Chapter 120

For two years, the couple enjoyed a honeymoon as sweet as honey. They spent spring and autumn traveling between their respective estates, retreated to the Grand Duchy of Ayla to escape the midsummer heat, and headed to the Leander Empire in winter to evade the biting cold.

During this blissfully happy marriage, no one brought up the topic of children. In the Cassius family, Adrian had already been diagnosed as permanently infertile, and with Raon already present as the heir, they kept their peace. In the Caspian family, memories of Ayla passing away after giving birth to Ramona made them wary of the subject.

Thus, Ramona lived a life of leisure, doing only the bare minimum of work, until she suddenly began complaining of extreme fatigue.

“Has father been giving you too much work lately?”

“No, not at all. He assigned me an aide, so I really only do the absolute minimum.”

Watching Ramona nod off even while sipping her tea, Adrian grew concerned and hurriedly summoned the family physician.

“Check if there are any ingredients with strong sedative properties in Ran’s food or tea. And please, prepare a restorative tonic for her.”

Following Adrian’s orders, the physician, Bisto, led his disciples in a thorough inspection of Ramona’s diet. Their conclusion: everything was normal. However, there is always a reason for such fatigue.

When Bisto’s gaze met Adrian’s, the younger man’s face slowly turned a deep shade of crimson.

“I-it’s not like I intended for it to be… ahem.”

Leaving behind the constantly coughing Adrian, who seemed to know exactly what the doctor was implying, Bisto proceeded to examine Ramona. Even for a simple tonic, a proper diagnosis was mandatory.

Bisto tilted his head in confusion for a moment, took a deep breath, and assumed a grave expression. After asking Ramona a few careful questions, he led Adrian out into the hallway.

“You will need to be careful at night from now on. For the time being, I recommend you stick to just holding hands while you sleep.”

“W-well, ahem, that is… I’m not always the one who initiates—”

Looking at the beet-red Adrian, Bisto spoke with a smile.

“I say this on my medical license: it appears a younger sibling for the young master is on the way.”

“Huh? What?”

Adrian froze, his face a mask of incomprehension. He had been diagnosed as permanently infertile after a specific injury sustained on the battlefield. Hearing Bisto’s words, he couldn’t process them. He worried that if this got out, rumors might fly that Ramona had been unfaithful.

“B-but I…”

“Shh! Don’t overthink it. I didn’t tell you this before just in case, but medical exams on a life-or-death battlefield are often inaccurate.”

“But…”

“I didn’t want to give you false hope if you couldn’t have children, but even when function is partially lost, a sliver of hope always remains.”

Adrian blinked, his body creaking like a broken hinge. Once the realization finally sank in, he rushed back into the room without even pausing to breathe.

“Ran! Honey!”

Adrian dashed in, scooped Ramona up, and began jumping for joy.

“H-honey! Rian! Put me down! If I was pregnant, the baby would fall out!”

“Oop! Can’t have that. Sorry. I just got too excited.”

Placing Ramona very carefully on the sofa, Adrian sat beside her and pulled her into a gentle embrace. He spoke softly and affectionately.

“From now on, don’t move a single finger. Just do what you want, eat delicious food, and spend your days looking at your beautiful husband.”

“I’m already doing that. But what’s this all about so suddenly?”

Since Bisto hadn’t briefed her yet, Ramona was still in the dark. Adrian kissed her forehead, eyes, and cheeks before calming his racing heart to speak.

“They say Raon is going to have a younger sibling.”

A moment of silence followed as Ramona’s eyes drifted downward.

“That can’t be… this isn’t right… H-honey! You said you were infertile. I trusted that and every night I just… we definitely did more than just hold hands!”

Ramona, who had enjoyed herself to the fullest without even thinking about contraception because of his supposed injury, suddenly looked dejected. Instead of the joy of pregnancy, she first thought of the looming inconvenience of having to use birth control in the future.

“Ran, do you… dislike the idea of a baby?”

“It’s not that, it’s just that I’ll have to be careful from now on. On that note, shall we have one last intense—”

“Honey, absolutely not. We need to be careful until the baby is born—and even after. We must use protection. Understood?”

Adrian, holding the grumbling Ramona, couldn’t contain his joy at the miracle that had found them.

***

As time passed, Ramona’s slender waist gradually rounded. For the first few months, she struggled with morning sickness, and in the final month, the weight of her belly made it impossible to sleep soundly.

After ten months of hardship, when the time came for the birth, Adrian found himself being shaken by the collar by Kaizen.

“If anything happens to our youngest, you’re dead and I’m dead!”

“Brother! If anything happens to my wife, of course I’d die. Do you think my father would leave me be, even with an heir already in place?”

Accepting Ramona’s request to spend the first year after the birth at her family home, they had moved into the Caspian Marquisate. Where the needle goes, the thread follows; Adrian stayed by Ramona’s side to attend to her every need. However, once the labor pains started, he was ushered out, where he stood trembling.

Every time he heard Ramona scream, he was seized and shaken by Kaizen.

“Ugh, seriously! Enough already!”

Unable to watch any longer, Titiana stepped between them and marched into the room. After some time, the sounds of pain were replaced by the sharp cry of a newborn.

His strength finally failing him, Adrian leaned on Kaizen, waiting for the door to open.

“It’s a beautiful princess. If you want to see the baby, shut up and stay still. Wash your face and hands and wait.”

Titiana glared at them as if to say they weren’t allowed inside with dirty hands. The two men immediately scrubbed themselves clean with the water provided.

“You may come in now. My, I don’t know who she takes after, but I’ve never seen a newborn so lovely.”

Hearing Camilla’s voice, the two men entered. They marveled at the sight of the newborn.

“Hello, my niece. It’s your uncle.”

“Honey!”

While Kaizen greeted his niece, Adrian rushed to Ramona, who lay exhausted on the bed.

“She just lost consciousness for a moment due to exhaustion. She’ll wake up soon, so don’t worry.”

Adrian, who couldn’t be with her during the birth, gently took Ramona’s hand.

“For a few days, she’ll feel afterpains as the uterus contracts, so apply warm compresses…”

The summoned doctor was saying something, but it didn’t register. Adrian was simply too worried about the unconscious Ramona. A short while later, Ramona woke up, checked that the baby had all her fingers and toes, and drifted back to sleep.

News of Ramona’s delivery brought a flood of gifts to the Caspian estate. Grand Duke Ayla, in particular, was so moved by the sight of the hundred-day-old infant that he turned away to hide his tears.

The baby, the spitting image of Ramona, was registered in the Cassius Ducal House under the name Rafina. The late Marquis Caspian had intended to name Ayla’s child Rafina, but he had given it up when the fading Ayla insisted on the name Ramona.

“Ooh, look at our Rafi! Isn’t she just the cutest? How can a child be so lovely?”

“She takes after our Ran, so of course she’s pretty and cute.”

“Our Ramona is indeed beautiful. I’m just glad she doesn’t take after my son.”

The two in-laws, usually at odds, were in perfect sync when it came to Rafina. Between the doting grandfather and the doting uncle, a swift pair of hands reached in and scooped Rafina up.

“Our Rafi, if there’s anything you want, just say the word. Your grandfather will bring you anything. Even if you ask for the Grand Ducal Castle, I shall give it to you.”

“Pooh-paaa.”

Rafina burst into laughter as Grand Duke Ayla lifted her. Charmed by the sight, the Grand Duke was completely smitten.

“Her laugh reminds me of Ayla.”

“Of course it does. Aunt Ayla is Rafina’s grandmother, after all. Blood doesn’t lie.”

Thanks to Rafina, the entire house was filled with joy. Adolf and Grand Duke Ayla made it a point to visit every single day. Normally, the house would have been closed off, but because Ramona had agreed to stay for a year, the heads of the two families were constantly present, their faces glowing with happiness.

They even neglected their duties just to see their granddaughter. Watching this, Kaizen shook his head, gathered the other children into his room, and began his daily “special lectures.”

“Alright! Today’s special lecture is about braiding your sister’s hair. A good hairstyle highlights a sister’s cuteness. So, watch me and follow along.”

“Yes, sir!”

Having raised two younger sisters himself, Kaizen’s hands were surprisingly deft.