* * *
After a long wait, the result of the pregnancy test strip finally appeared.
Staring at the fourth strip in a row showing the same result, Imperial Court Physician Robert could do nothing but chew his lips anxiously, unable to speak.
When his silence dragged on with no sign of ending, Joel, who was seated on the sofa across from him, snapped, “Bobby, how much longer do I have to wait?”
Robert, who knew just how sensitive Joel could be thanks to their long-standing friendship, reluctantly opened his mouth.
“Well…”
But no proper words would come out.
He stammered with useless sounds like “Well…” or “Um…” before falling silent again.
Some time passed, and Joel finally lost all patience and exploded, “If that bastard Crown Prince throws a fit ‘cause I’m late, are you gonna take responsibility?”
Robert could only stare at Joel in disbelief.
Sure, Joel had managed to stay quiet far longer than his usual temper allowed, but that remark had definitely crossed the line.
Joel was the youngest son—adopted, but still a member—of the prestigious House of Count Lucas.
That meant he held noble status, yes, but still nowhere near high enough to refer to the Crown Prince as a “bastard” or throw around words like “fit.”
The difference in status between an adopted count’s son and the Crown Prince was undeniable.
Such language might be acceptable only from the Emperor or Empress themselves.
Robert briefly considered whether he ought to scold his friend for his rude outburst.
“What, got something to say?”
“N-no…”
But when Joel snapped back at him, Robert flinched and looked away.
His pride stung.
It’s not like what I said was wrong.
So, summoning what was possibly the greatest courage of his life, Robert decided to say something to Joel.
“I’m just saying… since something like that could reach His Highness the Crown Prince’s ears, maybe you should watch what you say while you’re in the palace. You never know—he might cut you off entirely if he gets in a bad mood.”
“What does it matter? I couldn’t care less if that unlucky bastard likes me or not. Why would I be the one groveling?”
“Ahem…”
Robert cleared his throat, holding back a retort.
The truth was, Joel definitely had reason to care whether or not he stayed in the Crown Prince’s good graces.
After all, he’d spent the last three years chasing after the man like a moth to flame.
Throughout his time at the Imperial Academy, Joel had shadowed the Crown Prince obsessively, watching like a hawk to make sure no one approached him, let alone flirted.
He acted like he was the Crown Prince’s lover or something.
As a result, the Crown Prince had reached the point where he’d recoil at the mere sight of anyone with blonde hair similar to Joel’s.
Objectively speaking, Joel wasn’t a bad candidate to be a royal consort.
He was a rare dominant omega, and as the adopted son of the esteemed House of Lucas, his status wasn’t exactly lacking.
Not to mention, his looks were stunning.
So why, despite three whole years of effort, had Joel failed to win over the Crown Prince?
Simple: the Crown Prince loathed omegas who were all pretty face and no substance—and Joel fit that category perfectly.
…Well, calling Joel “just a pretty face” might be a bit unfair.
In truth, Joel was one of the most beautiful men in the entire empire.
His crystal-blue eyes were clearer than the sky, and his smooth golden hair sparkled like precious topaz.
People passing by him would always turn back for a second look—his beauty was that captivating.
But despite his breathtaking looks, Joel’s reputation was in ruins.
That was because he was arrogant, self-centered, and completely lacking in manners.
Despite his humble origins, Joel acted like the world owed him something just because he was a dominant omega.
It was like the concept of etiquette didn’t exist in his pretty little head.
Only royalty might be lucky enough to receive even the barest nod from him.
Noble suitors who approached him, captivated by his beauty, all ended up retreating in horror, utterly disillusioned by Joel Lucas’s foul personality and nonexistent social grace.
To summarize: Joel was so rotten inside that even that face wasn’t enough to get him the Crown Prince.
“When the hell are you going to give me the damn result? I’m still waiting, you know.”
“Well, the thing is…”
Robert looked down at the test strip in his hand, feeling increasingly anxious.
Just two hours ago, he’d been sitting peacefully in his office at the imperial infirmary, enjoying a rare quiet day.
Even Princess Elizabeth, whom he usually attended, hadn’t summoned him for once.
Usually, she’d call him every hour complaining of indigestion or shoulder pain, but today she’d only sent a servant in the morning to ask for a headache pill.
That was it.
With no summons from the princess, Robert had been sure he’d have a stress-free workday for once.
But then, two hours ago:
[Bobby, check if I’m pregnant.]
Joel had stormed into his office and dropped that bomb.
[What?! Are you joking? That’s not funny!]
[You think I have time to crack jokes with you? I have to meet the Crown Prince soon, so just get on with it.]
And just like that, Robert’s rare moment of peace shattered into pieces.
An out-of-wedlock pregnancy among the high nobility?
That would send the social circles into a frenzy.
More importantly, Count Lucas—who had been trying everything to marry Joel into the royal family—might just keel over from the shock.
Robert had known Joel was a troublemaker—he was always either getting into fights or being scammed—but this?
A scandal like a premarital pregnancy?
That was on a whole new level.
And to make matters worse, pregnancy tests only worked accurately at least a month after the last encounter.
If Joel really was pregnant, he’d start showing soon—and even rushing a noble wedding took at least two months of prep.
A pregnant bride at a noble wedding?
Even in today’s more open-minded society, that would spark endless gossip.
While Robert was panicking, Joel remained completely nonchalant.
With an attitude that screamed “What a pain,” he avoided a proper examination and kept repeating, parrot-like, that Robert should just use medicine to check.
In the end, Robert couldn’t even figure out how Joel had gotten pregnant and was forced to just take out the test strips.
And then—
After thirty minutes, the yellow strip turned pink.
Positive.
It was still early, so he couldn’t say with 100% certainty, but judging by the shade of the pink, Joel was likely one to two months along.
Robert had been too shocked to speak and, using the excuse that something might be wrong with the strips, repeated the test three more times.
But the result came out nearly identical every time.
When even the fourth test confirmed it, Robert had no choice but to accept it:
Joel was pregnant.
Even though he had no choice but to accept it, that didn’t mean the shock had worn off.
How could he possibly deliver this tragic news to Joel with as little impact as possible?
Robert spent another ten minutes hesitating and agonizing over it.
He was honestly a little scared about what kind of scene Joel, that lunatic, might cause once he heard the results.
Meanwhile, Joel, completely oblivious to Robert’s internal turmoil, was leisurely lounging around and griping.
“Bobby, are you some kind of quack? Don’t you know how to read results?”
Robert’s blood pressure spiked at Joel’s rude remark, but he managed to hold back his temper.
After all, he’d maintained a long friendship with this arrogant bastard and had grown somewhat used to putting up with his behavior.
But what really mattered now was how to get Joel to understand and accept the results.
Robert decided to present the most hopeful version possible.
‘Come on, Joel, look on the bright side. These days, getting pregnant before marriage isn’t that scandalous anymore. If you get married quickly enough, you can still do some damage control.’
Of course, no matter how well they spun it, people were bound to talk about a premarital pregnancy…
But it’s not like Joel had much of a reputation left to damage anyway.
In a calm voice, Robert began.
“Joel, look here. See how the reagent changed color?”
“Obviously I do. What does that even mean?”
Robert decided not to comment on Joel’s shocking lack of common sense.
“…It means you’re pregnant.”
“Hmph. Thought so.”
Joel sniffed and muttered in a tone that was far too casual.
Robert stared in dumb silence.
‘Did I hear that wrong? Or… does Joel not actually know what pregnancy is?’
He watched as Joel stood up, casually brushing it off with a “Well, I’m off then.”
It took Robert a second to snap out of it before he leapt to his feet too.
“Joel, you lunatic! Where the hell do you think you’re going?! You’re pregnant!!”
“Sheesh, relax.”
“What are you going to do now?! I told you to take care of your body!”
“Keep your voice down. You trying to broadcast to the whole damn neighborhood that I’m knocked up? People’ll think I was out screwing around.”
Joel pouted dramatically, almost playfully.
He clearly hadn’t grasped the seriousness of the situation.
For Robert—who’d always seen Joel as a younger brother—it was maddening.
* * *
