Episode 2
“Of course, it was suspicious, but it wasn’t something to jump to conclusions about.”
‘The commonality among the three is that they all die.’
And they were all close to Louise.
Living up to his nickname ‘Mad Dog’, Rurik had killed more than one or two people…
‘It seems all of them were connected to Louise’s death.’
So, since Louise hasn’t died now, did they all get a longer lease on life?
“Ugh.”
As if that were possible!
‘If I’m really pregnant, at least one of those guys is as good as dead!’
Because my brother is none other than that ‘Mad Dog’ Rurik!
“Congratulations, you’re pregnant.”
Those were the words I heard a few days later, after much difficulty finally meeting a doctor.
‘I went through all sorts of hardships to see a doctor who wasn’t from the Imperial Palace…’
Even though I was wearing a robe so my face wasn’t visible, I barely managed to swallow my tears as I faced the doctor’s smiling face.
‘So, it’s true. I’m pregnant.’
It’s fine. I’m fine.
It’s not a terminal illness, and babies are so cute…
They’re cute… I’m confident I can take good care of one…
‘But I have to give birth?’
Argh, I need to find the baby’s father!
I need to find the father and escape the Imperial City before anyone finds out I’m pregnant…!
‘Who cares what happens to a world from a novel? Let’s run away and fulfill my dream from my past life of living a long, healthy life!’
I took off the dark robe, stuffed it back into the large bin, and hurriedly left the restroom.
As soon as I opened the door, I ran right into Phoebe.
“Your Highness, do you have an upset stomach? You’ve been using the public restroom for so long…”
I had found out from Callisteon’s letter that the back door of this general store’s restroom led to an alleyway, and that a black robe was hidden in the restroom storage closet.
‘To be precise, since this general store is owned by the Babenberg merchant group, it was something Callisteon had prepared.’
And I learned about the shabby clinic in this alley from the market map Ren, the owner of the Magic Tower, had sent me for fun.
‘He had marked all his favorite restaurants with stars…’
Although I had successfully completed my arduously planned adventure, I couldn’t shake the shock of the pregnancy confirmation.
‘Me, really, pregnant?!’
Could the father even be one of those three?
‘What if he’s not?’
Seeing my dazed face, Phoebe looked puzzled and reached out her hand.
“Your Highness? Are you truly unwell?”
It was only when Phoebe’s cool palm touched my forehead that I startled and snapped out of it.
“No, it’s just… It’s been hard to go to the bathroom lately.”
Phoebe immediately made a face.
“I knew it! You seemed like you couldn’t go yesterday, either!”
…You were keeping track of that too?
“W-well, let’s go now.”
Feeling a sting of guilt, I moved my steps, and my revitalized limbs stretched out with more vigor than necessary.
‘Oh my, it’s hard to control.’
Is this what it feels like to drive a Ferrari after being used to a… never mind.
‘I’m pregnant, yet my body feels so light!’
Fortunately, Phoebe didn’t seem to notice anything particularly strange.
“That’s right, Your Highness. I found the item for you.”
At her signal, a servant followed, carrying a large, luxurious box in both arms.
We promptly boarded the imperial carriage, and the box was placed next to Phoebe.
She ran her hand over the box’s surface and said.
“See, the Grand Duke is quite the romantic. If he wanted to send a gift, he could just send it to the palace, but look at him making you go through all this trouble to pick it up.”
Well, wasn’t it to kill two birds with one stone, giving me a chance to go outside and get some air?
So, Callisteon, whom I had set up as the ‘Serpent of the North’, was this kind to Louise.
‘I heard he always had gifts ready for her to pick up anytime she visited a store owned by Babenberg.’
Even so, all I could think now was:
‘Is he the father?’
—Clatter, clatter.
The imperial carriage was the enemy of an early-stage pregnant woman.
Shortly after, I got off the carriage, my face pale from fighting back nausea.
‘If I don’t do something about this morning sickness, I’ll be found out before my belly even shows.’
Struggling to straighten my back, a strong scent of perfume wafted from somewhere.
‘Ugh.’
I had to suppress the vomit rising once again.
But the source of the smell seemed to be getting closer.
‘Oh, oh no, don’t come…’
However, the other party seemed to have no such reservations, approaching me without hesitation, linking arms with me, and clinging on.
“Louise!”
Someone who could call my name so openly in public was generally a member of the imperial family.
Before I could even figure out who it was based on that fact alone, Phoebe dropped to one knee and bowed her head.
“Your Highness, Princess Chirilla.”
Cyril.
Over the past few days, I had locked myself in my room, straining my memory to recall the settings of To the Point of Madness, and jotted down every detail I could remember.
For example…
2nd Princess (25 years old)
Cyril Areta Brentania
Red hair, golden eyes.
Relatively the nicest personality among the royals.
Even though it was a book I wrote, I couldn’t believe I remembered the middle name of a side character like a princess.
‘Wow, I remember it this clearly?’
The age of the 2nd Princess in the novel came to me as accurately as a multiplication table.
Impressed by my own memory, I plastered a smile on my face.
“Sister Chirilla…?”
Even though I whispered the address uncertainly and very softly, Cyril beamed happily.
“I was just on my way to see you, what perfect timing!”
Even though her role wasn’t a particularly good one, she was prettier than I had imagined.
Her golden eyes were mysterious, and the Brentania imperial family’s characteristic red hair shone vividly under the afternoon sun.
‘The setting was that Louise and Crown Prince Hartman didn’t inherit the red hair.’
By the way, did Chirilla say she was coming to see me?
‘Rurik and I are treated like outcasts, living separately in a detached palace and rarely participating in imperial events…’
The reason Rurik doted so much on Louise was because they were the only two who relied on each other throughout their childhood in this vast Imperial Palace.
‘Unlike the Crown Prince and the other princes and princesses, they were the only children of the deceased 2nd Imperial Consort.’
Not only that, but the 2nd Imperial Consort was famously set up to be a commoner.
I was slow to respond to her words as I tried to sort through my complicated thoughts, but Chirilla didn’t wait for my answer and immediately asked.
“Hey, Louise. Is it true that Grand Duke Callisteon is coming to the victory celebration banquet?”
Of course.
‘So that was the purpose.’
I swallowed hard, my throat tense.
If the gift the servant is holding now is revealed to be from Grand Duke Callisteon, leading to a development where I get slapped by Cyril, I’d really rather not.
‘Hey, I’ve been convalescing for a long time, so I’m a bit delicate, you know…’
This is bad, if the father is Callisteon, I’m in big trouble.
‘But no matter how much I’d like to humor Chirilla, how could I know if Callisteon is coming to the banquet or not?’
In fact, I hadn’t even thought about the victory celebration banquet.
For the past few days, reviewing the novel’s settings, analyzing letters, and figuring out how to see a doctor had been more than enough to keep me busy.
I managed to answer.
“Well… I’m not really sure either.”
But then, the corners of Cyril’s lips curled up unexpectedly.
“I heard your brother Rurik passed the border of the Muasac territory quite a while ago. Has there still been no word from the Grand Duke?”
‘Your brother Rurik’, what a way to put it.
‘He’s your brother too, isn’t he?’
Anyway… Since I became Louise, I hadn’t received any communication from Callisteon.
‘Maybe there’s a letter inside that box… but I haven’t seen it yet.’
So, I answered with a bit more confidence.
“Yes, not yet.”
“I thought for sure he would have contacted you…”
But there wasn’t even a trace of disappointment in Cyril’s tone as she said that.
She looked very satisfied and let me go quite neatly.
“Why don’t you come by for lunch sometime?”
It was probably an empty invitation, but I didn’t want to go to lunch any more than she probably wanted me to.
‘The fact that we’re treated like outcasts in the detached palace is actually a huge relief for me.’
I’m a complete newbie who just got possessed.
Without even knowing if this novel I wrote will truly begin or not, if I make some strange mistake carelessly, it’ll be a disaster.
It seemed I was useless by her standards since I didn’t know anything about Callisteon.
After Cyril left looking relieved, we returned safely to my room in the detached palace.
Returning to a somewhat familiar space, my biggest problem once again assaulted my mind.
‘So, who is the father?!’
Surely no one would refuse to take responsibility, right?
‘I’m a princess, for heaven’s sake!’
As I was pondering fiercely, Phoebe asked with a mischievous expression.
“Shall I give you some privacy?”
Why…?
I was thinking to myself when I noticed the gift box placed on the table.
Phoebe narrowed her eyes and whispered.
“Maybe this time, His Excellency will finally confess.”
