I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 39

Chapter 39

Richard looked at Elisa with a puzzled expression at her sudden question.

“Do you want to have a child?”

He didn’t want a child. There was resentment because it was something Albert had longed for all his life.

But excluding Albert’s wishes and thinking about it, he didn’t have any aversion to the idea of a child’s existence.

No, he had never even considered the idea of having a child. In the future he imagined, there was always only Elisa.

He was content with her alone.

Moreover, he had heard that the process of pregnancy and childbirth puts a tremendous strain on a woman’s body.

He didn’t want to burden Elisa, who was already small and fragile, with such a strain.

“I’ve never particularly wanted one. But…”

If Elisa wanted it, and if it were a child resembling her, he thought it would be okay.

However, he didn’t want it right now.

For the time being, he wanted to have her all to himself.

Just as he was about to add that, he heard Thompson’s voice from behind, who had been accompanying them.

“Oh my, this little one.”

Reflexively turning in that direction, he saw a baby who seemed to have just started walking being held by Thompson.

“Gyaa! Awoo!”

The baby waved its tiny hands like leaves and seemed to be trying to approach Elisa but was held back by Thompson.

A smile crept onto Elisa’s lips as she looked at the baby.

“It seems he wanted to greet Madam. I’ll take him to his parents and come back.”

“Then he should greet. Let him go.”

Thompson was momentarily surprised by Elisa’s words, but remembering how well she got along with the young lords and ladies, he let go of the baby.

As the baby released from Thompson’s hands walked toward Elisa, it suddenly collapsed as if its legs gave way.

Elisa was surprised for a moment and lifted the baby.

“Are you okay, little one?”

Fortunately, there seemed to be no injuries.

The baby, seemingly unaware of why it fell, looked at Elisa with wide eyes, then suddenly grabbed her arms and giggled happily, making a “gyaa!” sound.

“Wow, you don’t even cry when you fall down, such a brave little one.”

Elisa chuckled and brushed off the dirt from the baby’s bottom. She felt even better hearing the baby’s laughter.

At that moment, a young man who followed a step behind approached with an apologetic look and lifted the baby.

“I-I’m sorry, Madam. Did our child cause any trouble?”

“It’s okay.”

The man, presumably the baby’s father, bowed slightly, concerned that he might have offended the lady of the house, then walked away holding the baby.

The baby, held by its father, stared intently at Elisa until they were far away.

Elisa waved and smiled at the baby. Then, suddenly remembering something, she glanced at Richard.

As expected, he was watching the baby and its father who were moving away with indifferent eyes.

Elisa’s expression darkened as she looked at Richard like that.

—

The two returned to the mansion before sunset.

While Richard went to attend to urgent matters, Elisa, having finished her bath, sat alone on the swing in the garden.

With her hands still protecting her slightly swollen belly, the fragrance of the garden in the wind was pleasant, but it couldn’t dispel Elisa’s worries.

“I’ve never particularly wanted one.”

Elisa sighed as she recalled Richard’s answer from earlier in the day.

From his perspective, it was a natural response. He had been mentally tormented by Albert’s pressure to quickly secure an heir all his life.

“I guess I shouldn’t tell Richard after all.”

His answer was expected, but still, hearing directly from him that he didn’t want a child weighed heavily on her heart.

Then, recalling the content of a book that said a mother’s negative emotions could affect the child, Elisa quickly changed her mind.

“Don’t worry, baby. Mommy will love you as much as Daddy.”

As she reassured herself like that, Anne, who had been out, returned.

“Madam, I’ve brought the medicine.”

Concerned about Elisa’s increasing morning sickness, which was becoming severe day by day, Anne had gone to see a doctor and brought back the morning sickness medicine.

Anne placed it in front of Elisa. The transparent bottle contained green liquid.

“It’s a remedy made from herbs that are effective in relieving symptoms. You should take a spoonful before meals.”

“Thank you.”

Elisa replied as she received the bottle of medicine from Anne.

Then Anne looked at Elisa with a worried expression.

“In fact, even with the same medicine, it may or may not be effective for different people, so it might not be of much help. In that case, you’ll just have to endure…”

“If the medicine doesn’t work, there’s nothing I can do.”

“In the future, it would be best for you to be cautious even with walks. Even if Your Highness insists on going out, it’s better to refuse. I’m worried that Madam might suddenly collapse.”

With teary eyes full of concern, Anne gently held Elisa’s slender hand.

At that moment, a voice that shouldn’t have been heard came from outside the archway.

“Elisa.”

Startled by the unexpected voice, Elisa looked over in surprise.

There stood Richard.

“Ri-Richard?”

His wavering gaze spoke volumes. He had overheard their conversation a little while ago.

Realizing this fact, Elisa’s mind went blank.

‘What should I do…?’

As Elisa stood frozen, Richard stepped forward and embraced her. Then, with a chillingly calm gaze, he addressed Anne.

“Tell me what illness Elisa has, Anne.”

“Illness?” Startled and stiff, Elisa snapped out of her daze at Richard’s words.

He had misunderstood, thinking she was ill, not realizing she was pregnant.

‘Thank goodness…?’

For a moment, Elisa thought so, but then she changed her mind after seeing Richard’s expression.

The way Richard looked at Anne was akin to how one would look at an enemy, to the extent that if a stranger saw it, they would think Anne was the culprit behind Elisa’s illness.

“That, that’s…”

With a perplexed expression, Anne looked at Elisa. She was asking her what to do.

Elisa urgently grabbed Richard’s arm.

“It’s not what you think, Richard.”

“Then what is this medicine for?”

“Since this isn’t the place to discuss it, let’s go to the room. I’ll explain here. Okay?”

Although Richard found Elisa’s words unpleasant, he couldn’t refuse her earnest plea.

Instead, he lifted Elisa in his arms.

Surprised, Elisa reflexively wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Ri-Richard?”

Ignoring Anne, who was frozen in shock, Richard held Elisa and walked out of the archway.

Elisa glanced around to see if anyone was there, then lightly tapped his foot as a signal to let her down.

“Put me down. I can walk.”

“…You.”

Elisa stopped speaking when she heard Richard’s low voice.

He was looking down at her with bloodshot eyes.

The moment she saw a hint of tears in his eyes for the first time, her heart sank.

“Did you plan to go somewhere alone and die without me?”

“….?”

Elisa was taken aback.

He seemed to think that he was seriously ill and on the verge of death.

“Uh, Richard? There seems to be a misunderstanding – “

“I have no intention of letting you go, so even if you die, die in my arms. Elisa.”

A tear fell from his eyes as he whispered like that.

But despite the tearful face, his voice, lowered to a whisper, felt like a swamp, engulfing her firmly.

‘I made him cry!’

Elisa felt like she was going mad.

‘But is it possible for someone to look this beautiful while crying…?’

Moisture filled her dry eyes, and her long eyelashes, now damp, added to her pitiful appearance.

It was beautiful, but seeing him cry because of her made her feel sorry and hurt.

First and foremost, wiping away his tears was the priority.

Feeling a heavy sense of guilt, Elisa wiped away Richard’s tears.

“I-I’m not terminally ill. It’s just… a bit of inflammation in the digestive system, and I’ll get better soon if I eat carefully. So don’t worry.”

Since she couldn’t hide the morning sickness, she vaguely mentioned having gastritis, which showed similar symptoms.

Then his red eyes gazed intently at Elisa. It was as if he was trying to gauge whether she was lying or telling the truth.

Elisa forced herself to smile at him. She wanted him to believe that she was really fine. Richard, who had been silently watching her, finally spoke.

“Then from now on, I’ll take care of you. I’ll be by your side.”

There was something strangely unsettling about Richard’s voice as he said ‘by your side.’

—

That evening, lying in bed, Elisa was sweating profusely.

Part of it was because of the thick blanket Richard had layered over her, but the main reason was…

Gazing absentmindedly at the canopy of the ceiling, Elisa surreptitiously rolled her eyes to look beside her.

Richard’s red eyes were still staring at her.

“Is something uncomfortable?”

“N-No, nothing. Don’t worry and go to sleep quickly.”

Elisa hurriedly avoided his gaze and swallowed a sigh.

‘Uncomfortable? Of course, it’s uncomfortable!’

Richard, who had come from the garden to Elisa’s room, never left her side for a moment.

Even dinner was served in her bedroom, and he managed her diet.

Luckily, the morning sickness medicine Anne had brought was effective, so she was able to eat a little. It was a great relief.

Until he mentioned that he would nurse her by her side through the night.

‘Was this what he meant by nursing by her side…?’

Richard said he would sleep in Elisa’s bed.

‘If the wife is sick, of course the husband should nurse her all night.’

Even though she wasn’t actually sick, and even if she were, he wasn’t a doctor and couldn’t do anything to help, he insisted on sleeping by her side.

Although it was burdensome, she felt grateful, so she couldn’t push him away any longer.

‘It’s only a matter of time before he finds out.’

The morning sickness would gradually improve over time, but by then, her stomach would start to bulge, making it difficult to hide.

If he didn’t know, she could continue to live in ignorance, but once Richard found out about the baby’s existence, there would be no going back to not knowing.

She didn’t want that kind of situation.

‘I feel sorry for you, carrying the burden of hateful emotions, but I want you to be happy….’

And she hoped that the baby in her womb would grow up happily without receiving hatred from his father.

‘If that’s the case, there’s only one way.’

Having made up her mind, Elisa gazed at Richard’s face as he closed his eyes, then slowly closed her own.