“I'm truly glad that you're incapable of bearing my child.”
Evelyn doubted her own ears.
It was far too rude and outrageous to be something her husband would say.
Besides, it was hardly an appropriate situation for such a conversation.
Their bedroom was shrouded in deep darkness like a curtain.
Their bodies were still hot from their intimacy. Her husband had desired her with overwhelming passion.
“I heard that carrying a child in your womb and bringing it into the world is far more difficult than people imagine.”
As he trailed kisses along the graceful lines of her body, he lifted his head as if studying her reaction and pressed his body over hers.
“So it's a great relief. You won't have to suffer unnecessarily because of a noisy, troublesome thing.”
Her heart dropped.
At his words, Evelyn felt as if every drop of blood had drained from her body.
A... thing?
She instinctively tried to cover her stomach but forcibly stopped herself.
The fragile life that had only just begun to grow inside her filled her heart with unbearable tenderness and sorrow.
But I can't reveal my feelings now.
Her husband was an exceptionally perceptive man.
If he discovers I'm pregnant, any chance of protecting this child will disappear.
Steeling herself, instead of holding her belly, she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"That will never happen, even if the heavens split apart, so don't worry, Kallian. Only a woman who receives God's revelation can conceive your child."
The House of Orpheus was the family that had played the greatest role in unifying the continent under the Cardian Empire.
It was said that among its descendants, only those born with the Guardian's Mark would have their heirs chosen by God.
Unless forbidden sorcery was used, there was no way she, who had never received a divine revelation, could conceive Kallian's child.
Or rather... she wasn't supposed to.
“You don't look well.”
His low voice pulled Evelyn from her thoughts.
Her husband's large, rough hand cupped her flushed cheek.
The warmth and gentleness of his touch was enough to melt the fear that had frozen her heart.
“I wasn't trying to upset you.”
With a handsome smile, he kissed several places on Evelyn's sweat-dampened face before meeting her eyes.
“But I heard that a woman can become gravely ill or even lose her life after childbirth if something goes wrong.”
His sweet voice slowly eased the knot in her heart.
Even as her chest tightened, she wanted to lean into that arrogant kindness.
It made her want to cry.
“I'm not angry. It's just...”
She had closed her eyes to hide the tears gathering at their corners, but opened them again as she felt his warm breath brush against her neck.
“I'm a little disappointed.”
Like a flawless statue displayed in a temple, her husband's naked body seemed almost unreal as she slowly traced it with her fingertips.
“No matter how difficult it is, every woman would want to have the child of the husband she loves.”
The husband she loves.
The moment those noble and faithful words left her lips, her stomach twisted, and her mouth tasted as bitter as though she had swallowed seawater.
It couldn't be helped.
From the beginning, they had never become husband and wife because of love.
At least not in this lifetime.
Evelyn had needed the overwhelming power that could uncover the truth behind her miserable past.
Kallian, who suffered from the curse placed upon his family, had needed the healing power that only Evelyn possessed.
Falling so deeply in love with him had never been part of her plan.
No... perhaps it had been impossible not to love him from the very beginning.
Letting out a quiet sigh, she wrapped her arms around Kallian's neck and gently pulled him closer.
As if answering her invitation, his lips softly brushed over hers.
Her lips, chapped from their long lovemaking, slowly became moist like flower petals after rain.
"Ah..."
His thick tongue slipped between her parted lips with her faint sigh.
As though determined to leave his mark, he slowly explored every tender part of her mouth, lingering over every trace of her warmth.
"Mmm..."
Her breathing grew heavier.
The wet sounds of their tongues brushing together quietly filled the room.
Unable to endure the rising passion, Evelyn tightened her arms around his neck.
He responded by firmly wrapping an arm around her waist.
Their bodies pressed together without the slightest gap.
The lips that had lingered on hers slowly traveled downward—
From her earlobe to the back of her neck.
From her neck to her collarbone.
Past the fullness of her chest.
Past the long curve of her navel.
Even lower.
"Hng..."
Her lower abdomen tightened.
Just as Evelyn gripped the bedsheets to endure his lingering caresses and released a breath she had held to her limit—
“Evelyn.”
He whispered softly.
His face suggested he wanted to say something, yet he pressed his lips together without speaking.
That hesitation filled her with unease.
Something's wrong...
Was it because, after so long, his face looked darker than ever before?
Supporting herself on one elbow, Evelyn reached out with her free hand and gently stroked Kallian's hollow cheek.
The smooth warmth of his skin and the strong line of his jaw rested against her palm.
Suppressing the anxiety welling inside her, she spoke calmly.
“Kallian... there's something you need to tell me, isn't there?”
As though he could no longer keep it hidden, his expression hardened, and he slowly nodded.
Still meeting her eyes, he finally revealed what had been weighing on his mind.
His face even looked faintly relieved.
“A divine revelation has descended.”
And she—
“Deborah. The Empire's Saint.”
"...Ah."
A quiet sigh escaped Evelyn's lips.
As she tightly shut her eyes, dizziness washed over her.
Her thoughts drifted back to a moment in the past, when she had returned from the very brink of death.
Once again, falling so deeply in love with him had never been part of her plan.
At least... not in this lifetime.
