🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 01
Two lines.
Two red lines.
“…Strange. I think it said that if two red lines appear, it means pregnancy.”
Kalia Taksikate stared blankly, turning the kit over in her hand once again.
She was holding the test kit that contained the strip of paper.
Kalia carefully read the instructions printed on the back.
[If two red lines appear on the white space of the paper, it indicates pregnancy; one line means not pregnant.]
She kept glancing back and forth between the two vivid lines on the test strip and the instructions.
Soon, she muttered two words that clearly described the situation in front of her.
“…Pregnant?”
The test strip fell from Kalia’s hand with a soft thud.
She slowly clenched and unclenched her trembling fists.
Her scarred, rough palms turned white from the tightness of her grip, and she raised her eyes to the sky for a moment.
This was the mansion bestowed upon her directly by the Emperor in recognition of her achievements in the seven-year war.
The mansion’s luxurious chandeliers glittered in the sunlight.
Squinting at the dazzling sparkle, she closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
“Fuu… haa… fuuuu.”
Then she looked down at the paper on the floor again.
It was unmistakable.
Two perfectly clear red lines—there was no denying it.
“…Oh, my God.”
Am I really pregnant?
The moment she realized it, the first emotion to overwhelm her was astonishing joy.
“A baby!”
Without even realizing it, Kalia covered her mouth and sprang to her feet.
Taking a sharp breath, her lungs expanded rapidly.
A tickling warmth spread through her body like being buried in sweet cotton candy.
It was dizzying, like someone had struck her head with a hammer, and her heart pounded wildly at the same time.
It was awe and excitement at this impossible turn of events.
“…A real baby? Inside me… there’s a baby growing in here?”
She reached out with trembling hands to caress her flat, firm belly.
Her fingers, calloused and worn, trembled as they traced the curve of her stomach.
My God… a baby… I’m carrying a baby!
Most female knights were infertile.
Daily grueling training, relentless battles with no regard for gender, and the stress of running across bloody battlefields weakened their reproductive functions.
The knights of the Lohas Empire were famed for pushing their bodies to the limit, regardless of gender.
Thanks to that, they defended the royal family from countless invasions, and the prestigious reputation of the Imperial Knights struck fear into neighboring countries.
And the person who contributed most to this ruthless reputation was none other than Kalia Taksikate, commander of the Red Lion Knights of Lohas.
A genius soldier boasting unparalleled skills in the history of the Lohas Empire.
A swordswoman, a warrior.
A great war hero who ended the seven-year Salt War.
Kalia Taksikate was a formidable swordswoman, a righteous knight, and the very archetype of the soldier every enemy feared.
Not even a noble, she rose to the position of Supreme Commander at a remarkably young age.
The sweat and blood she shed to achieve such overwhelming strength were enormous.
Her body had been broken and healed countless times.
So naturally, Kalia assumed she could never bear a child.
Even her personal physician had regretfully implied as much.
So this pregnancy was almost a miracle of the gods.
Pregnant… I… I’m pregnant… ha!
Kalia shook all over, struggling to contain the joy she could not hide.
Tears welled up—tears she hadn’t shed even once in over twenty years.
…My baby, my baby.
She had been an orphan.
A pitiably unlucky, thoroughly miserable orphan.
Abandoned in the back alleys at a young age, she survived crawling and scavenging for scraps.
From before she had memories to the first memory she retained…
Despite hardly eating or sleeping, she grew remarkably well.
She was taller than her peers, stronger and more agile than a child should be.
This was how, at the age of six, she had secretly rescued the only son of a duke who had been kidnapped to the back alleys.
Thanks to saving the young duke, she received sponsorship from the duke’s family from the age of six, learning swordsmanship and gradually building her achievements to become the Empire’s Supreme Commander.
From a poor, insignificant orphan to a celebrated hero of the empire, lavished with praise and honors, she had long told herself that wishing for more was greedy.
My family.
She had quietly buried that fragile, primal desire as a luxury she could never afford…
And then, one day, this incredible miracle struck her like a bolt from the blue.
Please… let this moment not be a dream.
Kalia closed her eyes tightly, taking deep breaths to prevent tears from falling.
But the joy could not be contained, and her excitement refused to subside.
“Fuu.”
She took a short breath and, unable to restrain herself any longer, let out a loud scream:
“Wow! Oh my God! Oh my God! No, calm down. It’s not good for the baby to be this worked up. Yes, yes!”
Yet she could not stop her feet from stamping the floor.
She tried to contain herself, but it took circling the grand living room 27 times before she could finally sink into a soft chair.
Now, it was time to think about the remaining problem.
“…The problem is… who the father is.”
Ugh.
Just thinking of the man presumed to be the father made her groan.
Shaiman Terloang.
The fortunate part was that he was the only man she had been with; the unfortunate part was that he was not her lover.
Even worse, he was the Empire’s greatest mage, the Magic Duke, and a war hero on par with her.
And worst of all, he was the very same young duke whose life she had saved when she was six—and her closest friend to this day.
…Yes.
Kalia had, in a cruel twist of fate, become pregnant with her best friend’s child.
All because of a single night’s mistake.
“…Oh, damn!”
Kalia cursed without thinking, then quickly soothed her belly with gentle hands and apologized.
“Ah! I’m sorry for cursing, little one. Mommy’s been on the battlefield, so my words are a bit rough. I’m sorry.”
Her guilt was overwhelming from just that one exclamation.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, little one. I’ll be careful from now on.”
She felt a surge of emotion—the desire to treat this life with nothing but the most precious words and care.
It was a feeling she had never experienced in her life of having to crush and kill others to survive.
A blush rose to Kalia’s cheeks.
She didn’t fully understand the emotions surging in her chest.
The thought of my baby alone made her heart ignite.
“No matter what happens…”
She would protect this child.
Whatever it took, she would.
She could swear it with a sword on her chest.
Her precious my baby.
A miraculous bond that had found her.
Even if it came from a magical accident one night.
