The Baby Isn’t Yours

“I’m sorry we’re so late, Allen.”

Kalia followed Hemmie, who was mumbling apologies, and also spoke with a somewhat downcast voice.

“We caused you a lot of worry. I’m sorry, Allen.”

“…As long as you both are safe, it’s okay. Is there any injury? Have you found the children?”

“Yeah, both of them are in their mothers’ arms now.”

“That’s a relief. Really, I’m so glad.”

Despite saying that, he didn’t let go of the tightly embraced hug. His worry and concern were palpable in his rigid embrace.

While breathing heavily as if exhaling the stress, Allen gradually released the two.

The fingertips that were moving away were pale.

“I’ll prepare some warm tea. Both of you, please sit here for a while. I’ll check if there are any injuries.”

He spoke affectionately, then hurriedly headed to the kitchen.

It seemed like there might have been moisture in his eyes.

Kalia and Hemmie exchanged glances.

“It seems like… Allen was really surprised, Kalia.”

“Yeah, it looks like it.”

“What should we do about the apology?”

“Well, I suppose it’s okay.”

Allen, already a naturally worrisome person, seemed to have aged several years in just a few hours.

Kalia picked up the pot that was rolling on the floor.

Hemmie, who had been staring at it, suddenly burst into laughter.

It was almost inappropriate to laugh, but it was just too comical. Allen had been prepared to go rescue them wearing such an absurd outfit.

In the end, Kalia quietly joined in laughter.

“Hey, you two! Stop laughing! I was really serious!”

After pouring red wine with lemon and cinnamon and warming it up, a blushing Allen shouted.

He also seemed embarrassed.

“Thank you, Allen. I’m sorry for worrying you, but…  isn’t the pot a little too big for you?”

“…No, without it, how would I protect my head if it’s a weak point?”

Embarrassed, Allen grumbled while putting down two cups on the table.

His warmth was as palpable as the rising steam.

Hemmie placed the dragon egg she had been carrying on the sofa and walked up to Allen, embracing his shoulders affectionately.

“Thank you, Allen. I’m sorry for causing you concern.”

“That’s… just don’t do it next time. Got it?”

In a tone that sounded like a scolding, Allen patted Hemmie’s forehead as if he was hitting her lightly.

Then his gaze turned to Kalia.

He asked with a concerned look:

“Kalia, are you really okay? Is your stomach not hurting?”

“Just a little. It seems like the baby is getting more active these days.”

“It’s probably because he’s about to fully take on the form of a baby. The womb might start feeling a bit cramped, and he’s getting ready to come out.”

“It’s always fascinating.”

“Pregnancy is… sacred and beautiful.”

As if agreeing, Allen looked at Kalia’s protruding belly with an affectionate gaze.

He hesitated for a moment and carefully asked:

“May I touch it for a moment?”

Despite being a physician, he had never touched her belly without permission. He only touched it when medical examination was necessary, and he refrained from any unnecessary contact, always being courteous.

Kalia slightly smiled and gave her permission.

Allen’s large, warm hand gently touched Kalia’s belly. Maybe the baby knew as he kicked the area where Allen’s hand was. It was quite remarkable.

Allen and Kalia smiled at each other and made eye contact.

Watching the scene together, Hemmie suddenly thought that these two were more compatible than she had initially thought.

Allen, who was always careful, gentle, and delicate, and Kalia, who was open, a bit carefree, and strong-willed.

‘Maybe settling down here isn’t such a bad idea for him.’

It seemed like Allen had no desire to go to the capital.

Considering his personality, he would be more suited to the calm countryside rather than a bustling and noisy city.

Moreover, he had a knack for fishing, often catching big fish on weekends. His face lit up like the sun when he brought back those catches.

‘But as for Kalia…’

Hemmie looked at Kalia, who was gently stroking her round belly. Her cheeks were rosy, and she had grown accustomed to her maternity dress. Now, she looked beautiful and noble like any other lady.

Of course, she changed somewhat when she wielded her sword, as seen in the forest. 

However, at such peaceful times, she was unlikely to rush into battle.

Not even now, in a time of chaos and darkness, would it be necessary for her to jump into that chaos, would it?

‘You seem to have had enough already.’

Hemmie looked at Kalia with a slightly heavy heart.

Clearly, Kalia’s face had looked more and more comfortable and relaxed throughout her stay here. She laughed a lot more and rested a lot more than she did when she lived as General Kalia.

However, there was just one thing. On the surface, Kalia seemed very peaceful, but…

‘But sometimes, very occasionally, you seem a little nervous and restless.’

Like a person who was missing a piece in the corner of their heart, but didn’t even know they had lost that piece yet. 

Like she had a feeling of vague anxiety.

Did she really want to go back there or stay here?

Hemmie still couldn’t dare to guess her true feelings.

‘…But who on earth is the baby’s father? Who could make Kalia run away and hide here like this?’

He didn’t seem like an ordinary person, especially since he was Kalia’s lover.

Hemmie hadn’t dared to ask about it so far. She even refrained from speculating due to the thought that it shouldn’t be done.

‘But wait, lover… right? If he’s her lover, wouldn’t it be something I should have known?’

Hemmie suddenly thought of several men who had been close to Kalia, although they weren’t her lovers.

First and foremost, there was Simon Terroan, the Duke of Magic.

Then there was the Crown Prince, and Derek, the officer, was a married man.

‘…And none of them, right?’

Hemmie, who had thought this far, suddenly widened his eyes.

The reason was that the thought that one of the two people who first came to mind might be the baby’s father.

“Oh my.”

With a groan that flowed out like a sigh, Hemmie quickly covered her mouth.

Regardless of who it was, if the real father of this baby existed, the Empire would be turned upside down.

Suddenly, Hemmie’s chest began to pound heavily.

Although she had been hoping for the baby’s birth, at this moment, the thought of whether she could handle the birth crossed his mind.

‘No, I can’t handle it, but… still!’

“Hemmie, what’s wrong?”

Startled by Hemmie’s silence, Kalia asked with a strange expression.

She looked in the direction Hemmie was staring as if asking what she was surprised about, but there was nothing there.

Hemmie quickly waved her hand.

“Oh, nothing. I just got lost in thought all of a sudden. Shouldn’t you, um, talk to Allen about ‘that’?”

“That? Oh!”

Kalia realized what ‘that’ meant and looked at Allen.

“Allen.”

“Yes, Kalia. What is it?”

Kalia hesitated for a moment, looking at Allen with a slight frown, as if she was questioning him.

“Well, can you, by any chance, examine animals?”

Animals…? Well, what’s this all of a sudden?

Allen looked a little baffled. Kalia corrected herself and continued.

“More specifically, do you know how to examine something like an egg?”

“Egg, you say?”

‘Is it… an egg, a chick, or something like that?’

* * *

Allen couldn’t believe his eyes.

He never thought he would be examining a dragon egg in his lifetime.

Perhaps it was because he had lived as a country doctor for too long.

Maybe finding dragon eggs was easier than he thought?

No, it wasn’t even something he obtained through an auction. They just picked up a dragon egg in the forest…

He was so surprised that he could only mumble.

“…To think that I’d live long enough to examine a dragon egg.”

“So, is it possible to examine something like this?”

“Oh, yes. I believe I read about it casually in some book before. I’ll start by checking the vital signs.”

He went upstairs in a somewhat excited state and brought back a few pieces of his medical equipment.

In the meantime, Hemmie, who was examining the pot that Allen had dropped, was absorbed in her thoughts.

Allen, who was going down the stairs, suddenly stopped and said somewhat mockingly.

“Hemmie, how about putting that down?”

“Why? As long as I keep this up, I can figure out what’s on Allen’s mind, can’t I? Why?”

Afraid that Allen might take it off, Hemmie pressed down on the pot with both hands, stubbornly.

Her eyes twinkled with mischief and mirth, and the playfulness on her face was like that of a younger sibling who purposefully didn’t listen. 

‘Geez.’

Watching Hemmie like that, Allen shook his head and stood in front of the egg carefully placed on the table.

First, he measured the temperature of the egg and detected the magical waves it was emitting.

Then he tapped the thick shell a few times to check its thickness, and closely examined the state inside the translucent shell using a microscope.

After about five minutes of examination, his expression looked a little anxious. Even the light coming from the egg seemed weaker than it was when they first brought it here.

Kalia, who was watching, asked with concern.

“What’s wrong, Allen? Could something be wrong?”

“Actually, it’s my first time examining an egg, so I can’t give a diagnosis but the numbers don’t look good.”

“Number?”

“Yes.”

Allen’s thick black eyebrows gathered in concern.

“As far as I know, the normal temperature range for a healthy dragon egg is said to be between 65 and 72 degrees. This egg is barely hovering around 60 degrees. Fortunately, the thickness of the shell doesn’t seem to have changed significantly, but the problem lies in the magical waves emanating from the inside.”

He then scratched his jaw sharply as if choosing his next words carefully, and explained in a gentle voice.

“It seems to lack power. Normally, at least about 50 to 60 times with an intensity of 3 Hertz flow out every minute, but there are only about 40 times coming out at most. And that too, at an intensity of about 2 Hertz.”

The egg was weakening. Why? It seemed healthy when she brought it from the forest, but now it didn’t even look as healthy as before… Did it only appear that way?

‘No, known cases have shown that dragon eggs as healthy as this one almost never get abandoned.’

Allen muttered, not seeing Kalia’s worrying:

“The way I saw it again, it seemed like it might be exhausted. That the waves are weak like a person who has lost his vitality. And more.”

At that moment, Kalia thought of the large magical waves that flowed out of the cave when they went to rescue the children.