SOTBW - 231

“…But is it really true that she’s pregnant?”

A maid whispered cautiously, afraid someone might overhear. The other maid, who was folding laundry beside her, tilted her head as if she wasn’t entirely sure.

“I heard from the people coming and going from the manor that it’s true, but I don’t know the details.”

“Wasn’t Najane sick? I heard she wouldn’t live long—so what’s going on?”

Ever since Najane collapsed in the field, all sorts of things had happened. The maids didn’t know the inner workings of the knight order, but they had at least heard about the uproar at Noctis’ administrative office when Maximón dismissed Najane from her position as a knight.

The commander, who had to report regularly to the king and his close aides about the fortress’ affairs, was reluctant to lose a capable knight like Najane. He sent multiple letters to the Romsoa Knight Order requesting that the decision be overturned.

Even when Maximón refused to back down, the commander dispatched officials to persuade him, but of course, it was all in vain. Though the commander failed to overturn Maximón’s decision, he refused to put his seal on the official dismissal documents.

Of course, that was just meaningless resistance. If the Romsoa Knight Order no longer considered Najane a knight, that was the end of it. A knight who couldn’t go out into the field wasn’t considered a knight at all.

Thus, Najane was no longer a knight.

Technically, there was a minor issue in the paperwork that prevented it from being fully official, but in the end, everything would go according to Maximón’s wishes.

The problem was that Najane, now neither a knight nor anything else, was staying at the manor like Maximón’s wife. People gossiped excitedly about whether the two would actually get married, though some doubted Maximón would choose Najane as his lifelong partner over the young lady of House Rochelle.

It was a well-known fact that Najane was terminally ill—why would anyone marry someone who wouldn’t live long? No matter how one looked at it, maintaining his engagement with the Rochelle lady was a far better option.

People acknowledged that Maximón was deeply infatuated with Najane, but they didn’t think he was so blinded by love that he would go that far.

Then, suddenly, rumors started spreading that Najane was pregnant. Everyone was shocked.

For an unmarried woman to become pregnant was an immense disgrace. No one dared to speak ill of Najane outright, especially considering Maximón’s influence, but this situation would surely be troublesome for him as well.

He would have to take responsibility somehow. But what about House Rochelle? How would Elgort react—would they approve of this marriage? No, before even getting to those issues, there was one glaring problem: how could someone terminally ill be made to conceive? For the sake of Najane’s health, they should have exercised restraint.

One of the maids, ironing clothes, clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“Oh, what a mess. The poor girl is already sick, and yet they kept at it until she got pregnant? That’s just disturbing. She must have suffered terribly.”

The maid shook her head with pity, and the other maid added,

“A soldier guarding the manor said that the noises can be heard beyond the walls. Every time it happens, they hear her crying. The soldiers even said they felt sorry for her.”

Maximón was handsome, but he was devoid of humanity. When maids first saw him, they would be mesmerized by his looks, but after encountering his cold, piercing gaze a few times, they instinctively realized he was someone they should never get involved with.

Even the foolish young maids who once dreamed of being held by Maximón quickly abandoned those thoughts after working at Romsoa for just a few days.

It was hard to describe, but there was something chillingly different about Maximón compared to the countless other knights in Noctis. A sense of sheer terror, as if speaking to him too casually might result in one’s head flying off without warning.

Feeling that kind of fear toward another human being was abnormal. The smart maids kept their distance from him. Of course, despite this ominous presence, there were still quite a few maids who secretly harbored feelings for him.

The two laundry maids couldn’t understand those women, but they also didn’t think it was entirely wrong to fantasize about falling in love with a rich, powerful, and charming man. It was just unfortunate that the object of that fantasy happened to be Maximón Elgort.

As they imagined Najane sobbing and resisting while being forced into such situations, the maids grimaced in horror.

“No wonder she got pregnant, with how often he did that to her.”

One of them spoke sharply, her voice laced with disdain for Maximón. But just then, the previously quiet hallway erupted with chatter.

One of the maids, who had been shaking out a wrinkled cloth, peeked into the hallway. The staff responsible for cleaning the knights’ quarters were gathered, speaking excitedly with their colleagues.

“What’s going on? Did something else go missing from the barracks?”

From time to time, a maid with sticky fingers would steal from the knights, so she assumed it was another case of that. But then, one of the chatting maids ran over to the laundry room, her face flushed with excitement.

“The jeweler just arrived—with wedding rings!”

The maid working in the laundry room was startled by the shout and turned to look at the window. She jumped in place, her voice filled with disbelief as she continued speaking.

“The knight commander really did place the order himself, and the head maid confirmed that his name was signed on the check before the payment was made. How much was the ring again? Was it four thousand, or five thousand? Anyway, it was an enormous amount!”

The two people working in the laundry room stared at each other in shock at the maid’s fussing.

“…Najane, she’s really going to marry the knight commander.”

But the one most troubled by this news was Didina, who had handled the payment for the two rings along with other jewelry. Of course, all the money Didina managed belonged to Maximón, so it didn’t matter how much he spent, but when the jeweler came to collect payment for wedding gifts…

Living together unmarried was a hundred, no, a thousand times worse than being a proper married couple. But Maximón was already engaged to Rachel.

Could he have quietly broken off the engagement? Engagements and breakups between nobles were more complicated than people assumed. It wasn’t just a matter between Maximón and Rachel—it was an issue between their families. Well, assuming Maximón had handled it properly…

Didina opened the two small boxes on the desk. Inside each red velvet box lay a matching ring.

She had also heard the rumors spreading in the knight order yesterday—that Najane was pregnant.

Didina had intended to meet with Maximón to confirm the truth before the rumor spread outside the order. But when the jeweler showed up with wedding rings, she couldn’t help but wonder—was he really rushing into marriage because of an unexpected pregnancy?

If that were the case, she would never forgive him. Just yesterday, when she went to the manor to prepare lunch, she had been deeply unsettled by the obscene sounds coming from inside. He knew Najane wasn’t feeling well, yet he went so far that she ended up crying? That was too much.

What a beast of a man. She already knew he wasn’t exactly humane, but this was beyond anything she had expected…

Didina let out a long sigh as she closed the ring box.

She needed to stop jumping to conclusions and meet with Maximón first. He was currently sparring with the knights in the training ground.

She decided it would be best to wait until training was over and then hand over the rings at the manor. Just as she was opening the safe to put them away, someone rudely burst through the door.

Didina gasped in shock when she saw Maximón stride in. He paid no attention to her reaction and instead scanned the small room as if searching for something. Seeing his intent gaze, Didina took out the ring box she had tucked into her apron.

“Is this what you’re looking for?”

Maximón finally looked at her. He opened the box and checked the rings before letting out a quiet chuckle. The emerald-green gemstone in the center of the ring gleamed brilliantly.

Didina alternated between looking at Maximón and the rings before cautiously speaking.

“…Are you proposing to Dame Schnicks?”

Instead of answering, he simply nodded. Now that the marriage was truly becoming a reality, Didina’s heart pounded nervously.

She was worried about the things Najane would have to endure after marrying Maximón, but she figured he would handle the smaller issues on his own. Besides, if Najane didn’t have much time left to live, there was no harm in choosing to be selfish no matter what others said.

So Didina fully supported this marriage. It was a hundred, no, a thousand times better than simply living together.

As Maximón turned away, signaling that their conversation was over, Didina hurriedly asked,

“S-Dame Schnicks… is she really pregnant?”

Maximón, who was about to leave the office, suddenly stopped. He turned back to Didina with an expression that made it clear he had no idea what he had just heard. His wide eyes were quite a rare sight.

Didina had worked in Romsoa for quite some time, but she had never seen Maximón this flustered before.

Raising a single eyebrow, he stepped closer, silently demanding that she repeat herself.

“Who… said… what?”

He emphasized each word.

Didina felt relieved, realizing that Maximón wasn’t proposing to Najane because of a pregnancy.

“There’s a rumor going around the knight order. That Dame Schnicks is pregnant. Since you two are always… well, you know, always like that… the possibility couldn’t be entirely ruled out…”

Didina trailed off, seemingly embarrassed to explain further.

Maximón, momentarily stunned by the mention of Najane’s pregnancy, fell into deep thought.

As far as he knew, a woman cursed with the ‘male goat’s curse’ couldn’t get pregnant. More precisely, as long as the curse was active, pregnancy was impossible. There was a reason such curses were mainly placed on prostitutes.

More than anything, if Najane were pregnant, Maximón would have been the first to know. Najane had a slightly oblivious side, so it was possible she wouldn’t realize it herself, but Maximón was different. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he noticed every tiny change in her body.

Therefore, Maximón was certain—Najane was not pregnant. Explaining that to Didina wasn’t difficult at all.

And yet, for some reason, he found himself momentarily shaken.

A child.

It was something he had never once considered. If, by some impossible chance, Najane’s curse had weakened enough for her to conceive, his first thought was whether the child would be human or a monster.

If the child inherited his blood, it would surely not be normal. He couldn’t even be certain that what would grow inside her would be human. Moreover, considering Najane’s physical condition, it would be best for her not to give birth at all.

But if, against all odds, Najane truly became pregnant… If she wanted to carry the child to term… then Maximón knew he would feel a fleeting moment of joy, followed by a lifetime of sorrow.

Because if she left behind a child—whether human or monster—he couldn’t simply follow her in death.

The mere thought was devastating, but Maximón quickly pushed those emotions aside.

“Najane is not pregnant,” he stated firmly.

Didina exhaled a long breath, relieved.

“We’ll have to make sure the servants keep their mouths shut so rumors don’t spread.”

“I’ll handle it,” she assured him. “More importantly, are you planning to propose today?”

Her voice was filled with excitement.

If she had known Maximón was preparing a proposal, she would have put more effort into making the manor feel like a newlywed home. She would have replaced the curtains with something brighter, tidied up the scattered desks and documents in the living room, moved them into a separate room, and even changed the bed to a new one…

Didina was as excited as a mother sending her daughter off to be married.

However, Maximón lowered his gaze to the two ring boxes clenched in his hand, his expression uncertain.

“…I don’t know if she’ll accept this time.”