Pregnancy Is Too Much For The Villain - C147.1

[Empress Beatrice has been managing the mistresses like that. So the Emperor wouldn’t get attached to just one person. Who could tolerate their lover constantly falling into depression and spouting nonsense? Especially someone selfish like His Majesty. Lady Beatrice has been precisely understanding her husband and using methods until now.]

Evener started crushing the dried lemsher grass he was holding. The dried, twisted black grass turned to powder in his hand.

[But I didn’t know it would come to me too. No, who would dare feed such a thing to the Empire’s Prince Consort? Who would dare to a noble body that would bear the next generation of royalty.]

He was in a position where calling himself a “noble body” didn’t seem awkward. He was a direct descendant of the family ruling the vast land of the most powerful empire on the continent.

So it really was as he said. Who would dare? Without being truly insane. And his words had a double meaning. Without being “of that level of position”. The next words continued to give the exact answer.

[But I didn’t know my husband would do it.]

For a moment, the sound of Sabina swallowing in surprise sharply cut across where they were seated. A prince who gave such medicine to his own companion.

Reynard was still staring at Evener, who was telling the shocking truth, with no reaction, his fingertips interlaced at the end of his chin.

[This was put in all the snacks and food where Valentine was together. Can you believe it? He sacrificed everyone there aiming for the poisoning of just one person.]

At Evener’s voice, a sound of something finally breaking was heard from Reynard. His eyes were burning with anger. Sabina, who had been holding her breath in shock at the shocking truth, continued questioning.

[But, but then why were there no symptoms in others…! Ah!]

Looking at her expression as she realized while asking the question herself, Evener nodded.

[Because it has no effect on men who aren’t omegas or alphas.]

[……]

[This isn’t a deadly poison that threatens human life. It’s a kind of folk medicine. Even the prostitutes in Heatherfield Duchy dry lemsher and just drink it as tea. To avoid pregnancy.]

[Good heavens……]

[It disrupts the hormones of those who can get pregnant, weakens the fetus, poisons the child with lemsher and eventually kills it…. That’s all, so what could they know? The Emperor or Prince? Or you, Duke Valcaresse? What would alphas without wombs know from eating this?]

In the end, the poor omegas who were present became victims.

[Even though I’m a recessive omega, I wondered why I kept miscarrying. It wasn’t just once or twice. That I lost my children. No, can those even be called children? My husband, His Highness Clifton, just said that. Not to be sad over mere cells that hadn’t even become children yet. While blaming me that it happened because I was inadequate.]

Tears welled up in Evener’s eyes as he trembled all over, starting from his hands, overcome with anger.

[To be treated like a useless omega while being fed such a thing…. No. I can endure that kind of treatment as much as needed. My children were innocent. Hey, Duke Valcaresse.]

Reynard raised his head.

[Like your daughter who pitifully passed away, my babies were completely innocent too.]

[……]

[I can’t forgive this. To think this is all I got in return after a lifetime of devotion.]

By now, tears were streaming down his bloodshot eyes. Looking at that face, Reynard slowly opened his mouth.

[Then what about your one-sided imprinting? Can you betray the person you love while imprinted?]

It was a question implying he couldn’t be trusted because of the imprint, but at those words, Evener burst into laughter with tears still on his face. Sabina unknowingly stared blankly at him with a dazed expression, seeing how strange it was for crying and laughter to erupt simultaneously.

[Are you still worried about that? Don’t you know about love-hate? I can see exactly how pure your relationship with Valentine was.]

[……]

[It’s because I love him that I can’t forgive him to death. I loved and devoted myself so much, yet he did this to me. Even though I kept enduring and enduring, he treated me like an old shoe. Even animals probably wouldn’t do this to their mates. Children and omegas are just tools. If it’s to pave the way ahead, if it’s to somehow put enemies in trouble, it was fine whatever happened to me.]

The omega’s words about the 3rd Prince, his alpha, were very acerbic. Hearing that madness and outpouring of inner feelings, Reynard and Sabina had no choice but to acknowledge his sincerity right there.

Moreover, he even brought such direct evidence.

[Do you know exactly how Valentine was poisoned?]

Evener nodded. It was the attitude of someone who knew the terrible truth, had thoroughly prepared everything, and even brought materials.

[I heard this was all included in the gift sent by the Emperor. I heard it was all kinds of things to eat and drink, is that right?]

Clifton’s influence in the imperial court was greater than expected. There must have already been someone among the Emperor’s close aides who was an accomplice of the 3rd Prince. The Emperor, who was most disappointed when Valentine miscarried, wouldn’t do such a thing. It was completely opposite to his desires.

[To be precise, it was the incense burner. The one Valentine left behind and used.]

When Reynard mentioned the suspicious object, Evener immediately nodded.

[Yes…. He said that’s exactly what they aimed for. Food would be suspicious right away.]

It was true. Because it was such a suspicious-looking gift, Reynard discarded all the gifts except the incense burner at the time, feeling uneasy.

[But knowing that, he said they used this right in the incense burner. They used a trick guessing that a body carrying a precious heir wouldn’t immediately use even an imperial gift.]

Evener shook the glass bottle he had shown earlier, holding it with his fingers.

[You, being thorough, would have surely replaced all the incense inside the burner.]

[Yes.]

[But the drug wasn’t in the incense.]

Then where on earth was it?

[It was thickly applied to the inside of the incense burner. Cleverly, like it was just the inner surface of the metal.]

It was astounding. To think they would go to such lengths….

[Every time heat was applied to the incense burner, that drug would melt together and vaporize with the fragrance. And it naturally spread in the air, and His Highness the Grand Duke Consort inhaled it each time…]

[That’s what they said.]

Evener agreed as he wiped his tear-stained face with a handkerchief at Sabina’s added opinion.

But here, Reynard was skeptical. Could he know in such detail? The 3rd Prince is an intelligent and suspicious person. He wasn’t the type to tell detailed stories even to his own companion.

It’s best to cut off the seeds of doubt from the start. Thinking that the Prince Consort might have rushed here not knowing he was bait or had fallen into a trap, Reynard asked:

[But how on earth did you find that out?]

[I thought you knew about my ability?]

Evener sneered as if he could see what suspicions he had.

[You’re underestimating the power of my ability.]

Evener exposed his ability at high concentration to one of Clifton’s aides for a long time. In that way, he completely enchanted him and secretly made him his own person.

It took a long time. He put in effort for nearly a year to secretly make his husband’s close aide his own person, a double agent. Now that man completely worshiped Evener. He was desperate to lick Evener’s toes while leaking all information.

[Knowing you would suspect me to the end, I brought this.]

Evener put the rectangular bag he had brought himself on the table. The metal lock clicked open by his hand and the bag opened wide in half.

Inside were various documents and ledgers.

[This is…!]

Sabina immediately recognized what they were.

[It’s evidence of corruption carried out in my husband’s business. I swept up everything – double ledgers, fake contracts, sloppy certificates, forged research results, even letters.]

Meaningful glances were exchanged between the three people.

Finally, all the evidence was gathered conclusively.

*

Reynard fingered the evidence documents that would completely overthrow the 3rd Prince, recalling the memory of the day Evener came to visit.

“The tiresome matter will soon be wrapped up.”

It was certainly not an easy task.

The downfall and assassination of a person in power is truly a battle of justification.

That’s why Reynard did groundwork for over a year to establish valid conditions for retaliation, so that it would be rebellion yet not rebellion, so that it could be resolved as a matter between just him and the 3rd Prince. Finally, the exact evidence and situation were in place.

Now it was the final stage.

This tedious work of gathering all the evidence, creating the situation, and connecting it like a spider’s web so there would be no escape. Before doing this, how much easier would it have been to just challenge that bastard to a duel on mere suspicion and shoot his limbs? If he had acted according to his temper like that, Clifton’s corpse turned into a beehive would have been quite a sight to see.

But that was far too easy.

‘I can’t kill him so comfortably and futilely.’

Reynard ground his molars. The 3rd Prince would soon face not only social ruin but also a painful dog’s death.

Becoming a traitor or prince killer himself was nothing now that Valentine had separated from him and was safe. Nevertheless, he deliberately chose the long road simply because his hatred was too great. Just taking his life easily would never fill the emptiness in his heart.

3rd Prince Clifton Leopold. He had to give him a painful and humiliating death and end, so that he would be remembered shamefully in history, so that all those involved with that person would rot in prison as criminals.

To do that, Reynard had planned and endured everything until now. He had to take perfect revenge, and Valentine had to be safe throughout the whole process.

So on the day Evener brought evidence and all preparations for the work were finished, he stamped the divorce application. That was the reason he legally separated from Valentine and sent him far away.

When parting with Valentine, he had already perfectly prepared his resolve for what to do if things went wrong and he was accused of treason.

Recently, Reynard directly requested from Grand Duke Howard Dennox:

[Disloyal son. I request to be stripped of my qualification as Dennox’s heir, Father. Please grant this.]

The Grand Duke sighed as he looked at his son. Because he knew the cause and basis for why his son’s desire for revenge had grown so enormous.

[Is Valentine worth that much to you?]

He was asking if he was worth protecting even if he lost everything he had, or even if he had to give his life. A shaped one who is separated from their imprinted companion gradually wastes away and eventually dies.

[Though he has left me, he is still, and will continue to be, an existence above my life and honor.]

[……]

[They must pay the price for what happened to him so horribly. I can give up everything I have for that.]

[Or do you have no thought of giving up revenge….]

All problems would have been simple if he had just given up revenge.

If he buried the child who was sacrificed in the power struggle in his heart, ignored the Emperor who was making a fuss demanding an heir be produced, and shut himself up in the Grand Duchy with Valentine, there would be no need to shoulder such danger.

Knowing this, Valentine also asked Reynard not to take revenge. Because he knew he would have to stake everything.

But Reynard had no intention of giving up. He had to take revenge on Clifton who threatened him and Valentine and caused their child’s death. It felt like he could only live if he did so.

Reynard straightened his large, heavy body and faced his father, the Grand Duke, squarely.

[We Dales people, we are the victors who annihilate the enemy to the end.]

At Reynard’s words proclaiming the navy’s creed with burning will in his eyes, the Grand Duke nodded.

[I understand. By the Grand Duke’s order, I strip you of your position as Dennox’s heir. From now on, you will only have your individual title and are declared completely separated from the duties and rights of the Grand Ducal family.]

[Thank you, Your Grace. I will not bring shame to the honorable name of Dennox until the end.]

Thus he finished dealing with his status by talking with the Grand Duke.

Recalling the recent events, Reynard downed a glass of high-proof vodka in one gulp. These days, he could barely sleep properly without alcohol.

As soon as he put down the glass, dark red blood spurted from Reynard’s mouth along with coughing sounds.

“My lord!”

“Duke!”

“Colonel…! Powell, quickly get a doctor…!”

Seeing the four men making a fuss, Reynard raised his right hand to stop them.

“There’s no need for an uproar.”

It had been happening frequently lately. The body of an alpha who had lost his companion and made a one-sided imprint was screaming. The side effects were not insignificant.

Every cell in his body craved his companion’s pheromones. But the unsatisfied body was slowly falling ill. He suffered from severe headaches and his digestive function was not good. Moreover, strange phenomena like blood vessels suddenly bursting or blood pressure wildly fluctuating up and down caused him to faint, and incidents of coughing up blood like this became frequent.

Reynard wiped away the blood with the handkerchief Powell handed him as if nothing had happened, and asked the first person:

“Felix. Have you confirmed where Valentine went?”

He had deliberately let information that the divorce was in progress leak to the 3rd Prince. It was to prevent Valentine from becoming his sacrificial lamb anymore, but you never know. He was such a petty and tiresome person that he couldn’t be at ease until the very end. For Valentine’s safety, Reynard had people follow him through Felix.

“I did attach some of my guys under me, but… alas. We ended up losing him. We were able to continuously confirm his safety while he was in the capital, but suddenly he left the country…”

When Valentine was going around the slums to help those suffering from the side effects of New Poppin’s tincture, Felix’s subordinates actively protected him. Of course, very secretly so he would never notice. Those days continued for quite a while. So they had become lax thinking he would stay in the capital all along. There was also the thought that the companion of their lord, who was like the Holy Mother, wouldn’t leave the pitiful people behind…. Felix was rarely sweating profusely. That’s how ominous his lord’s aura was.

“No word from the Wiche family?”

Though the marriage was breaking up, the alliance and cooperation between the families still continued. He turned his head towards Shane, who still occasionally exchanged contact with Viscount Wiche or his heir Dalton, but the answer was the same.

“They are actively helping for the purpose, but regarding His Highness’s whereabouts…”

Shane shook his head, explaining that they completely shut their mouths.

“But they clarified it’s not because of kidnapping or other threats. They only left a message saying to be assured about His Highness’s whereabouts and safety. Please don’t worry too much.”

“I’ll send out the kids to find out more…”

Felix mumbled dejectedly.

“He was originally someone who dreamed of living a life of free travel, wasn’t he? For now, shouldn’t you take care of your body first, Master…”

Agreeing with Shane’s words, Powell added, to which Reynard frowned deeply and threw the handkerchief he was using to wipe the still-flowing blood. The young butler quickly snatched it up lest the blood stain the papers on the table from the discarded handkerchief.

“By the way, the processing of the divorce application is being delayed…”

Before the lord’s aura could become more ominous, Lord Benson the lawyer changed the subject. They were waiting for the documents to be returned while hoping for the legal procedures to be completed, but there was still no news.

Should they have made a fuss so that the social world would be in an uproar, like others, instead of proceeding with the divorce secretly so no one would know? Reynard recalled how divorcing grand nobles commonly used even newspapers and weekly magazines to fight in the mud. Perhaps because they had to set a social example and maintain the dignity of grand nobles, their divorces were realized speedily by the courts and witnesses.

“How far has it gone?”

“We’re waiting for the Archbishop’s signature.”

“Aren’t priests who have entrusted their bodies to God leisurely everywhere alike?”

Felix shrugged and added a word for his brother. As always, it was a frivolous tone but persuasive. Indeed, compared to those outside the holy grounds, the clergy carrying out God’s laws somehow seemed leisurely in everything. It was