The Seed Thief Vol. 2 Chapter 6.2

The instant that word crossed his mind, Ervandas froze, as if struck by lightning. Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner, after all his efforts?

He racked his brain, trying to figure out his next move. It was strange. The expected situation had arrived, yet he couldn’t think rationally.

Lost in thought, Ervandas paced in circles until the bone crow in the cage gestured, ‘What’s gotten into him?’

* * *

“Er, what’s all this?”

After lying in bed all day, Lulu finally got up and couldn’t close her mouth when she saw the table laden with breakfast. From pigeon meat to fruits, no ingredient was spared. But it wasn’t just an abundance of ingredients.

“How many loaves of bread are there?”

Ervandas, who always cautioned against preparing more than they could consume, had outdone himself. The table overflowed with not just bread, but a seemingly endless variety of dishes.

‘This is like a banquet!’

Lulu remembered reading about the human tradition of banquets. Whenever there was something joyous to celebrate, humans would prepare an abundance of food. Unable to contain her delight, she eagerly took a seat.

She didn’t know what the cause of the celebration was, but having a table full of delicious food was a joyous occasion in itself. If Er was happy enough to prepare a feast, Lulu was more than happy to share in his joy. Lulu held her fork, awaiting Ervandas to explain the reason for this banquet.

However, he hesitated, unable to open his mouth.

As her patience dwindled, Lulu discreetly reached for a fluffy, round loaf of bread. Her gaze then subtly shifted to the roasted pigeon.

Lulu gripped the knife tighter, ready to carve into the pigeon. Yesterday, she had thrown up everything she ate, but today, she felt confident she could devour everything on the table.

‘First things first, eat. If Er keeps doing nothing, I’ll have both legs to myself.’

Just as her knife was about to slice through the meat—

“Lulu.” 

“Eek!” 

Ervandas, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly spoke. Startled, Lulu’s hand slipped, the knife clattering against the plate. Screech!

The knife skidded across the table before falling to the floor and landing directly on Lulu’s foot.

“Ow!”

Lulu yelped, jumping up in surprise, only to topple backward over her chair and land in a heap on the floor. Thankfully, the blunt side of the knife hit, but it still left a bright red scrape.

‘Is this karma for food greed?’

Lulu wondered, rubbing her foot as she dared a glance at Ervandas, anticipating a reprimand.

But there was no scolding, only panic.

“Lulu!”

Ervandas’s face paled as he rushed towards her, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her towards the living room chair. Even as he carried her away, Lulu’s gaze lingered on the abandoned feast. ‘My bread! My pigeon!’

“Are you alright? Oh my goodness! Such a bad cut!”

“A bad cut? It’s just a scratch.”

“This is no time to be dismissive, Lulu. I’ll get some medicine. No, wait, may I examine it first? You might have broken a bone…”

“It’s just a scratch!”

Lulu stared at him, puzzled by his frantic reaction as if he were the one injured. She felt embarrassed for getting hurt while trying to sneak a bite. And here he was, reacting as though she had lost a limb. Lulu resolved to never again think about hoarding food, no matter how tempting. 

“Er, why are you like this? I’m fine. Look.”

Lulu placed a reassuring hand on his trembling shoulder and used magic. Fortunately, she had prepared recovery magic in advance for the golem’s repairs.

As she cast the spell, the scrape on her foot vanished. Color gradually returned to Ervandas’s face, but his expression remained strained.  

“Are you sure you’re alright, Lulu?  What about your stomach?” 

Stomach? He saw me heal my foot, did he not? Perhaps his eyesight is failing him?

Now Lulu’s face grew serious. Starting from the extravagant breakfast, Ervandas himself seemed off. A sentence from one of her books echoed in her mind: ‘When a person does something they never do, something is wrong.’

“What’s going on, Er?  You’re acting strange.” 

“That’s…”

Lulu’s eyes narrowed at his evasive response. She had become quite perceptive lately, and she could tell that Ervandas was hiding something.

As she observed him, flustered and unsure what to say, she noticed his gaze kept darting towards a particular spot.

‘The eyes of a liar would reveal their secrets,’ she recalled reading once. She followed Ervandas’s gaze and was surprised to find it fixated on her stomach.

Is something wrong with my stomach?

But then, her newfound intuition whispered—it wasn’t about something being wrong, but rather something changing. Lulu’s eyes widened as a realization hit her.

No way.

There’s no way!

“I think you might be…”

“I’m pregnant!”

Ervandas’s hesitant words were cut off by Lulu’s shocked outburst. He had been carefully planning how to break the news to her gently, but her reaction caught him off guard.

“Right? I’m right, aren’t I? I’m pregnant!”

Normally, Lulu would have grabbed his arm, but in her stunned state, her hand shot out, grasping whatever it could—which happened to be his collar.

“Yes, probably…”

“Guys, I’m pregnant!”

Before Ervandas could finish his sentence, Lulu bolted out of the house.

“Wait! If you run like that… no, don’t fly!”

Ervandas raced outside after Lulu, only to find her soaring through the air on top of the stone golem, her body flipped upside down. His spine shuddered. If he had known this would happen, he should have given her precautions beforehand!

“Finally! It happened!”

“Lulu!”

“I’ve wanted a child for so long!”

“Yes, but first, please come down…” 

“Thanks to our efforts every night, Er!”

“Cough! Ahem!”

Ervandas blushed at her words. She wasn’t wrong. They had been rather…diligent. His youthful body, having discovered the carnal desire, couldn’t distinguish between time and place.

Time was plentiful, and every space was theirs to explore.  Lost in the throes of newfound desire, Ervandas had frequently sought Lulu’s hand, and she, in turn, had never once refused him. 

The bed, the stream, the meadow—even the dinner table, on occasion. Their bodies, basking in the summer, intertwined without hesitation, experiencing countless climaxes. And after their lovemaking, they found solace and tenderness in each other’s arms.

Lulu’s body, soft and welcoming, had been more than ready to receive his seed. Every single day. A child was the inevitable outcome.

But right now…

“Lulu, please!”

Ervandas caught her as she soared above him, pulling her gently back down to earth and into his arms.

Lulu had his child. His child.

The word, once a source of detachment and even a hint of disgust, now filled him with a sense of wonder.

A strange and unfamiliar obligation settled upon his shoulders, but it wasn’t a burden; it was the weight of happiness, a weight he embraced readily.

* * *

After Lulu’s pregnancy was confirmed, Ervandas became her constant shadow. Every moment she was out of his sight filled him with anxiety and unease. Observing his behavior, Lulu recalled a term she had read in one of her books.

‘Separation anxiety… or something like that.’

The forest was growing colder with each passing day, and Lulu could feel her belly gradually changing shape.

Ervandas, meanwhile, was constantly conflicted.

‘I have to leave the forest.’

Even if Lulu had magic, it helped heal wounds at best, not to make childbirth easier. Even if he were to somehow learn midwifery overnight, there were limits to what he could do. It would be far better to take Lulu out of the forest and seek proper care in preparation for their child’s arrival.

‘And I need to tell my family.’ 

He and Lulu were already married, albeit informally. And now, they were about to have a child. Ervandas imagined returning home with Lulu at his side.

“Hah…”

The thought made his head throb. He could already imagine his brother’s reaction, a blend of mock surprise and genuine delight, “So, the lifelong bachelor finally succumbed to domesticity, eh?” Yes, his family would welcome them with open arms.

The problem was the wave of speculation and judgment their relationship would ignite. While the law had changed, the idea of a royal marrying a commoner—and a mage at that, one with no clear lineage who had lived a solitary life in the forest—would undoubtedly spark outrage.

‘Outrage’ is an understatement.

They would tear Lulu apart with their words, questioning her worthiness and casting doubt on the legitimacy of their child. And Ervandas had no intention of letting that happen.

‘I have to sort this out.’

The gentle eyes he usually reserved for Lulu vanished, replaced by the harsh glint of Prince Ervandas, the ruthless suppressor of rebellions.

He quickly organized the tasks he had to do in mind.

He needed to make sure the palace he’d requested in his last letter was ready.  He would need to assemble the staff—loyal, trustworthy, and utterly devoted to Lulu’s care. A competent physician, attentive servants, a cadre of reliable guards—no detail was too small.

‘And I need to make sure their lips are sealed.’

Leaving this place would be an enormous burden for Lulu. Just the act of leaving the place where she had spent her entire life was challenging, let alone if her new foundation was within the royal palace.

No, he had to ensure that everything was perfect, nothing would disrupt her peace of mind during her pregnancy and beyond. The problem was, these preparations demanded his presence in the capital.

The mere thought of being apart from Lulu for any length of time filled him with disquiet. He almost considered going to the palace together right away, but if he did that, there was a high chance that Lulu would witness unpleasant things before he could handle everything.

‘How do I solve this?’

While he contemplating, time marched on and Lulu’s belly grew steadily rounder with each passing day.

The vibrant hues of summer had faded, leaving the forest cloaked in muted browns and grays. Beneath their feet, fallen leaves crunched and crackled, brittle remnants of a warmer season.

Winter in this region was colder than the capital. And here, deep within the woods, the cold lingered even longer. Giving birth and raising a child in such a place would come with many risks.

Ervandas could delay no longer.

On a day when frost fell on the stone golems, Ervandas spoke to Lulu.

“I will be leaving the forest for a little while.”

“…?” 

Lulu’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ervandas hadn’t stepped foot outside the forest since his trip several months ago. His constant presence had been a source of quiet reassurance for Lulu. He wouldn’t leave her behind and he would continue to stay by her side.

And now he was telling her he had to leave?

“Why?”

The clothes Ervandas had bought during his summer trip were far too thin for the encroaching winter. And the other supplies he had brought back were starting to dwindle. He was probably just going to replenish their stores.

“How long will it take? Will it be like last time?”

His previous trip had taken three days. Surely this one wouldn’t be much different?