DSB 156

“His Majesty must have judged that the time is not yet right. If you wait…”

“I can’t wait.”

“Uh… th-that would be better discussed with His Majesty…”

Unable to withstand Lebel’s gaze, the physician bowed his head. He’d been working as a palace physician for years, and he was used to the good life, but he couldn’t help but think that things were about to change.

“It would be better for you to speak before I ask someone else. If you’re worried about Yutis, I’ll handle him, so don’t worry.”

The physician fidgeted nervously and remained silent, but he could not escape Lebel’s glare, which demanded he speak immediately. More than anything, he felt a strange weight pressing down on his shoulders, making it difficult to breathe.

“…Um, I heard that while Your Majesty has manifested, it has only been a few years since your pheromones or normal heat cycles took root.”

“So what?”

“You should have undergone physical changes as an omega upon manifesting, but Your Majesty was late. That could also be related to pregnancy. The womb is still…”

“You mean there is a problem with me?”

In response to the calm question, the physician hurriedly shook his head.

“It is not Your Majesty who has a problem! It just takes time!”

“How long? It has already been three years?”

“Th-that…”

“Is there something wrong with my womb?”

Although the physician was speaking in circles, it was no different from implying that the reason he wasn’t getting pregnant lay there.

“Diagnosis shows you are very healthy! Unless the womb is the issue… it is highly likely that it did not reach deep enough. Has Your Majesty the Emperor ever knotted?”

Judging by Lebel’s reaction just moments ago, the physician concluded that he was unaware, so he asked bluntly. Even an omega, whose body has undergone physical transformation to accept an alpha’s, can suffer pain from knotting. Even among alphas, Yutis had particularly strong pheromones, while Lebel had a weak constitution.

“What is that?”

The physician hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly brought something over. It was a book with illustrations depicting the human body in explicit detail. He began to explain earnestly. Lebel listened attentively, even asking questions in between.

“The human body is truly mysterious.”

His admiration was excessively nonchalant. The physician nodded, looking even more nervous at that attitude.

“Theoretically, that is the case. Since a male omega’s organ develop after manifestation, it is highly likely that the womb did not open during intercourse and the semen did not reach the inside. Judging by the fact that you did not… experience knotting, the probability of pregnancy would have dropped even further.”

Although there were various reasons, it sounded as if he were implying that there would have been no problem if his body had been normal from the start.

Doesn’t that mean that his insides were too narrow to accommodate all of that?

There was a reason Yutis always said it was too tight. So it hadn’t reached the end.

Upon closer reflection, he remembered the tip touching something deep inside. There was even a moment when he froze in surprise. There was no way Yutis could have failed to notice. Even in that situation, he showed unnecessary consideration.

“The Emperor simply did not want to burden Your Majesty’s body. Pregnancy… is not easy.”

“Then I suppose I must handle it myself.”

“What…?”

The physician’s eyes shook.

“I’ll just have to push him enough that he doesn’t have the luxury to spare for consideration.”

“F-First, you should have a thorough discussion with the Emperor…”

“Discussion? He’ll obviously be happy if there’s a child.”

It wasn’t that Yutis didn’t want a baby.

He must simply be worried about my health.

That was not something Lebel could do anything about. So, he had no choice but to take a more active role.

“There must be medicine to help with pregnancy, right?”

“Yes… there is, but…”

“Prepare that.”

“Y-yes?! His Majesty will find out!”

The physician stood up and shook his head vigorously.

“You don’t want me to secretly get them elsewhere and take them, do you? There are plenty of people who could get it for me even without you giving it to me.”

“Huh? Who?”

The physician’s eyes widened as if to say there was absolutely no way such a person could exist. Lebel was about to speak, but upon reflection, the people around him were all like Yutis. After a brief silence with a furrowed brow, he spoke abruptly.

“…Merick will get it for me. He’s more competent than you.”

Although he was a demon, he had disguised himself as a human and was running a merchant guild under Yutis’s orders. Merick would likely follow his will even more than Yutis.

“It would be much better if you prepared it for me rather than me ruining my body by taking some strange medicine. I’d also need to check if they are compatible with the medicines I’m already taking.”

“Th-that… Ah, I understand. However, I have no choice but to inform His Majesty.”

“Do as you please. I can persuade Yutis on my own.”

Knowing Lebel’s stubbornness, the physician eventually nodded. However, because Yutis would never yield when it came to Lebel, he couldn’t help but worry. Yet, the one who would ultimately win was already decided.

For the Emperor was infinitely weak toward him.

‎

‎

And that night. Lebel’s door flew open.

Yutis’s confused eyes were filled with things he wanted to say. Upon meeting his gaze, Lebel realized that he had heard everything. So, he made the first move before Yutis could open his mouth.

“Yutis, let’s make a baby.”

Yutis’s expression froze. The shock of hearing the report just moments ago that Lebel had visited the physician to inquire about pregnancy had not yet subsided.

“Now that the Empire has entered a period of stability, it’s about time we have an heir.”

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Who would dare say such nonsense to you regarding the succession issue…”

“That’s not it.”

Lebel interrupted him and looked up at Yutis as he spoke.

“Because I want it.”

It was a simple and honest statement.

At that declaration, Yutis hesitated. He had implicitly sensed that Lebel was waiting for a child. He had just not said it out loud, but he had felt it many times through his gaze and actions. However, he had never once said it so directly.

“Let’s do this every day until we have a baby.”

“W-wait a moment.”

As Lebel approached without hesitation, Yutis reflexively reached out his hand to block him. But Lebel did not stop and pressed his body close to Yutis.

“You’re not saying you don’t want to make a baby with me, right?”

Lebel furrowed his brow at the gesture of refusal.

Yutis knew that he was a demon and that he knew little about humans. He couldn’t possibly be unaware that knotting was necessary for conception. Moreover, he was someone who reacted more sensitively to Lebel’s physical condition than anyone else.

He couldn’t have been unaware of his body’s state, that [stolen content]although he had manifested, his pheromones had come late and his heat had been delayed. This brought to mind Yutis, who had always tried to avoid intercourse during his heat cycles, fearing he might get pregnant.

How was this any different from him fearing he might unintentionally knot?

“I heard everything from the physicians. He said you have to knot to get pregnant. But you didn’t even do that. Do you not want to make a baby with me?”

Yutis’s mind went blank.

To say no would be nonsense. Just the thought of how adorable a child resembling Lebel would be made his heart swell with emotion.

However, he himself–his bloodline–was the problem.

Would the child of my bloodline burden Lebel’s body? What if it ended up harming him?

That fear held him back.

“I’ve taken medicine to help with conception. I’ll make it so you have no choice.”

Yutis’s eyes widened at those words while he held Lebel’s shoulders.

Lebel had already realized, even without Yutis saying anything, why he had avoided pregnancy.

‘It’s obvious.’

He was still desperate to give him the best things.

Lebel, too, was fully aware of the story of the Hestro family and the fact that children of their bloodline were extraordinary. Yutis, having seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears, must have known it even more starkly.

But if you look at it that way, Lebel was a demon. He wasn’t human either.

As if he knew exactly what Lebel was about to say, Yutis opened his mouth.

“Aren’t you a demon yourself? An ordinary body struggles to handle a child possessing demonic energy. Moreover, yours is highly concentrated. If… what if something were to happen…”

Lebel was unable to continue for a moment. He had never considered that possibility. After all, his own demonic energy could never harm him. Rather, precisely because he was a demon, his demonic energy had always been a part of him.

“Why are you afraid of something that hasn’t even happened?”

“If something were to happen to you, how am I supposed to live…!!”

The voice that came out was almost a scream. His hands, holding Lebel’s shoulders, were trembling. The man who had won countless battles and become a respected emperor became timid whenever it involved Lebel.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t angry because he knew that the reason he was so afraid was entirely him. Lebel let out a sigh, then finally laughed.

Because it was ridiculous, and also lovely.

“Nothing bad will happen to me. Because I am a demon. My demonic energy would never harm me, and neither would yours. Therefore, our child could not possibly harm me.”

However, Yutis’s gaze was still filled with anxiety. He ​Read on​looked back and forth between Lebel’s face and hands before eventually lowering his head. He was as cautious as someone facing a glass that would shatter if touched.

“A demon isn’t satisfied until they get what they want. You know that.”

Lebel spoke as he squeezed Yutis’s trembling hand.