It was the perfect atmosphere to have time alone together after a long while.

She asked with anticipation.

“Um, Edric……”

“What? Are you uncomfortable somewhere again?”

But Edric’s face, looking up at her with round, wide eyes, was innocent to the point of being reverent.

To the extent that it felt sinful to bring up other topics at this moment.

“No, I’m just saying this is nice right now……”

“Oh, I see.”

Edric lowered his eyes with a relieved expression and focused on the massage again.

Melly was confused whether she was in this room with her husband or a masseur.

‘Why is he so pure and diligent?’

It would be fine if he was a little impure.

Melly sighed at his faithfulness that made her feel like she should give him a tip.

In the past, he used to get aroused just by touching her skin. He used to pounce on her before she could even speak, but why now?

Come to think of it, he hadn’t desired her even once since she became pregnant. It might make sense in the early stages when they had to be careful, but not now, right?

The physician must have told him too.

That light intimate relations were okay once she entered a stable period.

‘Should I be more direct?’

“Um, Edric?”

Melly suggested in a subtle voice.

“I want to lie down… Shall we go to the bed?”

“You want to lie down?”

Edric raised his body. But instead of picking her up and moving to the bed, he adjusted the angle of her armchair.

“Is this better now?”

“……”

“Take a nap. I’ll move you to the bed when the massage is done.”

He smiled affectionately and lowered his gaze again. His eyes sparkled clearly under his gently curved eyelashes. Even Jade probably wouldn’t be more innocent than this.

Melly became dejected at the sudden thought that came to mind.

‘Does he no longer find my pregnant body attractive? Or is it just a slump?’

She never thought she’d be worrying about something like this before.

Just a few days ago.

After examining Melly, the physician stopped by Edric’s quarters.

He was tasked with telling Melly only the best news possible, and separately conveying to Edric what he couldn’t tell her.

“There are no special issues. Other than complaints of discomfort in her lower back and legs.”

As the delivery date approached, Edric became sensitive to even the slightest symptoms Melly experienced.

“Why is she uncomfortable?”

“Most women tend to complain of pain when their bellies grow, but……”

The physician adjusted his pince-nez and continued.

“In the lady’s case, it seems her previous postpartum syndrome is also contributing.”

Postpartum syndrome. When Edric fell silent at the unfamiliar term, the physician elaborated.

“It refers to the aftereffects of a previous childbirth. If proper care isn’t taken, pain often appears whenever one’s condition deteriorates afterwards. It’s a common symptom among women who have experienced childbirth.”

“Are you saying my wife didn’t take good care of herself after giving birth to Jade?”

The physician bowed his head in response.

‘Well, how could she have taken good care of herself while living as a dependent?’

Although Madam Louisa cared for her attentively, Melly must have tried to recover as quickly as possible due to her discomfort.

She likely moved her body and dipped her hands in cold water without giving time for her joints, stretched and twisted from pregnancy and difficult labor, to recover.

Come to think of it, Melly often asked for warm compresses on her pelvis and legs when the weather was bad. She had also mentioned her wrists aching at times.

‘So that’s why it was all like that.’

Edric felt his heart breaking even more than when he heard she had eaten bean meat instead of meat.

The physician, noticing his feelings, comforted him.

“Don’t worry, Your Excellency. Postpartum syndrome from the first childbirth can be improved with proper care after the second delivery. I’ve seen many cases where it got better that way.”

Edric felt deeply relieved at the fortunate words.

Until now, he thought he had been doing enough, but today he realized he hadn’t even done a quarter of what he should.

He headed to the inner quarters, thinking he needed to do better.

Just then, Melly’s attendant Lena was coming out after preparing her foot bath.

Edric knew Melly received leg massages every evening.

He informed Lena there was no need to return, and went inside.

Melly’s legs, receiving the massage, were slightly swollen.

Every time she flexed her ankle, her calves looked rounder and firmer than before. Her ankle bones also appeared less prominent.

‘So this wasn’t weight gain, but swelling.’

To Edric, who had only been concerned about labor pains, the changes in Melly’s body were truly unfamiliar and pitiful.

He kept all his senses alert to her every reaction so as not to make her uncomfortable.

“Um, Edric……”

“What, are you hurting somewhere again?”

Edric looked at Melly with a sinking feeling.

Melly’s lips moved, then she smiled and shook her head.

“No, I’m just saying this is nice right now.”

Edric sighed in relief, smoothing his chest.

“Um, Edric?”

A moment later, Melly startled him once again by calling his name.

“I want to lie down… Shall we go to the bed?”

Edric’s response speed to his wife’s requests was getting faster by the moment.

He immediately got up and adjusted the angle of the armchair upon hearing Melly say she wanted to lie down.

“Take a nap. I’ll move you to the bed when the massage is done.”

He thought to himself.

Wanting to lie down means feeling sleepy, and feeling sleepy means being comfortable.

‘I told you. I’d be more comfortable than your attendant.’

“It’s fine. You can stop now.”

Just as he was about to start massaging her legs again with a sense of satisfaction, she sat up.

“I’ll just sleep in bed. Thank you for the massage.”

Melly smiled, though it somehow felt empty, and got up from the armchair. As she approached the bed and slipped between the covers, her demeanor was filled with resignation unlike before.

Moreover, she turned her back to him again.

‘Why?’

Edric tried to figure out what he had done wrong. But this time, he really couldn’t figure it out.

He felt like he had encountered an unsolvable problem for the first time.

She thought such thoughts wouldn’t come when pregnant. It was like that with Jade.

But the delicate touch gliding over her slippery skin kept arousing sensual desires. Her body wanted him as much as before pregnancy, no, even more than then.

‘Um, Edric.’

She thought moist eyes and a subtle voice would be enough. To evoke the same feelings in him.

But all she heard were proper and moral answers. Melly tasted the feeling of her self-esteem plummeting to rock bottom.

‘I’ll sleep now. Thanks for the massage.’

Melly burrowed into the covers, feeling self-loathing at the unintended curtness seeping into her voice. Not content with that, she even turned her back to him.

She felt Edric’s bewildered gaze on her back.

‘What’s wrong?’

She knew he wanted to ask, even without looking.

But Melly closed her eyes.

“Then sleep. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Edric calmly followed her wishes.

She heard him opening the door. And at the sound of the lock clicking that followed, Melly opened her eyes.

Hoo—.

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she was left alone.

‘Why did I act like that?’

Edric was doing as well as he possibly could.

I guarantee there’s no other nobleman who gives foot massages to his pregnant wife himself. She should have felt grateful.

In fact, it was natural that he didn’t notice the sensual desire in her eyes and gave a textbook response.

He’s not her, so he wouldn’t know that pregnant women can also have the desire to be held in their husband’s arms.

Thinking that way made her feel better.

But a sudden thought disturbed her peace again.

‘He’s the husband who used to hold me every day.’

Just as my body remembers his touch, his body should remember me too.

How can he show no signs of that while sharing the same bed every day?

Once, Melly had heard noble ladies talking about how their husbands were too demanding when they were pregnant, causing them trouble.

At that time, Melly had been scared in advance, wondering what she should do if that happened to her.

Now that she thinks about it, it was a completely unnecessary worry.

Nothing happened at all, to the point where she wished for some trouble.

Feeling bitter about the reversed situation, Melly closed her eyes again.

“Mom, when will my sibling be born?”

Jade asked during breakfast.

“Just three more months of waiting, dear.”

“What? Three months?!”

Jade was disappointed to learn that the sibling, whom he thought would be born soon like a newborn foal in the stable, still had to stay in mom’s belly for three more months.

But the child soon became cheerful again and said.

“It’s okay. A pretty little sister will be born after waiting this long.”

“……”

Melly judged that she could no longer postpone it.

“Jade, no one knows yet if the baby will be a little sister or brother. We’ll know when it’s born.”

“Isn’t there a way to know before it’s born?”

There were some folk methods, but Melly didn’t say that.

“Unfortunately, there’s no such thing.”

“……”

“I think it would be good to come up with a boy’s name too. Just in case it’s a little brother.”

“Okay… I will.”

Good-natured Jade obediently agreed, but the dejected look didn’t leave his face.

Hoping it would be a girl for the child’s sake too, Melly headed to the dressing room.

It was to help Edric prepare for work.

Buttoning up his shirt and tying his necktie was something she always did.

Melly chose a light blue necktie with dark gray stripes and approached him.

“I’ll do it today.”

But Edric smiled and took the necktie from her hands.

Melly looked down at her empty hands and thought.

‘Does he dislike even my touch now?’

Then the hurt feelings she had barely soothed last night suddenly reared their head.

Edric looked at Melly in the mirror and said.

“Would you just pick out a pair of cufflinks for me?”

Melly replied calmly.

“You choose.”