The Beloved New Daughter-In-Law of the Wolf Mansion Chapter 200 - Side story 13

“Name?” 

 

“Yes, I discussed it with Arsene… and it seems most meaningful if Kendrick were the one to give it to me.”

 

Of course, a name given by their parents would also be special.

 

However, I wanted to ask the most special person to us to name our child.

 

Fortunately, Kendrick seemed happy.

 

“Is that okay?”

 

“Of course! I’d be happy if you would.”

 

“Then I’ll give it some thought. There’s still time, so I’ll take it slow and come up with something.”

 

Kendrick nodded obediently.

 

“Thank you!”

 

I quickly lifted my head and looked at Arsene.

 

Arsene, too, was smiling at me as if he were just as happy.

 

***

 

My belly gradually began to swell.

 

I’d heard that pregnancy can make certain foods smell or taste nauseating, but fortunately, I didn’t experience anything like that.

 

However…

 

“Arsene, you can’t eat again today?”

 

Arsene was there.

 

It was as if Arsene were experiencing morning sickness on my behalf; ever since I became pregnant, he hadn’t been able to eat properly.

 

So unlike me—who still ate well and slept well—Arsene’s cheeks had grown noticeably hollow.

 

“Are you really okay?”

 

“Of course. This much is nothing.”

 

“What does Doctor Hessen say about it?” 

 

“He just keeps asking whether I love my wife *that* much….”

 

Arsene trailed off.

 

It was obvious without even hearing the rest. He must’ve gone to get checked by Doctor Hessen and ended up getting teased instead.

 

Of course, Arsene didn’t seem to dislike being teased, nor did he seem embarrassed by it. If anything, he looked relieved—almost grateful—that he could take my place and shoulder it instead.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Mhm.” 

 

Arsene stared intently at my belly for a moment before carefully asking.

 

“Can I touch it?”

 

“You don’t have to ask permission every time you touch it.”

 

“But you still have to take it, it’s your body.”

 

Arsene carefully placed his hand on my belly. By now, the movements inside were quite distinct.

 

According to Arsene, it seemed like he could faintly hear the heartbeat too.

 

Little by little, the fact that there was a baby—that the baby was alive inside my womb—began to truly sink in.

 

I quietly watched Arsene touch my belly for a while, then asked.

 

“Do you want it to be a girl, or a boy?”

 

“Either is fine—because it’s our child.”

 

“They should know how much you’re going through for him, that child in your belly.”

 

“Maybe they do. My nanny once told me that even inside the womb, babies can hear and understand their parents.”

 

“I think I’ve heard something like that before, too…”

 

Moreover, Arsene is a wolf beast.

 

If the child carried the blood of a wolf beastman, whose growth rate is astonishingly fast, maybe he had already grown enough in the womb to understand his parents’ voices.

 

I stared at the slightly gaunt Arsene, worn out from hunger, and gently rubbed his cheek.

 

“Jennifer heard about your troubles and said she would stop by with some apple pie she baked.”

 

Arsene loved Jennifer’s apple pie.

 

If possible, I wanted to eat ‘just like that day’ on the hill.

 

And,

 

‘When the baby is born, let’s ask Jennifer for some apple pie and go on a picnic up the hill.’

 

‘Jennifer’s apple pie?’

 

‘The apple pie baked by Yeckhart’s pastry chef won’t work. I need that.’

 

Arsene was resolute. It seemed that the memory of that day had truly become a cherished one for him.

 

“Apple pie?”

 

Sure enough, a faint spark of life returned to Arsene’s eyes.

 

“Mhm, so just hang in there a little longer.” 

 

“Jennifer is really a good beastman. When I see how attentively she takes care of you, it’s like…”

 

“Like a mother, right? I think that a lot too. And I think Jennifer actually sees me as a daughter.”

 

Jennifer took care of me as if I were her pregnant daughter.

 

The way she checked on my health every time sometimes really made her feel like a “mother” to me.

 

I am truly lucky to have met such a person.

 

I gently rubbed my noticeably rounded belly.

 

Perhaps because I had been eating well all this time, the baby grew safely in my womb without any problems.

 

As a newly born beastman, my childbirth would likely come earlier than other beastmen, so this child would probably be born sooner than wolf beastmen, too.

 

‘I hope the baby isn’t born too small.’

 

Mr. Hessen said that if a newly born beastman were to give birth to a wolf beastman, the baby might be born prematurely and in an underdeveloped state.

 

Because of that, I had been careful with my movements lately. Arsene, too, kept a watchful eye by my side, making sure I didn’t go anywhere alone.

 

At its worst, he wouldn’t even let me drink water by myself—he would hold the cup to my lips and feed me…

 

Thinking of those moments again made my face flush all over.

 

Arsene and I were truly married now, yet these kinds of gestures still felt a little awkward.

 

To be precise, it wasn’t awkward when it was just the two of us…

 

‘When Betty, Ethan, and Professor Hessen are around, though, it’s a little!’

 

It was still a bit embarrassing to show such affection in front of people who had been watching over us since I was very young.

 

But Arsene didn’t seem to care at all.

 

“If it’s hard for you to walk, I’ll carry you to the bedroom.”

 

Arsene looked at me with a very serious expression and said.

 

Even with Ethan and Betty behind him, and Professor Hessen passing by, he didn’t seem to care at all.

 

***

 

At the Yeckhart estate, no beastman other than a wolf beastman had ever been born. 

 

It was like a long-standing rule, and the family had never broken it.

 

But now…

 

“….”

 

That long-standing rule might be broken, seemingly on display for all to see.

 

Kendrick stared intently at the baby lying in the cradle.

 

On the softest cradle in the world lay the tiniest, cutest baby.

 

Until just a moment ago, the baby had been crying, but now, having calmed down, lay quietly with eyes tightly shut.

 

Once the baby opens their eyes, they’ll be able to tell what kind of beastman they are.

 

If the eyes are green, the baby will resemble me, a bird born beastman; if blue, they’ll take after Arsene, a wolf beastman.

 

You could also tell by the hair color, but the few strands of thin silver and dark hair made it hard to distinguish.

 

So, to be certain what kind of beastman the baby is, we’ll probably have to wait until they open their eyes.

 

Kendrick didn’t mind either way, truly.

 

“Baby.”

 

Kendrick gently reached out toward the peacefully sleeping baby.

 

Linsy, who had been catching her breath nearby while having a light conversation with Arsene, looked at Kendrick and asked.

 

“Kendrick!”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Have you decided on a name for the baby?”

 

“Of course…”

 

Linsy and Arsene beamed with smiles.

 

Linsy, after diligently wiping the tear marks remaining on Arsene’s cheek, paused and looked at Kendrick as she asked.

 

“What name will you give?”

 

At Linsy’s words, Kendrick looked down at the newborn baby.

 

The baby, who had been in Mom and Dad’s arms just moments before, began whining and fussing, as if seeking to be held again.

 

The maids waiting in line smiled softly at the sound of the newborn’s cries.

 

Kendrick, having cared for Arsene as a newborn, smiled and wasn’t surprised by the baby’s cries.

 

Kendrick picked up the baby, who had been placed in the cradle for a moment so Linsy wouldn’t be strained.

 

Then he gently handed the baby over to Arsene.

 

“You hold the baby; Linsy needs to get some rest for a while.”

 

“Ah, it’s fine—I can hold the baby too!”

 

“I heard you were holding the baby until just a moment ago and your arms got tired, so Arsene says you should let him hold it.”

 

Kendrick said.

 

Arsene, of course, agreed and took the baby into his arms.

 

Even though Linsy had wiped so diligently, tear stains still remained on Arsene’s face.

 

They were traces of him sharing in Linsy’s struggles, staying by her side through it all.

 

Watching the scene, Kendrick looked at Arsene and then turned his gaze to Linsy, who was smiling.

 

“You’ve worked hard, Linsy.” 

 

“Look at Arsene crying.”

 

“I was the one who handed him a handkerchief when he cried.”

 

Whether Kendrick said it or not, Arsene was preoccupied with his child.

 

“I’ve decided on a name.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah… Because she’s a daughter.” 

 

Kendrick glanced at the child.

 

“Let’s name her Louisa. In the language of the wolf clan, it means ‘life.’”

 

No sooner had Kendrick finished speaking than Arsene gasped, inhaling sharply.

 

At the same time, Linsy and Kendrick turned their heads toward Arsene and the baby.

 

Arsene stared intently at the child, then with trembling hands, placed the newborn in Linsy’s arms. 

 

“!”

 

The moment Linsy saw the baby’s face, she inhaled sharply, just like Arsene.

 

And before long, a bright expression of joy spread across her face.

 

Green eyes.

 

The baby, with clear green eyes like Linsy’s, opened her eyes early and stared at Linsy.

 

She was a female bird beastman.

 

She looked just like Linsy.