Episode 5
‘Let the Magic Tower Master Ren save this pregnant woman.’
The morning that started with Ren’s tea was about thirty times more beautiful than the past week.
I could open the window and smell the food from the kitchen downstairs, and instead of secretly throwing the cookies Phoebe gave me out the window, I could eat about eight of them.
‘Delicious…’
As I was enjoying the fantastic taste of the cookies, which had been like a pie in the sky until now, it became noisy outside.
Phoebe, quick to notice, stood up, opened the window, and looked outside.
Then, she parted her lips brightly and smiled.
“The Flavi royal carriage has arrived, Your Highness.”
Flavi?
That was the homeland of the one remaining candidate for the father.
I briefly wondered if I should go out and greet them, but Phoebe sat back down opposite me without any sign of urgency.
‘Ah, right. Flavi is a vassal state.’
Therefore, it might not be necessary for an imperial family member to go down and greet them.
As if confirming my reasoning, Phoebe said nonchalantly.
“Seeing the royal carriage has arrived, it seems His Highness the Crown Prince is here. Well then, I’ll bet 1 shilling that he knocks on this door before the morning is over.”
I was taught not to back down from a bet.
“Then I’ll bet 1 shilling that he comes within an hour.”
Judging by the letters, he was way, way kinder, more polite, and affectionate than the other two candidates.
Why would he delay coming to me?
“Oh my…!”
Phoebe covered her mouth with her palm and let out a gasp.
“Your Highness, it seems you’re feeling like getting married after graduation? You’re being so proactive all of a sudden…!”
It’s because I’m pregnant.
I only muttered it internally.
—Knock knock.
Exactly one hour later, a knock sounded.
“Darn it!”
Phoebe stood up irritably, took a silver coin from her pocket, and plopped it onto the table.
“He could have waited just a little longer!”
I giggled and pocketed the silver coin.
I don’t know if it’s proper for a princess to take her maid’s money, but a bet is a bet.
When the door opened, I couldn’t help but lament.
So, how did I write about Ernst again…?
Crown Prince Ernst of Flavi, who was so beautiful he was called the ‘Flower of Flavi,’ ended his short life like that.
Was it this?
‘Anyway, it was really simple.’
Wow, my writing skills were at a minimum, you amateur.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Phoebe greeted Ernst at the door and then left to prepare refreshments.
Then Ernst entered the room and knelt on one knee before me.
His golden hair shimmered, catching the sunlight from the window.
His distinct features formed a perfect symmetry like a sculpture, and his golden eyes, like hardened honey, had a healthy glow.
And then, he even looked up at me and smiled softly.
He slowly took one of my hands, which was frozen stiff like an ancient tree.
‘He’s touching it, he’s touching it…!’
When his red lips touched the back of my hand, I had to clench my other hand into a tight fist. Because,
‘My fingers were trembling…!’
He lifted his lips and whispered playfully.
“What’s with that face, Lou? Were two months that long? Long enough to forget my face?”
I mustn’t look suspicious.
I swallowed hard and let out an ‘Ahem,’ an old man’s fake cough.
Ernst stood up, let out a soft sigh, and pulled me into an embrace.
‘Gasp…’
From him came a sweet, subtle fragrance that tickled the nose.
‘It smells like chocolate, or maybe coconut, or flowers…’
Meanwhile, I was thinking, ‘Did I brush my teeth this morning? Did I wash my face? Did I put on perfume?’ when he spoke.
“Seeing you joke around, you must be okay. I was so worried after getting your letter, I couldn’t sleep properly at night. If His Highness the 2nd Prince hadn’t returned, I don’t know what excuse I would have made to come see you.”
You… wanted to see me that much?
I barely managed to regain the sanity I had lost, bewitched by the Flower of Flavi.
‘Get a grip. The father is probably Ren…!’
The father isn’t determined by looks, nor by the order of ability or wealth, and it absolutely can’t be multiple people…!
But before I could even formulate a response, Ernst spoke.
“Don’t be like that, Lou.”
His voice was sweet, gentle, and low, but at the same time, as destructive as thunder.
“It’s my child, after all.”
What?
‘He knows I’m pregnant?’
I looked at him in surprise, and the Flower of Flavi smiled shyly.
Just then, the wind came in through the open window and tousled a few strands of his hair.
I couldn’t tell if the halo shimmering at the tips of his curly blond hair was an illusion or reality.
“Even if it weren’t my child, it wouldn’t matter, but anyway, it is mine.”
I snapped back to reality.
‘So, you’re saying you’re the father?’
Then what about Ren?
Ren also said it was ‘our’ baby…
‘No, the father can’t be two people!’
‘Could he be the father after all?’
Even though I met Ren first, the reason I thought that was solely because Ernst was the only one who knew about the pregnancy.
‘Louise told him in advance…’
My mind, which I had been firmly holding together solely because I survived the possession, was filled with confusion.
It’s a book I wrote, so why are there so many details hidden that I don’t know about?
‘Just who is the father?!’
The Flower of Flavi continued speaking.
“I’ll ask for His Highness the 2nd Prince’s help when he returns.”
Now I see, there are all sorts of ways to rush towards one’s doom.
“His Highness wouldn’t want to send you all the way to the North, and he would absolutely never give you to some low-ranking noble like the Magic Tower Master.”
So, if you, the crown prince of a minor kingdom, got the youngest princess pregnant, I bet you’d lose your head within a day.
“Flavi is the closest, and it’s a vassal state, so it’s safe.”
But Erni, just because you were with me when I died, you’re doomed to die too.
“Look at me, Lou.”
Ernst pressed.
“Look at me, okay?”
No, isn’t constant physical contact against the rules?
I was at a loss, holding Ernst’s hand, when I finally remembered an effective thing to say.
“B-, but.”
Up close, his golden eyes shimmered like two small suns.
“Hmm?”
I clenched my teeth for a moment, then relaxed and spoke softly.
“G-, Grand Duke Callisteon said he’s going to propose to me at the victory celebration banquet.”
Ernst tilted his head prettily.
He clearly knew which way to tilt his head to look more beautiful.
Or perhaps he knew he looked beautiful either way.
“By any chance, did you tell Ren that fact too?”
“Y-, yes…”
I nodded, feeling strangely like a tattletale.
Then, Ernst’s rosy lips formed a precarious arc.
“Then he won’t be able to propose.”
……Are you sure?
“Hmm.”
Ernst thought for a very brief moment, then smiled more brightly.
“Therefore, Ren probably can’t come either, right? Am I going to have Lou all to myself for the first time in a while?”
Well, you see, as far as I know…
‘My older brother, who is far scarier than you guys, is also on his way back.’
Even though he couldn’t possibly not know that, Ernst whispered as calmly as ever.
“First, how about we choose a name for the baby?”
Feeling exasperated, I urgently raised a finger to my lips.
‘No, in the letters, he seemed normal…’
In a different way than Ren, it seemed this man wasn’t quite normal either.
Ernst said he wanted to give the child the name ‘Lari’ if it’s a girl, and ‘Savoy’ if it’s a boy.
He said it was taken from his middle name, ‘Savoy Larion.’
‘He really acts like he’s the father…’
By the way, this man was so beautiful that looking at him felt like it would steal your soul, and he was nothing but a distraction.
‘He’s a side character, an extra-level side character.’
But for a side character to be this beautiful is implausible from the start…!
