The Baby Isn’t Yours

After moving to Lua, Hemmie’s life became busier than before.

Before, her life was merely as Kalia’s ‘Squire’, but now Hemmie was Kalia’s ‘young sister’, ‘guardian’, and ‘problem solver’ who also helped Kalia in dealing with goblins.

That wasn’t all; Hemmie also became Kalia’s little helper during her entire pregnancy.

So, Hemmie had her hands full.

“Madam McCanna, is the roast turkey ready? Can I take it as it is?”

Even now, Hemmie was pushing her fourth trolley for Kalia, who had an ever-increasing appetite as her pregnancy progressed.

Hemmie carried the roast turkey, cream cheese walnut pie, and refreshing peppermint tea and headed for Kalia’s room on the second floor.

Knocking carefully on the door, Hemmie pushed the trolley inside.

Kalia, who had been napping in a recliner, or perhaps resting her head with her eyes closed, opened her languid eyelids as she saw Hemmie entering.

“I was already hungry, and this looks delicious.”

Kalia, muttering with a sluggish voice, raised the corner of her lips as she looked at Hemmie, who was approaching.

With a satisfied face, Hemmie pushed the trolley to a stop by Kalia’s chair and proudly presented the roast turkey to her.

“You feel hungry just three hours after you eat. Mrs. McCanna said a good turkey came in today so I asked her to grill it. Do you want me to cut it up for you?”

Hemmie unfolded the roast turkey platter and tried to cut the well-cooked, whole turkey professionally, but Kalia raised her hand to stop her.

“I’ll do it.”

Saying that, Kalia took a meat knife and, truly in the blink of an eye, butchered the 5 kg turkey.

With a few quick cuts, the sliced meat piled up high.

Impressed by Kalia’s clean and skillful handiwork, Hemmie clapped her hands.

“It seems faster than most cooks.”

“Cooked meat is easy to cut… It’s more challenging to butcher raw meat. I’ll teach you that someday.”

“Yes!”

Hemmie nodded enthusiastically, and Kalia, with a warm gaze, gestured for her to sit down.

“Let’s eat together, Hemmie.”

“No. I had lunch just three hours ago, and it hasn’t digested yet. Besides, Kalia, this should be for you.”

“But it tastes better when we eat together.”

“Even if you eat alone, you enjoy it enough. I’m fine, so don’t worry and enjoy it.”

Hemmie poured a cup of cold peppermint tea for her, smiling as Kalia was contentedly enjoying her meal.

After becoming pregnant, Kalia’s food intake had increased significantly. She effortlessly devoured twice as much as an ordinary adult male’s regular meal, and even that left her hungry again three hours later.

Despite the increased food intake, it wasn’t all converting into fat.

Although she had gained some weight compared to before, she was still hardly gaining much fat, considering how much she ate.

Allen was concerned about Kalia’s eating habits, but her body was in good shape, and her baby was growing healthily, so he only gave her some light advice.

Yet, it didn’t mean his watchful eyes were lenient. He knew that there were many things to be cautious about during pregnancy, like gestational diabetes or obesity.

Even now, if Allen hadn’t gone to the town for a medical examination, the amount of turkey on the table would only be half.

Kalia finished Hemmie’s prepared meal, and even the walnut pie, then lightly patted her stomach.

“Now, I’m a little full.”

Hemmie, her cheerful face, looked content. She was happy and proud of herself for taking care of Kalia like taking care of a baby bird.

It seemed that she had a strong inclination for taking care of someone and had only realized this after coming here.

“How about taking a light walk now? It’s almost time for Allen to return.”

“Good idea. I’ve been wanting to move around a bit.”

Kalia, wearing a thick shawl over her shoulders, stepped out with Hemmie, side by side.

The continuous downpour that had occurred just last week had finally ceased, and the short monsoon season had passed.

Over the last month, heavy rain clouds had rolled through the Rojas skies, shrouding the land in overcast and scattering heavy rain. Some places had flooded. In other places, the plentiful rain contributed to a bountiful harvest. However, compared to the past, this rain season was still considered relatively gentle.

After the monsoon season, a short winter would follow.

The capital, closer to the north, was significantly affected by winter and became very cold, and the place would be very beautiful.

The heavy snow piled up like a mountain, and to mitigate the starkness of winter, the city even hosted festivals.

However, Lua, on the opposite side of the capital to the south, didn’t get very cold even in winter.

It was said that snowfall was very rare. To Kalia, it was more like a slightly cool autumn day.

Even this mild weather would last for only another month, and then spring would arrive.

Lua celebrated the arrival of spring with a festival.

Hemmie was already eagerly waiting for that festival, with a cheerful face.

‘…A festival.’

Kalia suddenly realized that she had never had the chance to enjoy a festival.

She had spent almost the last seven years on the battlefield, and before that, she had been guarding the academy or returning to the Duke’s mansion with Simon.

‘Should I try to enjoy it this time?’

A peaceful day, without raising a sword or seeing bloodshed.

The days of constant tension in the past felt like a dream.

It was a free and beautiful daily life where there was no need to kill anyone, and there was no fear of being killed by someone.

Kalia felt the cool breeze gently brushing against her cheeks and thought about how peaceful everything was.

However, strangely, there was a heaviness in her heart.

‘Simon…’

Simon had been acting strangely lately.

It seemed he had decided to switch from being a magician to a knight, and these days he was training every day. Not just any training, but he was attending the knight school founded by Kalia.

When she saw this relatively minor but significant issue covered in a special column in the newspaper, Kalia felt a bit embarrassed.

“…I can’t figure out what’s on his mind.”

“What? What did you say? Is your stomach growling again? Are you hungry?”

Hemmie was startled by Kalia’s sudden remark, her eyes filled with fear.

“No, even after I eat, I don’t get hungry again in just 10 minutes, Hemmie.”

“Oh, okay? I almost got surprised again. Kalia… I almost thought you might not be human, you know! Hahaha!”

‘…Hemmie?’

Kalia looked at Hemmie, who was wiping sweat off her forehead, and couldn’t help but miss the Hemmie from a long time ago. She used to regard Kalia with reverence in her eyes.

* * *

“Oh, no! On such a cold day again…”

Kalia’s shoulders twitched as she was startled by a loudly approaching voice.

She slowly turned around and looked at Mrs. Blair from the fruit shop, who was making a pitiful face.

“Hello, Mrs. Blair. The weather is nice today, isn’t it?”

Kalia greeted Mrs. Blair, who was approaching her, with a friendly smile.

Mrs. Blair grabbed Kalia’s hand with worry and started to scold her.

“The weather may be nice, but why are you out on such a cold day again? I told you not to wander around when it’s so cold. What will you do if you get blown away by the wind? Hemmie, is this okay? Is it okay for her to be out in this cold weather?”

She didn’t know what rumors are circulating in the village, but the people in the village perceived Lia Raymann as a very frail existence.

It was believed that she had such a weak life force that she would be blown away by the wind or extinguished by rain.

They probably thought of Kalia and her companions as someone who had moved to the countryside without her husband, carrying her medical license and being pregnant, and had the desire to take care of her.

Kalia responded to their expectations without correcting the rumors.

She had never experienced being someone who received someone else’s protection, so it was a refreshing change to be treated this way.

“Don’t wander around too much, just take a short walk and go inside, okay?”

“Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you very much for your concern.”

With a smile, Kalia gave this reply, and for a moment, she felt like she had missed something. She quickly cleared her throat.

“…Ahem.”

Hearing her cough, Mrs. Blair, who had been holding Kalia’s hand, suddenly opened her eyes in surprise.

“Oh my goodness! Look at that, you’re coughing! Just wait, I’ll bring a warm hand warmer!”

“Here’s a warmer, here’s a warmer! Take this!”

A stout middle-aged man with a stylish mustache, who ran a vegetable store next door, appeared and handed over a hand warmer.

Holding the warm hand warmer in her hand, Kalia glanced at the worried adults.

Most of their words were expressions of concern or greetings.

“Pregnant women must be careful, no matter what. You mustn’t get sick. If a mother gets sick, the baby in her belly will also get sick. So, don’t overdo it and go inside quickly.”

Despite receiving these admonishments almost daily, Kalia felt warmly in her heart every time. The warmth of these people’s concern was as comforting as the warm hand warmer she now held.

Hemmie and Allen also understood Kalia’s feelings, and they just smiled quietly and watched the situation.

After buying some fresh fruits, they decided to go back home, following the villagers’ advice not to overdo it.

“The new apples taste really good. Take them and try.”

“Thank you. The smell of the apples is so fresh.”

Mrs. Blair handed Kalia a few apples she couldn’t buy.

Taking the round, luscious fruit, Kalia absentmindedly licked her lips and immediately split it in two.

Crunch!

The apple was unexpectedly tough, and it split into two halves with a crisp sound, causing Mrs. Blair and the vegetable shop owner to look at her with wide eyes.

For a moment, Kalia realized what she had done wrong and tried to cover the moment with an awkward laugh.

“…These apples are really easy to split.”

She took the apple and said to herself as she quickly left the spot, her laughter awkward.

It seemed that pretending to be fragile wasn’t as easy as she thought.

Hemmie and Allen, watching the situation, could only shake their heads in amusement.