Chapter 55 – Pregnant

“It must’ve been that painter.”

“What about the painter?”

“There’s no one else who would say unnecessary things to Alicia except him. He’s the most suspicious one.”

That man bothered him from the beginning.

Cabellenus twisted his lips as he recalled James.

“How do you want to deal with him?”

“He has to pay the price for spouting nonsense.”

“The lady might find out.”

“Find out?”

“After all, he’s the only one who has been teaching the lady how to paint. Besides, she’s psychologically…….”

Gazeff checked his superior’s countenance and obscured his words.

Cabellenus and Alicia. Those two were currently in a cold war.

“It doesn’t matter, no. It won’t matter.”

Cabellenus sighed and rubbed his forehead.

It would be enough if he could get rid of the annoying painter quickly, but the timing wasn’t appropriate.

If Alicia asked Cabellenus where James was after he dealt with him, Cabellenus would have nothing to say.

Alicia currently did not trust Cabellenus.

If James disappeared without a word, she would immediately suspect Cabellenus.

That wouldn’t be good.

Receiving cold treatment from Alicia was already tough.

Every time he encountered the tightly closed door of Alicia’s room that refused any visitors, Cabellenus had to suppress the urge to break down the door, over and over again.

“Firstly, make him say that he’ll leave with his own mouth. It won’t be too late to deal with him after her treatment.”

“With his own mouth?”

“Now that I’ve lost her trust, he must have gained it instead.”

Cabellenus tightly gritted his teeth, suppressing his irritation.

Gazeff examined his superior’s mood and cautiously opened his mouth.

“By the way, are you really going to proceed with the engagement like this?”

“Why do you ask that?”

Gazeff swallowed dryly at the icy gaze. 

The aide, who had served Cabellenus for a long time, noticed that it was a warning, but he couldn’t accept it unconditionally.

Gazeff pondered about it for a moment and then finally spoke up.

“I know that I’m overstepping, but the lady is–”

“If you know that you’re overstepping, don’t say it.”

“…….”

“Gazeff Claude. Since when have you been so emotional?”

Cabellenus nonchalantly smoothed his cravat with an unchanged, indifferent expression.

Gazeff couldn’t say anything and just bowed his head.

It was foolish to give up multiple interests for the sake of one.

So far, that was what he believed, but his judgment was clouded.

“……But, the lady is a special person.”

“Special?”

“She’s the first person Your Grace has ever liked.”

Gazeff wrinkled his face.

Even if he tried to make a rational judgment, he couldn’t help but mix in his emotions.

Now, Alicia was no longer a stranger.

“That’s why I’m going to give her the position she deserves.”

“However, the lady is now…….”

“I can’t help it. She’s too innocent to understand the game of dirty politics.”

Despite Cabellenus’s expressionless face, his lips trembled slightly.

Contrary to his calm attitude, his insides were boiling like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

A few days had already passed since he parted with Alicia like that.

She still hadn’t contacted him yet.

All he heard from the reports were that she was still staying in her room.

“I hoped that she wouldn’t get hurt, but I can’t help it that things got twisted. I’m just waiting for her to accept it.”

“Do you think the lady will understand?”

“Well, she’s also a rational person.”

Alicia never forgot her position.

She always tried to fit in and adapt to her prescribed position.

He was always bothered by that fact, but ironically he was relying on it now.

“She will accept it eventually. And she will gradually understand what it’s like to be in the position of a ruler.”

“…….”

“She’s not a bumpkin. She can’t be like that.”

[T/N: A “bumpkin” is a derogatory term used to describe a person from the countryside who is considered to be awkward and stupid.]

Cabellenus’s jaw muscles twitched.

Alicia currently looked like a true aristocrat, and it suited her well.

There was no going back to before that.

“Now that it’s come to this, let’s advance the preparations.”

“What do you mean?”

“How long did you say it would take for the engagement ceremony to be fully prepared?”

“A month.”

“Let’s cut it down to a week.”

“Bu-But…….”

“As long as it’s properly formatted, the princess wouldn’t object to it, no. Rather, she’ll be pleased. From her point of view, she would want to solidify her relationship with me as soon as possible before her father dies.”

Gazeff’s eyes flickered.

Cabellenus impassively turned his head at the lack of response.

“What’s wrong with you? Is there a problem?”

“……Is it really okay to do that?”

“What?”

“If the lady finds out about it……”

“She already knows.”

“…….”

“Alicia is anxious. But that doesn’t mean we can give up on all the fish we’ve caught. In the end, there’s only one thing I can do.”

To sort out the current situation as quickly as possible.

Cabellenus briefly exhaled and then straightened his back.

Cabellenus still didn’t think his judgment was wrong.

Before he became Alicia’s lover, he was the master of Schwarhan.

He had to make a reasonable choice as a ruler.

“It doesn’t matter how much money it costs. As the princess wishes, we should create the most dazzling and beautiful day as soon as possible.”

“But, if that happens–”

“I don’t repeat myself.”

Cabellenus coldly cut off Gazeff’s words.

“……All right, Your Grace.”

Gazeff glanced at his superior’s eyes and soon bowed his head.

The reason he had been able to serve as Cabellenus’s lieutenant for so long was because he never crossed the line.

“Schwarhan must become the best.”

“…….”

“You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

Cabellenus quietly looked down at Gazeff.

Gazeff stood with his mouth open for a moment and then tightly shut his mouth.

He almost forgot about it.

Cabellenus’s long-standing wish – and at the same time – Gazeff’s wish.

“I’m sorry. I forgot my duty for a moment and wavered.”

Gazeff looked at his master with an unrelenting gaze.

There was no need to doubt or be anxious.

Cabellenus always made the right choices and was the perfect winner who made the impossible possible.

So it would be the same this time.

He truly believed so.

“In order to catch the prey, it’s natural to lay a bait in the trap.”

It was also natural to gain more prey than the bait.

Cabellenus slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again.

In the golden eyes that appeared again, the greed that he had concealed was revealed.

“I don’t fight to lose. To win, you have to use every means and method available. And, in the end, the same goes for this. It’s about obtaining more cards to win.”

The variable called Alicia didn’t change the goal.

Instead, in order to make up for the loss of choosing Alicia, who had nothing, he had to gather the winning cards more tenaciously and achieve his goal.

That was the ‘promise’.

Cabellenus let out a heated breath, covering his eyes with his hand.

It was then.

*Knock, knock*

There was a knock at the door.

Gazeff glanced at Cabellenus for permission and then immediately opened the door.

Outside the door stood a woman with a familiar face along with the door attendant.

Gazeff reflexively frowned.

It was Shizuna, one of the maids serving Alicia.

“Baroness Morco has sent someone.”

“My aunt–”

“Tell them to come in.”

Before Gazeff could finish speaking, Cabellenus interrupted.

Shizuna hesitated and cautiously stepped into the room.

“What’s going on?”

“Th-that’s…….”

“Don’t stutter, and say it properly. Is she looking for me?”

Shizuna was startled by the sharp gaze and swallowed her breath.

The young maid’s face had already turned pale.

“Why can’t you speak?”

“Your Grace. Calm down.”

Gazeff, who saw the situation from a different angle, intervened between Cabellenus and Shizuna.

Only then did Shizuna release the breath she had barely held back.

“Tell me what message my aunt wanted you to say, Shizuna.”

“Well…….”

Shizuna glanced at Cabellenus with a frightened face.

She was afraid of what kind of repercussions the news would cause, but she couldn’t help but deliver it.

In the end, Shizuna closed her eyes tightly and opened her mouth.

“My lady has collapsed!”

“……What did you just say? Who collapsed?”

Cabellenus spat out a laugh.

He couldn’t understand what the maid was saying.

“M-my lady has collapsed.”

Shizuna’s voice now sounded like she was crying.

Cabellenus silently scowled at the young maid and eventually turned around roughly.

There was no time to think.

The moment he properly registered the maid’s words, his body moved before anything else.

* * * 

“Your Grace, you’re here!”

Mrs Morco hastily welcomed Cabellenus.

Cabellenus strode into the bedroom as he was greeted.

Inside, the doctors were frantically examining Alicia’s condition.

“How’s her state?”

“She’s unconscious.”

“Unconscious? Is that all you have to say?”

Cabellenus gnawed his teeth.

Lying in bed, Alicia was pallid and drained of colour.

She looked more like a dead person than a living person.

His heart sank at the fact.

“I’m sorry. But I’m doing my best right now…….”

“The best? Is this what you call the best?”

“Since she’s been overworking herself lately, it seems like her physical strength wasn’t able to support her.”

“So you should have looked after her more closely. Did you all leave her alone until it reached this point?”

“My lady didn’t want to meet anyone…….”

Mrs Morco was unable to speak any further and covered her mouth with her hand.

Her hand was trembling helplessly.

She was the first to discover the collapsed Alicia.

“Bring all the doctors in the castle.”

“If we do that, the lady’s location may be exposed.”

Gazeff hurriedly intervened.

Despite maintaining maximum security, one doctor was already exposed to Veloa’s aide.

Moreover, he had already dealt with several cases of spies disguising as a doctor to try to approach Alicia.

Calling all the doctors in the castle and making a fuss would give Veloa an excuse.

“Then should we just leave it like this?”

“The doctors currently checking her condition are all competent people. For now, I think it’s better to wait and see.”

Veins protruded evidently on the back of Cabellenus’s hand.

In the already tightly clenched fists, his fingernails dug into his skin, causing blood to drip down.

“Your Grace, your hand…….”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s not important right now.”

Cabellenus looked at Alicia.

He thought he would never feel anything like regret.

But the moment he saw the unconscious woman, the first thing that came to his mind was, ironically, guilt.

Cabellenus closed his eye tightly. He couldn’t bear to see the women whose breath was faint.

However, even though he closed his eyes, the woman’s face was clearly imprinted in his mind.

Cabellenus heavily sighed and opened his eyes.

He didn’t want to see the fallen Alicia, but he couldn’t turn his eyes away.

He had to look straight ahead and face it.

“My lady will recover soon.”

Gazeff carefully offered words of consolation, but those words didn’t reach Cabellenus’s ears.

His nerves were all focused on Alicia.

“……Are you satisfied now, Your Grace?”

“Aunt.”

Gazeff hastily tried to stop Mrs Morco, but he couldn’t.

Mrs Morco stood in front of Cabellenus and looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.

“I already told you before. It’s not a good idea to keep it a secret.”

“…….”

“You told me the one you trusted the most was my lady. So, why…….”

“…….”

“Moreover, she’s not a single person…..”

Mrs Morco couldn’t control her emotions and eventually sunk onto the floor.

She couldn’t express the feelings she experienced when she found Alicia, who had fallen on the floor, all curled up in a ball as if to protect her baby.

“……What do you mean? She’s not a single person?”

“The doctor confirmed it today. My lady is pregnant.”

“Are you certain?”

Cabellenus’s eyes were cold.

There was a child in Alicia’s belly.

The moment that fact was confirmed, it felt like his blood was flowing backwards.

“That’s why the situation got worse. There’s a limit on the medicine available for pregnant women–”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Pardon?”

“The important thing is Alicia, only her.”

As he dreaded, it was a monster trying to prey on its mother before it was even born.

Cabellenus tightened his fists with a ferocious expression.

“As long as it doesn’t harm the mother, I don’t care what type of medicine you use. Don’t worry about the child and save her first. Do whatever it takes to bring back her consciousness.”

“Your Grace!”

Mrs Morco urgently called out to Cabellenus, but she couldn’t sense any hesitation from him.

On the contrary, he was emitting a deep sense of hatred.

And, the target of that hatred…….

Mrs Morco instinctively looked at Alicia.

Something was going wrong.