Breeding Instinct - Side Story 01 (1)

At the beginning of winter, when the wind had turned slightly chilly, a state of emergency was declared at the Grand Duke’s residence of the Royce family. It was because Kanna was about to give birth.

Damian, who had halted all his work a week prior, was now sitting beside Kanna, who was lying on the bed, barely able to catch her breath due to labor pains. Holding her hand tightly with both of his, he was, for the first time in his life, consumed by fear.

“…Does it hurt a lot?”

His voice was thick and gloomy. Even for an ordinary human woman, childbirth was a dangerous ordeal. But this was the first child born between two beastkin. There were bound to be differences from humans, and unexpected variables could arise.

Only God knew whether those variables would take the life of his child—or his wife. That was what made him so terrified.

“Hnn… It hurts… but I can bear it.”

Struggling to hold back her groans, Kanna pulled his hand and placed it on her forehead. Only when she felt his warmth did she begin to feel slightly alive again.

Feeling increasingly anxious, Damian bit the inside of his cheek. He was gripped by helplessness at the fact that there was nothing he could do.

Kanna’s breathing gradually became more labored, and the midwife and her assistant, who had been waiting outside the bedroom, came in. Damian had sought out a highly skilled midwife and had ensured their secrecy with a large sum of money and a confidential contract.

Because they couldn’t predict how the baby would appear.

“Excuse me, Your Grace. From the sound of the Grand Duchess’s breathing, it seems the early labor pains have passed. We should begin preparations.”

“…Very well.”

“Bring the hot water and the clean cloths we prepared.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The midwife’s assistants moved swiftly and precisely. Meanwhile, Damian remained at Kanna’s side, holding her hand tightly without budging.

“…Forgive me, Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

“It might be better if you waited outside during the birth.”

“Is there any particular reason for that?”

“Well…”

The midwife began to explain based on her past experience.

“There have been husbands who panicked after witnessing childbirth, and others who caused trouble by making more fuss than their wives, making it harder for the mothers to give birth.”

“I don’t think I fall into either of those categories.”

“No one really knows until the moment arrives. This will be your first time witnessing childbirth, yes?”

“I don’t care what I see of my wife. In fact, I should be by her side. Do you understand?”

“…Then do as you wish.”

The midwife clicked her tongue internally. She already knew how possessive the Grand Duke was of his wife. She had heard the rumors, and his behavior since she arrived had confirmed them. But to think he’d even stay through the childbirth…

Deciding to focus on the delivery for now, the midwife began arranging the supplies her assistants had brought. Meanwhile, Kanna gripped Damian’s hand tightly and whispered,

“Please… stay with me…”

“I will.”

At his firm reply, Kanna gave a faint smile, looking reassured. But the smile lasted only a moment. Her face quickly twisted in pain again. The soft groans soon turned into near screams.

Damian’s expression hardened as he held her hand even more tightly—determined not to let go, even if the god of death came to take her away.

“You have to push properly! Breathe steadily—yes, just like that…”

With the midwife’s shouts, the terrifying ordeal of childbirth began.

* * *

He had no idea how much time had passed. Had a whole day gone by? Or had it not even been an hour?

All he could do was look at the increasingly exhausted Kanna with anxious eyes.

“Hnnngh… haa, haa…”

“Yes, you’re doing well. Just a little more effort.”

“N-No… I can’t…”

“I can see the head, Duchess! Just a little more…!”

“Hnnngh!”

Kanna shed tears from the pain of tearing below. It felt like she was dying, but thanks to Damian, who continued to tightly hold her hand, she didn’t lose consciousness.

She grounded herself in his warmth and scent, focusing on the midwife’s voice. As she felt the baby struggling one last time inside her belly, she summoned all the strength she had left and pushed. At that moment, she felt something slip out of her, and a loud cry rang through the room.

“…It’s a boy, Your Grace!”

The midwife belatedly shouted the baby’s gender. Damian’s eyes flashed sharply at the brief pause. He brushed Kanna’s disheveled hair back and placed a gentle kiss on her round forehead.

“You did well, Kanna.”

“Hnn, d-dear…”

“You did great. Leave the rest to me and rest.”

At his words, Kanna nodded faintly, relieved, and closed her eyes. She had reached her physical limit. Damian looked down at her briefly before slowly standing up. Just the act of his tall, broad frame rising gave off a powerful presence.

He walked over to where the midwife was cleaning the baby. Not only the midwife but also the assistants nearby were pale-faced as they carried out their tasks.

“Let me see the child.”

“Y-Yes, of course.”

The midwife quickly wiped away the moisture and wrapped the baby in a cloth. She then approached and held the child out to him.

“Hm.”

Damian looked quietly down at his child. The baby who had cried so loudly upon birth was now looking up at him with open eyes. Its little mouth moved as if searching for something, and the deep blue eyes were just like Kanna’s.

Black curly hair clung to its head, still damp, and nestled between it were small, adorable leopard ears identical to Damian’s. When he touched near the baby’s bottom, he felt a tail.

Just as he feared, the child had been born in the form of a beastkin. Damian cradled the baby firmly in his arms and stared at the midwife before him.

“I believe you’ve all signed the confidentiality agreement.”

“Y-Yes…”

He knew well that even though the Royce family had been publicizing the beastkin disease across the entire Chepell Empire and searching for others like them, seeing it with one’s own eyes was a different matter. That’s why he had no intention of revealing their true nature to the world just yet.

So he spoke to the midwife with a voice that brimmed with threat.

“You also know what will happen if that contract is broken, don’t you?”

“…Yes, of course.”

He didn’t stop at the midwife. He turned to the assistants and spoke in the same cold tone.

“The same goes for all of you.”

“Yes, of course.”

“If you break the contract, not only you, but your families will be wiped out. Children, the elderly—it won’t matter. If you have no family, I’ll erase your relatives. If there are no relatives, I’ll destroy everyone you grew up with—your hometown friends. Including their families too.”

The midwife, terrified by the Grand Duke’s calm yet horrifying words, gulped hard and replied,

“I will never reveal a word. We are not foolish enough to think only one step ahead. Surely, Your Grace will have more children in the future?”

At her words, Damian’s cold expression softened slightly. He liked what she had said.

“If you keep your silence, I’ll call on you for the second birth as well. Don’t worry about compensation.”

“Of course, Your Grace.”

The midwife quickly responded and began tidying up with her assistants. Damian stared down at the tiny creature squirming in his arms. The feeling was strange—similar to how he felt the first time he saw Kanna.

Finally, I won’t be alone anymore.

In a life marked by deep loneliness, he could now fill it with people who were truly his.

He sat back down beside Kanna and held the baby out to show her.

“This is your mother.”

“Waaah… w-wahhh!”

Startled by the baby’s sudden cry, Kanna woke up, eyes wide. She stared at the precious child before her as if enchanted.

“Kanna, it seems Sian is hungry.”

Her eyes widened at his words.

“…Is that our baby’s name?”

“Yes. It’s a name I wanted to give our son, who has your blue eyes.”

“Sian…”

Taking the crying baby from him, she quickly pulled open her gown and tried to nurse. But the baby struggled to latch. The midwife hurried over to help.

“It’s always hard to nurse at first, but little by little, you’ll become a mother.”

Tears welled in Kanna’s eyes as she looked at her son. Meanwhile, Sian finally latched and began suckling eagerly. She gently stroked his head as he fed. His ears—just like his father’s—folded and popped up each time her fingers touched them.

No one would question that he was theirs. Kanna, forgetting all her pain, looked up at Damian with a radiant smile.

Damian looked silently at his wife and child for a long moment. A strange warmth tickled deep inside his chest. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he embraced the two he loved so dearly in his wide arms.

Brushing aside Kanna’s sweat-damp hair with the tip of his nose, he gave her a loud kiss and whispered gently,

“Thank you, Kanna.”

He was deeply grateful that she had given him a real family—and that she and the child had made it through safely to reach him.

“Hnn, Damian…”

Kanna clung to his arm, tears flowing. She could feel everything he felt, and it made her chest ache. She, too, felt overwhelming gratitude toward him.

“I… me too. Thank you for being born…”

As the tender scene between the three unfolded, the midwife and her assistants quietly cleaned up and left the room. Outside, Moritz let out a cheer at the news that his nephew had been safely born.

The Grand Duchy of Royce was soon filled with joyful exclamations.

* * *

“Sian, is it tasty?”

Kanna looked down at Sian, who was nursing in her arms, and smiled bashfully. No matter how long she stared, she never grew tired of looking at him.

“My lady, at this rate you’ll bore a hole into the young master’s face,”

Mari, who was assisting her nearby, said playfully. Only then did Kanna’s blue eyes shift from their fixed gaze on Sian.

“That’s not possible.”

“Of course not. If staring could put a hole in someone’s face, I’d have been glaring at people I don’t like every day.”

“Fufu, you have people you don’t like?”

“Of course!”

Kanna had always thought of Mari as someone with a good heart. Hearing that even someone like her had people she disliked suddenly made her curious.

“Who is it?”

When Kanna asked softly, Mari made a slightly awkward expression.