“…What?”
What on earth is this… The boy’s lips parted slightly in a daze due to his cheek being pressed against the pillow. And slowly, like someone who had a nightmare, he became tinged with shock. The healer, not noticing this, began listing explanations in a cheerful tone.
“Sometimes healing magic for wounds doesn’t take effect. There are various causes, but pregnancy is typically one of them. From the fetus’s perspective, rapid changes to the mother’s or bearer’s body are perceived as a kind of attack. So as a defense mechanism, this type of healing magic that rapidly heals wounds works more slowly. I checked just in case, and as expected, you’re pregnant. Congratulations once again. However…”
…However? The healer who had been chattering excitedly only then examined Anya’s expression and touched his chin. An inexplicable tension instantly made the air freeze cold. He briefly pondered whether to bring it up, but ultimately, as someone in the profession of saving lives, offered kind candor.
“The fetal heartbeat is a bit… weak. From now on, you must thoroughly take care of your health.”
“……”
“I will inform His Grace the Duke. I’ll return immediately and prepare medicinal ingredients for your health and bring them.”
‘His Grace the Duke.’ Anya’s brown pupils shook seriously at just those words. How had Evernight consistently reacted? Ah, right. He said he would absolutely never continue his lineage. He expressed that the relationship he had with me was terrible. How would he react if he found out about this? He couldn’t deny that a thrilling expectation bloomed involuntarily for a moment. But that lasted only a few seconds.
Anya felt a dizzying sensation as if his entire body was instantly soaked in deep despair and helplessness.
‘Lord Evernight might… erase the child.’
Chills rose involuntarily at the endpoint of thought reached in an instant. Anya barely held onto his senses and looked at the healer.
“N-no. There’s no need for that.”
“Pardon?”
“Please keep it se-secret from Lord Evernight. And not just that, please keep the secret from anyone in the im-imperial family as well.”
“But… how… such joyous news.”
The healer’s brow narrowed. It was a reaction he couldn’t understand. The healer could finally notice the expression on Anya’s face that was a mixture of bitterness and bewilderment.
The 12th Prince who became pregnant as a man at a young age. And with the child of the Duke of Tildyen, who was like a demon said to have endured for years beyond the barrier. The shock could be great.
“Ah… I failed to grasp my lady’s intentions. I apologize. You may certainly be confused. However, in reality, there are many cases where people suffer so much from not being able to conceive that they can’t sleep. The arrival of new life is probabilistically very rare, so please don’t worry too much.”
Pregnant… me… a child with Evernight…
Was this why he’d been feeling nauseous lately and his emotions had been strangely turbulent? Anya closed his eyes tightly.
As he said, it was terrible… and on the other hand, strange. In the whirlpool of his indescribable emotions, Anya quietly endured.
“There, there should be a box under the nightstand.”
Under the small nightstand beside the bed was a small chest containing belongings that Gregos had packed when leaving Tildyen Rock.
“If, if you open the box, there will be go-gold coins. Take them all.”
“My lady…”
“Ple-please keep it secret. I beg you.”
The healer hesitated. Was there such a pitiful situation that he would silence him by giving such a large sum? Anya took a long breath and barely managed to act out a forced smile.
“You, you said the heartbeat was weak. I… want to prepare for the wo-worst case scenario too. What if I announce it and a bad re-result occurs? As you know… I’m a half-wit, so I’m af-afraid bad rumors will spread.”
At the sad smile, the healer’s heart couldn’t help but soften. He eventually took the gold coins from the box and quietly left the bedroom.
“Instead, I’ll send up medicinal ingredients for the fetus under the name of recovery medicine.”
Anya didn’t stop him from doing that much. For his back where healing magic didn’t work, only temporarily applied ointment was all there was. Every time the stinging medicine seeped into the wounds, his mind cracked. Anya still lay prone, staring blankly out the window.
Have the child… don’t have it… have it…
After that, days of spending time in the bedroom quiet as a mouse continued. Occasionally Riario stopped by to check on Anya’s condition, and each time Anya had to lie that he had been completely healed by receiving healing magic. His mood kept sinking at the unwanted lies.
“Wh-what about Lord Evernight?”
At Anya’s question, Riario shrugged his shoulders. Since they had exchanged harsh words, Evernight hadn’t shown his face in the bedroom at all.
“He’s become even sharper than his already sharp self while drawing the ducal territory boundaries in earnest and securing contracts with merchant guilds to supply materials to Tildyen. Did something… happen between you two?”
Riario asked Anya casually while recalling Evernight engaging in a war of words with the other dukes with a rarely sharp attitude at the council. Anya shook his head slightly.
“N-no…”
With ears drooping and looking like a completely dejected puppy, no matter how you looked at it, this was clearly an expression of something having happened. Riario’s eyes narrowed thinly. But even if he asked now, it didn’t seem like he would tell him.
“Is, is Sir Sisou doing well?”
“Yes, that guy is fine. Don’t worry. Worrying about that guy is the most useless thing in the world.”
As punishment for causing trouble, Sisou had to help Evernight with that tedious ducal council. Recalling the face of the guy who looked absolutely miserable, a snort naturally escaped. Only then did some color return to Anya’s dark face. Riario gave a small cough and announced the upcoming schedule.
“Your Highness, you’re feeling all right, aren’t you? The hunting festival and equestrian tournament will be held this weekend. If it’s difficult for you to participate…”
Riario found it a bit strange that the prince, who was always running around energetically, was rarely holed up in his bedroom. He heard that the wounds had long been healed with magic. Perhaps it was because of the Commander after all. Did the Commander perhaps issue a ban on going out? Even having come this far, treating his consort like that was too harsh a measure, but Evernight was the kind of person who would do that and more.
“I, I can do it.”
Though he seemed particularly weak today, Anya answered quite spiritedly. Riario desperately hoped it was just his unfounded worry.
“For reference, I’m not participating. I plan to drink and watch from beside the ladies. Even if you change your mind, no one will say anything, so don’t force yourself to participate.”
Then please rest. Riario was busy attending the ducal council, so he was leaving his mark in Anya’s bedroom daily on behalf of Evernight and Sisou. When he withdrew with a brief greeting, Anya was alone again. Left alone, the boy surreptitiously kept touching his still-flat belly endlessly.
* * *
The first day the hunting festival opened, the weather was exceptionally clear, and everyone praised it as indeed a birthday blessed by the goddess. A clear summer sky spread above many people’s heads without a single cloud. The hunting festival commemorating Emperor Luksus’s birthday took place in the western forest of Maneregia.
From morning, leaving Eos Castle, the procession running down the highway holding each family’s flags drew cheers from commoners who stopped their busy morning preparations. It was a rare opportunity to see not only provincial lords staying in the capital but also the empire’s dukes who had only been the subject of rumors.
Those who could attend or watch the hunting festival were generally noble lords, but the equestrian tournament in a few days was a large-scale event that even commoners could watch.
“Mom, it’s the Black Crow!”
A child watching the procession shouted in a clear voice. Above all, the person the people of Maneregia were most interested in was none other than the Duke of Tildyen. A black flag without any crest fluttered above his head. People momentarily lost their wits at his beautiful appearance, contrary to the terrifying rumors, and then got excited about his reputation befitting his blue eyes.
Was it thanks to that? After the procession, entrance tickets for the equestrian tournament sold out at inns and taverns, and expensive scalped tickets were even being traded secretly.
After crossing the great bridge and leaving the city walls, a wide open plain spread out. Because the scale of the procession was tremendous, even though it was a short distance, by the time they arrived at the empty clearing at the edge of the forest, considerable time had passed.
“My goodness, how splendid.”
Some lords and great nobles were accompanied by their families, and as the fluttering thin curtains were drawn back, noble ladies and young ladies descended from the palanquins in turn. The women looked at the tent structures sparkling under the warm sunlight at the forest’s edge with flushed faces. The tent structures easily numbered over a hundred. From one side came the smell of sweet, golden-brown bread and the slightly sharp scent of wine.
“That must be His Grace the Duke of Tildyen.”
“And next to him…”
“That must be Prince Anya.”
They whispered while stealing glances at the most conspicuous person in today’s procession, pretending not to.
