I Only Need the Duke's Child — Chapter 1

HAS HE STILL NOT RETURNED...?

OR PERHAPS...

...HE HAS NO INTENTION OF COMING HERE TONIGHT.

THEN AGAIN, THIS MARRIAGE WAS NEVER REAL TO BEGIN WITH. IT'S NOTHING MORE THAN A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT.

PERHAPS IT'S BETTER THIS WAY.

IF I WERE TO SHARE HIS BED, FEEL HIS WARMTH, AND LOOK UPON THAT IMPOSSIBLY BEAUTIFUL FACE OF HIS ONCE MORE...

...I MIGHT FOOL MYSELF INTO BELIEVING HE LOVES ME.

JUST AS MY FORMER SELF ONCE DID.

I ONLY NEED A SINGLE NIGHT WITH HIM. THE NIGHT ACIEL WAS CONCEIVED. NOTHING MORE.

ACIEL...

MY DARLING BOY.

I THOUGHT YOU'D HAVE GONE TO BED BY NOW.

YOUR GRACE... H-HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE?

WHY ARE YOU REACTING AS THOUGH YOU’VE SEEN A GHOST?

TONIGHT IS OUR WEDDING NIGHT.

IT’S ONLY NATURAL FOR A HUSBAND AND WIFE TO SPEND IT TOGETHER.

I WAS NOT EXPECTING YOU...

THEN WHY DID YOU WAIT UP FOR ME?

ONLY BECAUSE I THOUGHT THERE WAS A CHANCE YOU MIGHT COME...

IT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PROPER FOR ME...

TO ALREADY BE SLEEPING WHEN YOUR GRACE... I MEAN, WHEN YOU RETURNED.

SHOULD I TAKE THAT TO MEAN YOU ARE PREPARED TO FULFILL YOUR DUTIES AS MY WIFE TONIGHT?

STILL, WE DON’T HAVE TO CONSUMMATE THE MARRIAGE TONIGHT--

I WANT TO.

I MUSTN’T MISTAKE THIS FOR AFFECTION.

THIS ISN’T LOVE.

I’VE HEARD MEN ARE CAPABLE OF SHARING A BED WITH WOMEN THEY FEEL NOTHING FOR.

I LOVED THE WAY HIS GAZE LINGERED ON ME...

...AND THE WARMTH OF HIS FIRM EMBRACE.

BACK THEN, I MISTOOK ALL OF IT AS PROOF THAT HE LOVED ME, AND BEFORE I EVEN REALIZED IT, I HAD GIVEN HIM MY WHOLE HEART.

BUT I WON'T BE FOOLED BY THAT WARMTH AGAIN.

THIS NIGHT MEANS NOTHING TO ME BEYOND BRINGING MY CHILD BACK INTO MY ARMS.

AH...

IF ENDURING THIS NIGHT MEANS I CAN SEE MY CHILD AGAIN, THE CHILD I TREASURED MORE THAN MY OWN LIFE...

...THEN I WILL ENDURE IT AS MANY TIMES AS I MUST.

EVEN IF I HAVE TO SPEND IT WITH THE MAN WHO MAY HAVE KILLED ME BEFORE I RETURNED TO THE PAST.

TWO YEARS BEFORE TIME WAS TURNED BACK

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

YOU SHOULD BE RESTING AT THIS STAGE OF YOUR PREGNANCY.

I HEARD THAT YOU HAD RETURNED TO THE CAPITAL.

IT'S BEEN SIX MONTHS SINCE WE LAST SAW EACH OTHER...

I HAD HOPED YOU MIGHT STOP BY THE ESTATE AS WELL...

HERDIN... MIGHT YOU SPARE ME AN HOUR OF YOUR TIME?

IF THAT'S TOO MUCH TO ASK... THEN EVEN THIRTY MINUTES WOULD DO.

HOW STRANGE. THERE WAS ONCE SO MUCH I WISHED TO SAY TO HIM...

...AND YET NOW, SITTING FACE TO FACE WITH HIM LIKE THIS, I CAN'T THINK OF A SINGLE WORD.

DO YOU... KNOW WHEN YOU'LL RETURN TO THE CAPITAL NEXT?

I'M NOT CERTAIN, AND I CAN'T MAKE ANY PROMISES.

OH, I SEE...

THEN... DID YOU RECEIVE THE LETTERS I SENT?

YOU NEVER ONCE REPLIED, SO I WONDERED IF PERHAPS--

IT SEEMS THE BABY KNOWS THEIR FATHER IS HERE.

THEY'VE BEEN QUITE RESTLESS LATELY. SO MUCH SO THAT I CAN SCARCELY SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT.

IS THAT SO?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO FEEL THEM MOVE...?

NO... THERE'S NO NEED.

ALL RIGHT.

I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE NOW.

I PRAY YOU HAVE A SAFE DELIVERY.

WAIT... THE BABY'S NAME...

COULD YOU GIVE THE CHILD A NAME BEFORE YOU GO?

IF IT'S A DAUGHTER, DIANNA.

AND IF IT'S A SON... PERHAPS ACIEL?

THOUGH IF THERE'S ANOTHER NAME YOU PREFER, I'VE NO OBJECTIONS.

NO, I SHALL USE THE NAMES YOU CHOSE.

after all, it's the first gift you've ever given our child.

HERDIN DELMARQUE THE DUKE OF DELMARQUE

THE CONTINENT'S SOLE SPELLBLADE, BLESSED WITH THE POWER OF A DIVINE BEAST...

...AND WORSHIPPED AS A HERO OF WAR.

AND THEN THERE IS ME, BLAIR DELMARQUE...

...A PRINCESS OF THE ARDEL EMPIRE AND THE CURRENT DUCHESS OF DELMARQUE.

AROUND THE TIME I BECAME PREGNANT, HERDIN RETURNED TO THE DELMARQUE DUCHY'S MAIN ESTATE.

OFFICIALLY, HE CLAIMED IT WAS TO DEAL WITH THE MONSTERS THREATENING THE TERRITORY...

...BUT I KNEW THE TRUTH.

IT WAS MERELY AN EXCUSE TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM ME.

OUR MARRIAGE WAS SIMPLY THE RESULT OF POLITICAL NECESSITY.

THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND HOUSE DELMARQUE HAD LONG SHARED A DEEPLY BITTER HISTORY.

AND SO, HERDIN...

...I UNDERSTOOD THE RESENTMENT YOU HELD TOWARD ME. YET DESPITE THAT...

...I WANTED YOU TO STAY BY MY SIDE...

THE THOUGHT OF GOING THROUGH THIS ALONE FRIGHTENS ME.

BUT EVEN ON THE DAY ACIEL CAME INTO THIS WORLD, HERDIN NEVER RETURNED.

AND WHEN ANOTHER SIX MONTHS HAD PASSED AND HE FINALLY CAME BACK...

...HE WAS NOT ALONE. AT HIS SIDE STOOD A DAZZLING SILVER-HAIRED WOMAN.