I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original Chapter 156

“The construction dragged on so long that our wedding was delayed.”

 

At Selleana’s deliberate grumble, Rakrensius let out a relieved chuckle, his eyebrows relaxing. The tension in his heart melted away instantly.

 

“Perhaps we should have purchased a smaller house. It’s just the two of us living there anyway. Had the renovations finished earlier, we might have married last year.”

 

“Haha.”

 

Last fall was the imperial wedding of Pavellian—the crown prince’s marriage to Lady Eunice, daughter of Marquis Jenon, the current chancellor. Though Tashur III considered Rakrensius precious, holding his wedding immediately after the crown prince’s royal marriage would have been burdensome. Since it wasn’t meant to happen anyway, she could complain freely.

 

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“But it’s the home we’ll share together, so it can’t be lacking in any way.”

 

“As long as I’m with you, Darling, anywhere is perfect.”

 

“I feel the same, but I wanted to ensure you wouldn’t experience even the slightest discomfort.” Rakrensius gazed down at Selleana, his eyes deepening with emotion. They brimmed with boundless affection and a blind desire for her well-being, causing Selleana’s cheeks to flush with overwhelming emotion.

 

To ensure her comfort, he had focused on recreating her environment from the east wing of Elard. Most notably, he brought all the maids who had served Selleana since childhood, including Michi. Three knights also came for protection. Though their salaries were paid by Elard, their lodging, and meals had to be provided at the townhouse. With Michi came the necessity for a large wine cellar, and managing it required more than one butler. Unlike him, who could commute to the Magic Tower using teleportation, Selleana needed at least two coachmen and stable hands to assist her. As the staff grew, the mansion naturally expanded.

 

“If managing the household becomes too difficult due to the size of the mansion, just tell me. I didn’t ask you to live with me to burden you with obligations. We can hire as many housekeepers and accountants as needed.”

 

“There you go again.”

 

It was something Rakrensius had reassured her about several times before.

 

Selleana’s eyes curved into a gentle arc. “Don’t worry. I was supposed to be the crown princess, remember? Compared to the imperial palace, our house is quite cozy and quaint.”

 

“But managing a private household can be more troublesome, can’t it? I just want you to do things that make you happy…”

 

“It will be thoroughly enjoyable. The mere thought of stamping documents as the duchess with your surname excites me.”

 

“There are no strict rules in our family, so you may choose the color of the seal and the style of your signature as you wish.”

 

“Can I draw a ‘Collin Heart’s Angel’?”

 

“Whatever you desire.”

 

Looking at Rakrensius’s affectionate smile, Selleana hugged him tightly, trying to contain her overflowing emotions.

 

“Just leave it to me. I grew up watching my mother handle these matters, so I’m not worried at all… Oh.” Then, as if something had just occurred to her, Selleana pulled away from him. “Well, it might be somewhat challenging.”

 

“Huh…?”

 

“If we have a child, I might be occupied for a couple of years with pregnancy and childbirth.”

 

Cough. Rakrensius’s face flushed at the unexpected turn in the conversation.

 

“Our child will be able to communicate with Mr. Sword right away, won’t they?”

 

[Indeed, I’m looking forward to it. I’m curious how I’ll communicate with someone who cannot yet speak…]

 

Ignoring Rakrensius’s reaction, Selleana began chatting with Di about her sudden thought.

 

Rakrensius was a being without a predetermined fate as the child of a leak. Thus, their child would also be a being without a predetermined fate. So, like the two of them, their child would be able to communicate with Di.

 

“Mr. Sword, can you help with raising the child?”

 

[I’m confident with anyone over thirteen, but I’m not sure about younger ones.]

 

“You could always sing a lullaby.”

 

“Lullabies weren’t really necessary…”

 

As Selleana and Di’s conversation started to veer off into speculation, Rakrensius managed to hold onto his composure and calmly countered.

 

It was true that Di had sung lullabies to him when he was young. Di had sung lullabies not merely because the boy feared facing darkness alone. No, there was something deeper—guilt and longing for those who had shown him kindness before being broken: the gardener, the cook, the grocer’s assistant, the stray cat, and Momo Penders…

 

Di offered comfort, yet its lullabies never truly soothed. What brought Rakrensius solace was knowing Di would never be harmed, never be taken from him. Looking back through the lens of adulthood, Rakrensius realized his childish annoyance at those off-key melodies had somehow forged a deeper bond with Di, helping him escape the claws of nightmares that once haunted him.

 

“Besides, I want to have at least three children.”

 

“What?”

 

Selleana’s declaration sliced through Rakrensius’s reminiscence like a blade through silk.

 

“Perhaps it’s because I grew up with two older brothers, but three children feels more like a proper family to me.”

 

“Lea.”

 

“You’re going to say it’s dangerous, aren’t you? Well, both the Elard line and my maternal family have histories of many children and easy births.”

 

“But isn’t the risk still too great…?” Concern shadowed his features.

 

“We’ll consider that after the first one arrives.” Her tone was decisive. “No matter how I look at it, just two seems insufficient. Ideally, there should be five, including us parents, to create that wonderful sense of warmth and chaos.”

 

“But, the necessity for warmth and chaos…”

 

“There is a necessity.” Selleana’s gaze held steady as she looked at her husband, who was attempting to dissuade her. Her eyes reflected not persuasion but simple certainty as if she were stating an undeniable truth rather than making an argument.

 

Is she pitying me for growing up alone? The thought made him want to reassure her that he was perfectly fine.

 

“Didn’t you say at the banquet to my mother that you wanted a daughter who resembles me?”

 

“…Gasp.”

 

“And she’d be the youngest daughter.”

 

Rakrensius, who had been preparing his counterargument, found himself speechless once more.

 

“I also think it would be wonderful to have a youngest daughter as lovely as Lea…”

 

So she had heard everything…

 

Rakrensius’s face burned crimson, not from drink or the sunset’s glow. He had never intended to suggest having many children just to secure the youngest daughter, but the vision of a little girl with Selleana’s eyes and smile was undeniably enchanting.

 

“But, Lea, just being with you is more than enough for me…”

 

“I feel the same way. But it seems wasteful to let your exceptional genes end with this generation. Mine would mix in too. Don’t you agree, Mr. Sword?”

 

[You really are getting more shameless with your embarrassing remarks.]

 

“They’re not embarrassing. They’re true.” Selleana’s laughter was sly as she tugged on Rakrensius’s arm again.

 

Meanwhile, the crimson sun had fully descended beyond the horizon, and the sky was gradually deepening to indigo from the east. Rakrensius followed her, half resigned. He had resolved not to speak first. If he responded poorly to this sudden change in topic, he would surely be swept away in Selleana’s conversational whirlwind.

 

“By then, the Lea Senior should be sailing smoothly. My greatest concern is craving mangoes during morning sickness.”

 

“Mangoes, you say?” His eyebrow arched despite his determination to remain silent. But Selleana refused to abandon her chosen topic.

 

Having lived most of her life as the designated crown princess, Selleana had always viewed bearing children as an imperial duty. Even with the change in her partner, that fundamental belief remained unaltered. In truth, she was filled with a desire to bear and love as many children as possible if they resembled Rakrensius. So she clung stubbornly to the subject, determined to persuade her husband, who avoided the idea of children out of concern for her well-being.

 

[Ah, so your world has such tropical fruits. Let me see… something similar.]

 

“There is, right?”

 

[Indeed. It grows on the southern continent. The name is Jela Mori…]

 

“Is it delicious?”

 

“Exquisitely so. I adored it in my previous life. I haven’t tasted anything like it since arriving in this world, but perhaps I’ll crave something I’ve never even tasted before and suffer morning sickness because of it.”

 

Di sighed, searching through medical texts from both this world and Selleana’s previous one, but found no relevant knowledge. After all, medical texts hardly contained established theories targeting reincarnated individuals and their peculiar pregnancy cravings.

 

“Anyway, if I can’t have mangoes when I need them, it’s all His Majesty’s fault. I’ll hold a grudge against the imperial family forever.”

 

“Most women blame their husbands during morning sickness, not their fathers-in-law.”

 

“If I’m truly miserable, I might just blame you too, Darling. For being His Majesty’s son.” Selleana’s lips formed a perfect pout, and Rakrensius couldn’t help but laugh.

 

Three years ago, the Benichi Trading Company had planned to expand its shipyard to develop cutting-edge vessels for trade with the southern continent. But then Doloret threatened to withdraw national bond purchases unless Selleana was struck from the list of crown princess candidates. The approval stalled for nearly half a year. The entire project would have vanished into bureaucratic oblivion if Selleana hadn’t suggested to Rakrensius that if he felt so guilty, he should invest in her instead.

 

The imperial family is really fickle.

 

When approval finally came, winter had already set in, making immediate construction impossible. The shipyard expansion began the following spring and devoured a full two years. Now, wizards from the Magic Tower, in partnership with Benichi, were developing new trade ships at the facility.

 

Completing the state-of-the-art vessel named Lea Senior would take time. Even after it reached the southern continent, established trade with mango merchants, and imported the actual fruit… even if everything proceeded flawlessly, years would pass. Before then, Selleana might already have a child, and the likelihood of her craving mangoes she’d never tasted in this life—even with morning sickness—seemed vanishingly small…

 

“Dad, can’t Dino go to Arancha too? I want to meet the sun too.”

 

A child’s hesitant voice cut through Selleana’s reverie as if summoned by her imaginings of motherhood. Meeting the sun meant watching the sunrise beyond the horizon. Arancha was a peninsula jutting from the continent’s easternmost edge.

 

Such an adorable request. Selleana puffed her cheeks playfully and waggled Rakrensius’s hand as if to say, ‘Just listen to that.’

 

“Dino, remember what Dad told you? This summer, a whirlpool storm will rage in Aranchio Strait, so we must go before it strikes. Let’s meet the sun next year and pray Mom and Dad return safely this time.”

 

“…A whirlpool storm?” Selleana’s brow furrowed as she seized upon the crucial detail in this family conversation. “Is there a season when Arancha becomes difficult to approach? And it just happens to be this summer?”