Celebrity Lady - Chapter 175

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celebrity Lady
Side Story, Episode 17
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The Lugie Kingdom.
In this pleasantly warm corner of the Lugie Kingdom, at the most famous fruit farm there, the finest strawberries of the season, harvested with the latest cultivation techniques, plump and perfect.
The fruits, each the size of a baby’s fist, were enormous and magnificent and glorious……!
Fabien, a Grand Duke and the fifth prince of generations past, now uncle to Emperor Lark himself, gazed at the strawberry boxes stacked as high as a mountain and marveled.
“Delicious.”
Just then, Leonard Diolus, Duke of the Diolus Duchy, tasted a strawberry beside him and broke into a satisfied smile.
Soon Leonard paid the farmer. The farm owner, watching the handsome man in fine clothes scribble zeros on the check, felt his jaw drop.
“I think you made a mistake, sir……?”
“No, it’s correct. Your craftsmanship is excellent. The quality exceeded my expectations, so I’ve paid what I’m satisfied with. Think nothing of it and take it.”
“Oh……. Thank you so much.”
What a windfall! The delighted farm owner loaded an extra twenty boxes of strawberries as a gift and remarked.
“I must say, needing strawberries in such quantity—is there a festival happening in your domain?”
The farmer, helping his workers load the crates, added with a worried expression.
“Strawberries are at their finest only for three or four days after picking……. They won’t spoil if kept cool, but the flavor and nutrients will diminish, and they’ll soften easily, so please consume them quickly.”
The farmer had no idea that Leonard planned to board a ship again with all these strawberry crates and make a month-long voyage back to the Empire.
Of course, Leonard had not come on this two-month round trip by sea without any contingency.
“I’m in your debt.”
Leonard bowed respectfully and spoke to the royal relative who had traveled with him on this strawberry expedition: Grand Duke Fabien.
“No, Duke Diolus. It’s nothing, really. I don’t deserve such courtesy…….”
Fabien flustered at such a formal bow from Leonard, the true power of the Empire, father of the Empress. Could he possibly be worthy of such respect?
Fabien recalled, from three weeks ago, Leonard arriving suddenly with carriages laden with gold and silver, making a polite request.
“My daughter has a craving for strawberries. Could you possibly help?”
Grand Duke Fabien, who had contracted with a spirit of somewhat unremarkable ability among his accomplished siblings!
A man who, whether by fortune or misfortune, stayed clear of succession disputes and lived a long, quiet life!
And now his help was needed!
Moved by Leonard’s paternal love—willing to cross the sea for his pregnant daughter—Fabien had gladly accepted the request.
It was hardly difficult to use a spirit’s power once.
Thus the two embarked together on the “strawberry expedition.”
On a bright spring day.
Watching the plump strawberries being carefully loaded onto the ship bound for the Empire, Leonard laughed softly.
Wait for me, daughter.
“Father is coming.”
* * *
The Couple’s Bedroom.
It was just past eleven at night when I, kneeling on the bed, asked my husband—the Emperor of the Empire—a question.
“Aren’t you sleeping?”
“Go ahead if you’re tired. Does the massage bother you?”
“No, it’s not that…….”
Beside my husband—the Emperor—who was earnestly massaging my legs, a book lay open.
A tome titled “Childbirth and Childcare, Maternal Health,” co-authored by a renowned physician and two experienced midwives.
Lark massaged my legs while occasionally turning a page, utterly absorbed.
He attended to imperial business all day, cared for me throughout, and though he must be exhausted by evening, he read this book every dawn.
He’d already finished it once and was now on his tenth reread.
‘I never thought my husband’s perfectionism would manifest like this.’
It was nothing short of obsession…….
“It’s still early in the pregnancy—I don’t really need massage like this. Go rest, sweetheart.”
“It won’t hurt. Don’t worry about it.”
“…….”
The reason for the massage? That book contained a section on leg numbness in pregnant women.
After reading about poor circulation causing leg numbness or cramps that wake mothers from sleep, Lark had been shocked enough to begin this nightly massage routine.
If my legs were to suffer strain, surely it would be in a full-term pregnancy—yet my body felt so light, my belly barely swollen at all…….
‘Is this really necessary?’
A life of eating like a satisfied bear all day, lounging about, having servants bathe me, and receiving careful massage from my husband—the Emperor—before bed…….
I’d once heard that if a husband disappoints his wife during pregnancy, she’ll remember it forever. I didn’t think I’d need to worry about that.
Rather, I was worried about Lark. He wasn’t sleeping because of me, and he’d taken up studying at odd hours, and…….
“Mini Lark will be a little upset for a while, won’t he?”
“What? Why?”
Early pregnancy. Our physician had advised us to refrain from relations.
“Even when you were busy, I made sure to see Mini Lark regularly. Since we married, this is the first time we’ll go this long without seeing each other. Don’t be upset with me, okay?”
I poked Lark’s shoulder apologetically as I spoke. He looked surprised.
“Upset? What’s there to be upset about? It’s only natural. If you’re apologizing about this, I must have been acting like quite the beast.”
Lark’s expression grew serious and he nodded solemnly.
“Yes, I suppose this is a chance for me to reflect on myself.”
“Pfft! No, it’s really fine.”
To be honest, I couldn’t say he hadn’t acted like a beast. My husband’s inexhaustible stamina had been consistent in bed as well.
If I weren’t the type to exercise regularly, I would have collapsed long ago.
In any case, what worried me slightly was that Lark, with his vigorous passions, would have to endure forced abstinence.
“I’ve heard men sometimes cheat on their wives during pregnancy~”
“Huh?”
When the physician advised us to refrain from relations, I couldn’t help but think of the manager I’d worked with for about three years during my Juliet Karerina days.
A genuinely good person. When she became pregnant and her belly swelled, she left her job, but I retained good memories of her.
Later, I heard she divorced not long after giving birth.
Her husband had committed adultery after their relations became less frequent during her pregnancy, she’d discovered…….
I was deeply shocked at the time.
People like that actually exist?
A man who, despite having a wife carrying his own child, would betray her out of mere desire?
“It must be difficult to have relations during pregnancy……. I’ve heard such cases do happen…….”
Of course, I wasn’t suggesting Lark would do such a thing.
Still, I felt embarrassed for speaking and turned my head away slightly.
I’d never trusted anyone as much as my husband. Why would I suddenly say such a thing? It wasn’t even worth worrying about.
Was this pointless worry just a product of hormonal changes during pregnancy?
I regretted my words when Lark fell silent. I glanced back at him to find shock written across his face.
“Wow…….”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not saying you’d do that. Just that someone I knew did, and it suddenly came to mind.”
Worried I might have offended him, I added quickly, but Lark shook his head firmly.
“No. Why apologize? I see—you misread my expression. I was simply shocked. That such a—”
What, a mani—? The word almost escaped Lark’s lips before he glanced at my belly and stopped short.
He corrected himself and spoke again.
“That such an astounding act could exist in human nature. I simply cannot fathom it myself.”
“…….”
“I may have acted like a beast until now, and since you’re a woman, you might not understand—but let me tell you something about men’s…….”
Lark gestured slightly at his trouser waistband as he continued.
“That organ is never beyond control. It’s a matter of will.”
“I know. I wasn’t saying you were like that.”
“No. I hadn’t thought of it before, but I’m genuinely grateful you’ve made me aware you might harbor such doubts.”
Lark’s expression brightened as if he’d discovered something profound, and he suddenly swept the open book off the bed and moved closer to me.
“I think I’ve failed to express myself properly until now. There’s something I need to tell you. Listen.”
He lay down beside me, cradling my head gently, and carefully placed his hand over my belly as he spoke.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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