By evening, I felt even more uneasy.
After treating a patient with a broken arm and a torn calf in the afternoon and spending time at the stable because Maranelli was fussing over his food, I rinsed my mouth with cold water and tried to put aside thoughts of taking digestive medicine.
Due to an accident two years ago, my internal organs were quite weak, so I avoided taking medicine whenever possible.
When my stomach started to ache mildly, I stopped reviewing the research data for the newly completed reagent and rubbed my belly. It felt hard and knotted.
For the past few days, I had been wondering why my body felt this way and consulted my fellow doctors.
Almost all the results pointed to the same unbelievable conclusion: pregnancy.
Even my own conclusion was pregnancy.
If all the symptoms were indeed indicating that I was pregnant, it would mean I must have slept with a man, likely under the influence of alcohol or experimental fumes that clouded my judgment.
My first experience, and I can’t even remember it!
If I knew my menstrual cycle, I could figure out more, but unfortunately, mine was too irregular.
The last time was almost two months ago.
I lifted my top slightly to look at my belly.
Under the lamp’s light, my skin looked red and pale. I had been eating a lot recently, but since I usually didn’t eat much, I had almost no belly fat.
Except for a little bit of flab on my sides, my stomach was flat with no noticeable bulge.
A breeze brushed my exposed skin through a slightly open window, making me shiver and quickly pull my clothes down.
My breasts, which I was proud of, were already large, so I couldn’t tell if they had grown any bigger.
Looking at the symptoms of morning sickness, frequent mood swings, and stomach pain, it was clear I was pregnant.
However, I was too scared to take a test for an accurate diagnosis. If I were really pregnant, it would mean I had slept with a man.
Given my surroundings, the only man who might have made such a mistake with me was Raiden. …Raiden!
“Ugh…”
I groaned, resting my forehead on the desk.
No, it couldn’t be Raiden.
Realistically, Raiden was the only man around who might have been with me, but if that was the case, I would already have been dragged back to the family to remove the Hale name and prepare to take on the name Rensher.
The Countess Rensher and mother would probably have designed about thirty wedding dresses by now.
“Okay. Let’s just confirm it.”
Three weeks and three days into the morning sickness, I decided to do the test I had been putting off due to my reluctance to accept the possibility of pregnancy.
Before I could change my mind, I took out the device and the medicine I had hidden in a corner of the room.
It was a secret purchase to ensure I could check in private if I was truly pregnant.
Although it was a disposable item, it was reliable, used as an actual medical device in rural hospitals that couldn’t afford expensive magical diagnostic equipment.
Taking a deep breath, I swallowed the pale pink medicine in one go and went into the bathroom ten minutes later. The result was…
…I was pregnant. Damn it.
I arrived at work late in the afternoon with such a haggard face that students and professors alike asked if I was okay.
I mechanically answered that I was fine, but I wasn’t fine at all.
After confirming the pregnancy three more times, I spent the night pondering who the father could be.
Although there were some unclear parts when considering my last menstrual period, unless all three devices were faulty, I was definitely pregnant.
The symptoms were there too.
Despite a sleepless night, pondering who the father might be, I couldn’t think of anyone other than Raiden, especially after the near-miss two months ago during the forum.
Whenever there was a potential problem, Raiden was always with me, due to a sense of responsibility stemming from guilt, my brothers’ requests, and Raiden’s own personality.
He came to pick me up after work and stayed with me even on nights when I worked late due to extra tasks.
There was no experiment that could have clouded my mind with fumes.
Even if I had recklessly slept with someone, it would most likely have been an Amort student, which would have caused rumors to spread.
“It has to be Raiden.”
“What about me?”
They say when you’re truly surprised, you can’t even scream.
I clutched at my chest as my heart felt like it was leaping out. Raiden, who had approached silently, tilted his head and studied my face.
“Why do you look like that? Your complexion is awful.”
I pushed Raiden away and caught my breath.
When the person I had been thinking about finally appeared in front of me, my heart pounded, and I was short of breath.
No, my breath was short, and my heart pounded.
Raiden, noticing my pale face, commented on how terrible I looked and placed the apple juice I mentioned wanting yesterday on the desk.
I stared at the transparent glass bottle, chewing on my lips before speaking quietly. I had to ask anyway; there was no more time to delay.
“Don’t misunderstand.”
“What is it?”
“Have you ever, um, done something intimate with me? Like, you know, where we were… skin-to-skin?”
Raiden’s expression turned strange.
“I mean, did we ever… um, rub our lower bodies together or… get carried away and, you know, sleep together?”
I dropped my gaze after saying that.
“So, did we have sex?”
