Chapter 1475

Davey and Illyna had already been married a few years. He could say with pride that he had never treated any of the three women differently.

Unlike Perserque, who often played mind games with him out of pride, or Aeria, who was too shy to speak her mind, Illyna was a true bulldozer in bedroom matters. Yet, she had never shown any signs of being pregnant. She had even said she didn't need to have a child.

Standing in the room, she excitedly asked him, “Well? Well?”

Seeing her eyes sparkle with joy, Davey held his tongue. “It's not certain yet. Let's wait and see.”

“You can't see anything with your Soul Eyes?”

“Not yet,” he confirmed

The time it took for a child's soul trace, which Davey could see with his Death Spirit Eye, to appear after conception varied from person to person. However, just looking at her symptoms, it seemed she was indeed pregnant, something she seemed to have secretly wished for.

“Kyaak! Really?! I love you! Thank you!”

Davey let out a wry chuckle once Illyna leapt into his arms.

He couldn’t fathom how thrilled she was. While Perserque had also been ecstatic when she was carrying Abel, Illyna showed an equally fierce motherly love.

After a passionate hug and kiss, she jumped back, startled. “Oops! I forgot I have a baby in my belly now, so I shouldn't move too much. I need to move carefully, eat lots of good things, listen to good music...”

“Just by the symptoms, it's definitely pregnancy. Congratulations. And, thank you.”

Davey quietly embraced her, and Illyna fanned her flushed face and gave a delighted, unrestrained laugh. “Heehee. Ehehehe!”

Watching her run off, excited like a child and already planning to show off, he chuckled.

Perserque spoke up from the side to call, “Hey, Davey.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl this time?”

He paused for a moment at the question. He already had five daughters and two sons. If he was only thinking about the ratio, a son would definitely help balance things out. Still, the thought left him with mixed feelings.

He simply responded, “Boy or girl, I just want the baby to be born healthy.”

“Such wonderful news! But... then did Illyna fight that cursed lizard while she was pregnant?”

Davey smiled broadly at her question and grabbed her hand tight.

Her face, which had been smug in her small form, went pale. “Davey?”

“Perserque, do you know why I was chasing you earlier?”

“Heek... Stop mimicking me!” She struggled, trying to break free.

“Trying to slip away, are we?” Davey tossed her to the angel cat, Bluefin, who had been lounging lazily nearby.

The moment it saw Perserque, it immediately retracted its claws and pulled her into its embrace.

“Hmph?!”

Bluefin, seemingly pleased, hugged her tightly and closed its eyes again. Perserque, however, could only struggle helplessly, tangled in its fur. To make matters worse, it kept grooming her in its embrace, making her suffer even more.

“L-let me go!”

“Meow...”

“Y-you beast!”

After giving Perserque a fitting punishment, Davey thought about the information he had confirmed while examining Illyna earlier.

“Hmm...” He wasn’t certain yet, but the possibility was high. He felt strange hearing another child was coming so soon after Abel. “At this rate, we'll be able to make a soccer team just with the kids.”

Perserque, who had somehow escaped from Bluefin, grumbled as she tidied her messy hair, “We can already do that now, can't we?”

“Honestly, I’m happy, but a little worried,” Davey admitted.

“Worried?”

“About when they grow up. What if they fight over who inherits Heins?”

That was more than possible. After all, there was never any guarantee that children would grow up exactly as their parents hoped.

He suddenly asked, “But, did the future change?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you remember when Abel came from the future?”

Perserque’s head tilted at the question. “Of course I remember. How could I forget?”

“Abel talked about us, like our family, back then. We can assume Willow's situation was an exception, but...” Davey wondered why he had never once heard anything about the child between Illyna and him.

Perserque lightly poked his cheek, comforting, “All in all, the future and this place have both changed. And Illyna's child is the result of that.”

“I hope that's the case.”

Just then.

The window rattled, and Reina burst in with familiar agility, announcing, “I came to report something.”

“Can't you... use the door?”

She gave a faint smile and handed him a document. “The International Federation sent over the results of their debate over how to handle the recent Gargantia incident.”

Davey skimmed through the document. There weren't any major issues. For the most part, things had gone according to plan. He handed the papers back to her. “This should be fine.”

She abruptly remarked, “You seem happy.”

A slight chill ran down his spine. He hadn't thought she’d notice right away, even though he tried his best to keep a straight face.”

“You should look at yourself in the mirror. Your smile hasn't faded,” Perserque teased.

Hearing that, he finally realized he had been smiling without knowing it. He chuckled, feeling a bit hollow, and confessed the truth to Reina. “I think Illyna's pregnant. I just checked, and she showed pregnancy symptoms.”

Reina’s head tilted curiously. “Excuse me? That's ridiculous.”

'Huh?'

* * *

“Your Majesty. It has been quite some time since Princess Illyna married into Heins.”

“Chancellor, what are you trying to say?”

“Aren't you... eager to see your nephew?”

Sullivan frowned at the question. “I’ve already seen plenty of nephews.”

“No, a nephew who carries the princess's blood, Your Majesty.”

He had no response.

“Frankly, there is talk amongst the nobility that Heins is currently the most powerful territory on the continent.”

Based on several previous wars, military experts were unanimous in their assessment.

The current Rowane Kingdom, or rather, Heins Territory, possessed enough military power to wage war against the entire continent and wipe it out within a week. Naturally, with such power, covetous eyes abounded.

“Some believe that if a legitimate heir born to Princess Illyna were to inherit Heins, it would bring tremendous benefits to the Pallan Empire in the future—”

“Chancellor,” Sullivan said, sharply cutting him off and beginning to emit a chilling murderous intent.

The chancellor swallowed hard and retreated. “M-my apologies. It wasn't my personal opinion...”

“I am aware. But... no, it's something that will inevitably be known someday.”

“Your Majesty?”

“My brother, myself, and my father all knew the truth—Illyna cannot have children.”

It wasn't an issue related to Perserque's sealing or anything of that sort.

“Excuse me?”

“A part of her body, one that all women possess, underwent a mutation. It was her ovaries.”

The chancellor's eyes widened. “What do you mean...?”

“That's why I was so worried. I can't imagine what’ll happen if Grand Duke Davey finds out that Illyna can't bear children.”

Then the chancellor remarked in confusion,“Your Majesty, this is news to me.”

“It happened long ago, when Illyna's birth mother was murdered by a vampire. Were you aware that the accident caused her to lose some of her memories from that time?”

The man nodded. “Yes... I have heard of it.”

“That is why she still believes her body is normal. Without knowing the circumstances of that time, even ordinary doctors or priests would never notice. Alas, the tragedy injured Illyna, and the wounds and the viruses damaged her body.”

“B-but, Your Majesty, Princess Illyna clearly still has her monthly cycle...”

“She still ovulates, but the important part is that her eggs are no longer viable...”

Illyna showed all the signs of a woman capable of conceiving, yet she lacked the one essential element needed for pregnancy. Unlike Perserque, who was a special case that died young, existed as a soul for a long time, and later rebuilt her body, Illyna never recovered from the damage her reproductive organs had suffered in the past, even after undergoing a complete metamorphosis.

“Oh! This can't be... such a devastating reality.”

“Just as a person with a damaged brain cannot return to their full faculties even with metamorphosis, it's impossible to revive what's already dead. I haven’t dared to speak of it to Grand Duke Davey. Frankly, I’m not sure how he would treat Illyna after finding out.”

Of course, it wasn’t something that could be hidden forever.

Hearing the bitter murmuring, the chancellor shook his head. To think that the princess, who was so lively, kind, and righteous, carried such a deep pain. “Now that I think about it, the time when her talent exploded was right around then too...”

* * *

“Is that true?” Davey asked Reina in disbelief.

“Yes. I know, and was deeply shocked by Nyx's experiments. If the past of the parallel world and this world don't have major differences, and if her overwhelming talent for the sword is the same, there's a hundred percent chance she doesn't know about her infertility.”

It was shocking news. It was just as shocking as when Super Ribbon, who used to play nothing but a symphony of hell whenever she picked up an instrument, suddenly began to top the music charts on Earth.

He tried to argue, “No way! Illyna clearly had morning sickness...”

“Realistically, it's impossible. Although... I want to believe it's possible to happen anyway since you've become a divine being and she's recovered.”

Davey’s eyes solemnly shut, and he thought of a single possibility. He murmured, “Phantom pregnancy...”

There were cases where women who desperately craved children mistakenly believed they were pregnant and suffered the usual symptoms of pregnancy.

In fact, the mind could bring about all kinds of physical changes. There had even been cases where someone believed they were pregnant so strongly that their belly actually swelled.

“Surely not...” Perserque murmured.

“No, we don't know yet. The symptoms were definite when I checked. Phantom pregnancy is a possibility, but a hasty judgment isn’t good either,” he argued, deciding to keep the information from Illyna.

“But!”

“Think about it, Perserque.” Davey grabbed her shoulder and quietly asked, “What if she actually is pregnant?”

No response.

“I have to consider the shock Illyna will feel if I tell her that she isn’t pregnant, that she’s having a phantom pregnancy.”

If he gave her that kind of shock, the child could genuinely be miscarried.

“Conversely, if she truly isn’t pregnant...” Davey watched Illyna through the window as she happily ran around telling everyone the news, then quietly bit his lip. “Look at how she’s smiling, the joy on her face. How can I possibly bear telling her she isn’t pregnant?”

Reina sighed and said, “My apologies. I shouldn't have said anything...”

“No. I'm glad I could check before it was too late,” he comforted, having regained his calm. He then made his declaration. “A lie? A phantom pregnancy? I don't care what it is.”

Illyna had said she was fine, but she couldn't hide her joy at the news of having a child. She returned to the room and announced, “Davey! I'm going to Earth! I need to buy some baby supplies with Hyun-Ah!!”

“Uh... I'll go with you,” he offered.

“No need, Sweetie! You're busy with the aftermath of the whole thing with Gargantia. I'll be going on a date with Hyun-Ah and Eva for the first time in a long while.” She approached him with a bright smile, kissed his cheek, and said, “I love you, Davey. And thank you. I know it's greedy of me, but...”

“You’re not being greedy,” he told her. “We’re all happy about this, and I love you too.”

I love you. Those words felt a little cheesy, but if those words could make his family smile, he wasn’t going to hesitate to do what it took to preserve them.

He would do the things his father had never once done.

Watching her quickly leave with short steps, he made his proclamation. “I don't care what the reason is. Let's call a family meeting.”

“A... a family meeting?”

“If it's a false pregnancy, we'll just make it a real one. There's still plenty of time.”

Perserque nodded at his suggestion.

Aeria appeared carrying a tray of snacks. Thanks to her keen hearing, she had overheard everything and was now peeking inside. “C-could you fill me in?”

Super Ribbon and Willow also appeared.

“Me too.”

“My goodness! I come back after harmonizing purgatory and the virtual space, and something like this happens... Come here, Bluefin.”

When Willow held out a hand to the angel cat Bluefin, it dashed over and jumped right into her arms. “She’s acting like a dog when she’s a cat, the silly goose. So, Dad, where do we start?”

“Anything is fine. Let's start by formulating a plan.”

“Sounds good. As you mentioned, she might really be pregnant.”

Willow looked toward Illyna in the distance, who was quickly running down the hallway.

“M-Madame! You'll get hurt if you run like that!”

Two goblin maids were rushing to follow behind her.

Seeing her stare, Davey asked, “Do you see anything?”

“I can't confirm anything yet. But... the possibility seems low.”

Davey sighed at Willow's explanation.

“C-could Goddess Freyja help, like when I was pregnant alone?” Aeria suggested.

At that moment, a tablet suddenly appeared with a swoosh next to Davey, one word displayed on its screen.

[No.]

A firm refusal.

The meaning wasn't that she wouldn't help, or that the pregnancy was a lie. It meant that she would not interfere, regardless of the truth.

“Welcome.” Davey turned his head, and Goddess Freyja perched on the armrest of his chair and mercilessly pulled his cheek.

As he yelped, he called out to the territory's most notorious troublemakers, who were giggling with only their heads poking through the window.

“Yuriana, Rinne, and Marky. All of you, come in.”

If putting their heads together was a way to solve issues, then even those perfidious peeps and duplicitous damsels who betrayed people like it was nobody’s business could prove useful.

“We'll now begin the situation briefing.”