“How’s the carriage? Is it comfortable? Will you be okay? If not, I can arrange something in my name. You know, that thing you often mention.”
“Oh, the sweet taste of power? It’s fine. I think I’ll be okay. I’ve taken my medicine, and considering there’s no major issue with the travel, it seems like the safest way to avoid being caught by my brothers is to sneak off to my new place on the way back from Chantal. If anything comes up at school, I’ll just say I had to leave early. If you intervene now, it’ll mess things up even more.”
I carefully observed Raiden’s expression as he looked at me. Raiden, who always looked like Raiden, was smiling kindly, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
Is Raiden really the father of my child? Or is he just a good friend who cares deeply for me?
If it’s the latter, Raiden would be the biggest fool ever, and if it’s the former, I would think of slapping him for not telling the truth sooner.
I would then demand an explanation for keeping it from me.
Based on the test, if anything happened between us, it would have been about three months ago, that night after I passed out from staying up for three days straight. I lead a very regular and healthy lifestyle, so that was the only day that something happened between us.
That night, Raiden had a gathering but still took me home out of concern. After coming home, I fell asleep as soon as I washed up and woke up two days later. Raiden was not there, but he brought food around lunchtime because he was worried about me.
When I try to recall that night, apart from feeling a bit sore from sleeping too long and my body being limp, there were no other strange sensations.
Here’s the problem: though it feels embarrassing to say, I know Raiden’s well-built little bird. An accident happened before and I saw Raiden naked. If it had been my first time with Raiden’s sturdy little bird, I would have definitely noticed, even after two days.
This means I really need to wait until the baby is born to see the appearance, and then have a paternity test…
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Raiden’s question snapped me out of my thoughts. I leaned back in my seat and whispered quietly.
“Who could the father of the baby be?”
It seemed like we were about to depart, as a giant shadow passed over Raiden and then disappeared instantly. Dragons had taken flight. Raiden didn’t look up at the sky like everyone else but spoke quietly.
“If you are certain that I am the only possibility for the father, then just believe it. I will be the father. I am also confident that there was no chance for you to be with anyone else but me.”
“That’s quite a bold statement.”
“I think so too.”
“Ah, I don’t like this vagueness.”
I prefer clear, straightforward answers that yield definite results.
To my comment, Raiden laughed foolishly.
As the carriage I was in showed signs of starting to move, he went to his horse.
Shortly after, the journey to Chantal began. As part of their training, students from the Amort Royal Knights Academy flew overhead on their dragons.
The horses selected were accustomed to dragons, so they didn’t panic and run wild.
Except for the occasional loud instructions from the caretakers, the journey was quiet. In other words, it was very boring.
Of course, I welcomed the boredom since I shouldn’t exert myself.
While Dr. Ren studied across from me, I secretly planned for the future.
A safe city for a woman and child, but within easy reach for Raiden, with an affordable house and sufficient funds to live on until I find another job, a place where I could easily find a nanny, and also a midwife…
There was a lot to consider. Moreover, I had to plan how to act if all this was discovered and I had to return home.
Why is my life so tough?
After a while of calmly planning, I concluded there were no perfect answers.
While I was thinking about the future, the carriage stopped. Shadows grew long as the sun was setting.
Given the number of people, we had to keep the travel distances short to reach Chantal without delay, meaning we would be camping out.
Ending the day with a bath wasn’t possible, but that couldn’t be helped.
I folded the paper with my plans and put it in my bag, then cleared away the medical books spread on my makeshift desk.
Dr. Ren, who had dozed off, was startled awake by the dragons’ roars outside.
I wanted to get out of the stuffy carriage and smell the fresh forest air, but as soon as I took a deep breath, the strong odor of dragon manure filled my nose.
It was meant to deter forest monsters, but it was too pungent for me.
Covering my mouth and nose, I stood by the carriage, my pale face apparently amusing some mercenaries who laughed at my plight. I vowed revenge.
Raiden, who had returned from scouting the base camp, saw my condition and hurried over to pat my back.
“Want to take a walk and get some fresh air?”
“No, I think it’s better to get used to it quickly.”
The dragons, having just relieved themselves, were already devouring sheep.
The caretakers were threatening them with no more snacks if they stuffed their cheek pouches, but the dragons ignored them, busy chewing on the sheep’s hind legs.
Setting up tents for the night was quick. The speed of the mercenaries and the students’ experience with mandatory outdoor training in the Tess region helped.
We began to talk more, assisting Nephthalene’s sluggish camping preparations, which was good since we’d be spending nearly two months together during the competition period.
Raiden, in charge of luxurious protection, busied himself with the camping preparations. As expected, I watched Raiden discuss something seriously with Sir Roche before heading towards the grumbling dragons.
