I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 153

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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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Side Story Chapter 3
Kalien seemed to have noticed the change.
Rosien Wynyak popped a strawberry heaped with whipped cream into her mouth while stealing a glance at him.
As always, Kalien had me seated between his legs, holding me from behind with both arms wrapped around my waist. His hands lingered particularly long on my abdomen.
He caressed it, traced circles as if massaging, brushed against the soft skin—yet he never asked me directly. It was clear he hadn’t reached the answer yet.
Seeing his deeply contemplative expression made me want to laugh.
“You’re not touching anywhere else today?”
“I will be.”
“You seem to like my belly lately. It’s the same as always, so why?”
Rosien Wynyak teased him playfully. It wasn’t yet a stage where the change would be visibly distinguishable to the naked eye.
“No, it’s not quite the same as before.”
Kalien stared intently at his fingertips, as if trying to feel the subtle sensations brushing against them.
“Perhaps I’ll be able to tell once more time passes.”
Well, of course that would be the case. Anyone could notice it eventually, not just someone with exceptionally keen senses. Rosien suppressed her laughter internally.
* * *
Contrary to Rosien Wynyak’s expectations, it took Kalien several more weeks to reach a conclusion.
He had quickly discerned that the source of the change lay in her abdomen, but he seemed unable to make any further progress from there.
‘I’ve given him enough hints. It’s amusing how his unfamiliarity with human life shows in moments like this.’
Rosien Wynyak was so preoccupied observing Kalien’s increasingly serious demeanor that she forgot about the nausea and fatigue that visited her from time to time.
Two months had already passed since receiving confirmation from Railo, so the time for more pronounced changes was approaching.
Even she could see her lower abdomen protruding noticeably. While it was barely visible when clothed, there was no way Kalien, who touched it directly, could fail to notice.
Another week passed, and examining and caressing Rosien Wynyak’s abdomen in various ways morning and evening had become Kalien’s daily routine.
Rosien Wynyak lounged in his embrace, living off fruits and sweets all day long.
‘This is paradise. I should enjoy it before my belly gets any fuller.’
Meanwhile, Kalien was far less at ease than she was.
With a grimly hardened expression, Kalien directed his words at the person sitting across from him.
“If she’s gaining weight despite low food intake, that means something is definitely wrong with her body, right?”
“Usually, yes. There’s no symptom without a cause.”
Today, Luize Whezel had come to visit the Kirges Main House.
It was rare to see his face without business, but he seemed to have stopped by to offer congratulations after receiving a hint from Railo.
However, before Luize could properly extend his congratulations, Kalien muttered irritably.
“I’ve never seen Rosien Wynyak gain weight while eating. Could there be a problem with her sorcerous power? Or perhaps her circulatory system?”
“I’m not a doctor, Wynyak. And shouldn’t you be asking your wife about that?”
Luize made a bewildered expression.
Rosien Wynyak, seated beside him, sipped her tea innocently while secretly signaling Luize with a hand gesture behind Kalien’s back. She wasn’t quite ready to let go of this amusement yet.
Luize raised his eyebrows slightly. Interest flickered across his golden eyes, and he said something for Kalien to hear.
“It seems the nutrients aren’t being absorbed properly. Perhaps they’re being stolen by something.”
“Stolen…?”
“If we’re looking for the most suspicious thing around Kirges, there’s really only one, isn’t there? Wynyak—you.”
Rosien Wynyak, who had choked on her tea, glared at Luize while coughing. What nonsense!
‘If you keep poking around like that, I’m the one who gets exhausted!’
But it was already too late. Kalien’s expression had vanished from his face.
* * *
-What? Kirges still hasn’t said anything?
Railo asked stupidly from beyond the crystal screen.
-No, how long has it been since he got the diagnosis? Adding it all up, it’s already been over three months, and you’re telling me there hasn’t been a single difference from usual during all that time?
Kalien replied flatly.
“There are plenty of differences from usual. His body has definitely weakened. He’s been sleeping more. It seems like he’s gained weight, or maybe not.”
-Yeah, yeah…. It’ll get worse as time goes on. At least until the end of this year.
The sharp-witted Railo quickly grasped the situation. He pointed a finger at Kalien through the screen as if in pity.
-The weight gain you’re talking about is in the abdomen, right? It’ll keep swelling more and more, so observe it carefully. Think about what it means when a human woman’s belly swells noticeably day after day.
Railo cut off the connection as if unwilling to say another word.
Kalien folded his arms and sank back into his chair, staring at the darkened screen.
He was somewhat insensitive to human physiology and biological functions, but that didn’t make him foolish.
There was only one possible conclusion.
“Rosien Wynyak is pregnant…?”
Kalien rose from his seat. When he entered the master bedroom he shared with Rosien Wynyak, he saw her lying on her side on the bed, fast asleep.
She who rarely indulged in afternoon naps had been dozing off lately like a sick bird, at all hours.
“Rosien Wynyak.”
Deep in sleep, Rosien Wynyak didn’t respond.
Kalien lay down behind her and drew her soft form into his embrace. The belly that had been flat was now slightly rounded beneath his palm.
Kalien’s eyes darkened as he concentrated all his senses on the sensation beneath his hand.
Rosien Wynyak had lived under the same roof with him for the past two years. Except for the times when they each went to Railo for medical consultations, they ate the same food in the same place and slept at the same time every day.
Naturally, Kalien was the only one who shared her bed.
Then the conclusion narrowed down to one possibility.
Rosien Wynyak was carrying his child.
[I wish we could have a child. If the Revival Crystal is stably implanted in you, it doesn’t seem impossible. What do you think, Older Brother?]
[Is there a reason you need a child?]
[I want to show you all kinds of happiness. A very special happiness that only we can share together.]
The memory of that conversation came back vaguely. Kalien caressed Rosien Wynyak’s belly as if bewitched.
How long had he been doing this? Kalien only then noticed that Rosien Wynyak’s breathing had changed.
Her ragged breathing wavered slightly. She had awakened.
Rosien Wynyak, feeling the warmth emanating from Kalien’s embrace, suddenly spoke.
“I hope the child looks like me.”
Her voice bloomed like flower petals in the languid afternoon sunlight. Kalien forgot to breathe and listened intently.
“You’ll live longer than me. So when I’m gone, I hope you won’t be bored watching my daughter, and watching the children she’ll bear. Won’t that be nice?”
“Did you know? That I’d keep waiting for you?”
“You’re in the palm of my hand.”
Rosien Wynyak yawned drowsily and turned toward him. She pressed a light kiss to Kalien’s lips and nestled into his embrace.
‘That bastard Railo, did he really spill my plans to Rosien Wynyak?’
Should I just kill you? My heart, embedded with the Revival Crystal, hammered wildly against my ribs.
Kalian barely managed to ask.
“So you’re not going to take this crystal away?”
“I’ve already made it impossible for you to steal it. Do you know how much trouble I went through constructing that spell? Honestly, you never listen to a word I say.”
The original plan was to retrieve the Revival Crystal from Rosien Wynyak when her lifespan ended, allowing her to meet a true death.
But Kalian, unsatisfied with merely spending a few decades together, had swallowed the Revival Crystal whole, making it part of his own heart. So that he could wait for her through the long ages to come, just as he always had.
“How could I possibly break your stubbornness? That’s exactly why I’ll teach you as much as I can in this lifetime before I go.”
Rosien Wynyak patted his back gently.
“You can become anything, Kalian. An ordinary husband, a good father, even a gray-bearded grandfather.”
“Don’t say things like that.”
“It’s just a figure of speech.”
Rosien Wynyak chuckled softly.
“I wondered when you’d finally notice. Over a month it took. I thought you’d never catch on…”
But Kalian had never once expected such things to exist in his life.

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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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