Special Story 11

“Explain yourself. Who are all these men?”

“Um…”

Vivian’s eyes darted around. Clearly, hiding the note right under his nose had been a mistake. She’d let her guard down after days of him pretending not to notice.

She hesitated, unsure how to start.

“Are they the reason the bed’s been off-limits lately?”

Armin’s voice dropped to a dangerously low pitch. He looked truly angry.

The situation was both amusing and nerve-wracking to Vivian. Still, there was something thrilling about seeing this unfamiliar side of him.

“…Are you jealous?”

“Jealous?”

Armin took a step closer, his fists clenched tight.

“Of course I am. Wouldn’t you be? You cried when you misunderstood that letter I wrote to Andre.”

“Wh—why are you bringing that up now?”

“Because I feel like crying too, Vivian.”

Only his upbringing as the heir to a dukedom kept him composed.

“Just answer me. Is it because of these men?”

“Well…”

Vivian knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t resist drawing it out just a little longer. She wanted to see more of this side of him.

“…It could be… or maybe not…”

“Be clear, Vivian. Don’t test my patience.”

If he actually lost his temper, she’d be in trouble. Nervous, she quickly tried to clear things up.

“You only found one of the notes?”

“One? Are you telling me there’s more?”

As Armin’s outrage deepened, Vivian grabbed his hand and stood.

“I’ll clear up the misunderstanding, okay? Just calm down. You’ll regret it later if you don’t.”

“Regret? Misunderstanding?”

“Oh, come on! I said I’ll explain.”

She gave his hand a little shake and smiled sheepishly.

“If you think that smile’s enough to calm me down, you’re sorely mistaken.”

But his tone had already softened.

***

‘I never thought I’d be saying this like this.’ 

She had meant to wait a few more weeks, observe quietly, then call for the doctor. After receiving a definitive answer, she’d spent days debating how to break the news to Armin. None of that planning mattered now.

Her idea had been to prepare a small gift box with tiny baby shoes—one pastel yellow, one soft sky blue, since it didn’t matter whether it was a boy or girl.

But now, in the middle of the night, half-asleep, to be revealing it like this… It was surreal.

Vivian led Armin to the reading room—not the one his mother had gifted her as a wedding present, where he had found the first note. The second note wasn’t hidden there.

It was in the room Armin had built just for her, tucked between the sofa cushions. Before showing him anything, Vivian asked him to sit.

“Before I say anything, I want you to answer something first.”

“What is it?”

“Florin and Sasha already picked names. For their future children.”

“Children?”

“For if they have a boy or a girl. They’ve chosen names in advance.”

The shift in topic caught Armin off guard. It took him a few moments to process, blinking in confusion before frowning slightly.

“What do you mean, names?”

“Just—off the top of your head. If we were to have a child someday, what name would you pick?”

Vivian assumed he wouldn’t have an answer. Even she, after reading countless novels, hadn’t settled on a name she liked. It had to be even harder for Armin.

But without missing a beat, he replied:

“If it’s a girl, Maria. I haven’t thought about a boy’s name yet.”

“W–what?”

Now Vivian was the flustered one.

“Why?” he asked.

“What do you mean why? Why would you already have a name picked out?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

His expression suggested he found her surprise more baffling than the question itself.

“Of course I’ve thought about it. All the time.”

“You have?”

“Wait, don’t tell me… we’ve never talked about this before?”

Armin gave a soft laugh.

“I’d really like our first child to be a girl. I wouldn’t mind a boy, of course, but I’ve always had a dull personality, and Mother was often lonely because of it.”

Maybe the reason the Duchess adored Vivian so deeply was because of his own past negligence.

“I don’t want you to feel that kind of loneliness. I’ll always be by your side, but there’ll come a time when I’ll be as busy as Father once was. So… I often think it’d be nice if we had a daughter. Someone like you.”

“…You’re ridiculous,” Vivian murmured, her voice catching just slightly.

“It was just a thought. Is the name that bad?”

“No. Look at this.”

Vivian pulled out the second note from between the cushions. Like the first, it was covered in names—this time, all girls’ names: Selene, Amy, Amelia, Camellia, Charlotte, Daisy, Ailie… and more.

But among them, one stood out.

Circled, larger than the rest:

Maria

Next to it, in tiny script:

Maria Grey

That’s when Armin finally realized what the list he had found really meant.

He shot to his feet, stunned.

“Wait… does that mean—”

“Yes,” Vivian said with a small, playful smile. “Those names you asked about? They might’ve ended up as our baby’s name.”

She added, teasing, “But I guess we’ll have to scratch out Andrew, Dominic, and Frederick. Daddy doesn’t approve.”

Daddy.

It was the first time Vivian had ever referred to Armin as “Daddy.” The word sent a strange, inexplicable chill down her spine. Judging by his expression, Armin felt the same.

“When did you find out? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“It happened in Feifrea,” Vivian said.

Only now could she finally tell Armin everything that had happened that first day in Feifrea—from the fruit shop to her visit with the old village woman.

“I’m not certain yet. I was planning to tell you once I got confirmation.”

“You said it was a girl?”

“It’s just a superstition.”

“I don’t care. A girl… that’s wonderful.”

Armin’s face flushed with emotion. He repeated the name slowly, like a candy he was savoring.

“Maria Grey…”

He could almost see the image of an energetic child with bright eyes running joyfully around this very room.

“I’ll call the doctor first thing in the morning.”

“Tomorrow morning?”

Vivian tried to explain that it wasn’t time yet. They needed to wait at least a few more weeks to confirm anything. But Armin was already impatient, like someone frustrated that he couldn’t summon the doctor right this instant.

“I’ll summon the family physician at dawn. And if necessary, I’ll ask His Majesty to send the imperial doctor. Or maybe—maybe we should go back to Feifrea ourselves.”

“Excuse me?”

“I could try pulling the fruit myself. If it gives us three seeds again…”

“Are you serious right now?”

Vivian couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Only then did Armin realize how ridiculous he sounded.

Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close.

“You don’t think the baby heard me, right?”

“What?”

“When I said I wanted a girl. I mean, I’d be happy either way. I just hope that didn’t offend… you know…”

Even though Vivian had said nothing was certain yet, Armin seemed nearly convinced. He had noticed how she hadn’t been able to eat anything but fruit lately—a common early symptom of pregnancy, something even he knew.

She hadn’t suspected it herself because it was still so early.

“I only piled up the pillows because I thought it might be better for the baby… and you were scolding me for ruining the bed over some names.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“And you woke me up in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sorry for that too.”

“And then you got all scary and yelled at me.”

“…Was I scary? I’m really sorry.”

Vivian had already marked Maria as her favorite name, circling it the day she wrote it down. If Armin had disagreed, she would’ve taken time to discuss it with family and find another name together.

But a boy’s name was harder. Nothing had clicked for her—nothing that gave her that “this is it” feeling.

Now, after hearing Armin speak, she found herself briefly hoping their first child would be a daughter. A son would be just as precious, of course. But being able to give her first chosen name to a baby girl felt like a special gift.

“Should we go back to bed now? Aren’t you tired? It might not be good for the baby if you don’t sleep well.”

Armin insisted on carrying her back, claiming she shouldn’t walk if she was even a little tired. Vivian had to talk him down more than once.

It was already deep into the night. Even if she fell asleep now, it wouldn’t be as much rest as she usually got. Armin hung a note on the door, instructing the staff not to wake Vivian and to summon the Grey family’s physician first thing in the morning.

Then he gave her his arm as a pillow and gently patted her shoulder to help her fall asleep.

Thanks to Armin’s care, Vivian drifted off quickly. In her dreams, she saw a little girl with platinum-blonde hair like Armin’s—smiling brightly, running toward her with joy. Vivian embraced her tightly and reached out…

Then woke up, flailing slightly in the air.

Morning had come.