SWMD 102

~Chapter 102~

“What…?”

Diana’s eyes shook like waves. Pregnant? She couldn’t believe it and shook her head.

But Alicia noticed Diana’s reaction and quickly added,
“I felt nauseous… I was vomiting!”

Diana’s face darkened. Since Calypso and Alicia’s relationship had only ended recently, it was possible. They were cruel, but the baby in Alicia’s womb was innocent. Still, she couldn’t just believe Alicia without confirmation. Diana glanced at Alicia’s stomach and exhaled shakily.

“Belinda.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“We need to confirm this.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Belinda immediately left the hut. Alicia’s body trembled slightly.

So it was a lie…

Diana’s eyes narrowed, but Alicia didn’t notice and waited nervously for the doctor. Soon, Belinda returned with a doctor whose face was covered.

“Take her pulse.”

The doctor, guided by Belinda, held Alicia’s wrist. After a long moment, he finally spoke slowly,

“She’s pregnant…”

Alicia swallowed hard. But the doctor’s next words shocked everyone.

“It’s true.”

Diana’s mouth fell open. She quickly studied Alicia’s face. Alicia also looked shocked, as if she herself hadn’t known she was pregnant.

Once the confirmation was done, Belinda left with the doctor. The hut filled with tense silence.

“…You didn’t know either, did you?”

Diana broke the silence first.

“You only said that to win my sympathy, to survive somehow.”

Alicia stayed quiet, listening.

“Lucky you. Pregnant for real…”

Alicia tried hard to suppress the smile forming on her lips. God hadn’t abandoned her after all.

She knew Diana would never harm an innocent baby.

“Fine. I can’t kill the baby too.”

Diana’s voice was bitter. She knew herself well—her revenge was only for those who had betrayed her, not for the unborn child.

“I’ll give you a chance.”

“A chance…?”

“I’ll take you to Aisel’s secret room behind the bookshelf.”

“I’ll call Calypso and Catherine and tell them you’re pregnant.”

“My pregnancy…”

Alicia softly touched her stomach. It felt like a gift from God to save her life.

Diana’s eyes were cold.

“Yes.”

“If Calypso and Catherine accept the baby…”

Alicia’s blind eyes turned toward Diana.

“I’ll spare your life.”

Alicia’s face lit up with hope.

Diana and Belinda waited until it was dark, then snuck Alicia into the mansion.

“You’re here?”

Aisel quickly let them in and placed Alicia in the secret room behind the bookshelf.

“Belinda, if Alicia makes a sound, deal with her immediately.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Belinda drew the dagger always strapped to her thigh and held it to Alicia’s neck. Alicia couldn’t see it, but the chill at her throat was unmistakable.

Diana sealed Alicia’s mouth again with magic and left the bookshelf slightly open.

“Have you called Calypso and Catherine?”

“Yes, I told them to come for tea in my room.”

“Catherine agreed to come?”

“I said I’d tell Mother and Father about her poisoning Lord Sawyer if she didn’t. She was trembling, so she’ll come.”

Soon Shane and Milan entered with a cart full of tea and desserts. The table was quickly filled with sweets.

Diana sat calmly. Then, there was a knock at the door. Aisel cheerfully opened it.

Calypso and Catherine stood together.

“You came together?”

“We met outside,” Calypso answered softly. But Catherine’s lips were pouty. She didn’t want this tea time with Aisel; it felt like a waste of time. She walked past Aisel without even a greeting and sat beside Diana.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“I wanted the family to have tea together for once.”

“Well done. My business finally starts tomorrow,” Calypso said.

Aisel clapped her hands happily, like a child proud of her father.

“You worked so hard… It will go well, Father.”

“It’s all thanks to you and your mother,” Calypso said, ignoring Catherine completely.

He was deeply disappointed in her, and a wall had formed between them.

Catherine noticed his coldness.

“Father, I hope it goes well. I need my debutante ball to be perfect too, right?”

She smiled the way Calypso used to love, but he stayed indifferent.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

He studied her pale face.

“…No.”

“You must take care of yourself. It’s hard to believe you’re my daughter.”

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. Catherine fell silent, embarrassed.

“Shall we drink tea now that we’re all together?”

“Sure.”

Diana poured the hot water into their cups with a bright smile. On the outside, they looked like a happy family, but inside they were rotten.

“Oh, there’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“To me?”

“Yes. It’s a bit embarrassing… but I think punishing Alicia might be difficult.”

Catherine looked up, curious and tense. What would her father say? Alicia in the bookshelf also listened closely from the darkness.

“Difficult? I don’t really care… I just haven’t seen her lately,” Calypso replied disinterestedly.

“I sent Alicia to the Viscount’s estate for now.”

“The Viscount’s estate?”

Catherine looked shocked. She hadn’t visited Alicia recently and had no idea where she was.

“Yes. I wasn’t sure if I should say this, but… Alicia’s sins are serious, so I’ll tell you.”

Everyone looked at Diana as she spoke, pretending to struggle.

Then her words changed Calypso and Catherine’s expressions instantly.

“She’s pregnant.”

“What? Alicia is?”

Calypso’s reaction was the same as Diana’s earlier when she first heard it. He was clearly shocked. Of course—
the child was likely his.

“Yes. She’s an unmarried woman, and she even tried to seduce a married man… How shameful.”

Aisel glared at her eclair, holding back laughter at Calypso and Catherine’s stunned faces. Diana also hid her smirk and continued.

“No matter how many times I asked, she wouldn’t say who the father was.”

“…Hah.”

Calypso let out a hollow laugh.

“She’s wronged us, but she was once my friend. What advice should I give her? You cared about her once too.”

Calypso’s brow twitched as he hid his trembling hands under the table. Diana’s sharp eyes noticed everything.

“…It was just because she was your friend. No other reason,” he muttered.

“I think the father is a married man. She won’t even tell me… This is serious. Adultery in this empire…”

Diana’s voice sounded like genuine concern, but every word pierced Calypso and Catherine like a dagger.

Calypso had been planning to end things with Alicia, but now she was pregnant. He gulped down hot tea, then finally spoke.

“I think… she should get rid of it.”

Alicia in the bookshelf and Catherine were both shocked.

“If she really committed adultery, that child would be proof of it…”

He was speaking to himself as much as anyone else. Another illegitimate child would be unacceptable.

“Proof of adultery…!”

Catherine grew angry. She couldn’t stand her existence being treated like something shameful.

“How could you say that?”

She looked at Calypso with hurt eyes.

Meanwhile, Diana and Aisel quietly enjoyed watching the three of them destroy themselves without lifting a finger.