Chapter 5

Fortunately, Erin did not have to break a table.

“It’s less tense than I thought it would be.”

“I know.”

“Do you think it’s because the presentation format changed?”

“I was looking forward to meeting the Duke in person…”

Dozens of minutes after Erin’s arrival in the banquet hall, several researchers with hunched shoulders were gathered, whispering.

“I didn’t think this presentation would change to just a report submission format…”

Erin was, of course, among them.

“I thought we’d have to present in front of the judges and the Duke, so I practiced a lot.”

People were grumbling and expressing their disappointment.

Erin, who had also put a lot of effort into preparing for the presentation, was a little let down, but at the same time, she felt a bit of relief.

‘At least I don’t have to talk about my sex life in front of a bunch of people.’

Even if she had presented her findings anonymously, she knew they would just say she was lying because she hadn’t personally conducted the experiment.

So, Erin had planned to be honest and reveal that she was the subject of her own experiment.

‘The judges and the Duke might look at me a certain way after that, though.’

However, the things said during the presentation were supposed to be kept confidential, so she didn’t have to worry about rumors spreading outside.

‘I was prepared to endure the stares of a few people at most.’

Even so, discussing intimate details like the number and methods of their relations with strangers was not a pleasant thought.

For some reason, the presentation format had changed to just submitting a report and materials. This was because the Duke had an urgent matter come up and could not attend.

As a result, instead of lining up to report to the Duke, the Duke’s patrons could gather in the banquet hall and enjoy music, food, and drinks.

Erin was able to finish her business by submitting her new drug and report to the Duke’s servants.

‘This might be for the best.’

She wanted to keep what happened between her and Ash just between them.

Erin carefully touched the ring on her finger. Fortunately, the pinkish-red hue of the gem matched well with her pink sapphire jewelry.

‘I wonder if Ash is talking to the other assistants right now.’

On the other hand, there were those who were disappointed with the situation.

“Sigh. It was a chance to make an impression on the Duke.”

“But won’t the next presentation be coming up soon?”

“Come to think of it, what about Baroness Ellen’s research…”

“And Lady Walter’s research…”

“I heard the art patrons are over there. Should we go talk to them?”

“That violinist is very handsome.”

The let-down researchers were eating and drinking and chatting idly, while Erin, feeling relieved, sipped her champagne alone.

“Come to think of it, how is Lady Reshamore’s research going?”

A greasy voice spoke to Erin.

Erin rolled her eyes and looked at him.

“Viscount Talven.”

“It’s been a long time, Lady Reshamore.”

The man staring intently at Erin with a slick face was Viscount Talven, a former classmate of hers from the academy’s alchemy department.

‘He was one of the trial candidates, too.’

Months ago, when she had carefully chosen her male candidates, Viscount Talven and other male classmates had been among the applicants.

At the time, she had only thought it was a little gross.

It was even grosser now, remembering that he was also a patron of Duke Aston and that she was bound to run into him here.

‘What was his intention for applying?’

He probably didn’t know that Erin was the one looking for candidates, but even so, it was an unpleasant thought.

‘He wasn’t that great at the academy, either.’

He was the kind of person who never studied and only hit on women. Yet, he was always competing with her, who was the top of her class, and giving her dirty looks.

As Erin gave him an awkward smile, Viscount Talven snorted and walked towards her.

“Time flies. Weren’t you the famous Lady Reshamore?”

“When? I was never famous.”

“You never lost the top spot at the academy…”

“My goodness. How long ago was graduation? Are you still stuck on the academy? Unless that’s the only thing you have to be proud of.”

The viscount’s lips twitched as if they were spasming. He swallowed as if to hold something back, and changed the subject.

“I heard you were having a hard time finding female participants. It’s a miracle you came to the presentation.”

“I guess so.”

“You probably couldn’t even start the trial. Are you going to be kicked out by the Duke this time?”

The viscount, who was wearing a white suit and a pink jewel just like her, gloated. Erin narrowed her eyes at him.

Even in this situation, the subtle cheapness of the jewel he was wearing caught Erin’s attention.

‘What is this?’

She hadn’t seen many jewels, but this one looked like a small, dull stone.

‘That looks like a pink cubic zirconia.’

After realizing that, she looked around and saw that the accessories and fabrics of the other attendees’ clothes were all different.

Some people had suits made of cheap fabric, while others had suits made of decent, high-quality fabric.

The quality of the pink jewels they were wearing varied as well. Some people weren’t even wearing jewels, and some had a pink boutonnière or corsage instead.

Erin realized that she was the only one with a top-quality fabric suit and a matching pink sapphire set.

The people who were as well-dressed as her were those whose families were already powerful or known as patrons above the middle class.

‘That’s weird.’

This looked less like the Duke provided everyone with matching clothes and jewels…

‘And more like everyone had to match the announced dress code on their own…’

“Well, it was strange for the Duke to support your research in the first place.”

Erin cut off her thoughts as she heard the viscount’s voice and rolled her eyes.

“Of all things, a contraceptive. Life is a blessing…”

It was an obvious provocation, even though he wasn’t a particularly devout churchgoer.

She didn’t feel like answering him, so she just sipped her champagne. The viscount raised his eyebrows and spoke with an arrogant tone.

“Just think about it. Everyone else’s research is sacred and useful, and a step forward for humanity…”

“I think contraceptives are the same way.”

“Huh? How can a drug that stops a life from being born be…”

“It will, at the very least, save the lives of women who would be miserable because of irresponsible gentlemen.”

“…”

“And it will prevent the birth of miserable children from miserable mothers. Just think about all the noble bastards in this world and the way they’re treated.”

Her words were not what a noble would say, but she hadn’t lived like a noble anyway. She still didn’t care what others thought of her.

She spoke with confidence and shrugged, and the viscount’s eyes narrowed. Erin continued to speak with a calm expression.

“Duke Aston also takes pity on those women and children…”

“Hmph! Well, the Duke wouldn’t want those bastards, either!”

Erin’s eyes narrowed at his words.

“Surely a patron like you doesn’t believe that nonsense about the Duke developing contraceptives for his mistresses…”

“That’s a part of it, but there’s also the rumor that the Duke himself is a bastard.”

“Gasp! Is that rumor true?”

“Is Duke Aston really a bastard?”

As the viscount boasted of the rumor, some of the other patrons who were talking nearby gasped and fussed. They seemed to think they had found an interesting topic and joined in the conversation.

“I heard he’s not just a bastard. There’s a rumor that the former duke was forced to take on an imperial bastard and raise him reluctantly.”

“I heard he was an unforgivable child and had his face cut with a knife right after he was born?”

“That’s why he’s so secretive!”

The words spread like wildfire.

Since the Duke wasn’t here today, the people who were off guard and relieved began to add their two cents.

Erin’s expression grew worse.

“Excuse me, but Duke Aston is our patron. It’s not right to talk badly about him like this…”

“What does it matter? He’s not here.”

“I thought Lady Reshamore would be the one with the most complaints about the Duke.”

The people who said that looked shameless. The viscount, who had been gloating all this time, was the worst.

“In any case, there’s also a rumor that he’s sponsoring contraceptives because he doesn’t want other bastards to be born into a terrible situation like his.”

“…”

“But now it looks like you’re going to ruin the Duke’s expectations. I wonder if he’s going to go crazy and put a knife to your face.”

Before, he had bashed her research as something that shouldn’t be done, and now he was bashing her for not succeeding with it.

Most of all, his words were too much.

Erin said coldly.

“My goodness. You’re being awfully rude, Viscount.”

The atmosphere around them became chilly.

The people who thought the Viscount had gone too far began to subtly move away.

“Well. It might not be a lie, you know?”

But the Viscount didn’t stop. He must have had too much champagne and couldn’t see straight.

“So, why don’t you just join another successful person’s research team as a researcher?”

“What?”

“For instance, I could put you on my ‘Potion of Rejuvenation’ research team.”

He said that and put his greasy hand on her shoulder. Erin’s face crumpled.

‘This scammer is selling snake oil!’

Honestly, his research was just for show and had no practical use.

The only reason the Duke kept his research team going was probably so he could collect all the different herbs and medicines in the process of researching “rejuvenation.”

The only reason the Duke didn’t fire the Viscount was probably because it was funny to watch him drink mercury and poison and boast about it.

‘He’s doing all the dangerous work himself, so the Duke doesn’t have to dirty his hands.’

As Erin’s face showed her exasperation, the Viscount let out a smug scoff.

“I remember Lady Reshamore was quite a talented person back at the academy.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“It was so annoying how you always took first place. The professors probably gave you extra points for your pretty face, though.”

Hearing that, she suddenly remembered a rumor that went around about her at the academy.

Something about her seducing the professors with her face.

‘So this bastard spread that rumor.’

It wasn’t surprising. Erin simply replied.

“Aha. Then I guess the professors gave you academic probation because your face was disgusting.”

“…In any case, Lady Reshamore.”

The Viscount’s face, which was about to turn red and blue, barely regained its composure. He stared at Erin and gave a greasy smile.

“After today, your sponsorship will be cut off anyway.”

“I guess so.”

“But if you come to my research lab, you’ll get the best treatment in the industry…”

Erin forcefully removed his hand from her shoulder and said.

“I’m not going.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“I said I’m not going.”

‘I’m not buying your snake oil, you scammer.’

Erin thought to herself and turned away in disgust.

Rather than continue to put up with this nonsense, she decided to take a short rest in the lounge and then go meet Ash.

But the Viscount was persistent.

“Lady Reshamore!”

“Why are you following me?!”

The Viscount followed Erin out of the hall and into a secluded hallway, rambling on.

“I told you! After today, you’ll no longer be sponsored. This is the last time we’ll ever meet!”

“Yes. That’s good. But why are you following me?”

“I already told you that, too. I’ve had my eye on you since the academy. And I’m not the only man who has.”

“Yes. But do I need to know that?”

“…I know you’re in debt! That you don’t have many options! You’ll surely be happier if you come to my lab.”

“I’m happy right now.”

It felt like she was repeating the same thing like a parrot. Erin narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

The Viscount, who had followed her panting, his eyes glistening, raked his gaze over her neck and chest. He looked at the expensive pink sapphire necklace resting between her collarbones and exclaimed.

“Hah! I don’t know what sugar daddy you’ve found, but if it were me, I’d give you something better than that pink sapphire…”

The Viscount said that and grabbed Erin’s wrist. His hands were greasy and unpleasant.

‘…Ah. I can’t stand this.’

At that moment, the image that flashed through Erin’s mind was Ash hitting the candidate in the face with a menu.

In addition, she also remembered the scene of him throwing a glass at the reporter’s head.

‘Maybe I should just…’

POW!

Her fist flew out before she knew it.

“Urk!”

By chance, it was the hand with the ring on it.

The Viscount, who had been hit squarely in the forehead by the ring, screamed and fell backward…

CRASH!

He hit the back of his head on a porcelain vase that was on display in the hallway.

“Ugh…”

“Augh!”

Erin took a step back in surprise.

Fortunately, he wasn’t bleeding profusely, dying from excessive bleeding, or suffering from a brain hemorrhage.

The Viscount was just groaning, clutching the lump on the back of his head.

‘Good thing that bastard has a rock for a head.’

As Erin felt a sense of relief, the Viscount, with one eye narrowed, grumbled profanely.

“U-ugh… You bitch… Erin Reshamore!”

“I told you to stop hitting on me!”

“You have a pretty face, so I was going to take you on as a researcher!”

Though he said “researcher,” his tone made it sound no different from “I’ll take you on as my mistress.” He actually looked like he had no problem with that.

“I don’t need you! You’re an incompetent scammer who makes up lies and frames people!”

“You…”

“And I don’t like you! You ugly scoundrel!”

“A s-scoundrel…?”

The Viscount’s mouth hung open.

Seeing that, he looked like he’d be fine in a moment, so Erin quickly scurried away.

She knew that if he followed her and grabbed her again, she’d want to really hit him properly this time.

‘But still, this is a first.’

Instead of just nodding and ignoring men who bothered her like this, she had actually fought back.

‘And not only did I hit him… …I even swore at him.’

Come to think of it, “scoundrel” was a word Ash used. When he dismissed the trial candidates she was going to meet as “filthy scoundrels.”

Somehow, her heart pounded. She wasn’t completely guiltless about hitting a person, but still…

‘I think I’m starting to understand why Ash uses his fists.’

She was a little concerned that she had used the power of the ring Ash had given her on a guy like that, but Ash would probably have allowed this kind of use.

In fact, he might have been the first one to throw a punch. He might even be proud of her for using the same swear word he did.

‘I’m the superior, after all.’

But for some reason, that kind of behavior suited him well.

He was a man who, as an assistant, didn’t seem strange or intimidated at all when he stood on equal footing with Erin, his superior. When he was with others, he naturally looked like a master.

“Doctor.”

Beautiful, ash-grey hair and red eyes that resembled the gem in the ring—he looked like a prince from a fairytale.

‘Ah.’

Thinking about Ash so much made her want to see him.

‘Should I talk to him in advance?’

Honestly, Erin was confident. This report would be a success.

In that case, wouldn’t it be okay to ask Ash to stay with her? She was sure she could take care of just one person, Ash.

So…

“Huh?”

The next moment.

A familiar head of ash-grey hair flickered in the corner of her eye. Erin, who had been walking with purpose, stopped dead in her tracks.

“Ash?”

It was definitely Ash.

She had somehow found herself in the outer corridor of the building, lined with arched columns.

Between the columns, she saw him in a distant garden, designed like a sponsor’s hall.

‘Speak of the devil.’

Just as she was about to walk towards him, her heart pounding.

“…you?”

She heard someone else’s voice.

“Whoops.”

Erin instinctively hid.

‘Why did I hide?’

She didn’t know the reason herself. But for some reason, she felt like she had to.

She poked her head out from behind the column and saw a person standing opposite Ash at a precarious angle.

“Who is that…?”

It was a woman she had never seen before.

She didn’t look like a noblewoman or a patron who had come to the presentation. The woman was wearing a luxurious uniform that a servant would wear.

‘Like a subordinate to a noble…’

The next moment.

Flutter.

Ash handed the woman something he had been holding in his arms. Erin’s eyes widened uncontrollably and trembled.

‘…That’s my new drug and report.’

Even with her eyes wide open, the reality didn’t change.

A neat stack of documents, with a pink potion bottle standing alone on top.

There was no way she couldn’t recognize it. It was the birth control that Erin had developed and had taken countless times during her time with Ash.

“Is this it?”

The woman’s voice was crystal clear. Erin instinctively covered her mouth and turned her head.

“Wait.”

Maybe I saw it wrong. I drank too much champagne earlier. Maybe I’m drunk and hallucinating…

But that thought, too, was shattered into a million pieces by one word from the woman.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Thank you for your hard work.

“It’s time for you to come back now.”

Come back…

Her mind went completely blank in an instant. The reporter’s words flashed like lightning in her mind.

“Perhaps, who knows? Another noble might have sent him as a spy to steal your experiment.”

No way, Ash.

‘No way, all this time you’ve been by my side…’

And you treated me so well.

And you helped me with my clinical trial, all of it…

“Yes, it is.”

The moment she heard Ash’s positive reply to the woman’s question.

Gasp.

Erin unconsciously gasped for air.

She didn’t have time to find the strange situation—Ash speaking down to the woman while the woman spoke politely—odd. It was as if her mind had gone completely blank.

‘So, I was…’

What came to her mind in a fragmented manner was the past three years.

Ash, who had carefully looked after her by her side, the only one who had stayed and taken care of her, and who had treated her so kindly.

“Doctor, you shouldn’t sleep in a place like this.”

“It’s vegetable stew, to help your stomach. I took out the carrots since you don’t like them.”

“Would you like to try this on? I think it would suit you.”

“You deserve to be treated better than this, Doctor.”

“I know how hard you’ve worked.”

Ash had never once gotten angry at her, even when times were tough. Instead, he had chased away those who treated Erin poorly or punished them himself.

‘If that was all for a different purpose.’

She should have rushed out, demanded to know what he was doing, and angrily confronted him for his betrayal. But by the time she turned around, both Ash and the woman were gone. They had vanished while she stood there in a daze.

Having missed her chance to confront him, Erin fled the scene with her mind a mess of confusion. She had no time to think about anything else.

‘I was so looking forward to seeing him.’

Now, she didn’t even want to see Ash’s face.

A profound sense of disappointment had completely consumed her heart.

***

Another problem found her, just a few days later.

“Ugh, ugh.”

Erin quickly closed the window of her inn room, feeling a wave of nausea from the smell of meat.

Erin, who could no longer go back to the boarding house she shared with Ash, or the lab, or even her own barony, which she had leased to someone else, hastily found a room at the inn.

It was an inn with a cheap tavern on the first floor that grilled sausages and barbecue from morning to night.

‘This is serious.’

Erin patted her stomach with a gloomy expression.

The day after she had hastily left the presentation and checked into the inn, she woke up feeling unwell.

She had no appetite and was constantly nauseous. Her whole body felt tired, as if she had the flu. She was so sleepy she couldn’t get out of bed, and her stomach felt tight.

It must have been the stress of being betrayed.

‘Am I going to get a chronic illness from this?’

Thinking that it was unfair to be sick on top of being betrayed by someone she liked, Erin hurried to see a doctor.

She had to recover first before she could think about revenge or exposing him.

The person she saw was the young female doctor who had been treating her steadily for several months during her relationship with Ash. A wry laugh escaped her as she remembered that Ash had introduced her to this doctor, too, but she had no choice.

And as the doctor examined her…

“…Doctor. Don’t be surprised, and please hear me out to the end.”

“What? What is it…?”

“Your symptoms are very typical of pregnancy…”

Upon hearing that, Erin screamed in horror, jumped up from her seat, and fled the clinic.

And so, for the past three days, she had been holed up in the inn, consumed by panic.

“Oh my God, oh my God.”

An infant in this flat stomach?

She couldn’t believe it, but she couldn’t dismiss the doctor’s words, either.

She had run away without contacting Ash, and now she had even less desire to do so.

To be carrying the child of the man who betrayed her—was there anything more sad or miserable?

Erin’s mind went back and forth between heaven and hell dozens of times a day.

My potion’s formula can’t be wrong. This is impossible. Did I fail?

But if I failed, wouldn’t what Ash stole be useless? That would serve him right. No, no, but still…

A mix of heartbroken, depressed, and, at the same time, relieved feelings took turns tormenting Erin. But she knew she couldn’t be relieved, because she was pregnant because of the failure.

All she could do was sigh and sit down at the desk in her room.

‘First, I need to write a letter.’

She had to tell Duke Aston everything.

All that had happened, how Ash had stolen her new drug, and how the trial had failed, since the test subject was now pregnant.

‘What about the heroine?’

Thinking about that made her feel depressed all over again.

Since she hadn’t been able to complete the contraceptive in time, it meant that the heroine, who would soon be caught by the Crown Prince, had one less lifeline.

However, Erin’s own situation was too dire to worry about the heroine. She was one wrong move away from being homeless and penniless.

‘Ash wouldn’t have just left the lab and the room as they were.’

Since he had already sucked all the sweetness out of her, he might have already dismantled the lab. And her boarding house room always leaked, so all of her belongings were at Ash’s place anyway.

He might have even thrown all of it away.

“…I liked him.”

A wave of sorrow came over her again.

In the beginning, it was just a clinical trial.

She felt like a fool for having developed feelings for him.

Plop, plop.

Tears fell on the letter she was writing to Duke Aston, but she didn’t have any more clean paper.

Erin wiped her eyes and continued the letter as neatly as she could.

When she got to the part about Ash, tears began to pour out again.

“Why were you so nice to me?”

If he was just going to use her, he should have been just nice enough. He should have done things to prevent her from seeing him as anything more than a professional.

Even without Ash, she could have continued the trial with other male candidates. He didn’t have to volunteer himself. Why did he help her so much?

Why did they eat together like a couple, go for walks, and shop for clothes? Why did he find things that suited her perfectly and watch plays she might like with her?

Why did he gently caress her and fall asleep in the same bed instead of passionately embracing her at night? Why did they kiss like lovers so often…?

“Ugh.”

Erin’s cries erupted again as she caressed her stomach.

The baby would surely be as beautiful and kind as Ash.

But could Erin handle this child all on her own?

‘I’m in debt right now.’

Since she wouldn’t be able to receive her payment from Duke Aston, her plan to pay off her debts had come to nothing.

She didn’t have the strength to take care of her family or herself, let alone a baby.

‘…I’ll have to get rid of it, won’t I?’

Her heart stung as she thought about it calmly.

If she had just made the birth control pill correctly in the first place, none of this would have happened.

A wave of regret for herself and the baby washed over her.

“Get a grip.”

However, there was not enough time to just sit and wallow. The baby in her womb would be growing, even in this situation.

Erin finished the letter to Duke Aston, put it in an envelope, and carefully packed her small bag. Then she approached the decorative map on the corner of the inn room wall.

“Let’s see.”

It was not safe to get an abortion in the empire. In a country where birth control pills weren’t even developed properly, abortion pills would not be safe for the mother. Surgical abortions were out of the question.

After a long time of contemplating the map, Erin slowly came to a conclusion.

“…I’ll go to the Melsa Duchy.”

The Melsa Duchy was a small city-state with the most developed magical technology in the Southern Continent, not the Western Continent where she was.

The continent still relied more on magic than on science, and many medical issues were solved with magic. So it was possible that she could find a solution there.

‘It would be irresponsible to have a child when I can’t even take care of it.’

Her heart was heavy as she thought that. Erin suddenly realized something on her hand that was stroking her belly.

‘…I’m still wearing this.’

The pinkish-red ruby ring that Ash had given her.

She should have taken it off and thrown it away a long time ago, but for some reason, it wouldn’t come off her finger. She tried to force it off again, but the ring only squeezed her finger tighter, as if it were biting down on it.

“I wasn’t going to give it back anyway.”

Since things had turned out this way, Erin decided she would go to a pawn shop and have it forcibly cut off. The jewel looked expensive, so she could just sell it. She needed the money, anyway.

She had to treat her painfully broken heart with some financial gain.

“But…”

For some reason, hadn’t it gotten a little redder?

Erin sighed deeply as she stared intently at the jewel. What did it matter if it was getting redder or bluer?

“I’ll leave tomorrow.”

It was a long journey to Melsa Duchy. First, she had to take a magical train from the imperial capital to the southern port and then a two-week-long sea voyage to the Southern Continent.

‘It will be even harder to move around while pregnant.’

Thinking she had to leave before the baby grew any bigger, Erin forced her eyes shut. In her dreams, a gentle voice kept calling her name.

***

“Hah.”

The next day, Erin was up at dawn.

She paid for her few days at the inn and went to the bank to withdraw all her remaining money. It was money she had diligently saved while paying off her debts, just in case she would need it someday.

After that, she headed straight to the train station.

Unfortunately, because it was a holiday season, all the tickets to the port were almost sold out. After pleading, Erin barely managed to get a canceled ticket. The train was scheduled to leave late in the afternoon.

‘Even though it’s a ticket with multiple transfers.’

She still thought it was better than nothing.

She sat on a bench and scanned the newsstands, wondering if there was an article about the stolen contraceptive, but there was nothing. Not even an article related to Duke Aston…

‘Wait.’

There was one.

An article said that Duke Aston had dismissed a few patrons based on the results of the presentation.

Among them was Viscount Talven, who had bothered Erin. He was even being sued to pay back all the research funds he had received.

‘I wonder why he was cut off.’

The Duke, who had always let that man get away with his scams and had only ever harassed and treated Erin with a stern hand.

But it was none of her business anymore.

Erin lost interest in the newspaper and remembered the letter she had spent all of last night crying and writing.

‘That’s right.’

Erin got up from the bench and dropped the letter for the Duke into a mailbox in a corner of the train station.

‘Since it’s for the Duke, it’ll get there quickly.’

It was a well-known fact that the post office delivered letters to high-ranking people faster.

She would be filled with all sorts of worries, and then her mind would go blank, with no thoughts at all. Her fingertips would go from cold to hot. Her stomach would churn and then settle down again.

‘I’m going to collapse first at this rate.’

Erin, who had turned pale, finally went back to the bench and slumped down. She didn’t care if others whispered about her sitting with her legs spread wide.

“Ouch! It’s hot!”

It was in that moment of despair.

The ring on her finger began to heat up.

She was startled and tried to take it off, feeling like she was being burned, but her heart raced when it wouldn’t come off.

‘The bathroom!’

Erin ran to the train station bathroom.

Luckily, no one was there.

She immediately turned on the faucet and put her finger under the water. The heat subsided quickly. Erin looked down at the ring, which was now quiet as if it had never been hot, feeling bewildered.

Step, step.

She heard the sound of footsteps that were strangely familiar. It was the heavy sound of a man’s dress shoes.

Gulp.

She swallowed unconsciously.

‘It must be the sound of someone going into the men’s restroom.’

But why did it sound like it was coming here?

Creak.

The wooden door opened.

“Gasp…”

And Erin froze in place.

“Ash…”

Ash.

She wanted to call his name, but for some reason, she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“…”

It was definitely Ash.

Even though he was dressed in a high-quality suit like a high-ranking noble, unlike his usual attire, there was no way there were two people in the world with a face like that.

His silvery-grey hair, which he usually kept hidden, was now fully visible. Underneath were his beautiful eyes, with their delicate, dense eyelashes, and his sculpted, handsome features. Most of all, his eyes were as beautiful and red as a gem.

But the look in those eyes wasn’t the one she had come to know.

‘Why?’

His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with all kinds of emotions.

Anger, hurt, betrayal, despair…

‘But those are the feelings I should be having, right?’

In that moment, Erin felt a surge of resentment. A suppressed voice came from Ash’s lips.

“Why?”

“…”

“Why, Erin?”

“What?!”

This bastard, even after what he did!

‘He doesn’t even call me ‘Doctor’ anymore?’

She was so astonished that instead of being flattered by him using her name, she felt angry. She was so flabbergasted by his casual tone that her face hardened.

Ash took a big step inside.

And then he said something that was nothing short of a bomb.

“Were you just going to use me and throw me away?”

…Wasn’t she the one who was used and betrayed?!

Before she could even react, Ash closed the distance between them. A surprised Erin backed away and shouted.

“Wait! This is the women’s restroom! Get out now… Gasp!”

Then, his hot breath closed in on her, and Erin’s mouth was covered.

‘W-what is this?’

Ash’s lips were now completely on hers, as if to devour them.

With a wet sound, his tongue slid between her tightly closed teeth. She clenched her jaw and resisted, but his hand came up and pressed on her chin, forcing her mouth open.

Click!

Their teeth clashed, and the tip of Ash’s tongue was bitten, drawing blood, but he didn’t stop. He pushed even deeper, as if it were a good thing, and Erin gasped in horror.

‘The taste of blood…’

The coppery taste of blood from Ash’s tongue was being swallowed by her. Even so, Ash’s rough kissing, as he tugged and chewed on her tongue as if to scold her, instantly stole her sanity.

Squeeze.

Erin’s hands, which had been frantically hitting and pounding Ash’s shoulders, could only tightly grip his collar.

‘Why…’

Why, even when she was so angry, could she not refuse his lips?

Adding to the self-loathing and rage that was boiling within her…

Thump, thump, thump.

Her heart was instinctively pounding as Ash found her and held her in his arms and kissed her.

She hated how her heart was jumping like a fish out of water on a trampoline. But she couldn’t deny it.

A part of Erin’s heart was rejoicing at this man’s touch and kiss.

Even though he had betrayed her and given her such a painful wound…

A part of her body was still drawn to him.

And on top of that, she felt a thrill when he yelled that she used him and threw him away.

As if to prove it, even though it was just a kiss, her legs felt a strange tingling sensation. Her pride was hurt. It was then that tears uncontrollably streamed from her eyes.

“…Erin.”

Feeling her tears, Ash pulled his lips away and called her name in a terribly low voice.

Her tears were scattered all over his handsome cheeks.

“Ugh, hic.”

“Why are you crying?”

“Sob, sniffle, you bad, bad…”

“Don’t cry.”

His hands, which gently wiped her tears, and his arms, which held her so protectively, were as kind as they were when he was her assistant. But the way he called her was still not the same.

In that moment, a wave of sadness washed over her, and she hit his shoulder.

A voice like a scrape on the floor echoed in her ears.

“Crying won’t make me let you go…”

“…”

“It won’t make me send you away.”

Hiccup.

She felt her heart leap into her throat. A chilling sensation ran down the back of her neck and to the top of her head.

“Gasp!”

BAM!

Ash roughly opened one of the closed bathroom stalls and, with a touch that was gentle beyond comparison to the force he used to open the door, pushed her inside.

He then carelessly closed the lid of the tiny tin toilet and sat Erin on it. Then, as if to corner her, he kissed her again. A slow, wet sound sent shivers down Erin’s back.

She flailed and tried to scratch his back, but the force holding her grew stronger.

*Rip!*

Then, the front of her coat and blouse were roughly torn open. Buttons that couldn’t withstand the force rolled on the floor.

“Ah, gasp…”

Then, his long fingers began to knead her breast.

Had her breasts become tender? A strong stimulation was felt every time he pressed them. Ash continued to caress and knead her soft flesh, then rolled her already erect nipples between his fingers.

“Mmm…”

Then, his knee pressed down on her and thrust into her. It was an act that literally said he wouldn’t let her go.

Her white breasts rose and fell in his cupped hands. Her body, which was well-acquainted with Ash, was aroused out of habit. She didn’t want to be excited anymore, but every time the man who knew her body all too well touched her, Erin’s body would tremble, unable to endure the pleasure.

Riiiip.

Then, her skirt went up, and her stockings tore. Ash, who had unapologetically put his hand under her garter belt, kneaded her plump thighs.

His lips were still on hers.

‘I-I can’t breathe…’

Only when Erin was about to pass out would Ash slightly pull his lips away. Even then, it was just enough for her to barely breathe, as he continued to lick and suck on her lips.

“A-Ash.”

“Shh. Just breathe.”

“Can we, can we just talk…”

Erin finally started whispering to Ash. Honestly, what was there to talk about? It wouldn’t be strange for her to hit him and run away, but they had spent three years together.

Just as he had cared for her and cherished her, Erin was willing to listen to his side of the story.

The way he was acting, not even bothering to give her an explanation and instead embracing her the moment he saw her, was absurd and ridiculous. Still, she thought this might be his way of trying to smooth things over.

‘I don’t want to just bury this and move on.’

She wanted to properly discuss what went wrong and end things on good terms. And that new drug he stole was a failure anyway, she…

“Gasp.”

Only then did it occur to Erin that she was pregnant. But Ash’s fingers had already unapologetically pushed inside her.

“Mmm, oh! Gasp!”

At the same time, her mouth was blocked again. No matter how much she bit Ash’s tongue and lips, he just clung to her desperately.

“Mmm, mmm!”

His long fingers traced the folds of her inner walls and pushed into her clitoris. As he hooked them, her body, which had been clenched shut, gushed out her pleasure fluid.

As if to welcome the sign of arousal, the number of his fingers began to increase. Ash, who had pushed his index, middle, and ring fingers inside, started to move more and more roughly. 

Squelch, squelch.*

As the wet sounds and splashes of fluid filled the air, Erin’s mind spun wildly.

‘T-this…’

Her body was being worn out by the excessive stimulation, but a thought flashed through her mind: sex during early pregnancy could cause a miscarriage.

‘My baby.’

What if my baby dies?

Even though she was on her way to get an abortion, she found it ridiculous that she was suddenly so afraid of the baby dying. As worry bloomed amidst the pleasure, Erin unconsciously thrashed her legs.

Ash must have thought she was trying to get away from him, because his touch became a little more feral. Her head tilted back on its own as his fingers moved up and down her clitoris.

“Hmph, mmm!”

Even though her pleasure fluid was flowing profusely, Ash’s hands didn’t stop. It was as if he was trying to make her already-used body as sensitive as possible.

And as if to make her unable to refuse him.

‘Ah, no…’

After her breasts and private parts were simultaneously pinched and kneaded, and after his long fingers were suddenly pulled out.

‘Ah!’

She felt something hot, hard, and the size of a baby’s fist try to push into the cleft between her legs.

The moment it pushed into the entrance, pressing against her inner walls…

SMACK!

“…”

Erin unconsciously slapped Ash’s cheek.

She felt a slight sense of guilt as she saw his beautiful face swell up and turn red, but catching her breath was more important.

“Gasp, ugh…”

Ash lowered his head in silence as Erin caught her breath. Then, he slowly looked at her.

She had expected him to get angry.

But his red eyes were filled with sorrow and hurt. Then, he grabbed her waist tightly with his deepening gaze.

“Even if you do that, after all this…”

“You… you idiot!”

Realizing he was about to thrust inside, Erin pushed against his chest and screamed.

Ash, who realized she was also crying, stopped his movements abruptly.

“Erin?”

He was at a loss, reaching out, realizing she was crying again.

“Stop it!”

“But, Erin…”

“Get it out now!”

“Erin. Please, listen to me. I…”

He hadn’t listened to her when she wanted to talk!

Erin, also filled with sorrow, snapped at him.

“The baby might die!”

***

And then everything became a blur.

Hearing that she was pregnant, Ash’s eyes changed in an instant, and he began to stroke her lower abdomen.

Then, he quickly pulled out what had already entered her and carefully wiped her clean. He then wrapped her in his coat and picked her up.

“Are you okay?”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

He apologized to her, rambling incoherently, and started to walk. She wondered where he was going.

When they arrived, they were in front of the doctor’s office, the same one Erin had always gone to.

Even during the walk, Ash kept tenderly stroking and caring for her lower abdomen.

That simple action shook Erin’s heart.

‘…Even though he’s a traitor.’

Even though he approached me to steal my research.

‘Does he not care that the trial he stole was a failure?’

Why is he being so kind? Why did he come looking for me, and why is he making such a fuss about me being pregnant?

But that fuss dissipated powerlessly the moment she saw the doctor’s face and heard her words.

“…A side effect?”

“Yes. A side effect.”

The doctor shook her head.

“I told you to listen to me all the way…”

Erin’s ears turned bright red at the doctor’s grumbling. Erin stammered.

“So, even though it looks like all the signs of pregnancy…”

“You’re not actually pregnant. It’s similar to a phantom pregnancy.”

“I’m really not pregnant?”

“Yes. The test results were clean. I heard you were testing a drug?”

“That…”

“Was it a drug related to menstruation or pregnancy?”

Erin’s eyes rolled around at that. A contraceptive is, of course, related to that.

Feeling awkward, she cleared her throat. The doctor shook her head. Then, she glanced at Ash.

“So you don’t have to look so anxious.”

“…I see.”

“There are no other health problems, either…”

The next words that came out of Ash’s mouth shocked both Erin and the doctor.

“…We can just get you pregnant from now on.”

“What?!”

Erin looked back at Ash with a dumbfounded expression. Ash’s eyes were burning again. Just like when he had cornered her earlier.

“If we do that, you won’t ever think about leaving again. I don’t know why you tried to run away now, but…”

“…This is all because of you!”

Erin burst out and stood up, shouting. This time, Ash looked like he had no idea what she was talking about. He stood blocking the door and asked.

“Because of me?”

“Yes, because you betrayed me…”

“Betrayal?”

His expression, as if he genuinely didn’t understand, was infuriating. Erin, her insides boiling, finally shouted.

“You’re an industrial spy!”

She continued to yell, puffing and huffing.

She heard everything from the reporter, she said. She knew something was up. She saw him hand over the new drug and the report to a woman she had never seen before at the presentation…

“…”

“Gasp, sob.”

Tears streamed down Erin’s face again as she huffed and poured out everything she had to say. She had no idea why she was so emotional, even though she wasn’t pregnant.

‘I should have just hit him like I did with the Viscount!’

Just hit him like Ash taught her to and go on her way.

It was a moment when a wave of sorrow came over her again. From behind, a voice spoke cautiously, as if it were taken aback.

“…I told you to talk to her beforehand.”

“…I see.”

“This is all the Duke’s fault.”

…The Duke?

The unexpected title made her unable to grasp the situation. Erin looked up with a tear-streaked face.

Whoosh.

A familiar scent came closer, and she was completely wrapped in his arms.

“Let go!”

The moment Erin instinctively thrashed, Ash sighed and hugged her even tighter. His lips kept falling on the top of her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are…”

“I should have told you beforehand…”

Ash’s voice trailed off, and Erin’s body oddly lost its strength. The decisive nail in the coffin was the doctor’s words as she got up to leave the room.

“And don’t overwork a patient with side effects. It’s not like the Clebania Dukedom’s heir is in a rush to be born, either.”

“…”

“You’ll be punished for getting someone pregnant for a reason like that.”

Thump.

Only after the door closed did Erin blink.

So, the things she just heard…

‘The Clebania Dukedom’s heir?’

The Clebania she knew?

The one that had half of the empire’s wealth, the one that was shrouded in a veil of secrecy? The Clebania that sponsored her research and pressured her?

Hiccup.

Erin unconsciously hiccupped and looked up. Ash, who was looking at her with a desperate look, whispered.

“That’s right.”

“U-uh?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s right…”

“It’s me. Aston Clebania.”

“…”

“…That’s me.”

After hearing those words, Erin’s small lips hung open.