After Chaika woke up, Mihail truly doted on him as if he were fragile glass that would shatter at the slightest bump. Even for short distances, he never allowed Chaika to walk, always carrying him himself. When it came to meals or medicine, he treated him like a critical patient, fretting endlessly over whether he was getting the best possible nourishment.
If Chaika complained of feeling stifled, Mihail would take him out for a walk—still cradled in his arms. If the wind so much as stirred, he’d pull Chaika’s outerwear up to his neck, and if the sunlight seemed even a little strong, he’d immediately order servants to set up shade. He made a fuss to keep even insects like bees from coming near, and if Chaika so much as yawned softly, Mihail would hurry them back to the bedroom, insisting he needed a nap, and lay him straight onto the bed.
To the people around them, watching Mihail single-handedly make a spectacle of himself was nothing short of absurd. Who was Duke Mihail Castiya, after all? He was a man infamous throughout the country for his foul temper, abrasive personality, exclusivity, and selfishness. On top of that, he’d been known to utterly despise omegas. And yet here he was, cherishing a small-framed omega named Chaika as if he were a feather that might be blown away by the breeze. How could anyone not be bewildered?
Naturally, rumors spread across the country in no time. There were even whispers that the Emperor, upon hearing the gossip, had insisted on seeing it with his own eyes and tried to rush to the stables—only to be physically stopped by the Empress.
In any case, unlike last time, Chaika’s and Mihail’s cycles had overlapped this time, and there had even been knotting. That meant it was practically a hundred-percent certainty that Chaika was pregnant. It would take two weeks for a definitive diagnosis, and while Mihail doted endlessly on Chaika, that time slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Chaika sat leaning back against soft pillows, his face filled with tension. Mihail, standing by his head, wore the same expression, as did the butler and servants lined up a little distance away. Everyone’s gaze was sharply focused on the physician examining Chaika. The weight of that attention would have made anyone uncomfortable, but the physician remained composed, concentrating carefully on his task.
“Well?”
Mihail finally couldn’t hold back and asked. At that moment, the suffocating silence filling the bedroom snapped apart. The physician looked from Chaika to Mihail, then smiled and nodded.
“You’re pregnant.”
A deeply satisfied smile—one never seen on his face before—spread across Mihail’s features, while Chaika’s eyes went wide like a rabbit’s.
“Congratulations, Your Grace!”
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations!!”
The butler and servants raised their voices, showering them with congratulations. Even they couldn’t contain their joy—no one had ever imagined that such a happy event could occur in Castiya Castle of all places.
“You’ve been through a lot, Chaika.”
Mihail said gently as he took Chaika’s hand. Chaika, still staring blankly with wide eyes, slowly turned his head to look at him.
“…Uh….”
A faint sound slipped from his slowly parting lips, and then his wide eyes gradually twisted as tears welled up.
“…What do I do….”
Chaika murmured, his voice trembling. Then he leaned forward and collapsed, bursting into loud sobs.
“Uwaaaah—!!!!”
The room that had been full of congratulations now echoed with a wail brimming with sorrow and betrayal. The butler and servants, who knew exactly why Chaika was crying, quietly averted their gazes once more.
“What do I do! What do I do now! Uwaaah!!!”
As Chaika cried his heart out, Mihail gently rubbed his back to comfort him—while, at the same time, smiling to himself as if he were pleased. After sobbing face-down for a while, Chaika suddenly jerked upright. He spotted Mihail’s face, smiling happily.
“You bastard!”
Clenching both fists, Chaika started hitting Mihail with all his strength again, but Mihail simply couldn’t wipe the deeply satisfied smile off his face.
Eventually, Chaika ran out of stamina, panting heavily as both his crying and hitting came to a stop.
“You’re not alone anymore. You have to be careful.”
Mihail supported Chaika and eased him back against the soft pillows. Sniffling, Chaika glared up at him. But there was no turning back now—he was already pregnant.
After letting out a few shaky, tear-laced breaths, Chaika suddenly turned pleading eyes toward the physician.
“Is it really true?”
A thread of hope lingered in Chaika’s question. His gaze toward the physician was desperate, as if praying that the diagnosis might somehow be wrong.
“…It’s true. You’re pregnant.”
The physician’s low voice shattered Chaika’s last remaining hope.
“Hhk—”
Chaika burst into tears again, then lifted a trembling hand to his lower abdomen as he sobbed. It was probably where the baby would be.
“But… I don’t feel anything.”
“Even if you don’t feel morning sickness, you can still be pregnant. Although your heat cycle has passed, there’s almost no pheromone detectable from your body right now. Your body has stopped producing pheromones in order to protect the child.”
“Now that you mention it….”
Mihail bent down, burying his nose against Chaika’s nape, crown, and shoulders, inhaling deeply. Only faint traces of scent remained; just as the physician said, there was barely any pheromone at all. Considering how overwhelmingly strong Chaika’s pheromones had been before the heat cycle, this situation could only be explained by pregnancy.
Chaika seemed to come to terms with it as well. His sobbing subsided, and a crestfallen look settled over his face. The hand stroking his lower abdomen was awkward and unsure. Mihail placed his own hand over Chaika’s, gently rubbing his belly together with him.
“Our baby is inside such a small body.”
Mihail whispered softly, wonder coloring his voice.
“…Our baby.”
Chaika repeated his words. The expression on his downcast face shifted slightly—subtle and hard to read.
“Yes. Our baby.”
Mihail said again, showering Chaika’s cheek, forehead, and the rim of his ear with gentle kisses. Chaika lowered his eyes, as if hiding his expression. No one could see what had surfaced in those purple eyes.
A grand festival was held throughout Castiya Castle and the surrounding villages.
Despite his filthy temper, Mihail had never been stingy when it came to giving. And with a festival celebrating Chaika’s pregnancy, he spent money as if he were determined to drain the entire territory dry.
Bread and meat, beer and wine were distributed almost without limit to the villages around the castle. Performers showed off their tricks in the central square, while villagers ate, drank, sang, and danced to their hearts’ content. Shouts of blessings for Mihail’s heir rang out without pause.
The lavish festivities weren’t limited to outside the castle.
Inside Castiya Castle, too, everything buzzed with celebration. Knights took turns heading into the forest in groups, hunting large quantities of animals to supply food for the duration of the festival. In the massive underground kitchens, huge beasts skewered on iron spits sizzled constantly, bread was baked nonstop in the ovens, and servants rushed back and forth hauling wine barrels up from the cellar.
The grand dining hall, rarely used in everyday life, was filled with Mihail, Ilya Vasari, and the administrators and knights who managed the territory. They raised toast after toast, eating and drinking without restraint.
“To the Duke’s heir—cheers!”
A knight, already quite drunk, shouted, and the others echoed him. The vast hall rang with their voices. Given how widespread the belief had been that Duke Mihail Castiya would die without an heir, the emotion felt by his vassals and knights was overwhelming.
“To the miracle—cheers!”
Another knight cried out. Since it truly was nothing short of a miracle, everyone burst into laughter and raised their glasses again.
Though the banquet was meant to celebrate Chaika’s pregnancy, Chaika himself was nowhere to be seen—only Mihail presided over the gathering. In the early stages of pregnancy, with things still unstable and Chaika deeply shaken by the reality of being pregnant, he needed absolute rest. Attending such a celebration was out of the question. Instead, he lay in Mihail’s bed, receiving devoted care from the physician and servants.
The grand dining hall and Mihail’s bedroom were some distance apart, yet the excited knights’ voices and toasts drifted faintly all the way to the bedchamber. Even after darkness fell, the village outside the castle walls remained brightly lit, filled with music and laughter, making it impossible for Chaika not to realize the festival was still in full swing.
“Everyone’s so happy.”
Chaika said, gazing out the brightly lit window despite it being night. Though the festival was celebrating his pregnancy, a deep gloom shadowed his face as he watched.
At Mihail’s command, the butler standing guard beside Chaika poured him a cup of warm tea and offered it to him. The butler’s tea-brewing skills were exceptional, and even Chaika, who didn’t know much about tea, enjoyed drinking it. Chaika accepted the cup, blew on it softly to cool it, and sipped little by little.
“His Grace is also very pleased. I can’t say for certain what it is that worries you, Lord Chaika, but I’m sure His Grace will handle everything properly.”
The butler spoke gently, trying to reassure him. Still, the worry etched on Chaika’s face didn’t fade easily.
“…I want to be alone.”
Chaika said, handing his half-empty cup back to the butler. The butler looked troubled—Mihail had strictly ordered that Chaika was never to be left alone.
“I want to be alone.”
When the butler hesitated, Chaika repeated himself.
Chaika had always been obedient and compliant, but after becoming pregnant against his will, his temperament had grown a little stronger. Perhaps it was due to hormonal changes following the pregnancy.
“In case of any unforeseen situation, why don’t you allow me to stay by your side at least?”
Seeing the butler’s difficulty, the physician spoke to Chaika. Having received so much devoted care from the physician, Chaika hesitated briefly before nodding. Ordinarily, leaving only the physician at his side would have provoked Mihail’s wrath—but upsetting Chaika, whose pregnancy was still unstable, was just as dangerous. The butler left the bedroom with the other servants, leaving only the physician behind.
The bedroom door closed, and only Chaika and the physician remained in the large chamber. Chaika flopped back onto the pile of plush pillows stacked behind him. All expression vanished from his face, and his purple eyes stared into empty space, holding no emotion at all.
