The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 185

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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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Omake 03-4.

“Really?”
“Yes.”
When I answered without hesitation to Casian’s confirmation, the tips of his ears flushed slightly.
Then, wearing a puzzled expression, he asked again.
“But what if he doesn’t look like me? I don’t want Rose to be disappointed.”
“Then I’ll get to watch Casian as a child, won’t I?”
It was only a metaphor anyway—no matter who the child resembled, I’d love them dearly.
Just as my parents loved and raised me abundantly.
And I was certain Casian would love the child too, despite his father’s flaws, because Maribel had left him with so much love to give.
Soon his lips curved upward in a smile, expressing his happiness.
“Either way, we’ll be so happy. Because our child will be held in your arms.”
His eyes were even slightly reddened at the edges.
If he’s like this just from saying we should have a child, what’s he going to do when the baby is actually born?
The demon-like Prince who once had neither blood nor tears was now hiding nothing of his tender feelings in front of me.
Since this was only how he showed himself before me, it was deeply satisfying.

*

Plans don’t always unfold as intended, so we decided not to rush ourselves.
Of course, even that resolve didn’t go exactly as planned, but whether Maribel helped or not, about half a year after that conversation, I discovered I was pregnant.
When I learned of it, Casian was overjoyed and moved, and tears came to his eyes.
“Are you that happy?”
“Of course. I’m as happy as when you accepted my heart.”
As he said this, his arms pulling me close were more careful and tender than ever before.
Not just that day, but Casian treated me with care in countless ways after.
Yet he didn’t confine me—that was so very like Casian.
“When you go for a walk, call for me, or at least take a servant with you. I have no intention of stopping you from working, of course, but you must tell me if you feel even slightly tired. You’re carrying our child, so at least do that—otherwise I won’t have any excuse to make to the baby.”
And he was someone who kept his word scrupulously.
The servants and physicians attended to me with utmost devotion, so my condition remained generally good.
Since excessive rest sometimes made me sluggish, I took my breaks seriously while focusing on my duties more than before.
The advisors were initially concerned, but once they saw I was sharp and energetic while working, they were actually reassured.
“If you two are this way, you’ll take good care of our overtime pay anyway, so we were thinking this would be a good chance to earn some extra.”
“Looking at this case, I’m so grateful the Marquis of the Border Regions is healthy.”
These jokes, meant to reassure me, took on a different tone on the rare days when my condition wasn’t good.
“We can’t let this slip. I’ll handle tonight’s overtime!”
“Senior, please sit this one out—my troublemaking brother is getting married soon, and I need the extra pay.”
“My kid is studying abroad at the Kingdom Academy!”
Their responses seemed to be genuine, not in jest.
By then my belly was noticeably showing, and Casian joked as he looked at them.
“The child must inherit Rose’s personality—that way, they’ll live better.”
Casian Artez truly loved me so much.
Of course, I didn’t deny his words either.
Remembering how the original Casian behaved, this version of him was certainly more to my taste.

*

Thanks to Casian attending to all sorts of tedious care for me—particularly from the sixth month onward—I completed my pregnancy in excellent health.
Of course, even so, my body grew weary, and Casian seriously pressed Pea to ask if there was any way he could bear the burden for me.
Unfortunately, no such convenient method existed, but labor proved far easier than for most.
Riedern was land blessed by Gaia, and the manor here still held her Lair, so the contractions weren’t severe and the whole process took hardly any time at all.
“It’s spoken of jokingly as the greatest advantage of the Liarden direct lineage.”
Before the child was born, Mr. Parker told me the baby would come quickly, and though I was skeptical, from the moment contractions began to when she was delivered took less than forty minutes.
Of course, even those forty minutes left Casian’s cheeks thoroughly soaked with tears.
I thought perhaps it was a blessing for the Liarden Clan, who loved their companions so steadfastly.
Any longer and Casian might have collapsed from exhaustion.
The child born that day was a girl who inherited Casian’s golden hair and my green eyes.
There was something almost whimsical about how she seemed to honor both our wishes in equal measure, and a hundred days after her birth, watching her sleep peacefully, I said playfully:
“How thoughtful, trying to please everyone’s opinions. She seems to resemble Casian more than me, doesn’t she?”
But at my words, Casian shook his head seriously.
“I think the way she considers so many people and looks after them comes from Rose.”
Feeling that unchanging love from him, I burst out laughing.
At the sound, the child who had awakened from sleep laughed along with me, letting out a delighted giggle.
It was a scene of such peaceful contentment that my heart felt it might melt entirely.
The child rarely showed stranger anxiety and was adored by everyone who came to visit.
With one exception.
“Waaaaaah!”
“What’s wrong, little granddaughter? I am your grandfather!”
The Emperor alone.
Despite his grueling duties, the Emperor rushed all the way to the Riedern Estate upon hearing of the child’s birth.
According to Empress Trisha, he had arranged his schedule to make the round trip to Riedern by sleeping only three hours a day for nearly a month.
Though even that wasn’t quite enough to manage everything, he managed to carve out time by pleading with the other dukes, saying his first grandchild had been born.
Much of the Emperor’s former arrogance and self-assurance had been worn away.
He had reportedly grumbled to Empress Trisha that everyone at the Winter Palace was infected with it, expressing his discontent.
And Empress Trisha had calmly replied that thanks to it, he was even being called a benevolent ruler.
At any rate, despite all his efforts, he had barely secured permission to visit Riedern, but the child despised the Emperor.
“I brought you many gifts, little granddaughter!”
“Waaaaaah!”
Especially whenever he said “little granddaughter,” the manor shook with her cries, and the Emperor had no choice but to abandon his dreams.
“Maybel Riedern, won’t you look at what I’ve brought?”
Only when addressed by her full name would she grudgingly look his way without crying and pout.
Since I had thought of Maribel when choosing the name, we had even asked Pea whether their souls were somehow connected, but the answer was no.

-A child born with such deep power. She’s simply more sensitive because of it. After all, she’s the daughter of a duke with direct lineage from Gaia and you, the very root of this world—it’s only natural.

In other words, she instinctively sensed that the Emperor was not someone to be trusted nearby.
During his four-day stay in Riedern, the Emperor tried in every way to catch even a glimpse of Maybel’s smile, but ultimately failed and trudged back to the Capital dejectedly.
Later, Wilma told me rumors had spread that the Emperor had been disliked by Maybel, and the people of the Imperial Palace were greatly disheartened.
It seemed they had hoped we might delay our return so the child might bear the Imperial Blood.
The Grand Mistress had reportedly clicked her tongue at the rumor, mocking their “various incompetencies.”
In any case, these new stains on the Emperor’s reputation stirred no feeling in us.
Honestly, we had already repaid our debts, and I had no desire to spend further emotion on him.
“What will we do if Maybel says she wants to become Emperor when she grows up?”
Still, just to be safe, I asked Casian lightly.
Of course, we did think we’d eventually need to take the throne, so we weren’t entirely neglecting Imperial affairs, but we wanted to respect the child’s own choices.
At that, Casian answered as if it were no difficult matter.
“If she has what it takes to be Emperor, she will become one. Because she’s our child—yours and mine. If you had had such ambitions, you would undoubtedly be Emperor right now. I’m certain of it.”
“But I’m not even of Imperial blood.”
“Then you would have been bound to someone of the Imperial family through political marriage before I ever bound myself to you through love. If you had decided to become Emperor by choosing someone of the Imperial line, I would have moved heaven and earth to make you choose me.”
“That’s a very specific example.”
“I dreamed of it a little. When you were small and dreamed of a peaceful life with family, I wondered—might you not harbor greater ambitions as you grew?”
Casian, who had been gazing at me with a soft smile, naturally leaned in and kissed me.
“But I’m grateful you’ve remained true to dreaming of a peaceful life.”
Speaking to me while holding sleeping Maybel, Casian’s face looked impossibly happy.
I realized something anew.
That I too become happier when he is happy.
“I love how happy Casian looks right now.”
He smiled.
I felt intensely that dreaming the same dream as the person you love, looking toward the same place, is a blessing beyond measure.
Because we are there for each other, I felt certain that our life ahead would be filled with ever greater joy.
It was truly the ordinary, peaceful life I had longed for for so long.

<The Male Lead Trains Me with Money (Omake)> END

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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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