30. Pregnancy

The ducal residence was busy from morning. It was the day of the banquet for nobles that the duke had arranged.

The mansion was noisy all day with countless servants going back and forth.

Adeline occasionally glanced outside at the sounds coming from beyond the bedroom.

Then she looked directly at the mirror as she felt an intense force tightening around her waist.

“Is it uncomfortable? But the design emphasizes the waist.”

The maid helping her into the dress gave Adeline an awkward smile.

It was the dress that Madame Violetta had sent, saying she had modified it.

“It’s fine, please continue.”

At Adeline’s words, the maid once again tightened and tied the corset strings of the dress.

The reflection in the mirror was distinctly different. What had previously been a dress with half-exposed skin had transformed into something one might wear to a prayer house.

The slight difference was that while there was no exposure, the design emphasized the silhouette.

The beige dress flowing over Adeline’s voluptuous figure had extremely luxurious material.

As if intending to add splendor through fabric rather than exposure, the layered tulle lace with individually embedded Swarovski crystals caught the eye.

The dress sparkled and flowed with Adeline’s every movement.

But perhaps because there was no exposure, though luxurious, it was somewhat bearable.

She had often worn such dresses while at the marquis’s household anyway.

‘Should I be grateful?’

To that man who created another scandal in exchange for changing the dress design?

Thinking of Casis naturally made her sigh. But not wanting to become further fodder for gossip among the maids, she deliberately composed her expression.

“It’s all done, Lady Del. The dress is splendid and suits you perfectly.”

“Is that so? How are the banquet preparations coming along?”

“The nobles are arriving. If you go down now, the timing will be perfect. His Grace has already headed to the dining room.”

Adeline nodded to the maid, but her mouth felt bitter, causing her to bite her lip.

‘Not even the courtesy of an escort.’

At a noble family’s party, her partner would have come to find Adeline and accompanied her to the banquet hall.

But instead of accompanying Adeline, he had gone to the dining room alone.

Of course, she didn’t expect him to act as her lover.

‘Truly…… you really aren’t Mel anymore.’

She simply hadn’t been able to shake off her lingering attachment to him.

A slight shadow crossed Adeline’s face before even that darkness disappeared.

She didn’t want to reveal her emotions. She didn’t want to be swayed anymore.

“Lady, take my hand and come down.”

Adeline followed the maid who extended her hand toward her and headed to the dining room.

Only after Adeline had disappeared from the bedroom did the maids begin to whisper.

“Isn’t the mistress too flashy? How can even the modified dress be so luxurious? She’s so unsightly, acting as if she’s the duchess.”

“She needs to be flashy. She’s a flower that could wilt at any time.”

They spilled out words they hadn’t dared utter in front of Adeline.

Then.

“What if a woman like that gets pregnant and becomes the duchess……”

At one maid’s muttered words, the whispering voices stopped.

And as if they had imagined something terrible, the maids’ expressions hardened.

⁕⁕⁕

Today’s banquet featured a course meal prepared by a chef specially invited from the capital by Casis.

Despite the lavish feast of delicacies, Adeline simply couldn’t swallow any food.

The soup and the meat placed before her felt rough like sand in her mouth.

‘I’d rather eat with the maids.’

She felt it might be more comfortable to eat under the watchful eyes of the maids.

It would have been better if he had at least introduced Adeline to the men.

From the moment she entered the dining room until the meal began, Casis had not introduced Adeline to the nobles.

Adeline was initially confused, not expecting him to ignore her existence like this.

But soon, her fluctuating emotions calmed down.

Not wanting to dance to his tune, she was pretending to be even more composed.

Adeline picked at her food, barely eating. But the men before her were different.

“As you can see, my body is fine.”

Whenever Casis finished speaking, laughter erupted simultaneously from everyone. The atmosphere in the banquet hall was convivial, except for her.

“Hahaha. That’s right. Rumors spread throughout the empire that Your Grace was bedridden, and we were worried.”

“Come now, how could Duke Torpeo be like that? He’s the Iron Duke.”

They responded enthusiastically to Casis’s words, which contained not a hint of humor.

Men were truly creatures optimized for power dynamics.

The men seemed to listen to Casis while occasionally glancing at Adeline.

Unable to openly admire the figure of the mistress before them, they surveyed her with furtive glances.

Of course, among them were men who stared openly at Adeline. With eyes full of lust.

“By the way, your mistress is truly beautiful.”

Casis’s knife paused in mid-air as he was continuing his meal.

When Casis raised his head, his eyes met those of the noble man who had just brought up the topic of his mistress.

“I heard she wears clothes suitable for a brothel, but the atmosphere is different? I was quite looking forward to today.”

The corner of the man’s mouth lifted in a sneer. His sticky gaze traced down Adeline’s slender neck, collarbone, and the area where her chest would be.

It was an extremely blatant stare.

Throughout the meal so far, no one had mentioned Adeline first. Everyone was watching the duke, waiting to see when he would introduce his mistress.

As if the man’s words were a signal flare, the mouths of other nobles opened.

“Indeed. How much must you love your mistress to keep her so close?”

“Rumors of Your Grace’s love for your mistress are widespread. Even our marchioness knows of this woman from rumors.”

They were all busy flattering the duke with smiles.

“If she were of slave origin, she would have greatly excited men with such beauty. It’s truly a shame she’s a commoner.

I was thinking of taking a mistress myself. Your Grace can send her to me anytime you tire of her. Hahaha.”

He now began to openly reveal his desire toward Adeline.

“I intend to let all men in the world know how beautiful my mistress is.”

“Hohoho. You’re quite ostentatious too.”

At that moment, a small emotion appeared on Adeline’s expressionless face.

‘Surely not……’

Adeline shifted her gaze slightly to look at Casis.

At first, she thought he had changed the dress design simply on a whim. As a way to torment her.

But looking at the men before her now, different thoughts kept arising.

Could he have changed the dress design for her sake?

But soon Adeline gripped her cutlery tightly.

‘That can’t be possible.’

Judging from the duke’s behavior so far, he wouldn’t do such a thing for her.

Adeline took a deep breath to calm her heart that was trying to race uncontrollably.

Don’t harbor hope on your own. She murmured to herself.

Just as Adeline had composed herself and lowered her gaze to the steak plate.

“That won’t happen, unfortunately.”

Adeline raised her gaze at the low voice that reached her ears.

“I don’t have the nasty habit of giving my used possessions to others. Besides, I cherish this woman quite a bit.”

Casis picked up his knife and cut the piece of meat. Or rather than cutting, he was ruthlessly butchering it.

He applied so much force that occasionally the knife scraped across the plate, creating a chilling sound.

Each time, the nobles sitting together tried to suppress their grimacing expressions. But the duke didn’t care.

It was a kind of warning.

Meat juices flowed onto the plate wherever the knife passed.

As if he were being slaughtered himself, the man gulped.

And everyone froze, as if recognizing Casis’s warning. She looked at Casis like that before lowering her gaze.

She hadn’t touched the meat at all. Just as she was about to secretly swallow a sigh.

“Here, eat this, my Del.”

The main dish in front of Adeline disappeared and was replaced by the plate of steak that Casis had cut.

“Del likes meat cut into small pieces, doesn’t she? Go ahead and eat. You haven’t touched your food throughout the banquet, my dear.”

He urged her to eat while maintaining an uncomfortably intense eye contact.

Knowing she was too distressed to touch her food, yet forcing her to eat.

‘Just as I thought.’

There was no way this man would do such a kind thing for her.

It must have all been her imagination.

“Come, try it now.”

Casis picked up a piece of meat and some vegetables with his fork and held it out to Adeline.

When Adeline remained motionless, he held out the fork once more with an urging look.

Finally, when Adeline opened her mouth, a small piece of cut meat was pushed inside.

She couldn’t taste the fragrance of the herbs or the rich juices of the meat. It felt like chewing bitter, fishy paper and tough leather.

Eventually, Adeline began to retch.

“Ugh.”

Just as Adeline quickly grabbed a napkin to cover her mouth.

The gazes of the noble men who had been silently continuing their meal converged on Adeline.

And when Casis’s gaze finally reached her.

“Urgh.”

With another wave of nausea, the atmosphere in the banquet hall distinctly changed.