TYHL 173

~Chapter 173~

Ch. 19

A lovely evening.

“Oh, right.”
Rosetta set down her spoon and spoke.
“I’m pregnant.”

For a second, Leviathan thought he must have misheard her—even after watching his wife so carefully throughout dinner.

He blinked, slowly.
“…What did you say?”

No, really.
Don’t people usually announce things like, “Oh, by the way, I bought new clothes today,” or, “Hey, how about a walk after dinner?” Not… this.

But there was no mistake.

“I said I’m having a baby.”

“…”

“Our child. Yours and mine.”

Crash!

He shot up from his seat, knocking over the tall chair behind him. Rosetta just blinked at him, startled.

The servants, standing out of earshot, quickly excused themselves, giving the newlyweds some privacy.

Leviathan strode over in three giant steps and crouched by her chair. Rosetta glanced down at him.

“Say it again.”

“I’m pregnant.”

He let out a long, shaky breath—relief was the first thing he felt.

So that’s why she skipped the wine and just picked at her food all night. She’s not sick. Thank goodness.

Then he felt a little bit incredulous.

“You waited until dessert to drop something this big?”

We just sat through a two-hour dinner!

“What matters is that I told you, isn’t it?”
Rosetta replied, unconcerned, as she viciously attacked her pudding.

He buried his face in her lap, wrapping his arms around her.

“What is this… You’re not crying, are you?”

“I am. I’m crying. So just… put down that damn fork and look at me.”

She paused.
“Why’d you wait to tell me something so important?”

He looked up at her, and suddenly froze.

Up close, Rosetta’s face was strangely stiff. Her hands, moving restlessly, were just hiding her nerves.

“Rose.”

“I get nervous, too, you know.”

He couldn’t help it anymore—he pulled her into a fierce hug.

A tidal wave of emotion crashed over him.

“So… that’s how it is,”
Rosetta mumbled, embarrassed.

Was this a dream?

He was awash in feelings he couldn’t even name.

“Leviathan, are you happy?”

“Happy?”

A short, stunned laugh escaped.

Was he only happy? It was everything—joy, gratitude, love, wonder—every beautiful word in the world, all at once.

“…You’re not exactly a kid person,”
Rosetta muttered.

“I’m not, either, honestly.”

The truth was, kids were a little scary.

They’re so small and bright and pure. What if, next to them, someone like me just looks dark and stained? Could I ever really hold something as white as that?

Leviathan gently stroked her back.

“Want the honest truth about how I feel?”

“Yeah.”

“The whole world feels like a blessing.”

“Ugh, that’s so cheesy. Go away.”

“That was me being as normal as possible.”

He grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead, ignoring her attempts to shove him away.

Rosetta fiddled with the clasp on his collar, mumbling softly,

“What if I’m not a good mom?”

He hesitated only a moment.

“If you’re worried about it, you’re already a good mom. And anyway…”
He squeezed her hand, making a vow.

“You’ve got me.”

“Hey, you know, there’s no guarantee you’ll be a good dad, either. You haven’t done it before.”

“That’s cold.”

They both laughed.

“Let’s figure it out together,”
he said.

“I’ll try even harder,”
she replied with a smile. The tension she’d been holding onto finally melted away.

“You know, my friend Yuris says babies have the loudest cries when they’re born. Maybe it’s because they’re hungry? She says moms can tell what a baby needs just by listening to them. Will I be like that? Have you ever heard a baby cry?”

He grinned.

“Nope.”

Her nerves were catching.

“Well, I guess since I’m the one giving birth, I’ll be the first to hear it. You’ll just be sweating buckets outside the door.”

“Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.”

Rosetta laughed softly.

“Even if our baby cries, they’ll be so adorable. I won’t be able to resist holding them.”

“Absolutely.”

Leviathan started to lean in for a deeper kiss—
but stopped, suddenly alert.

The chair felt too cold, too hard. Like a splash of icy water, reality returned.

“This chair is way too hard.”

“Huh?”

“We need more cushions. And you should eat again—you hardly touched your dinner.”

“I’m full…”

“I’ll bring in more heaters, too. Or maybe we should just spend the winter in the warm south. No, traveling might be worse. We’ll see how you’re feeling—”

He fussed, pacing and muttering as if the sky was falling.

Rosetta could only stare.

Baby, look at him.
She couldn’t help but laugh.

Isn’t your dad cute?
He’s actually got a soft side.

She smiled, cradling her stomach.

But I hope you take after me in the looks department. Your dad’s the most handsome man in the world, but… let’s be honest, he looks a bit intimidating.

Those eyes—don’t they just scream trouble?

“Is there anything you need?”
He asked, still hovering at her side.

She looked at his pleading face, and thought,
…Well, those eyes are pretty, at least.

That mystical purple—her favorite color.

“If you mixed my blue with your red, it’d be just right…”

A ruby color. That would be perfect.

“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Rosetta laughed, hugging his neck. He hesitated, then gently lifted her into his arms.

“I love you, Leviathan.”

He looked up at her—somehow a little younger—and smiled.

“I love you.”

In that instant, Rosetta felt a sharp jolt of something strange. Their lips met, dripping with honey-sweet love.

Younger than now…
A bittersweet truth struck her.

This is just a dream.

The baby… isn’t here anymore.

Rosetta Zebert slowly opened her eyes. One hand was resting protectively on her lower belly—just like in the dream.

She blinked, dazed for a moment, and then smiled.

‘It’s nice.’

Nice, that I still remember.

She stretched with a yawn. The maid at the window turned.

“Ma’am, are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m fine. How much longer?”

“About half a day more, ma’am.”

“I see…”

She was on her way back to the capital, returning from volunteer work down south.

This winter, her youngest daughter would finally celebrate her eighteenth birthday.

“Oh, I miss my kids so much!”

Rosetta stomped her feet, impatient.

She pictured Ruby’s face—sweet, silver hair, blue eyes like a crisp autumn sky, cheeks still soft and round.

Every time I see her, I measure her height…

But Ruby’s growth always stopped at Rosetta’s nose—just the right height to hug.

She runs warm, too—so cuddly.

Rosetta laughed quietly, gazing out at the winter landscape.

The wind was chilly against her cheek.

‘It’s all right.’

She wrapped her arms around her empty belly.

‘I’m not empty at all.’

The carriage rolled slowly toward its destination.