~Chapter 139~
“Um… Is it okay if I don’t see the baby’s face?”
“Yes, yes. If you don’t mind me touching the baby’s body, I can close my eyes and measure by touch only.”
Since the baby wasn’t even one year old and wouldn’t be walking soon, a little mistake in the measurements wouldn’t matter. Ancia was relieved by Eve’s suggestion and came over, holding the baby wrapped in a blanket.
“Then, madam, I’m sorry, but could you check like this?”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Eve peeked a little, but the baby’s face was almost covered with the blanket, so she couldn’t see much. Even if she tried, seeing the truth with her own eyes would only confuse her more, so Eve tightly closed her eyes.
The fact that the duchess didn’t cover Eve’s eyes showed her pure heart, and that made Eve feel even sadder. If a woman like this had done something wrong, there must have been a reason. But for now, Eve couldn’t be sure of anything.
Eve used just her hands to measure the baby’s arm length, body width, and other sizes, and then wrote down the numbers.
It didn’t take long, but Eve was so focused that sweat appeared on her face.
“I’m sorry for asking you to do something so hard.”
“It’s nothing. Please tell me when and what kind of clothes you’ll need, so I can come show you the best designs.”
“Well… I need something for next month and for the New Year’s Festival.”
“For the New Year’s Festival? That’s almost half a year from now, so the size may change. I’ll need to come again…”
Eve stopped talking when she saw Ancia’s faint smile. She felt a bit guilty and lowered her head.
“I’ll make two different sizes, just in case. Um… should I make a dress?”
Eve was even scared to ask about the baby’s gender. If she knew the baby’s hair or eye color, it would be easier to choose fabric, but she couldn’t dare ask about that.
Ancia must have felt she needed to answer about the baby’s gender, so she shook her head.
“No dress.”
“Oh, okay. I understand.”
Now that Eve realized it was a boy, she felt even more confused. Suddenly, Richard entered the room silently. He stood next to Ancia and stared at Eve with a cold look.
Eve felt like she was right in the middle of the rumor.
Noticing Eve’s tension, Ancia spoke kindly, giving her a warm smile.
“Eve, we have been invited to the royal palace. My husband, my child, and I—all three of us will need matching clothes.”
Eve was so shocked she couldn’t speak. She had thought maybe Ancia needed clothes just for a small party at the duke’s house. Also, the way Ancia described her child was meaningful.
Eve tried to focus on the designs and bowed her head.
“I’ll do my best with this chance you gave me.”
On the outside, Ancia just gave an unclear smile. Inside, she hoped that, through someone as kind as Eve, at least some good rumors would spread. She knew Eve would keep her mouth shut or even defend her. If a designer who visited the duke’s house stayed silent or took Ancia’s side, the rumors would lean even more toward the negative side.
“I brought some boy’s clothes designs, just in case. How about picking a dress first, and then we can match the colors and decorations?”
“I’ll leave everything to you. I trust your eye. You always make things with me in mind.”
Eve opened her design book. Moved by Ancia’s trust, she promised to do her very best and left the room.
As soon as Eve went out, Ancia quickly pulled up the thin cloth covering the baby’s face. She made sure there was some space, so the baby didn’t feel stuffy. He was already fast asleep.
Richard’s face also softened as he looked at the baby. Then, seeing how tired Ancia looked, he turned to her.
“Are you tired?”
“A little. I feel bad for using people who like me.”
“You just asked her to make clothes, and she agreed. Don’t worry about it.”
“Still… After all this, there will be many people I’ll have to say sorry to.”
Richard put his arm around her shoulders.
“If you mean this plan, then I’ll apologize with you.”
“Huh? You, my lord? I started this, so you don’t need to…”
“I’m your husband. I’ll always be by your side.”
“…My love.”
Richard was sure he had comforted Ancia, especially since she only called him that when she felt really close.
He held Ancia and the baby gently, wishing that this long and difficult situation would end soon.
Autumn was deepening, but the royal palace was still warm like spring, thanks to heating stones. The royal family wore light clothes, and the gardens were full of blooming flowers.
But inside, the royals weren’t as peaceful.
Especially the first prince and crown prince, Kailus Demitri, who was chosen as the next emperor and thought he deserved even more.
The old emperor was still alive and in his way, and the Gwinted family also bothered him. Even though they had no real political power, everyone thought of them as the strongest in battle.
Since he was young, Kailus had always heard about the Gwinted family.
They were the sword and shield of the north, called the God of War, so strong that enemies would surrender at their name. Even after monsters became a bigger threat than enemy countries, the duke stayed at the front lines.
He fought so much, people called him “the duke crazy for blood.” He swung his sword every day to keep monsters from crossing the border.
When he was a boy, Kailus also wanted to use a sword like the duke. But when he saw Richard’s son do a demonstration in the palace, he was so scared he could barely breathe. Even just watching from afar, his legs went weak.
That was a new feeling for Kailus. He was embarrassed by his own fear and tried to deny it.
Once, he wanted the Gwinted knights to serve him. But when those northern knights came to the palace, they missed Richard and the north, and talked about how great he was, even in front of Kailus.
Kailus didn’t like that, so he put the northern knights in random jobs.
But over time, his feelings changed. He couldn’t stop caring about the Gwinted family, even though his interest became jealousy, then obsession.
He tried everything—stopping the family’s trade, interfering in their business, just to see how they’d react, but Richard always accepted it calmly.
“Can you still handle it? Even with all this? Most people would react at least a little.”
But the duke never showed any reaction. That changed after he got married.
Kailus secretly ordered a kidnapping, and the reports from spies finally showed the duke had real emotions.
“He really picked a troublesome woman.”
He laughed at Richard for suffering because of a woman. To him, women were easy to get, so he couldn’t understand why Richard cared so much.
When he heard that the duchess was kidnapped and rumored to be in love with another man, Kailus was very happy.
“Even the great duke lost his wife to a minor count. How funny is that?”
He almost wanted to reward the kidnappers.
He thought it would be even better if the baby didn’t look like Richard at all. Hearing that the duchess stayed locked up after giving birth, he got more excited.
The spies reported the baby’s hair was brown. It was a boy, the first son, but had brown hair like neither parent.
Kailus couldn’t wait to expose the duke’s “shame.”
At first, he planned to spread rumors among nobles, but Richard’s polite refusal made it hard. So next, he sent invitations for bigger parties.
He even prepared a New Year’s Festival invitation, months in advance, with the emperor’s signature.
The old emperor was tired and slow from too much medicine, so Kailus easily got his signature.
Kailus was already waiting for the emperor to die, so he sent the invitation to the duke’s family and finally got a positive reply.
He even heard, through spies, that they had ordered new clothes. He told his spies to watch carefully, worried they might try to swap the baby.
Luckily, the duchess and baby never left the tower until the day they were to visit the palace.
“She acted strong, but she’s just a girl from a weak family. I wonder how she feels, holding a child that isn’t the duke’s.”
If Richard had let her name the baby at the festival, none of this would have happened.
Just the rumor about the duchess and the crown prince having an affair would have hurt Richard.
“Maybe if I say sweet things, the duchess will give up her baby’s name, tired of Richard’s coldness. She’s pretty enough—I’d like to have her at least once.”
Kailus was so pleased with his plans that he was smiling widely.
Just then, Polcan came in with even better news.
“Your Highness, the Duke and Duchess of Gwinted have arrived through the northern gate.”
“The child?”
“They brought the child too.”
A strange, wide smile appeared on Kailus’s handsome face.
