WLTIS | CHAPTER 38

Chapter 38

She skipped lunch.

She couldn’t bring herself to chew or swallow anything.

She had to eat for the child’s sake, but she couldn’t.

Seeing how uneasy Lincia looked, Anna wrapped her in a thick coat and escorted her out to the outer castle.

Her cheeks stung from crying in Anna’s arms.

In the distance, Harvich appeared on horseback.

That sight alone brought Lincia a sense of relief.

He hadn’t forgotten their promise, and he’d arrived even earlier than the day before.

Harvich was talking quietly with Hue.

“Harvich.”

At the faint, tearful voice, his eyes turned toward her.

He dismounted, handed something to Hue, and strode toward her.

“What brings you all the way out here…?”

Harvich looked visibly startled to see her.

He reached out his hand but hesitated midair.

“Who is it that made you cry?”

“Ju–Julius.”

She wanted to explain clearly, but the tears wouldn’t stop, and her lips trembled too much to form the words.

After collecting herself, Lincia spoke slowly.

“…Julius said he’s coming to the Grand Duke’s Castle again.”

My child…

“Did he send a letter?”

“No, Tereo did.”

Her voice faltered again.

“You spoke to Tereo alone? Did you even know he was here?”

The urgency in Harvich’s tone filled her with sudden disappointment.

It felt as though her chest had frozen solid.

The burning emotion in her head turned to ice, and cold disappointment settled in her heart.

“…Is that what matters right now?”

“It’s an important question for me.”

Lincia had believed in the warmth Harvich had shown her.

Even if he didn’t think he was the father of her child, she thought at least he wouldn’t suspect it was Tereo’s.

She couldn’t even eat for the child’s sake.

But what did he mean by that question?

Anna, worried, had bundled her up and taken her outside.

“I apologized to you,” Harvich said.

Lincia’s cheek still burned from crying in Anna’s arms.

“I apologized because… if the knight isn’t the father of your child, then my earlier words must have wounded you. And I realized that too late.”

He hadn’t forgotten his promise and had come even earlier today.

Harvich was chatting with Hue when she called to him.

“Harvich.”

“Speak.”

At her trembling voice, his gaze turned to her again.

He handed something to Hue, then strode toward her.

The tone of his voice, demanding answers, made her nearly lose her composure.

Lincia clenched her fists and looked up at him.

“Oberok delivered Tereo’s message to me. Will you listen to what I have to say now?”

The voice that came from her lips was sharp and cold—so much that she hardly recognized it as her own.

“Who is it that made you cry?”

Harvich’s arm flinched.

“Ju–Julius.”

“I don’t want the Emperor to come here.”

“And why are you telling me that?”

His gaze turned suddenly cold and emotionless.

“The Emperor is coming because of you, isn’t he?”

“…”

Lincia looked at him.

The man before her had a twisted, pained expression.

After a long silence, Harvich spoke in a strained voice.

“I know now that you conceived the child for Julius’s sake.”

Lincia’s lips parted in shock.

She thought she’d reached rock bottom, that nothing could hurt her more than what had already happened—but she was wrong.

“What kind of man did the Emperor choose as the father of his precious heir, that you would go so far to bear it?”

There was no end to the fall.

Because she had believed in the man who once showed her kindness, the pain was doubled.

Lincia’s lips trembled as if she wanted to argue, to demand why he’d been so gentle only to accuse her now.

But no words came out.

The soft, sweet feelings she’d experienced just yesterday now seemed like lies.

She felt humiliated for believing everything would somehow turn out well, when in truth, nothing between them had been resolved.

Shame gave way to anger.

“It’s your child!

You said it was yours!

Why won’t you believe me?”

He had been the one who forgot that night—so how could he stand there, accusing her so shamelessly?

But Harvich said nothing.

Another deep sigh escaped him, and Lincia’s heart pounded painfully in her chest.

She already knew what he was going to say next.

“When you give birth, it’ll become my child.”

“Even if there’s not a drop of my blood, once it’s born from you, it’ll be mine.”

Who’s really the one in pain here?

How dare you look at me with that face?

“…What are you?”

He didn’t believe a single word she said, didn’t remember anything—and yet, how could he hold her so tenderly just last night?

His warmth was still vivid in her memory.

“You’ll regret this,” she said.

Tears she’d held back finally spilled.

She forced herself to stay standing.

“I’ll never forgive you.”

Her voice was firm, a declaration.

When Harvich tried to steady her, she slapped his hand away.

If his kindness had only been meant to shock her into miscarriage, he had nearly succeeded.

Because Lincia was truly shaken by his words today.

A suffocating silence filled the air.

“I’ll take you back,” he said.

“I can walk alone.”

Back in her room, holding Anna’s hand, Lincia sobbed uncontrollably.

She hated him.

She hated everything—this entire wretched situation.

She was exhausted and wanted to give up on everything.

“Your Highness,” Anna said softly.

“Do you also think… that I’m carrying another man’s child?”

Anna shook her head.

Even that wretched Julius thought she was carrying Harvich’s child.

Then why was Harvich the only one who didn’t believe her?

The unfairness of it made her tremble.

Even if everyone pointed fingers at her, it would have been enough if Harvich believed her.

Why didn’t he?

She had done nothing to make him doubt her.

She wanted to scream that if he suspected another man, he should bring him here himself.

Though she was still hurt, she forced herself to stop crying when Anna reminded her that too many tears would harm the baby.

There was a knock on the door.

She didn’t want to see anyone.

She didn’t have the strength to talk to anyone.

But as the Grand Duchess, she couldn’t refuse every visitor.

“It’s Hue Grentia.”

The voice beyond the door wasn’t Harvich’s.

The man who had wounded her with cruel words and promised to escort her back hadn’t come.

That made her feel even worse.

And she was angry at herself for still waiting for him.

“I have a proposal for Your Grace, the Grand Duchess.”

–***

“You’ll regret this.”

The image of her shocked face wouldn’t leave Harvich’s mind.

He had gotten distracted by a fox and forgotten their appointment.

She hadn’t even asked for anything; he had simply wanted to make her a fox-fur scarf as a gift—and that selfish thought had made him lose track of what really mattered.

When he realized she’d been crying, his heart sank to the floor.

Her gentle eyes were red and puffy.

She was still beautiful, but it hurt to see her like that.

He’d wanted to wipe away her tears, kiss her cheeks, and comfort her.

It felt strange to admit, but lately, his feelings for her had grown beyond control.

But coming straight from the hunt, filthy and unwashed, he couldn’t bring himself to touch her.

And then, in the middle of her sobs, she had said Julius’s name.

“You pressured her into conceiving, didn’t you? Through Oberok.”

“You mean she got pregnant just to obey you?”

He could still remember the image of that woman who hadn’t answered Julius’s question.