* * *
After listening to Adam and Chester, Isaac nodded.
Then, he placed both hands on Adam’s shoulders and guided him to sit on the soft bed.
His touch was gentle as he pulled the blanket over Adam’s lap.
“You don’t have to fuss over me.”
“I’m doing it because I want to.”
“Ah…”
“What do you want to eat? Tell me anything—I’ll make it happen.”
After speaking, Isaac knelt in front of Adam.
The unexpected gesture made Adam’s eyes widen.
Isaac reached out and brushed his hand over Adam’s belly—the one that now held life.
The strange emotion he’d felt since hearing the news grew heavier.
“And you, my lords…?”
Adam asked cautiously.
“Are you happy? I hope you are.”
“I am.”
Isaac answered quietly.
He didn’t voice the worry creeping up alongside the joy.
This fragile body is carrying a child.
What if something goes wrong?
‘Hah.’
Isaac swallowed a bitter laugh.
He never thought he’d worry about someone like this.
When he first met Adam, he hadn’t expected this—back then, he’d only seen Adam as an omega for bearing children.
“Are you tired?”
Chester sat beside him and asked. Normally affectionate, he was even more tender than usual.
“Actually… a little. I’ve been sleeping more too. I thought it was the weather, but I guess not.”
Adam answered honestly, then suddenly gasped.
“Ah!” He quickly waved his hands.
“But it’s nothing to worry about, really! I’m just sleeping a bit more. So please, don’t let it trouble you.”
Chester caught his flailing arm and nipped at his fingers with his teeth.
When he released them, Adam’s cheeks flushed red.
Chester stroked the heated skin with his fingertips.
‘He’s pregnant.’
The days ahead would undoubtedly be hard on Adam.
How can I give him the most peace?
Chester fell into quiet thought.
“Haaah…”
On a dark night, Colin let out a heavy sigh.
In front of him stood a small inn.
He took a step forward, then hesitated.
“How did it come to this…?”
His muttered words trembled.
Colin squeezed his eyes shut and turned away—but the moment he tried to leave, someone grabbed his arm.
The fingers coiled around him like vines, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“Hhk—”
Cold sweat ran down his spine.
Instinctively, he tried to shake free, but it was futile.
Reluctantly, he turned his head.
“Where are you going? Didn’t you come here for me?”
The speaker was a young woman.
She stared at him from under a deeply pulled hood.
Though slender, her grip was unyielding as stone.
“I…”
“Come inside.”
She released him and entered the inn first.
Left alone, Colin wavered, standing frozen.
Noticing, the woman turned back and mocked him.
“Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts now? Too late. If you wanted to run, you should’ve done it earlier. You already chased me to the hunting grounds and spilled everything.”
Her lips curled.
“About your masters. Down to the last detail.”
“That—that was…”
“Come. Inside.”
Colin exhaled and hurried after her.
The moment they entered a room, he blurted out as if he’d been holding back.
“I can’t do this anymore. I’m terrified of getting caught. You know how frightening the dukes are. This is the last time—I can’t tell you anything else!”
“Calm down.”
The woman pulled out a chair.
Despite her youthful beauty, Colin felt no attraction—only fear, as if facing a monster.
She had approached him once when he was drunk beyond coherence.
Coaxing and prodding, she had asked: What really happened in the Carlisle household?
‘I never should’ve spoken.’
Drunk and swayed by her kindness, he had spilled everything—about the omega who had won the dukes’ favor, how he might even become their official consort.
He had laid it all bare.
“Anyone would think you’re doing this for free. But your master paid you, didn’t she? A fortune—enough that you’d never have to work in that mansion again.”
“My master?”
“Well, I suppose she’s your master now too. She provided Duke Fetchwig with very useful information.”
The woman added coolly.
“The information that that omega is the dukes’ one and only weakness.”
“…That omega,”
Colin hesitated before forcing out the words.
“He’s pregnant. Finally.”
The woman’s eyes gleamed.
She pushed forward a glass of strong liquor, then tossed a money pouch onto the table.
Thud.
It landed with a weighty sound.
“More than last time. Now, keep talking. He’s pregnant, you said?”
“…Yes, I’m pregnant. Thanks to that, the whole castle’s in an uproar. The dukes are practically going in circles. They’re terrified I might miscarry, or that some political rival might lay a hand on me.”
“The dukes… worried? I can’t even picture that.”
“Of course they are. Anyway, everyone working in the castle is getting trained multiple times a day—specifically, to never let the fact that I’m pregnant leak outside.”
“So, you’re keeping it a secret?”
“At least until I’ve passed the most stable stage. It’s still early—my belly hasn’t even started to show yet.”
“And? Nothing else?”
Colin’s expression twisted as if he’d been stabbed.
Fear and regret swirled in his eyes.
His companion could tell without effort that Colin was about to spill something valuable.
Casually, he picked up a coin pouch and pulled it toward himself.
At that moment, Colin blurted, almost as if vomiting the words—
“Adam Ross! That omega is going to be moved somewhere else.”
The hand holding the pouch twitched.
“Somewhere else?”
“…”
“Colin, are you afraid of the fallout? There’s nowhere left for you to run.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry. Just because you tell me where doesn’t mean I’ll make you do anything. Just keep me updated on his movements. That’s all I want.”
Colin bit his lip and nodded.
In the dimly lit room, a low, secretive voice echoed quietly—
“Now, tell me. Where is the omega being moved to?”
Adam glanced around, almost entranced.
He stood in the middle of a wide, beautiful room.
Light green curtains draped over the windows, swaying gently in the breeze.
Silk tapestries hung on the walls, and a rug in soft, fresh colors covered the floor.
Books lined a mahogany shelf, and there were plush pillows, a cozy armchair, and a tea set arranged neatly.
On a shelf sat a vase of fresh summer flowers—pure white lilies spilling their sweet fragrance into the air.
“The atmosphere here is different from the castle,” Adam murmured to himself.
It was true—this room had none of the castle’s grand, imposing air.
Instead, it was warm, charming, and homey.
Adam liked it instantly.
“This place is called the Summer Villa,” Lily explained brightly from behind him.
Her hair was tied up high, and she wore a fresh green skirt that made her look even more cheerful than usual.
“The Carlisle family has always used this place for pregnancy, childbirth, and raising young children. Once the child’s grown enough, they return to the castle. The former duchess loved it here the most—said it made her feel calm and light-hearted.”
“The former duchess… did she give birth to and raise the two dukes here too?”
“That’s right, Adam.”
Adam imagined Isaac and Chester as children—surely they must have been as cute and pretty as dolls.
No one would have been able to take their eyes off such angelic faces. His hand drifted to his own belly.
‘What kind of child will I have?’
For the first time, the reality of his pregnancy sank in deeply.
Still unfamiliar with the feeling, Adam absently rubbed his belly.
* * *
The translation in this chapter is a bit off