Side Story – Chapter 2
Harold was walking quickly down the corridor with me in his arms. His long strides were so fast that it felt like I was running.
“H-Harold?! Where are we going?”
“To the physician.”
To the physician? Why was he carrying me there?
It was confusing, but if we wanted to know exactly what was wrong with him, we did need to see the doctor.
I realized that even if I walked, I couldn’t match his pace, so I decided to stay still in his arms. Besides, being held like this meant that if he was unwell, my holy power might flow into him naturally.
Although right now, there wasn’t any sign of that—meaning his body wasn’t in pain.
When we entered the medical room, both the doctor and Evan were there. They stood up immediately.
“Your Grace, my lady, what brings you here?”
“Harold—” I began, about to explain, but Harold spoke faster.
“Check Diana’s pulse.”
“Eh? Mine? Not Harold’s?”
I blinked in disbelief, but his expression was completely serious.
The doctor looked between the two of us briefly, then bowed.
“As you wish. Your Grace, please set the lady down first.”
“…All right.”
Harold gently lowered me to the examination chair.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was him, not me, who needed a checkup. But I reached out my hand for the doctor anyway.
He pressed my wrist and felt my pulse—and his expression immediately stiffened. The doctor’s usually mild eyes sharpened.
“Have you been missing your monthly cycle, my lady?”
“That’s right,” Harold answered before I could.
“And how long has it been?”
“Um…”
“It’s been about six weeks,” Harold said matter-of-factly—clearly already keeping track.
The doctor suddenly moved in a rush. He opened a drawer and pulled out a magical device, a small tool embedded with a glowing stone. Even without being told, I could tell it was a diagnostic artifact.
Evan, however, seemed to recognize it instantly; his eyes went wide, and he sucked in a breath.
The doctor sterilized a needle and looked at me.
“My lady, I’ll need just a small amount of blood. May I?”
“Yes.”
“It’ll sting a little.”
A quick prick—then a drop of blood fell onto the magical tool. The stone began to shine faintly.
A short silence followed.
Harold was the first to speak.
“…Diana.”
His voice was low, like he was trying to sound calm but couldn’t quite manage it. My stomach tightened with unease.
“Yes, Harold?”
I had always believed there was no way anything could be wrong with me while I had divine power—but judging from everyone’s faces, something definitely was.
Ever since Harold started feeling sick from the smell of meat, an anxiety had been building in my chest. What if I’d somehow caught an illness that even divine power couldn’t cure… and passed it to him?
“You’re pregnant.”
“…”
“…”
“…What?”
I stammered. “Did I hear that right? You said… pregnant?”
“You heard right. It’s our child.”
Our child.
I stared down at my stomach, the words echoing in my head.
It felt like getting a surprise gift from Santa Claus on a random day—my mind went blank.
Somewhere nearby, Evan was making choked, hiccupping sounds between sobs. I couldn’t make out the words, but I thought I heard, “C-cong-grats—sniff—ulation…”
Blinking, I looked around. Evan was crying his heart out, nose running, while even the doctor’s eyes were glistening.
“Congratulations, Your Grace, my lady. I’ll prescribe some medicine safe for early pregnancy.”
“S-sniff… so, so happy for you two…!” Evan bawled.
And Harold…
He was looking at me with an expression full of tangled emotions—shock, awe, joy, and disbelief all at once.
Maybe my face looked the same.
As I looked at them all, the truth finally sank in. I really was pregnant.
For thirty minutes, Evan wept noisily while the doctor excitedly explained all kinds of tonics and herbs for expecting mothers.
Then Harold, saying it was too loud for a pregnant woman, scooped me up and left the medical room.
Once we reached our bedroom, he sat on the bed still holding me, then carefully set me down on his lap.
He’d always handled me gently, but after learning I was carrying a child, his touch became even more delicate—like I was made of glass.
He wrapped both arms around me and rested his head against the pale curve of my neck. His breath tickled my skin, making me laugh softly.
But the laughter wasn’t just from the tickle—it was from happiness too.
I placed my hand over my belly.
“Harold, they said it’s our baby.”
I had always imagined that someday we’d have a child, but now that the dream had become real, I couldn’t stop smiling. My heart was bursting with excitement.
I’m going to be a mother…
“Our baby is in here.”
I repeated it like a broken record, staring up at Harold.
Meeting my eyes, he smiled faintly and placed his hand over mine.
“Yes. Our baby is right here.”
I giggled.
“Honestly, I was scared for a moment. When you suddenly felt sick after letting go of my hand, I thought it was some strange illness my power couldn’t heal. But to think it was morning sickness—what a relief.”
He chuckled. “Same here.”
“Hm?”
“I was worried too. You’ve been so tired lately that I thought something might be wrong.”
Even though he knew in his head that my divine power protected me from harm, seeing me drowsy and weak for days had clearly troubled him.
If someone told Harold to win a war, he’d do it by any means. If he needed to cross the continent for a single rare jewel, he’d find it no matter what.
But if the woman who once healed him fell sick with something even her own power couldn’t cure… he would’ve been helpless.
His eyes darkened. I covered his hand with mine.
“Our baby’s already giving us trouble before being born.”
I smiled softly, and he ended up smiling too.
“Then let’s hope the baby won’t give its mother too much trouble after birth.”
“Hehe, not just the mother—no making the father suffer either. Ah, no, never mind. Even if the baby causes us a bit of trouble, as long as it’s healthy, that’s all that matters.”
Grrrgle—
My stomach rumbled loudly. My face turned red.
Harold laughed quietly and stood up, still holding me.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t eaten yet.”
“R-right. But… could you please put me down now?”
“No. It’s dangerous. You need to be careful in early pregnancy.”
“…Are you planning to carry me around for the entire first trimester?”
“That’s the plan.”
“…”
“My dear wife can read my mind now? I’m delighted.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
He was serious. Completely serious.
A cold wave of realization hit me—if I didn’t stop him now, I’d really be carried around everywhere for months.
Usually, when Harold was being shameless, I’d just laugh it off. But this time, I shook my head frantically.
“I’ll walk on my own! Walking is healthier!”
“Hmm…”
“Harold.”
I called his name again firmly. He sighed, then pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
“My wife doesn’t want it, so I’ll obey. But… can I stay by your side all the time, then?”
“Well… that’s fine.”
At least that was better than being carried all day.
“Good. It’s a promise, Diana. No taking it back.”
I nodded—then froze when I saw the playful curve of his lips.
After years of living with him, my instincts screamed that I’d fallen right into a trap.
‘What did I miss this time?’
It would take me a while to realize my mistake—
that I hadn’t specified how long “all the time” would be.
UNLOCK SOON!~