepare you some foods that you previously enjoyed.”

Throughout his speech, Cabellenus carefully studied Alicia’s facial expression.

He couldn’t erase the thought that bringing food wasn’t enough.

“You don’t have to do that. I’m happy that Your Grace cared.”

“…….”

“But since you worked hard to prepare it for me, I’ll gladly eat it.”

“……okay.”

As expected, food alone was not enough.

Cabellenus sighed inwardly, looking at Alicia, who struggled to smile.

He tried to get some information by questioning Gazeff, but it was useless.

Alicia was happy with most things, so it was hard to know if anything, in particular, stood out to her.

With the help of Mrs Morco, who had been supporting her all the time, all he received was information on the foods she ate well.

“Instead, please join me for a meal, Your Grace.”

“Me too?”

“You have to eat even if you’re busy. If you don’t mind, please eat with me.”

Alicia moved her hands slowly and clasped them with Cabellenus’s.

The sensation of the tender flesh rubbing between the fingers reflexively caused goosebumps on the nape of her neck, but she did not let go.

It felt comforting to her, but she wanted to console Cabellenus, even if it was just a little bit.

She did not know what the man who wanted to comfort her thought.

 * * *

‘Is it because I’m full?’

Alicia hesitated for a moment, then took a piece and chewed it in her mouth.

The people of Schwarhan enjoyed eating meat, so meat dishes were often served at the table.

Today’s main dish, the T-bone steak served with mashed potatoes, wasn’t hard to come by either.

When she first came to Schwarhan, Alicia was impressed by the taste.

At first, Schwarhan’s cuisine seemed a bit plain and rough, but the original taste of the ingredients was alive.

But today, the juicy steak didn’t taste delicious.

On the contrary, the smell of the signature meat dish only made her feel sick.

If it hadn’t been for Cabellenus, she would have spat out the piece she was chewing.

Alicia barely managed to swallow meat in her mouth with water and then glanced at Cabellenus.

Recently, she would get a stomach ache, but it wasn’t unbearable and would moderately pass, but this time, she couldn’t stand it.

“What’s wrong? Do you not like it?”

“No. It’s so delicious.”

“Eat a lot. There’s plenty of food.”

“Okay. Thank you for the meal.”

At the urging of Cabellenus, Alicia placed another slice of steak in her mouth.

And, she immediately regretted it.

The moment she recognized the taste of the meat, Alicia’s face contorted reflexively.

“What’s the matter? Is it weird?”

It didn’t seem that bad just a while ago.

Alicia couldn’t do anything, so she just covered her mouth with a grimace.

She wanted to spit it out, but she couldn’t because of Cabellenus.

“Spit it out if you can’t eat it.”

Cabellenus, who rose without hesitation, put a napkin on Alicia’s mouth.

“Oh, no, I–”

“Spit it out.”

Cabellenus’s hand strengthened.

Alicia tried to refuse, but she eventually surrendered to his stubborn touch.

No, she was thinking of swallowing it as it was, but she didn’t dare.

“Are you okay?”

Cabellenus only released his hand after Alicia spat out the food in her mouth.

“Yes, yes.”

Alicia closed her eyes tightly, unable to watch Cabellenus roughly lump up the napkin together.

It was not enough to show him her good side, but now she had to show her embarrassing side.

“Are you okay, my lady?”

Mrs Morco tactfully placed a glass of water in Alicia’s hand.

Alicia held the glass and nodded repeatedly.

“There’s no problem with the food.”

Cabellenus, who ate the remaining steak on the plate, frowned slightly.

The taste of the steak was no different from what they usually ate.

“That’s because I’m feeling a little sick.”

At Cabellenus’s words, Alicia raised her head again.

After rinsing her mouth with water, the feeling of nausea still lingered.

A terrible smell was constantly stimulating her sense of smell.

“Get rid of those things right now.”

Cabellenus noticed Alicia’s gaze and pushed the plate roughly away.

The servants, who were preparing to serve the next meal, were puzzled but hurriedly removed the food.

Mrs Morco, who had been watching the situation from the side, immediately opened the window after seeing Alicia’s subtly changed expression at the food that had gone away.

The sudden cold wind made Alicia reflexively recoil, but her expression improved.

Mrs Morco frowned as much as Alicia.

It wasn’t a matter of food.

It was just that Alicia couldn’t accept the food.

It was like morning sickness, which was typical for pregnant women.

“Open the window right now and start ventilating the room.”

Mrs Morco wasn’t the only one who noticed the change in Alicia.

The window quickly opened it in response to Cabellenus’s command.

The wind mixed with snow rammed into the castle.

“You’ll need something to cover you up.”

At Mrs Morco’s words, instead of answering, Cabellenus took off his coat and put it on Alicia.

After a long time, Alicia barely managed to suppress the feeling of nausea and looked at Cabellenus.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, yes. I’m okay.”

“Since when did this happen?”

“The doctor said there was no problem. It wasn’t this serious this morning.”

Alicia hurriedly replied in a quiet voice.

She didn’t want to worry him about this.

“You don’t have a problem with this look?”

Cabellenus’s face twisted with anger.

Alicia urgently grabbed Cabellenus by the hem of his garment.

“Although the symptoms are unique, I’m not in bad shape.”

It was the first time she had such a severe symptom, but the symptoms, themselves, were not strange.

At first, the symptoms began with an upset stomach, but they seemed to be getting worse day by day.

She was not sensitive nor picky about food, but at one point, she became unable to eat more and more foods.

“Symptoms? What symptoms?”

“That’s…….”

She didn’t want to talk about pregnancy anymore.

Alicia obscured her words and avoided Cabellenus’s gaze.

However, the persistent man knew nothing about giving up.

“Mrs Morco.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Instead, you should explain.”

Cabellenus ordered with his teeth clenched.

The glistening eyes were struggling to contain his anger.

“It’s just like the lady said. I had the doctor examine her several times, but the findings were consistent. They said there is nothing wrong with the lady’s body.”

“Are you saying that they don’t even know the name of her illness even though they are a doctor?”

Cabellenus clicked his tongue with a tone of absurdity.

His voice was mixed with deep irritation.

“There was only one suggestion that it was similar to the symptoms seen in the early stages of pregnancy.”

“I thought they said she wasn’t pregnant.”

“Yes. The doctor also said that it was strange.”

Although she replied calmly, Mrs Morco was also confused.

The symptoms that Alicia was showing were consistently indicating that she was pregnant.

“What is the probability that the doctor’s diagnosis is a misdiagnosis?”

“It’s hard to say that it’s not perfect. Not only the doctor’s personal diagnosis but the magic tool used to confirm pregnancy showed little response. The odds of misdiagnosis is extremely low.”

“Call another doctor.”

His pupils flashed menacingly.

Mrs Morco quickly bowed her head and politely responded.

“He’s the best doctor in Schwarhan.”

“Are you going to make me repeat myself?”

Cabellenus growled.

Mrs Morco nodded right away without further comment.

“I’ll call my family doctor for now.”

“Them too, if they don’t know the name of the disease, call another doctor.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mrs Morco answered obediently this time.

She also wanted to check Alicia’s condition.

“I’m fine.”

Alicia smiled weakly – as if to show them not to worry.

The back of Cabellenus hand gently swept Alicia’s cheek.

“I’m not okay.”

Cabellenus’s jaw was strained.

Due to her snowy-white skin, Alicia looked pale even if a little colour disappeared from her face.

Eventually, Cabellenus could not bear to look at her pale face and hugged Alicia in his arms.

“I’ll be okay soon.”

“Of course, you’ll be fine. You’ve gained as much weight as you can, but now you can’t eat anything, and you’re becoming skinny.”

Cabellenus carefully stroked Alicia’s hair.

The hands of the man who touched her hair were now quite proficient.

“I’ve eaten too much to say that I couldn’t.”

“You didn’t eat much, though.”

“Your Grace doesn’t know how many oranges I ate while in my seat today.”

Alicia laughed awkwardly.

It was a comment made to reassure Cabellenus, but it was not a lie.

She didn’t enjoy food due to her reduced appetite, so she would end up having a small portion, but somehow the oranges she ate today were so delicious, her hands kept reaching for them.

The hands of the maids who peeled oranges for her were constantly busy.

“I didn’t know you liked fruits.”

Cabellenus stared at Alicia.

Looking back, it was unpleasant that there was something he didn’t know about her.