The Villain's End Is Pregnancy - c48
Ryan
His eyes snapped open. At the same time, he discovered the face so close their eyelashes could almost touch, and Ryan abruptly stopped breathing.
‘Hendrick?’
Why was he here? His mind still hazy, it took a little more time to understand the current situation.
Then slowly, the events that occurred before he fell asleep began to fill his head.
‘I like you. I like you, Ryan.’
Hendrick’s confession as he stared at Ryan piercingly. Ryan had cut off those words he said, apologizing for not being able to say it until now.
“That’s nonsense.”
Even rethinking it, really. Those weren’t the words Hendrick should be saying to him now.
“You already met someone. So why are you saying that?”
Ryan felt he would be really hurt if he heard later that it was a misunderstanding and Hendrick was going to find true love.
So he tried to put even more clear distance between them, citing pheromones as the reason, but somehow Hendrick didn’t look like he understood at all.
Rather…
“This is unbearable, really.”
Recalling the sticky, sloppy and messy time that followed, Ryan’s face now flushed bright red as if it would burst into flames.
“No way. We just got swept up in the pheromones and atmosphere. No, no!”
Ryan shook his head and looked again at the handsome face before his eyes. He noticed the dense eyelashes above the tightly closed eyes.
Then the look in the eyes gazing down at him tenderly, the exclamations that burst out several times, and the voice earnestly asking if it was okay all came to mind at once.
“Ah…”
Dangerous. His thoughts were flowing in a direction he absolutely didn’t want again. He felt a sense of crisis that he couldn’t keep going like this.
First, he untangled the long, thick arms wrapped around his body. He didn’t forget to be careful, lest he wake the sleeping person.
In that state, he quietly waited and watched, but there were no signs of Hendrick waking up.
‘Well, he must be tired.’
Ryan’s gaze shifted past the sturdy shoulders to the window where sunlight was streaming in. The last thing he remembered was when he was sitting on Hendrick’s thighs, being violently shaken, and finally resting his back on the mattress, the sky brightening beyond the window.
After that, he fell asleep as if fainting, so he guessed it was now late morning.
‘Sleep well.’
He must be tired after tormenting Ryan so much. For a moment, he pouted his lips, feeling choked up, but what Ryan chose to do was turn his body half a circle and escape from the warm, wide embrace.
Suddenly feeling regret and emptiness, he sneakily looked back. Hendrick was still deep in slumber. How could he sleep so quietly without even snoring?
“He lent his arm as a pillow.”
Then Ryan suddenly realized that what he had been resting his head on was Hendrick’s long arm.
“Wasn’t it numb?”
He knew that as an Alpha+, Hendrick naturally had outstanding stamina and strength. But still, if he had been supporting Ryan’s head for hours, it must have been quite heavy, but he had amazingly just left it there.
Ryan, who wrinkled his eyes as if a cat’s tail had tickled under his chin, got up completely. He had to leave before Hendrick woke up.
But then his face scrunched up at the familiar sight.
“Why are we here again?”
To him, this annex was not a very pleasant place. It was where he experienced his first presentation and heat cycle, and during his coming-of-age party, he even rolled around in bed with Hendrick all night long.
At this point, wouldn’t it be no exaggeration to call it a fateful bad connection?
Ryan glared at Hendrick, who was still sleeping without a care in the world, and grabbed the doorknob as if taking out his frustration.
“Huh?”
However, contrary to his intention to leave, he couldn’t take a single step.
“Sir Ryan, are you awake?”
In front of the door, Peter greeted him first with a polite smile.
“Oh… Peter. Hendrick, I mean the prince is still asleep.”
“Is that so? Then would it be alright if we moved somewhere else to talk for a bit?”
“To me?”
What could Peter possibly have to say to him separately? Ryan was puzzled but came out for now. The place Peter guided him to was another room diagonally across from the bedroom he had just left.
Ryan cast a glance at the middle-aged woman naturally following them.
“Ah, this is Anna, the court physician.”
“Hello, Sir Ryan. I’m Anna Marie.”
Ryan just nodded to return the greeting and looked at Peter with eyes asking why he was introducing this person to him.
“The prince asked her to examine you in case you were feeling unwell anywhere.”
“An examination?”
Ryan’s eyes immediately furrowed. And he purposely swept his gaze over his own body. He looked perfectly fine no matter how he looked at it.
Of course, he did feel a bit weak, languid, and sore down there, but that was because a certain someone didn’t let him go until dawn…
‘Knotting!’
The thought that suddenly popped up made Ryan’s face turn beet red again.
“You seem to have a bit of a fever, so please get examined.”
Peter asked in a worried tone, making Ryan even more flustered.
“Oh, no. It’s fine. I’ll go home and call my family doctor, so don’t worry about it.”
He firmly refused and left the room right away. Behind him, Peter tried to verbally stop him, telling him to at least rest before leaving, but he didn’t stop.
In Ryan’s mind, only warning lights were flashing, telling him he had to get out of here now.
‘Knotting, he said knotting.’
Even if he was dazed and delirious from the pheromones, he couldn’t believe he had allowed even that. With this, he would have nothing to say even if Catherine spanked him until his back was on fire.
He must have been crazy!
Knotting is when the chance of pregnancy is highest between an Alpha and Omega, even outside of rut or heat cycles. He had to take emergency contraception as soon as possible.
Of course, there was no way he could say that to the court physician.
As Ryan swiftly descended to the first floor, the attendants and maids busily moving about hurriedly bowed.
Only after looking them over and stepping outside did Ryan realize he couldn’t just go back in this state.
“I asked them to prepare the carriage, so please wait a moment.”
Peter, who had quickly caught up, said after evening out his slightly ragged breathing. Like the capable attendant he was, it seemed he hadn’t neglected his duties even while chasing after Ryan.
And sure enough, the carriage pulled up in front of them very soon.
“Tell Hendrick I wasn’t feeling well so I left first.”
Peter’s mouth opened then closed again. He had been about to say it would be better to wait and tell him in person.
Seeing the flushed face and confused eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say such a thing after all.
“Yes, Sir Ryan. I will relay that to him. However… he will probably be very disappointed. So please do contact him as soon as you return.”
Ryan looked at Peter with surprised eyes. It was because of his tone that sounded strangely earnest. Recently, he had been feeling that this attendant was being nice to him.
But this attitude was different. From what he remembered, Peter was not the type to yield to someone just because they were a noble.
“I will.”
As Ryan nodded, only then did Peter look relieved. He didn’t know why seeing that made it even harder for him to leave.
“Then please return safely.”
As if to cut off his hesitation, this time Peter said goodbye first. Only then could Ryan get in the carriage.
Through the window with the curtains left open, he saw the attendant bidding farewell with a gentle smile. Only after nodding to him did Ryan avert his eyes.
The place Ryan headed to after saying he was going home was near the residential area where his family doctor lived.
“Please let me off here.”
The attendant who stopped the carriage looked around with a puzzled expression.
“Are you not going to your residence?”
“No. I have something to take care of. You can go back now.”
The reason Ryan got off here was because he knew his whereabouts would be conveyed to Hendrick through that attendant.
If it was here, they wouldn’t be able to guess where exactly he was going.
Ryan stared intently at the attendant.
“Understood.”
Realizing the meaning in those eyes, the attendant finally said goodbye and set off with the carriage. Only after the cloud of dust had completely settled did Ryan also turn and walk to the house where his family doctor lived.
Fortunately, the family doctor had not gone out, and although surprised Ryan came to find him in person, he calmly led him to a room where an examination was possible.
“What brings you here, young master Ryan?”
“Before I answer, I’d like only you to know about what I ask today.”
The family doctor quietly observed the youngest son of the duke family sitting before him. Contrary to normally just looking lovely, today he felt strangely cold.
“I will do so.”
“It seems a Hydrian flower extract has been secretly circulating among the young nobles these days. Can you track down the route?”
“Hydrian flower, you say?”
Ryan moved his head to mean yes. The family doctor’s face grew even more serious.
“That’s right. This is already the second time I’ve heard of it. Surely it must have spread from somewhere, and there must have been cases of people being treated in relation to it.”
“Hmm… Alright, young master. I will look into that matter. However, if the situation is grave, I may need to inform the duke as well.”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
The family doctor quietly looked at Ryan, who was more resolute than usual, then nodded. He had wondered why Ryan came all the way here, but it seemed to be because of a dangerous drug.
Thinking that, he was about to tidy up his seat when Ryan brought up another matter.
“I knotted with an Alpha. So give me the morning-after pill.”