I’m Not Doing This With A Friend – Chapter 131

Author: Nikss

I asked, my brow furrowed, “What do you mean you don’t want to see me suffer through any more pregnancies?”

He made it sound like I had a miscarriage or something.

What the…

For someone who’s never been pregnant in the first place.

I don’t blame Carson for enjoying himself so much. But we never progressed beyond kissing after that first night.

Then Carson grimaced, as if the words were too painful to utter.

“Our…baby…”

I was speechless with disbelief.

What kind of weird fantasies was he having in his head?

Doesn’t he honestly believe that if he sleeps with someone, they automatically have a baby?

Oh, my goodness.

I should have suspected it from the first time he expressed any interest in Fjord’s red book collection!

But since he doesn’t even know that basic aspect of world affairs, it’s pretty… awesome when he spends the night with me.

If anything, he was more knowledgeable than me, who had perused the Red Book.

I put my questions away and decided to clear up the misunderstanding first.

I grabbed Carson’s shoulder, and he flinched, locking eyes with me.

“Caon, I don’t know how you came to be under such a misconception, but I am not pregnant.”

For a moment, shock flashes across Carson’s eyes. There was something close to despair in his eyes.

Despair? I get that you’re shocked, but why does that look?

“Leen…”

Carson stared at me, his face so fragile that it looked like it could crumble at any moment.

The look on his face made me suddenly realize a ridiculous assumption.

No way.

Impossible.

How could it be…?

“Caon, please don’t tell me you’re thinking that the trauma of my miscarriage erased my memory of being pregnant.”

He purses his lips.

Whew, I burst out laughing hysterically and immediately explained to him why I’m not pregnant.

“Listen, I didn’t spend the night with you that night on impulse, I thought it through, and I planned it.”

But Carson’s expression didn’t change. Frustration welled up in him.

“I knew I was going to spend the night with you, so, of course, I took the pill. There’s no way I could have gotten pregnant in the first place.”

Besides, one of the first symptoms of pregnancy involves not having menstruation.

But as if to prove that I wasn’t pregnant, I was called by Mother Nature just in time for my cycle.

Twice.

What I didn’t know was that the chances of me being pregnant were extremely low.

At the mention of the pills, Carson looked a little embarrassed.

“…You’ve asked me before if I like children.”

“What? You just misunderstood me? It’s just a normal question to ask, isn’t it?”

“But you had morning sickness and…”

“When did I get morning sickness…!”

Just as I was about to interrupt him, I remembered that I had gotten nauseous at a dinner table where everyone was gathered.

“You mean when I ate eggplant and got nauseous?”

“Oh, you ate an eggplant?”

Carson’s eyes darted around. He knew full well that I disliked eggplant, that I despised it.

“…The one where you patted your belly and thanked it for coming to you?”

“That, how could you…”

My face flushed with embarrassment. I was too embarrassed to say that I liked the reusable water bag so much that I spoke to it in person.

Oops. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but now I realize that the maid might have misunderstood…

Or maybe it was something I said while rubbing my belly.

So suddenly the Duke’s people were trying to turn me into a healthy adult…?

Crazy! That’s where the misunderstanding started?

I said with a straight face, “Anyway, I’m not, really.”

It made sense that they could have misunderstood me, but I couldn’t believe that they still did.

How could anyone misunderstand?

The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it became, and finally, my voice rose in pitch.

“If I was pregnant, of course I’d tell you right away! You’re the father! We need to get married soon! No, I mean, if you thought I was pregnant before that, why didn’t you ask me sooner?”

It was then. Tears fell from Carson’s eyes without warning.

It was a waterfall of tears, as if it was only the beginning.

I looked up at him, bewildered by the unstoppable flow of tears.

“Caon…?”

I had seen Carson cry many times, but this was different from the others.

The emotion was deep, and I could almost feel how much he was struggling.

“I didn’t even know it, I thought there was something wrong with our baby because of that bastard…”

Carson suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. He always held me so hard I thought I might break, but never felt weak.

This time, I felt the strength of his arms around me. His arms were trembling with emotion.

“Thank God. You’re safe…”

I buried my face in his broad chest, and after a moment of panic, I moved my hand to pat his back.

…You’ve had a rough time.

Well, if you really believed that nonsense, you deserved it.

It’s not something I would have said easily.

He turned to me, his voice full of questions.

“Leen, can I ask you one more question?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you go to the healing center the night you met Rex Begonia?”

…So much for the miscarriage misunderstanding. My head throbbed.

A misunderstanding that wouldn’t have happened if I’d explained that I was there to give Nancy’s father some medicine in a time of emergency.

“My friend’s dad was sick, and I was just bringing him some medicine in a rush.”

It didn’t work.

“Why did you cry all day after you got home?”

“I was thinking about my parents, who died.”

His grip on me tightened a little more.

“…Are you okay now?”

“Yes. I’m okay because I have you. You’re my new family.”

Not just you, but the Duke and the Duchess. They were going to be my family.

So, “I’m fine.”

I pushed him away slightly and checked his face. It was streaked with tears.

Wiping his tears away with my sleeve, I said, “You’re an idiot. Why are you crying? You’re lucky I’m not pregnant. You should be happy right now, not crying.”

The logic was forced, even for me, but Carson’s face immediately lit up.

“Yeah…”

Wait, Carson really believed this firmly…?

“Caon, is it possible that the Duke and Duchess are also mistaken?”

He nods slightly, avoiding my eyes. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly.

Ah, my dear life.

🍃

Clank—

The old man picked up his bottle and slowly shifted his gaze to the uninvited visitor who had entered without knocking.

The old man had already known he was coming by the sound of his footsteps.

“Drinking again, Godfather.”

“…Lord Kun.”

The piercing black eyes staring back at Kun reminded him of someone.

Kun strode over and sat down across from Caris, feigning nonchalance.

“You should cut back on the alcohol, you’re old enough to be thinking about your health.”

Kun looked at Caris with a complicated expression on his face.

It had been daily since the death of his son and the day he realized Leen was his granddaughter that Caris had turned to alcohol.

Kun spoke impulsively, “…If you were so distressed, why didn’t you tell Leen the truth?”

“…”

“I thought my godfather would be like he always was, not caring what my mother had to say.”

Caris poured himself a drink.

“You know what, Lord Kun?”

“…About what.”

“She, I mean Lord Kun’s mother. I’m not really qualified to say anything to her.”

Kun narrowed his eyes, ‘Caris and my mother hadn’t gotten along since Kun could remember.’

Perhaps that’s why they’ve been at each other’s throats for so long.

‘What made them talk like that? What made my godfather like that?’

As if to answer the question, Caris slowly opened his mouth.

“In the past, when my son left me, she persuaded me to accept her. Again and again… repeatedly… pleading with me.”

His eyelids lowered as he recalled the past.

Suddenly, a sharp voice rings in his ears.

— “Caris, you’re going to regret this, you’ll never see Rud again. Is that a good thing? He’s your son, the one you cared for and loved so much!”

— “Get someone out there and find Rud, it’s not too late, and who knows, maybe he’ll come back when he hears that Caris is desperately looking for his son.”

— “You’re going to abandon your family for your vengeance? Think about it. You’re not seeing what’s important right now.”

And what did I say to that?

Yes, I threatened her with an aura of untamed ferocity.

She was carrying Lord Kun in her womb.

— “Don’t visit me again, how long do you think I’ll put up with you in your soon-to-be-empress body, I’ve had enough of your visits.”

She bit her lip and fled, clutching her stomach as the sharp energy poured into her, and she fled. She did not visit me again until she had given birth to Kun and recovered.

By then, he’d had a son who wouldn’t return for over a year, and a faint regret.

But back then, there was still faith.

In the vain hope that my son would eventually return to me.

When she returned from a month’s absence from the palace to recuperate in nature after giving birth to Kun, the first thing she did was seek out Caris instead of her son.

Caris’s face hardened at the sight of her once more.

— “What brings you here again?”

— “Have you learned anything by now? Rud would never come back first.”

— “So, what do you want me to do? If you’re here to argue, you’re in the wrong place.”

— “Don’t you want to see Rud with a family of his own? Have you ever envisioned your grandchildren? Dark hair, dark eyes. If she’s born, she’ll be very… very lovely.”

Caris smirked in agreement.

The way she said it, as if she was certain the child would have black hair and black eyes, made him laugh.

The woman Rud had brought had silver hair and gold eyes.

Moreover, children don’t just inherit the color of their parents, but often the color of their parents’ parents.

In other words, the odds of having black hair and black eyes are not very high.

That’s why I couldn’t help but love my son, who inherited my color, even more.

— “I can’t have a Lagrasian in my family, and if I ever have grandchildren, it would be disgusting to have their foul blood in the mix.”

— “…So that’s your answer.”

She asked one last time, as if she hadn’t been able to resist.

— “What would you do if a Lagrasian was in front of you?”

— “I would immediately draw my sword and kill it.”

— “Even if it was your family?”