Chapter 168

Reynard continued to place light kisses all over her body. Red spots bloomed like flowers on her white skin near her neck and collarbone. As Yurina gently touched his hair, she was lost in thought.

‘How should I bring this up?’

She hadn’t ever discussed this kind of topic lightly, so she didn’t know how to approach it.

What she knew was that Reynard had been using magic for contraception until now, that he had a trauma related to his birth mother, and that Yurina was afraid of anything going wrong if she gave birth due to this.

‘It would have been easier to convince him if I really wanted a child.’

Reynard was sensitive to Yurina. He roughly read her thoughts from her expressions, and brought her what she wanted before she even said it. If she lied that she really wanted a child, he would see through the lie at once.

And it was also difficult to say ‘it seems like you want a child…’ He would immediately guess Yurina’s true intentions and dismiss them, saying it’s not true. Then, he might consciously avoid the topic in the future.

“What are you thinking about?” Reynard asked swiftly when Yurina paused her hands for a moment while deep in thought.

He lifted his head and met Yurina’s gaze quickly. As if reading something, his brows furrowed slightly as he studied her face.

“Do you have any worries lately?”

“No, what would I have to worry about?”

“You seem to be thinking a lot these days. Even now…”

He raised a finger and pressed firmly on Yurina’s lower lip.

“When you’re worried, you tend to bite your lip.”

Did I? Yurina lightly bit down on his finger, which was pressing on her lips as if urging her to speak, and then let go. She put down the towel and adjusted her posture to sit comfortably, as she had a somewhat lengthy story to tell.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Reynard’s face also became serious.

“What’s up?”

“It’s nothing major, just… are you getting along well with Tom these days?”

“Tom?”

He slightly furrowed his eyebrows, surprised at the unexpected topic.

“Did Tom or Annie say something?”

The look on his face was enigmatic. He was usually on guard against those who could harm Yurina, but it seemed to be difficult when it came to the kids he cherished. Rather than feeling upset about his attitude, Yurina was relieved.

‘He must like them a lot.’

This could make the conversation a little bit easier.

“Rey, we…”

“Aren’t you a bit hungry? Should we ask for some milk tea?”

Reynard quickly changed the subject. Yurina grasped his hands, which were about to flee from the table. He avoided her gaze, sitting awkwardly with one leg on the floor, unable to shake off her grip.

Yurina pulled his arm.

“You know it’s not a subject you can avoid forever.”

“I don’t need to have a child.”

His suppressed voice came out through clenched teeth. It wasn’t that ‘he didn’t want children,’ it was ‘it’s okay if we don’t have any.’ His sincerity seeped out through those words.

“All I need is you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I only need you.”

Yurina was surprised by his stern statement. Being someone’s everything is overwhelming. It means that he loves her wholeheartedly.

But on the other hand, it means that nothing remains for him without Yurina.

One can never predict the future. Even though she wished they could be together for a long time, who knew what could happen tomorrow.

Yurina imagined a world without Reynard. It would definitely be terrible. Every day would be spent in tears, not eating properly, not sleeping well. It surely wouldn’t feel like living.

But she thought she could endure it. Looking at her loving family and friends, including Betsy and Dave who cared for her, she could muster strength. She had gritted her teeth and endured when she lost everything in a traffic accident in the past.

But what about Reynard? What would happen to Reynard left alone without her?

Of course, it was a hypothetical scenario. With the downfall of Marquis De Flon, there were no longer people targeting her life, and even if there were, Reynard would be there to protect her.

She would be safe even in an accident, and since she was being treated by one of the top physicians in the Empire, the likelihood of getting seriously ill was low.

Yet, Yurina wanted to give Reynard even greater happiness. A child is not the measure of happiness. As he said, they could be perfectly happy without children.

But considering his fondness for children, if it’s just because he worries about Yurina…

“I want it.”

“…”

“Just like you said, I’m okay just having you. But it would be nice to see children resembling you running around the garden.”

Watching his expression, Yurina subtly asked:

“Don’t you want to see a daughter who looks like me?”

His breathing was disrupted. He washed his hands as if he was washing his face, then buried his face in his palms. Not denying meant acknowledging.

“I know what you’re worrying about. But, Rey. The situation here in the capital is different from the village where you lived. Roderick is a competent doctor, he can take immediate action if anything happens. In reality, most of the nobles in the capital have children healthily.”

“…”

“I usually get sick in the winter, but I’m generally healthy. Besides…”

Yurina leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt him flinch.

“You are here.”

She removed his hands covering his face and met his gaze.

“If anything happens, you won’t just stand by, right? I trust you.”

He silently stared into her eyes. Feeling no need for further words, Yurina quietly waited for his answer with a smile.

After a while, Reynard, who had been silent, carefully laid Yurina down on the bed after swallowing hard.

That night, Reynard was more careful than usual, but Yurina could clearly feel his firm determination.

* * *

As soon as Reynard returned to the mansion, he looked for Yurina. She was curled up sleeping on the sofa. A novel was spread open next to the sofa, apparently she was reading before she fell asleep.

Reynard, looking at Yurina, involuntarily smiled and then immediately hardened his expression.

‘You should sleep in bed.’

As the end of the year approached, the academy got busier. Although he was a professor with not much experience, and hence didn’t review papers, just grading student exams was enough to make time fly by.

He tried to come home early today as well, but things didn’t go as planned and he was only able to return after greatly surpassing dinner time.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had dinner with Yurina. Reynard would habitually tell Yurina not to worry if he came home late and to have dinner and go to sleep first.

However, Yurina didn’t listen to him. Although she would eat dinner alone, she insisted on seeing him come home before going to sleep. Hence, even if she missed dinner, he tried to come back before bedtime.

Lately, Yurina has been needing a lot more sleep, frequently dozing off while waiting for him.

Although she could simply sleep in bed, Yurina always fell asleep on the sofa. She claimed it was just a nap on the sofa, but from Reynard’s perspective, it didn’t seem like a brief nap.

“Yurina.”

“Hmm.”

Reynard squatted next to her and looked at her complexion before picking her up and heading towards the bedroom.

Even now, she didn’t seem to notice him picking her up. It was only after Reynard laid her down on the bed that she seemed to sense his presence and opened her eyes with effort.

“…Rey?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“When did you get here?”

Yurina, barely managing to open her eyes, looked at him and smiled brightly. Although her usual smile was pretty, it was even prettier when she smiled in such a defenseless state.

When she tried to get up, he laid her back down on the bed.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. You look tired, sleep a little more.”

“No, I slept a lot…”

Yurina stopped mid-sentence and covered her mouth due to a sudden yawn. She seemed embarrassed, but to Reynard, even that gesture of hers was adorable and endearing.

However, he was worried.

‘She seems to need a lot more sleep these days.’

Yurina was always one to need a lot of sleep. She tended to go to bed a little late at night, but even considering that, she woke up very late in the morning.

She wouldn’t wake up properly right away and mumbled incoherently in his arms, fell asleep, mumbled some more, and fell asleep again. This cycle would repeat several times before she finally woke up.

She always did sleep a lot, but Yurina began to sleep a lot more as winter approached. Even if he tried his best to wake her up, she barely opened her eyes in the morning, took a nap every day, and often dozed off immediately after eating dinner.

If it was just about needing more sleep, it wouldn’t matter. But he was starting to worry whether this might indicate a health issue.

Yurina playfully pinched his worried cheek. Yet, the worry didn’t leave his face.

“Maybe it’s because the weather is getting colder. Don’t worry. I always slept a lot in winter. I guess I’m a frog.”

“A frog?”

“Don’t I resemble a frog, hibernating in winter?”

Although it was a light joke, Reynard didn’t take it lightly. He kept his mouth shut, contemplating seriously, and then opened his mouth again.

“Not a frog, a squirrel.”

“Huh?”

“A squirrel hibernating in winter.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Squirrels are much cuter.”

Yurina burst out laughing as if his comment was ridiculous, but he didn’t change his opinion. In his eyes, Yurina was even cuter than a squirrel.

He climbed over Yurina’s body and locked his lips soundly with her still laughing lips.

“How about a duckling that hibernates? You always follow me around like a duckling.”

Yurina shot him a sidelong glance and pulled his lips.

“Say it correctly. It’s not me following you, but you following me.”

“Then we can both be ducks.”

Reynard stretched out his lips and then touched Yurina’s forehead with his hand in a serious manner.

“There’s no fever…”

“I guess my body just feels a little sluggish because it’s winter.”

“But just in case, let’s call a doctor. I’ll get in touch with one from Carthia.”

There was no primary doctor yet in Felius. For matters directly related to life, a trusted person was needed, but he hadn’t found such a person yet.

So for injuries that could be treated with magic, Reynard would take care of them, and for other cases, they would receive a diagnosis from the primary doctor in Carthia mansion.

“There’s no need to go that far.”

Murmuring quietly, Yurina finally nodded her head upon noticing his stern expression.