Chapter 113

Elysia furrowed her brow with a sullen face. Lying in her bedroom, which she came back to after a long time, she was contemplating why this happened.

“Miss Elysia. Are you okay?”

“No.”

She wasn’t okay at all.

Father and brother standing outside the door, and even Ryan and the doctor. She wanted to bring them into the room, but the smell of food and even the smell of a person’s body was uncomfortable, so they couldn’t get close.

She would have tried to be patient if it was just nausea, though it was beyond unbearable and it was so uncomfortable that she couldn’t control it.

…She ran away from Cassian, and this happened.

The reason she avoided him was because of her excessive lust to suck blood. Even if she drank his blood several times a day, she could not stop her lust. When she asked him to use her own room, wasn’t she insisting it was for Cassian’s good?

Elysia came here because she thought it would be impossible to see how much weight he had lost in two weeks.

“Should I call Hail?”

Would Hail be the only one who could notice the state of her own body right now? Once it calmed down a bit, it seemed like she had to see a doctor and make a decision.

Suddenly, there was the sound of the door opening.

Struggling very hard, Elysia frowned, but soon she opened her eyes to the scent.

“Wife.”

“Cassian?”

Elysia backed away from him in a frown, beckoning him not to come to her. As he couldn’t even go closer to her, Cassian stopped with a worried face.

“Don’t come.”

“Is it very bad?”

“I only have a desire to suck your blood, and it’s hard for others to come near.”

Elysia looked tearful.

“Elysia.”

He called out her name as if to appease her with a friendly voice.

…That voice made her want to cry.

“Huuuh… Cassian.”

Suddenly, tears welled up and flowed down her cheeks non-stop, and Cassian came closer and locked her in his arms.

Elysia buried her face in his arms and began to cry. She was sad, annoyed, and mixed with all sorts of emotions. People who had been walking down the hallway at the sound of crying entered the bedroom.

Cassian gently rubbed her back and lowered his head before whispering in a low voice that her family could not hear.

“Let’s get a doctor’s diagnosis first. I’ll be holding you.”

He wanted her to smell his body and hold onto it.

Elysia wiped the tears away and nodded her head. Even though she was reluctant, she felt that the blood-sucking lust had subsided a little, probably because of her overcrowded emotions, so it was worth a try.

Cassian hugged her from behind and beckoned to the doctor.

Her brother looked at him as if he wanted to hold her to check on her, but her father insisted that her brother stay still.

After a while, the words from the doctor were completely unexpected.

“Congratulations. This is your first fruit after five years.”

“…Huh?”

While Elysia tilted her head, Cassian asked the doctor.

“How long has it been?”

“I think it’s been about four weeks.”

“Oh, congratulations. Sweetheart.”

Since Cassian had been taking contraceptives for a while, she never imagined that she would be pregnant. Elysia lifted her head and gazed at him, and he seemed to be puzzled as well.

“Uhp…”

The family members who came close to congratulate her caused her nausea to rise again. She was sorry to see her father and brother step back in tears, but shouldn’t she prioritize herself first?

The commotion became a celebration due to the news of the pregnancy, and the family told her to return home quickly without showing any disappointment.

Elysia was in Cassian’s arms in the carriage, she lifted her lips from his fingers and opened her mouth.

“Cassian.”

“No. I took everything.”

Cassian, who knew immediately whether he had ever skipped the contraceptives, spoke with a firm voice.

“It’s strange.”

“More than that… Are you okay?”

Elysia sat facing him and glanced at him, asking what he was talking about… Oh, come to think of it, she had a child. She was so stunned and overwhelmed that it didn’t feel real. At the same time, she could see Cassian scanning her face thoroughly.

Elysia reached out her hand and cupped his cheek.

“Are you okay?”

“You didn’t want it… but it happened…”

“Where are you saying? It was just a delay, but I was thinking of having it sometime.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a sense of relief appeared on her face. The next moment, she could see his lips drawing arcs.

He pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear.

“Elysia.”

“Yes.”

Because they were so close, she felt like she had to stay away from him again. Still, the emotion in Cassian’s voice made her unable to push him out, and she left herself in his arms. He continuously said thank you for loving him and saying that he would do better.

“You said you were going to enjoy your honeymoon for at least ten years?”

“Did I?”

Cassian, who was exchanging a couple of words, pondered for a moment and asked with a cautious look.

“You don’t seem very happy. Did I misunderstand?”

“Ah… I’m glad. It’s so good….”

Was the child a vampire? Or a vampire with a beating heart like her?

…Or human? She couldn’t guess at all. The only thing Hail told her was that if the other person was Cassian, she would be able to have a child.

Cassian, who had been thinking for a while, frowned.

“Scared?”

“A little bit…”

“Do you want your child to be human?”

“I don’t know.”

If… not, everything about it.

What if a complete vampire was born? Then, would that child live alone in a world without a kindred forever?

“It has a beating heart.”

“How do you know?”

“There’s no way the doctor could have made a diagnosis if it doesn’t have a beating heart.”

“Ah… there’s that, too.”

Cassian smiled faintly and kissed her lips.

“I’m all right. Do you not like it if it’s not the child you want?”

“No way.”

Whether it was born as a vampire or a human, it was Cassian and her child. There was no way she could hate it.

“I’m sorry. Were you disappointed by my reaction?”

“No, of course not.”

He kissed her again and again, saying that he was really fine so she didn’t have to worry. Eventually, Elysia fell asleep, feeling her eyelids getting heavy at the regular pats.

* * *

It was Philip’s fault that Cassian had a child despite taking the contraceptive pill.

He heard that the medicine Cassian was taking was putting a strain on his body, and he ordered the doctor to change the medicine. The doctor did not listen to the situation in its entirety, so when asked to change to another drug, he thought that it was Cassian’s intention.

Because of the doctor who forgot to tell him that the medicine he changed could be a little less effective, they came this far.

It was a joy to have a child, but Cassian strongly rebuked Philip and the doctor. Meanwhile, Elysia said she was fine though he was adamant as he seemed to assume it was a situation she wished had not happened.

Elysia patted his face and smiled.

“Stop it. It’s enough to be happy.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, I’ve never heard of vampires having morning sickness.”

Cassian nodded his head as if to tell him more about what she had learned.

“That’s all. Maybe, having it for ten months just like humans?”

Elysia had never really heard of morning sickness because it was impossible to get pregnant. She still had the desire to suck blood and couldn’t even go near anyone else. However, there was a way that she belatedly found.

Why didn’t she think of reducing the smell with magic right away?

But, she still couldn’t eat anything but Cassian’s blood. Thanks to this, she spent more time with him. When she was hungry, she naturally went to him. Elysia opened her mouth as she gazed at him silently and suddenly thought about it.

“I often see the husband having morning sickness instead.”

“What?”

“There is a saying that it happens because the love for the wife is extreme.”

“Sorry.”

Elysia grinned and added that it was a joke, but Cassian did not take it that way. He repeated that he was sorry for a while and only stopped after hearing her say instead of saying sorry, he should say, “I love you.”

* * *

Cassian, who came to the Imperial Palace, looked for the audience room.

Revos, now Emperor, sat on the throne and greeted him.

“Duke. I heard the news. It’s something to celebrate.”

After his accession, Revos summoned him.

Even though Cassian resigned, saying that he would quit, Peloit, who was one of the figures in the Imperial Knights, was no longer personnel and was stripped of leadership earlier. In addition, Jane, who was also the deputy commander, was married to Revos and took the seat of the Empress.

In the end, there was no one who stood out as someone who could command military power and the only person who could hold the center of the nobles, Duke Lowell.

Revos, who was getting exhausted day by day, admitted surrender and clung to Cassian, asking him to resume work. It was his first audience only with Cassian since that day, so Revos looked a little nervous. He had already spoken to the chief attendant and had exchanged stories about whether he was going to apply for leave due to the Duchess’s pregnancy.

“It’s a gift from me.”

Revos decided to take the initiative by sending a gift. The chief attendant put the box down in front of Cassian.

“What is this?”

“It’s a good tea for pregnant women.”

The chief attendant added that it was difficult to obtain and valuable.

Cassian frowned at the word tea. Elysia had not eaten anything but blood these days. She could barely drink water, lest tea. Meanwhile, Revos and the chief attendant exchanged glances as they looked at his expression that said he did not like it at all.

“Duke. Why is your expression like that?”

“The wife only eats one food. She eats nothing but water.”

“Oh, dear…”

“And, without me, she can’t eat at all.”

Revos continued to speak hastily.

“I will also give you medicines that are good for morning sickness.”

“I’ve already tried it, but she can’t take medicine. She can’t drink tea.”

Cassian answered with a tone that asserted that even the medicines he gave would not necessarily work. Revos raised his hand and rubbed the corner of his eye.

“Take a vacation.”

“I just want to step down.”

“Duke, shouldn’t you keep earning?”

“It’s enough already.”

The two eyes met tightly.

Cassian had no intention of backing down at all.

At the same time, Revos was also in a situation where he could not let him go. Four years had passed since Cassian returned to office, and although it was sufficiently stable, there was still no one to entrust the military with.

“Six months.”

“It will be about five years.”

“Five years?”

Was he thinking of raising the child himself? Revos stared at him with a nonsense look. Besides, didn’t he say that he had to stay by his wife’s side because of her morning sickness just a little while ago?

“Whoa… Duke. Let’s be honest and say as much as you want.”

He came to the conclusion that there was nothing good to fight for. Cassian thought for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I am serious when I say that I want to step down. But…”

“But?”

“I think three years would be enough.”

Actually, what he wanted were two years. He promised Elysia that he would receive at least two years. If it had been Revos a few years ago, he would have been able to get three years for real. Cassian clicked his tongue inside.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

The words of the pregnant wife were absolute. Even if it was an absurd stubbornness, Cassian had no choice but to nod his head.

“I can’t concede more than two years…”

Revos thought that if he refused at all, he would make it an imperial order.

“Good.”

Cassian raised the corners of his lips, relieved that he had kept his promise to Elysia. Seeing that, Revos noticed that he had been beaten belatedly.

He still has a long way to go against Cassian.