After being accompanied by Zayden to his room, Ren bid him good night before entering.

However, the sound of someone coughing—vomiting—in the washroom caught his attention. Without thinking for another second, he rushed inside.

To his surprise, Yusha was washing his face, his body trembling.

"Yusha?" Ren murmured, and the servant immediately jolted, turning off the faucet.

"R-Ren," Yusha stammered, wiping his mouth as if to make sure nothing was left there.

"What is wrong? Are you still sick?" the silver-haired man asked, approaching him.

"Y-Yes. I think the food here is not suitable for my stomach..." Yusha lowered his gaze, looking anywhere but at him.

"Is that so?" Ren asked, suspicious. First, his taste in food had changed... and now he was vomiting. These were symptoms he was far too familiar with.

Then, without thinking further, he asked, "Are you pregnant?"

Yusha immediately stepped back, covering his stomach defensively.

Ren couldn’t help but wonder.

How bad could he be at hiding it?

Even without knowing the details, that reaction alone was enough to confirm it. Anyone who saw it would know that the answer to the question was: Yes.

"So you are..." Ren murmured, leaving the washroom. "Come outside first."

Yusha hesitantly followed him, nervous. He was going to tell Ren... but he wasn’t ready yet. They had been friends for years now. And hiding such a big secret from him was almost impossible.

"Shall we take a seat before we start this conversation?" Ren asked, sitting on the couch and gesturing toward the one across from him.

Yusha nodded. Did he even have a say in this?

Still, he sat down stiffly, hands pressed together on his lap.

Ren watched him in silence, his expression unreadable. That only made Yusha’s heart pound harder. Fear, nervousness—everything mixed together, overwhelming him.

"So," Ren began, his voice calm and composed, "when were you planning to tell me? Am I not your friend?"

"I-I was going to," Yusha whispered. "Just... not yet."

Ren exhaled through his nose, trying to control the rising fury in him. What could have resulted in his friend ending up pregnant?

"Your taste has changed. You have been vomiting for days, I am certain. These excuses you made to not see me, saying you were sick, were probably due to your morning sickness. You can’t keep anything down," he sighed, rubbing his temples.

"And there is a slight change in your pheromones." His eyes narrowed. "Do you think no one will notice? It might be faint now, but it will get worse."

Yusha bit his lip before parting it.

"I didn’t want to cause trouble..." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Trouble?" Ren repeated, tilting his head. "Yusha, you are carrying a child. That’s not trouble. That’s..." He paused, lips pressing into a thin line. "That’s such a beautiful thing to do. Giving birth to a new life... But why are you hiding it?"

Yusha’s throat tightened, his gaze dropping to the ground. Soon, tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"I-I... am scared, Ren. What if—what if it’s not wanted?"

Ren’s frown deepened.

"By whom?"

Yusha opened his mouth, then closed it, eyes darting away. He couldn’t even utter the name.

Ren leaned back, observing his friend closely.

"The father doesn’t know, does he?"

It wasn’t a question. And Yusha didn’t deny it.

Silence hung in the room for a long moment. Yusha wept, his hands constantly wiping the liquid from his cheeks as he gasped for air.

Ren stood from his seat, lowering himself before the crying man.

"Yusha, look at me," his voice lowered.

The servant did, reluctantly.

"You can tell me who it is," Ren said quietly. "I am going to make sure he accepts you. He has no right to turn away from his mistake."

Yusha’s eyes filled with panic.

"No. If I say his name... everything will fall apart. I’ll be sent away. Or worse. And he—he has responsibilities. He can’t afford... this."

Ren watched him for a long moment.

"From the way you are reacting... It seems it is someone who holds a lot of power. Is it a noble?"

Yusha’s gaze flared up as if he were caught committing a crime.

"So I am right," Ren concluded. "A man? Or a woman?"

"A man..."

"What is his name?"

Yusha didn’t speak. He pressed his lips tightly as if safeguarding a secret.

Ren straightened himself, exhaling.

"Yusha. If you want to protect your child, you most likely need the father’s pheromones. You can’t pretend this isn’t happening."

Yusha’s trembling became visible, his lips quivering.

"Please... please don’t tell anyone. I am begging you... He can’t know about this... He shouldn’t!..."

Ren sighed in disbelief. What was his friend saying?

"Alright, I won’t. But you will. Soon. Because hiding a pregnancy from the father can complicate things. You might lose the baby, or worse, your health might suffer from the lack of the father’s pheromones in your system."

Yusha lowered his head, tears gathering in his eyes again.

Ren gently patted his friend’s back, trying to comfort him. But in vain. The man simply kept crying.

"Everything will be alright. Let’s get you something mild to settle your stomach first. Then you are going to sleep here tonight."

Yusha blinked up at him.

"Here...?"

"Yes," Ren nodded, standing up. "I don’t trust anyone else to look after you right now. Not even yourself. Pregnancy can be harsh."

A shaky breath left Yusha’s lips, a mix of relief and fear.

Ren turned toward the small cabinet with teas and medicines.

Yusha bit his lip, a question gnawing at him.

"What is it?"

"Do you want some green tea first?" Ren asked, sitting back beside Yusha before placing the box on the table.

"You... you speak as if you have already been pregnant."

Ren froze. He hadn’t told Yusha that Eiran was his real son yet.

"I have," he admitted.

Yusha’s eyes widened.

"W-What?! When?! And where is your child, then? Who is the father?"

The questions didn’t stop at only a few. Yusha literally bombarded Ren with them.

"... My late mate. And my child is... Eiran."

Yusha’s eyes widened.

"Y-You mean... The General’s son? So he is yours and the General’s?—"

"No. Mine and my late mate."

Yusha tilted his head, confused.

Noticing it, Ren let out a soft chuckle.

"I will tell you all about it another time. For now, I need to know who your child’s father is."

The servant swallowed hard, before whispering the name, "Lord Liam..."