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Prologue
Chapter 01
“Your Highness, the reason I came to see you like this is……”
“Relax. Speak comfortably.”
At Cassian’s words cutting her off, Yulia tightly clenched the two hands she had neatly placed on her knees.
She had to stop what she was about to say for a moment, but she tried to act as calm as possible.
Because what she had to say next was very important.
Keeping her gaze fixed on the antique carpet spread across the reception room floor, Yulia opened her mouth again.
“I know you will be very surprised……”
“Speak comfortably.”
For the second time, her words were cut off. Yulia’s expression twisted slightly.
She thought it was ridiculous that Cassian was obsessing over her tone when he didn’t even know what she was about to say.
‘This is not the time for this…….’
Yulia let out a very small sigh so he wouldn’t hear, then spoke again.
“What I want to tell you is……”
“Yulia.”
At the low voice ringing in her ears, Yulia tightly shut her eyes.
“Stop using unnecessary formal speech and just talk comfortably.”
“Haah……”
Yulia lifted her head and looked at Cassian’s expressionless face.
Without any change in expression, he simply fixed his deep dark-green eyes on her.
“……Why is the way I speak so important right now?”
“That’s much better.”
Cassian smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Yulia, who frowned.
It was a perfectly beautiful smile.
At that moment, Yulia felt a twisted urge to erase that perfect smile from his face.
“I’m pregnant.”
She hadn’t planned to say it so directly.
But seeing him sitting there so calm, unlike herself who had suffered and worried endlessly, made her feel a little annoyed……
A heavy silence fell between them across the table.
“…….”
Without taking his eyes off Yulia, Cassian picked up his teacup and brought it to his lips.
He looked calm, but the slight crease in his brows showed he was not.
Even a man who seemed like he would never be surprised found it hard to stay composed in front of a woman claiming to carry his child.
Yulia felt a shallow sense of satisfaction rise within her, completely out of place with the situation.
“Marry me and move in.”
After a long silence, Cassian finally spoke.
It was the answer she expected.
But not one she found satisfying.
“Your Highness, Duke Dubert and his wife have arrived.”
A knock came from beyond the door, along with Abil’s voice.
“Yeah.”
Cassian casually replied, removing the thick cigar from his mouth.
As Abil pushed the door open, two people who had been waiting anxiously rushed inside.
The couple, who entered without any dignity, looked around the room filled with cigar smoke and exchanged uneasy glances.
“Sit.”
Cassian spoke without even lifting his head.
The two sat down one after the other in the chairs Yulia had just used, catching their breath.
“Y-Your Highness, greetings. I am Duncan Dubert, and this is my wife, Catherine Dubert.”
Cassian inhaled from the cigar.
“We—we came because…… we have something to say about the girl who just left this room……”
Duncan wiped the sweat from his forehead with a white handkerchief.
He couldn’t hide his anxiety, his hands trembling as he kept rubbing his forehead.
Cassian nodded slightly, as if telling him to continue, and exhaled white smoke.
Duncan stiffened as the smoke drifted toward him.
How arrogant……
He forced himself to speak.
“Y-Yulia may have told you something, but…… that is all a l-lie……”
At the mention of Yulia’s name, Cassian raised his head.
He fixed his gaze on the pitiful duke sitting before him, swallowing nervously.
“Actually, that is…… we…… that is, our son……”
Catherine, sitting beside him, sharply jabbed his side.
“Your Highness, we gave Yulia a drug for certain reasons. A drug that makes her think she’s pregnant.”
“T-That’s right! We had our own plan, so it happened like that…… b-but Yulia is absolutely not pregnant.”
It was as if a ray of light broke through the darkness clouding their minds.
“Of course she isn’t! As soon as she leaves the castle, we’ll capture her and give her the antidote.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right! We’ll handle it quickly. She is definitely not pregnant with Your Highness’s child, so p-please don’t worry! We’re sorry for troubling you.”
Duncan bowed deeply, stammering.
“I know.”
Cassian extinguished the cigar in the glass ashtray on his desk.
“Pardon? You knew? What do you mean……?”
Duncan lifted his head, looking confused.
“But I’d prefer if she continues not knowing.”
A slow smile spread across Cassian’s cold face.
Yulia stood in front of a large door.
She turned her head and glared resentfully at Emma.
‘Fighting!’
Emma, the experienced head maid who had worked in the Ishade mansion for over fifty years, kept winking at her.
Behind Emma, Abil clenched his fists as if cheering her on.
‘Just go in like that!’
Their bright, eager expressions only made it more burdensome.
Yulia reluctantly turned back.
“Haah……”
Meeting him wasn’t difficult.
But his recent behavior was so different from what she knew that it felt uncomfortable and awkward.
Swallowing nervously, Yulia lightly knocked on the study door with the edge of the marble tray she was holding.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
A low voice came through the thick door.
As Abil opened the door, Emma pushed Yulia from behind and shoved her inside.
What a perfect team.
Muttering to herself, Yulia walked toward the wide desk.
She heard the door shut behind her.
“……I brought some snacks. Coffee…… and this is butter cookies, I think……?”
You should have told me what you prepared, Emma……!
Cassian lifted his head and looked at her.
Feeling awkward, Yulia stopped in the middle of the room on the carpet.
“……Are you going to throw the snacks from there?”
“N-No…… that’s not it……”
“Come a little closer.”
Cassian stretched out one arm, as if calling her over.
He looked clearly tired after being shut in his office all morning.
When she got close enough, he took the tray from her and placed it on his desk.
“Did you rest well today?”
Turning his body fully toward her, Cassian looked up at her.
He grabbed her hands and pulled her closer.
“Yeah…… I just stayed in bed all day.”
Yulia answered as she was easily pulled toward him.
Here we go again.
Holding her hands, Cassian slowly stroked the back of them with his thumb.
The soft touch tickled, and Yulia slightly shrank her shoulders.
“I’m a bit tired.”
Cassian muttered.
Looking down at the desk, she saw a large pile of documents stacked dangerously high.
For days, he had barely slept, organizing information about newly appointed high-ranking nobles.
“Yulia.”
Seeing her gaze drift away, Cassian frowned slightly.
“Hm? Oh, wait……”
When her eyes returned to him, his expression softened.
He interlocked his fingers with hers and suddenly asked,
“Want to bathe together?”
“……What?”
“My head feels heavy. It’ll be better to wash and then work again.”
“I…… already bathed earlier?”
Yulia widened her eyes in shock at the sudden suggestion.
“According to a book, the fastest way for a married couple to grow closer is to bathe together.”
“……What kind of book teaches that?”
“I’m studying whatever I can. The child is growing, but the parents don’t seem close.”
Yulia was surprised by his unexpected answer.
Even while busy day and night, Cassian was trying to get closer to her for the sake of the child.
‘But I, the mother…….’
She placed a hand on her still flat stomach.
She felt guilt and apology toward the child growing inside her.
Seeing her touch her stomach, Cassian pulled her closer, supporting her back.
“Yulia.”
She awkwardly placed her hands on his shoulders as she moved closer.
Cassian gently rested his face against her stomach.
Sometimes, he acted like this, trying to make his presence known to the child.
He would place his hand on her stomach, gently stroke it, press his ear or cheek to it, or even give a light kiss.
Yulia looked down silently at his black hair pressed against her.
A few strands sticking up made him look unexpectedly cute.
She felt a small urge to stroke his soft hair.
It had already been a month since their wedding.
In other words, it had been a month since Cassian started acting like a caring husband.
This strange and unfamiliar marriage had begun on that day.
That cursed graduation banquet day.
