Chapter 1477.2

It would've made more sense if Illyna couldn't have children because she had suffered a severe injury to a critical area, but there was no logical reason for her body to have changed in such an unusual way.

Davey couldn’t pinpoint what had caused her problems. He scanned the records and information he had received from Sullivan, along with the diagnostic notes of the sole attending physician who had noticed something wrong with her.

Unfortunately, that physician had already retired and vanished, making him difficult to contact and consult. He’d even heard a rumor that the physician had died of illness somewhere while trying to find a way to treat Illyna, but that too was unconfirmed.

First of all, he had no idea how the physician had even discovered the problem. Illyna had been very young at the time, so it would've been difficult to detect such an issue through any ordinary examination.

Just then, Illyna suddenly appeared out of nowhere, curiously asking, “Davey? What are you doing? What’s that?”

Startled, he hastily hid the documents and raised his head while trying to put on a nonchalant appearance.

She gave him a weird look. “What... What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. But when did you come back?”

“A little while ago. The door was locked, and you didn’t answer even after I called out and knocked.” She pointed to one of the windows. “I slipped in, but you still didn’t notice me.”

She must’ve climbed through the window again.

‘Did she notice? Is the jig up???’

Cold sweat ran down his face. He had been so focused that he hadn't noticed her approaching. It didn't help that she was so used to instinctively concealing her presence.

It was a mistake uncharacteristic of him. He tried to shrug it off. “Ahaha. I guess I was a bit tired. Are you finished with your business?”

“Yes. I figured I’d come help you with your work and then catch some sleep.”

“No need,” he insisted. “I already finished my work for today.”

“Then what are those documents?”

“Personal documents.”

Though Illyna’s gaze was suspicious, she smiled brightly. “Davey.”

“Um.Huh?”

“You’re hiding something from me.”

He felt his heart sink. However, he was none other than THE Davey O’Rowane. He had pulled off countless scams with his peerless shamelessness over the years!

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Everyone has a secret or two.”

“Is that so? Hehe, then I’ll forgive you for the sake of our little Desiree.”

He went silent.

“Davey?”

“No. It’s nothing.” Davey pulled her into an embrace.

According to the information, there was only one method available.

“Speaking of our lovely Desiree, let’s check your pulse. Give me your arm.”

She unhesitatingly held out her left arm, and he checked her pulse while subtly pushing mana into her.

He then examined her physical condition. The area around the placenta was difficult to examine due to the dense concentration of mana, but checking her hormone levels was enough to tell him what he needed to know.

“Won’t it be great when Desiree is born?”

“It will be,” he agreed.

She sat in the chair facing him and indulged in happy fantasies. “Who do you think the baby will take after more, you or me? Personally, I hope they have your black hair and my eyes. I hope they're taller than me, though, and maybe not quite as sly as you.”

She then remarked, “They say giving birth is incredibly painful. I feel nervous and scared...”

Even a being who could cleave dimensions with a single sword seemed to have fears.

“I’m also worried about whether I can be a good mother,” she admitted

When Davey took his hand away from her arm, she immediately moved toward the chair he was sitting on and settled onto his lap.

“I’m so happy right now! So happy that I... wonder if I’m allowed to be this happy.”

There was no way he could tell her the truth. If he stopped her at that moment and told her there was a good chance she wasn't actually pregnant, he couldn't even imagine how she'd react.

The chance that she was actually pregnant was about the same as someone who had lost their eyesight and replaced their eyes with prosthetics suddenly claiming they could see again.

His heart burned with anxiety.

“The child inside you, and the other children, Darian, Abel, and all the rest, they are all the same.”

“Hehe. Desiree, don’t you have anything you want to ask your daddy?” She stroked her flat belly and said to him, “Don’t you have anything to say to the baby?”

“It won’t mean anything if I say it now.”

“What does that matter? This is what happiness is all about.”

Saying that, she stood up.

Considering the clues he had gathered from the Pallan Empire, only one course of action came to mind for Davey. Since he had said he would try everything possible, he was prepared to utilize any means necessary.

Just then, she suddenly retched and stepped away from Davey. “Hrmph?!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing... I sudde— Aurgh!”

He looked at her with concern.

“I’m sorry, Davey. I’ll just be a moment...”

Watching her rush out, he sighed and began to gather a massive amount of vitality into his hands. He mumbled, “I gotta do it. I’m not a true family head if I can’t protect that smiling face.”

He needed to modify his own body. However, he couldn't hold onto the vitality for long and had to let it scatter.

It was due to a sudden, angry voice.

* * *

Morning sickness was difficult. But even that discomfort brought people a sense of happiness, as it was proof that their child was making their presence known.

It was probably a reaction to the sweet smell of the snacks Davey always ate. Either way, it was a problem that would resolve itself with a little rest.

“Baby, you shouldn’t be too picky. A good child listens well.”

Illyna smiled faintly and stroked her belly, then looked up at the sky from the terrace and breathed in the cool air. She repeated that process a few times. She even tried to imitate the strange breathing exercises pregnant women did and chuckled to herself. She then turned to go back to Davey.

Ever since the baby was conceived, her body had instinctively tried to protect itself, causing her presence to naturally fade.

Just then.

She heard Aeria’s voice. “Please move them here. Is this the last of the supplies?”

“Yes.”

“Haah. I really hope it works this time...”

The other female voice asked, “Um... Madam, may I ask just one question?”

“Go ahead.”

“If Her Highness Grand Duchess Illyna really does become pregnant because of this... how will we be able to tell the difference?”

It was a strange conversation. Illyna instinctively suppressed her presence and moved toward where the voices were coming from. There, Aeria and one of her personal maids were quietly moving boxes containing supplies. What was disturbing was the fact that the maid brought up pregnancy.

'What... What is she talking about? Pregnancy? I already have a baby, don’t I?'

Aeria answered, “It's hard to tell right away, but there'll definitely be a change. Her body is subconsciously protecting itself right now, making it difficult to confirm, but... Davey says a gap will eventually appear.”

“I hope it works out... Her Highness Grand Duchess Illyna loves children so much. If she finds out it was only a phantom pregnancy, I can only imagine.”

“So please be careful,” Aeria reminded the maid. “She absolutely can't find out about this.”

Hearing the firmness in her tone, the maid quietly bowed her head. Then, just as she was about to turn around, she froze in place.

Illyna revealed herself, staring blankly. “What is this supposed to mean?”

“Uh... Ugh?!” Aeria, flustered, perked up her ears and hurriedly called out, “S-Sister. What brings you here?”

“Aeria. What were you just talking about?”

She desperately tried to come up with an excuse, but her voice already had an edge to it. There was no point in trying to steer the conversation—Illyna had already heard everything.

Illyna went on, “Phantom pregnancy? Fake? Everything I just heard... Is it true?”

“T-that is...”

“Tell me the TRUTH!”

Aeria bowed her head deeply. Illyna was shouting at her with fierceness she had never shown her before.

She should've been more careful. She had let her guard down and moved the supplies after confirming that Davey was with Illyna. Still, she had even used a rarely used hallway just in case, never imagining Illyna would have come out in the meantime.

The sheer coincidence caused by the morning sickness had ruined everything.

“Sister. Please, just hear me out first!” Aeria hurriedly tried to grab Illyna, but she shook her arm away.

She seemed surprised by her own action and flinched, but then muttered with a rapidly darkening face, “I've heard of it... Phantom pregnancy. They say it happens when someone believes they're pregnant so strongly that it completely fools both the brain and the body.”

“Illyna...”

“Aeria, tell me the truth. I... No, the baby inside me... was it never there to begin with?” Illyna raised her head, her eyes dark and lifeless, with tears streaming down her face. “The baby... was it never there?”

Aeria was distraught. “Sister! No! We don’t know anything yet! We haven’t been able to properly confirm it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Then why would you two talk about such a thing?! And what is that over there?! You know, come to think of it... no wonder everyone’s been acting strangely lately.”

“Illyna...”

“Is there something wrong with my body? Did this happen because I can't have children, but I convinced myself I was pregnant anyway?”

“Absolutely not! We really don’t know yet!” Aeria insisted.

Illyna screamed, “Tell me the truth!”

Aeria finally couldn’t hold back her tears.

Everyone had tried so hard to hide it, and they never thought Illyna would leave Davey and come there.

Realizing she couldn’t hide it anymore, Aeria decided not to run from it. Despite her carefulness, she was the one who was caught. So, she had no choice but to take responsibility.

She began, “Illyna... Do you remember the attack by the vampire a long time ago?”

As Illyna fell silent, Aeria revealed the truth of that day, which she had heard from Reina. It was something from Illyna’s past that she only vaguely remembered.

Once she finished, Illyna sobbed and lowered her head.

Aeria concluded, “As a result, you’re infertile... But then you suddenly started showing symptoms of morning sickness...”

Since symptoms appeared when it should’ve been impossible, suspicions immediately arose. The pregnancy symptoms were certain, but her body couldn't carry a child.

That left only one possibility.

“So, a phantom pregnancy... Why couldn’t Davey figure this out?” Illyna asked between breaths.

“Illyna... your body is currently reflexively protecting itself from deeper inspection.”

Her body, specifically the area where a child would grow, was unconsciously protected by a massive amount of mana, making it difficult to examine. The defense was so strong that even Davey could only manage to create small gaps without putting too much strain on her.

“That’s why we couldn’t properly confirm it. B-but still, Illyna, we still don’t know for sure! There really could be a baby...”

Aeria tried her best to salvage the situation, but Illyna let out a hollow laugh and collapsed onto the floor. She had been moving carefully, afraid that even the slightest rough movement might put stress on the baby. To think all of that was merely a dream.

Illyna stared down at her trembling hands, then brought them to her belly. She weakly muttered, “So Desiree... was never real...”

Soon after, Davey and the others, who had sensed something was wrong, appeared.

The moment they saw the two, they understood what had happened, and their faces hardened.

“Illyna!”

Aeria was beside herself. “I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I should’ve been more careful...”

Her maid, thinking Illyna heard the truth because of her carelessness, went down on her knees and begged for death, pleading, “P-please execute me, Your Highness!”

Perserque covered her face with her hand, her expression grim, while Davey slowly approached and placed a hand on Illyna’s shoulder.

Smack!

Yet, she slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Illyna.”

“Davey... What should I do? I was foolish enough to have a phantom pregnancy and made all of you worry... What am I supposed to do now?”

“No one is blaming you for anything,” he insisted.

“My... D-Desiree...”

“Illyna, we still don’t know. Desiree could really be there.”

“Don’t give me that nonsense!!! You know very well how absurd it is, like a blind person suddenly saying they can see!”

Her desperate scream was mixed with a cry of anguish. “How ridiculous I must’ve been. How painful it must’ve been...”

Illyna sobbed pitifully, overwhelmed by her miserable situation. Only the sound of her crying filled the air.

It was then. Illyna, smelling the precious fruit that Aeria had her maid transport, retched. “Ugh!”

“Illyna!”

She resentfully mumbled, “Even this vomiting is all fake...”

“Please calm down! It’s not that there’s no way. I’ll make it happen, no matter what!” Davey promised her. “There’s a high chance of success if I just complete what I’m currently preparing.”

Though the process required him to modify his own body with a special power, and even that was only a probability, not a certainty.

“Hmph?!”

Illyna clenched her teeth even as she sobbed, finding her own retching utterly disgusting. She yelled at her own body as if scolding it, “Stop!!! Stop deceiving me!!!”

Aeria, unable to watch, shed tears, and the Gourmet Research Society, who arrived late upon hearing the commotion, quietly retreated with widened eyes.

It was truly the worst-case scenario.

Illyna’s golden eyes, already hollow, had long lost their bright light.

“I see. The pain Perserque felt, and the pain Aeria went through after losing a child... So this is what it was like.”

Sitting on the floor and sobbing, she covered her mouth and forcibly suppressed the urge to vomit. “Stop... Stop fooling me...”

That sorrow began to turn into extreme rage toward the body that had deceived her.

Just then, her rage caused the mana that had been fiercely protecting her body to tremble violently, and Davey saw something with his Death Spirit Eye.

“Wait!”

Startled by his urgent cry, everyone looked at him. He staggered toward Illyna and muttered, “Just a moment.”

He slowly approached with trembling eyes, extended his hand, and placed it on her belly.

Illyna wouldn’t have it. “Stop, Davey! Don’t suffer any more because of me...”

He abruptly shouted, “Quiet!”

“Da... Davey?”

“Wait a moment. I just felt a soul wave from your tummy.”

Hearing that, her hollow eyes widened.

A soul wave, emanating from her abdomen? It was a miracle that should've been impossible. Yet, nonetheless, it resonated once more, as if the baby were trying to speak to them.

It was as though it were saying it was actually there, telling them to stop crying and to not deny its existence.

It pulsed very faintly.

It was the first time Davey had ever witnessed the complete creation of a soul.

It wasn’t a soul borne of reincarnation—it was a completely newborn, pure, and clean soul.

A miracle.

There was no other word to describe it.