I Helped The Imprisoned Male Lead And He Became Obsessed - Side Story, Chapter 3

Startled by my sudden gagging, Lea quickly approached me.

“Ma’am, are you all right?” she asked, studying my pale expression with concern.

I pressed down the queasiness in my stomach and nodded, dabbing my mouth with a napkin. I forced a faint smile.

“I’m fine. I think… the food just doesn’t agree with me right now.”

“Shall I instruct the chef to prepare something else?”

“Please do,” I replied softly.

Lea bowed politely and left the room to relay my request.

However, when she returned with a freshly prepared dish, the symptoms persisted.

The moment the plate was placed in front of me, another wave of nausea surged.

“Ugh…” I groaned, lifting a hand to cover my mouth as the overwhelming sensation hit me.

It was a dish I usually enjoyed, but even the smell turned my stomach.

In the end, I had to ask Lea to take the plate away.

“I’m sorry, especially since you went to the trouble of bringing something fresh. But right now, my stomach feels unsettled, and I don’t think I can eat anything.”

“That’s perfectly fine, ma’am. But…”

Lea swiftly removed the dish, then paused for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought.

“Ma’am, do you feel nauseous just from the smell of food?”

“Hmm? Oh… yes,” I answered, a peculiar sense of unease settling over me.

Now that I thought about it, I’d felt bloated last night too.

Lea continued hesitantly, “And have you been feeling a lack of appetite lately?”

“Yes, I have,” I admitted. I had assumed it was because of the heat, but her words made me reconsider.

A loss of appetite, nausea at the smell of food… and I realized something else. My period was three days late.

The overlapping symptoms stirred a thought in my mind, one that seemed too sudden, too significant to believe.

Could it be…? No, surely not… but what if…

At that moment, Lea’s eyes met mine, and she spoke cautiously.

“Ma’am, could it be—”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but it was clear she was thinking the same thing I was.

“Yes. I think I need to find out,” I murmured, my hand instinctively resting over my abdomen.

“Lea, please call the physician.”

***

Shhhk!

Emilian cut through the charging beast without hesitation, his blade of crimson mana flashing as it tore through flesh. Each swing of his weapon sprayed blue blood, and one by one, the monsters fell.

He wiped the creature’s blood from his cheek with little care, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings.

By now, a heap of monstrous corpses surrounded him.

The Bernstein territory’s mana stone mines were frequently troubled by monster outbreaks. To ensure the safety of the miners and the residents of the nearby village, Emilian regularly took it upon himself to clear out these threats.

“Those blasted monsters! The Duke wiped them all out, and it feels so good to see them gone!”

With the last of the beasts defeated, the miners heaved sighs of relief and approached Emilian, their faces bright with gratitude.

“Thank you so much, Your Grace. It’s thanks to you that people like us can work here with peace of mind.”

“In the past, every time those monsters showed up, our guards would suffer heavy casualties. Now, there’s not a single injury. We can’t thank you enough!”

The workers eagerly voiced their thanks one after another.

“I’ve only done my duty as lord,” Emilian replied curtly.

Though his response was brief and his demeanor stoic, the miners knew well the sincerity behind his actions. Their respect for him deepened further.

As the workers basked in relief and admiration for their lord, a man came sprinting from a distance, his eyebrows practically flying off his face with urgency.

“Your Grace! Trouble! Big trouble!”

It was Leonard, Emilian’s aide. His panicked approach caught the attention of the workers, who craned their necks in curiosity.

Panting heavily, Leonard bent over to catch his breath, prompting Emilian to click his tongue in mild annoyance.

“What is it now? Have you found another monster nest?”

Leonard straightened his back and, with a voice laced with urgency, exclaimed,

“The Duchess! The Duchess!”

The moment Anise’s name was mentioned, Emilian’s previously disinterested gaze sharpened in an instant.

Did something happen to her while I was away?

His heart sank at the thought, dread creeping into his chest. He stepped closer, prepared to demand an explanation from Leonard.

But Leonard spoke first, managing to blurt out,

“The Duchess is… she’s pregnant!”

“…!”

***

The moment I sent word, Emilian rushed back to the castle without hesitation.

Flying at breakneck speed from the mana stone mines, he came straight to my room.

And now, here we were, sitting side by side, facing the castle physician.

Emilian, looking uncharacteristically tense, asked, “Is it certain?”

The physician glanced down at the chart in her hands, which detailed the results of her examination, and nodded firmly.

“Yes, Your Grace. I’m 200% certain. The Duchess is indeed pregnant.”

Emilian’s crimson eyes rippled with emotion, as though the words struck him anew despite already hearing the news from Leonard.

For both of us, it was hard to believe even now.

I’m really carrying Emilian’s child.

Without thinking, I placed my hand over my stomach. Emilian’s large hand soon covered mine gently.

“Anise,” he murmured.

I looked up to meet his gaze, finding a complex mix of emotions written on his face. No doubt, mine reflected the same.

“I still can’t quite believe it. That we’re… going to be parents,” he admitted softly.

“Me neither, Emilian,” I replied, smiling brighter than I ever had before.

At my words, his expression softened, filling with joy. But then, something flickered in his eyes as he lowered his gaze slightly, the faintest shadow crossing his ruby-red irises.

“Will I be a good father?”

His question was tinged with both happiness and a hint of uncertainty.

Of course… Emilian grew up without parents.

He had never experienced the care or love that a parent could give a child. No matter how confident and self-assured Emilian usually was, this was uncharted territory for him—something so uniquely significant that it clearly unsettled even him.

I held his hand tightly, squeezing it to reassure him.

“It’s our first time, so we might make mistakes,” I said gently.

His gaze lifted to mine, those beautiful crimson eyes filled with vulnerability.

“And that’s okay. We don’t have to be perfect parents from the start. We’ll learn as we go, one step at a time, together.”

“Anise…”

“And besides,” I continued, smiling warmly, “I know you’ll be a wonderful father. I have no doubt about that.”

My confidence seemed to ripple through him, his eyes deepening with emotion as he held my gaze.

“I’ll do my best to be a good father,” he said, his voice resolute. “I want to give our child nothing but the best.”

“And I’ll do my best to be a good mother,” I replied. “To make sure our child grows up with a smile every day.”

For a moment, we simply looked at each other, then leaned in, resting our foreheads together with quiet laughter.

Though it would still be some time before our child was born, I was already making mental notes to start reading as many parenting books as I could.

It was then that the physician cleared her throat with a polite ahem.

Emilian and I turned to her, and she said with a wry smile, “Now then, if I may proceed with the instructions for the both of you?”

The physician went on to explain the precautions I needed to take during early pregnancy:

Avoid standing for long periods or lifting heavy objects. Refrain from strenuous exercise. Absolutely no alcohol.

The list seemed endless, with so many details that it felt impossible to remember them all at once.

Adjusting her glasses, the physician added, “Lastly, you’ll need to be cautious when engaging in marital relations.”

Her slightly vague phrasing made me tilt my head in curiosity.

“Do you mean we should avoid intimacy altogether?” I asked.

“Well,” the physician began, “I’m not sure how frequently you and your husband… er, engage, but of course, it would be best to show restraint compared to before. Too much activity could put undue strain on the mother’s body.”

Two months into our marriage, we were still in the height of our honeymoon phase, filling our nights with plenty of passion.

Of course, it might have been like that even if it weren’t a honeymoon period, but still…

I was relieved to hear that intimacy wasn’t entirely off-limits. Just as I was about to relax, Emilian spoke.

“So, we should abstain completely until the baby is born?”

The unexpected question made the physician blink in surprise before she let out a soft laugh.

“That won’t be necessary just yet. Complete abstinence would mean nine months of celibacy.”

“That’s fine,” Emilian declared firmly.

“As long as it’s better for my wife’s health.”

His resolute statement left me flustered, my eyes darting nervously around the room.

I’m not fine with that!