Duke, Please Stop Because it Hurts

“Is there anything else you’d like to eat?”

“Oh, this is my favorite one right now.”

Even though he was relieved that she had quickly appeared bright once again, he just couldn’t let go of his regrets about her nutrient intake.

Raven had secretly ordered the butler to add a dash of pickled lemons to her repertoire of food. The covert operation was done without her knowledge and they were put on display right on the next day.

But her reaction was absolutely consistent.

The pickled lemons were already inside, but they didn’t seep in through. Nevertheless, she was forced to bite into the food due to the nausea that was churning up inside.

Eventually, it was a dish of pickled lemon that was finally unfurled to her table. It was actually Raven who had already bought a whole bottle of lemon pickled vegetables for her, but she still couldn’t stop feeling anxious.

Molitia unintentionally clutched onto the table for a while since she was disgusted by the odor of other types of food.

The pickled lemons, which were on the table for a while, had now barely disappeared as Molitia’s morning sickness eventually came to an end.

Changes began to get apparent to her stomach, which hadn’t been noticeable before. Her lower abdomen, which had been slightly swollen, was now visible. On the surface, it was already quite obvious that she was pregnant. The child was growing up safely. For several times a day, Molitia would stroke her lower abdomen with a loving look on her face.

“Baby, are you listening?”

When she had some time alone, Molitia would often talk to the child. It was right after she had heard that it was good to talk to the child regularly for prenatal care.

Her main stories would be the things that transpired within the Duchy. The story of whom Lili had fallen in love with at first sight and the dining hall servants who always seemed to be worrying about food.

And the majority of the stories were occupied by Raven himself too. Even trivial actions had turned into a story for her child.

It was so precious to see her talking to her child under the bright sunshine. She was glowing even though she wasn’t wearing any string of jewelry.

The corner of Raven’s mouth also went up as her smile became more frequent after embracing the figure of her child happily.

It was around that time when she heard from her doctor that she was finally out from her unstable period.

Molitia had eventually completed her preparation to go outside after a few months.

A hat that gave protection under the sun, a thick shawl that covered up her belly and a dress that unfurled softly under the chest line. She was all tucked up, but there was still something else to prepare.

“Molitia.”

Raven naturally slid next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. The corners of Molitia’s mouth eventually went up within the snug warmth.

“Raven.”

Raven was moved by her warm smile that was just like the sun. Even though she was already with a child, she still smiled like a lovely girl.

“Do you really need to go?”

“Again?”

Molitia sighed as if she was annoyed.

“You heard it as well. I have to exercise a little bit from now onwards.”

“You can just do that in the garden itself.”

“I want to go out too. I’d like to get some fresh air. Plus, I also need some clothes.”

“You can call for them.”

“What about the exercise then?”

Raven’s mouth slowly closed tight. Even now, he would hug her whenever he had the time. She had refused to do so since she had been gaining weight while her stomach had bulged, but he didn’t budge at all.

And even now, he still looked at her restlessly. One might even think that there was a jagged mountain range underneath Molitia’s feet.

“That’s precisely why you’ll be coming with me. I just can’t leave you alone.”

She touched his hand that was on her shoulder. The hand that was felt at the tip of the finger had been coarse but warm.

“I’ll be fine. Since you’ll always be there for me.”

Raven nodded as if he was already under a spell with that soothing soft voice of hers.

The scene didn’t stop the servants from whispering for a while, saying that their Madame still had casted her magic on the Master today as well.

The carriage that was ornamented with the Duke’s eventually stopped in front of the dress shop. Margareta, who had been preparing ever since the carriage had arrived, slowly touched her collar nervously.

“Welcome. Duchess and Duke.”

When the door to the dress shop and the couple entered Margareta’s salutations still continued. The owner of the dress shop had received the attention from people inside.

“Isn’t that Duchess Linerio?”

“Oh, I heard that she’s pregnant now. Her stomach is really…”

“Is that the Duke—who’s next to her?”

“I heard that his love for his wife is rather unusual and I really didn’t expect him to come to the dress shop.”

“He must really care about his wife.”

It was ultimately rare for men to turn up at women’s dressing rooms. It was almost impossible for them to come over with their wives.