TSMMT SS 5

Dianna's Worry (2)

Time passed, and the day of Guiscard’s return arrived. Dianna buried herself in work, making no effort to greet him.

[Revius] "Aren't you going to greet him?"

She replied with indifference.

[Dianna] "I have work to do as well."

[Revius] "Fair enough. I prefer this side of you anyway. Official duties must always come first, after all!"

She ignored him, whose eyes gleamed with professional satisfaction.

As soon as she completed a reasonable portion of her tasks, Dianna retreated to Guiscard's chamber. Much later, the door swung open. She deliberately kept her eyes averted.

[Guiscard] "Why are you sitting over there?"

Unlike her miserable mood, his voice sounded bright, overflowing with affection, just as it had been when he left. Her resolve wavered slightly.

[Guiscard] "Dianna?"

His footsteps drew near. Dianna turned around and met his puzzled gaze. His eyes shifted toward the green bottles resting on the nightstand.

[Guiscard] "Are those contraceptive potions?"

[Guiscard] "Ah, you found them?"

He offered a bashful expression. Yes, a damningly bashful smile.

---

[Bill] "A bit slower, Your Majesty! Are you that eager?"

Bill nudged his side. He had expected Guiscard to remain silent, as was his habit.

[Guiscard] "Get married yourself, then."

[Bill] "Pardon?"

Guiscard glanced back, the corners of his lips curving upward. Bill stared, momentarily dazed.

Guiscard dug his spurs into his horse's flanks and surged into the lead as his steed whinnied sharply. Bill let out a dry chuckle at the sight.

[Bill] "When on earth did he change so much?"

Indeed, Guiscard had become far easier to approach lately, even cracking jokes on occasion. It was a heartwarming moment, until another voice shattered the silence.

[Logaple] "Is this the time for him to be smiling like that?"

[Bill] "Huh?"

Bill frowned at Logaple.

[Logaple] "Satisfaction is always the most dangerous trap. Does His Majesty have no inkling of the storm brewing ahead?"

[Bill] "What are you rambling about now?"

Logaple exhaled heavily, spurred his mount, and galloped after Guiscard.

[Bill] "He's the one acting strange."

When Guiscard arrived at the castle, he noticed Dianna was nowhere to be seen.

Had word of his return failed to reach her? Was she swamped with work or taking an afternoon nap?

Either way, it mattered little. Though disappointed not to see her immediately, he took comfort in the anticipation. Something wonderful awaited them, or rather, seeing her was a blessing in itself.

When he found her office empty, Guiscard inquired about her whereabouts.

[Mable] "She is in her bedchamber, Your Majesty."

Guiscard nodded. Mable's expression seemed strangely tense, but consumed by the desire to embrace his wife, he registered no warning signs.

With a cheerful stride, or what he considered cheerful, he entered the room like someone playing a lighthearted game of hide-and-seek.

Dianna sat at the desk. A subtle sense of friction struck him. Was something wrong?

[Guiscard] "Why are you sitting over there?"

She looked up with a somber expression. Before her lay the contraceptive potions she had uncovered.

[Guiscard] "Ah, you found them?"

At his bashful admission, Dianna finally snapped.

[Dianna] "'You found them'? How can you say that so casually while looking at these?"

[Guiscard] "Is something wrong?"

Perplexed by his genuine confusion, she swallowed her mounting rage.

[Dianna] "No, nothing is wrong."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Dianna] "You don't want to have a child with me. That's all it is, so why would it be wrong? Right?"

[Guiscard] "Dianna, what do you mean...?"

She stood up, her mind spinning in chaos. Nausea welled in her throat.

[Guiscard] "Ann!"

[Dianna] "My head hurts. Give me some time alone."

She slammed the door shut behind her. Guiscard blinked in bewilderment, staring at the potions left on the desk.

Wait... Logaple was right?

Guiscard felt deeply, agonizingly wronged. His dilemma had begun roughly six months ago. He had noticed a lingering melancholy in Dianna. Though she tried to conceal it, something clearly troubled her.

Gentle inquiries yielded no answers, and investigating on his own revealed no external issues. Having failed to pay proper attention to Dianna's plight in their first life, and remembering the tragic choice she had made, he remained acutely hyper-vigilant.

If she faced a hardship, he had to resolve it. Thus, he had tasked Logaple with investigating in secret. When he received his report back then, Guiscard had stroked his chin thoughtfully.

[Guiscard] "So... Ann doesn't want to have a child after all."

[Logaple] "How on earth did you reach that conclusion...? From what I saw..."

Logaple tried to interject with a weary sigh, but Guiscard met him with a frigid glare. Though marriage had rendered him even more refined and striking, the king could be astonishingly dense in matters of the heart.

[Guiscard] "No. I take her words literally."

[Logaple] "..."

[Guiscard] "I don't trust anyone else's interpretation. I only believe what comes directly from her mouth."

They had vowed to avoid misunderstandings by trusting each other's words implicitly. Consequently, Guiscard demanded Logaple report Dianna's exact phrasing, and based on her complaints about the toll of pregnancy, he concluded she dreaded conceiving.

Initial shock had given way to understanding. Given what transpired in her past life, her worry was natural. Pregnancy placed an immense strain on a woman's health, so fearing it was entirely logical.

Protecting her was his duty as her husband. Children? A blessing if they came, but hardly necessary. He refused to subject Dianna to physical suffering or peril. Unlike him, her body was delicate.

Though tinged with slight bitterness, he deemed it a positive thing: she was prioritizing her well-being. Yet he had no desire to exercise restraint in bed. He cherished their intimate nights far too much.

Since conceiving was out of the question, the solution was clear. He purchased the potions, determined to handle contraception until she felt ready.

So why was she furious? She had explicitly stated her reluctance, citing physical strain and ill timing.

Why? Why was Logaple correct? Shouldn't her words be taken at face value without projection or interference?

Back in his office, Guiscard sank into deep contemplation and summoned Logaple, who hurried in posthaste.

[Logaple] "I... heard what happened."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Logaple] "So you showed her the potions after all."

[Guiscard] "I didn't show her. She discovered them."

Guiscard offered the weak defense. Logaple sighed heavily.

[Guiscard] "What exactly did I do wrong?"

Logaple stared at the king, whose presence usually resembled an imposing mountain. Once viewed with awe, Guiscard now appeared to him like an oblivious, oversized older brother.

Valuing his life, he clicked his tongue only in spirit before speaking.

[Logaple] "Well... there is a saying that a fierce denial often masks a strong desire."

[Guiscard] "What?"

[Logaple] "It means someone denies something vehemently because they wish to conceal their true feelings."

[Guiscard] "Is that some kind of women's subtext?"

[Logaple] "Please never utter that aloud, Your Majesty. Disaster will follow. Besides, calling it female subtext is rich, considering you behaved the exact same way in the past."

Pretending not to care. Pretending not to love her. When Guiscard recalled his own foolish past, when he had denied his feelings for Dianna while cursing his own weakness, he clamped a hand over his mouth. Logaple was a sage.

[Logaple] "Few people openly expose their deepest desires. Having one's vulnerabilities laid bare is uncomfortable. Furthermore..."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Logaple] "If you ask me, Her Majesty likely concealed her longing for a child because she feared causing you distress."

[Guiscard] "..."

It was entirely plausible. Dianna would certainly act that way.

[Guiscard] "I am glad you survived."

[Logaple] "Pardon?"

His past self, who had executed Logaple on the spot for letting Dianna go, had been a fool. Guiscard stood up.

[Guiscard] "Ah, but she was furious when she saw the potions. What should I do?"

[Logaple] "Well... could you explain the situation?"

[Guiscard] "I purchased them in bulk, and she discovered the cache."

Logaple's face contorted in despair.

[Logaple] "That... makes it look as though you were single-handedly preventing a pregnancy all this time..."

[Guiscard] "Meaning she believes she couldn't conceive her most cherished child because of me? That I unilaterally took contraceptives behind her back... Sigh..."

He buried his face in his hands, consumed by self-loathing. From her perspective, he looked like an absolute lunatic. At that moment, the door burst open.

[Logaple] "Who dares interrupt His—"

When Guiscard recognized Lady Kragel as the intruder, he immediately clamped a hand over Logaple's mouth.

Logaple glared at her, but she ignored him and offered a swift bow to the king.

[Guiscard] "Speak."

She stepped inside, her expression somber.

[Leonie] "Your Majesty."

[Guiscard] "What is it?"

[Leonie] "Her Majesty is weeping."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Guiscard] "Why?"

Guiscard froze in shock. Lady Kragel let out a low sigh.

[Leonie] "After meeting with the physician..."

[Guiscard] "Is Ann unwell? Wait, tell me that first!"

[Leonie] "Well... the physician confirmed she is pregnant."