"What?" Zayden’s eyes widened, his frown deepening. He must have heard wrong, right? There was no way—

"My friend was impregnated by one of your subordinates—which is Lord Liam," Ren clarified, hoping his words were clearer now.

"How can that be?—" Zayden cut himself off midway, covering his mouth as if afraid he would say something he shouldn’t.

"Why not?" Ren asked. It was clear now that both Yusha and Zayden were hiding something from him.

But what could it be?

"I will talk to him," Zayden sighed, rubbing his temples. Peace truly wasn’t meant for him.

"Alright. We should have breakfast."

"With Eiran," Zayden added with a grin, though a storm churned inside him.

Ren returned the smile and nodded.

After that, the two headed off to wake Eiran.

The breakfast table was unusually quiet. Neither of them spoke, which made Eiran study them closely. Everything had been fine yesterday. Did they fight?

He deliberately dropped his fork on the ground, and only then did his parents finally look at him.

"Is something wrong?" they asked in unison, both voices filled with concern.

"Nothing is wrong with me... But why aren’t you talking? Did you fight?" the boy asked, worried.

Ren’s chest tightened. He had been so consumed with thoughts of Yusha that he hadn’t paid much attention to his son.

"No. Everything is alright. We just... have some work we’re worried about," Zayden explained quickly, forcing a smile.

"E-Exactly!" Ren added. He rarely stammered, but when it came to his son, he couldn’t help becoming overly conscious and anxious.

Eiran looked at them with doubtful eyes.

"Truly," Ren said softly, patting the boy’s head in an attempt to ease his worry.

Whether it worked or not, Eiran called a maid to bring him another fork while the one he dropped was taken away to be washed. Then, he apologized to his parents for doing it on purpose—like a good, polite child.

Ren wasn’t surprised—though Zayden certainly was. No one in his family would ever apologize for such a small accident.

The servants nearly had tears in their eyes. After years of serving nobles who barely exchanged words unless behind closed doors, seeing a child who wasn’t spoiled rotten like the other noble children who visited the palace was... heartwarming.

***

After breakfast, Zayden headed to his quarters, entering his study before shutting the door behind him.

Ren and Eiran went to the library because the child insisted on learning new things; he had already explored the entire building and now found it boring. He had even thrown a small tantrum, demanding to return home.

However, Zayden couldn’t accept that request. His older brother’s engagement was around the corner, and as much as he wanted to run away from the responsibility of preparing it, he couldn’t afford to be scolded by his parents.

What if a single mistake made them oppose his future with Ren?

Although... it was unlikely. He couldn’t imagine his parents behaving like the typical nobles he’d heard rumours about—parents who threatened to commit suicide if their children dared marry someone of lower status.

His parents were kind, caring, and genuinely loved their children. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Apart from...

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Coughing to clear his throat, he said, "Come in."

He pushed aside the few documents on his desk.

When his gaze flickered upward, to his surprise, the man standing before him was the very one he had been debating whether to speak to or not.

"General," Liam bowed, greeting him. "I have cleared the area from where the Imperial Crown Prince’s in-laws are to arrive. There are no traces of monsters," he reported calmly, head lowered, unwilling to commit even the slightest misstep.

Unlike Heleine and Aaron, he was the one who minded his manners the most.

Zayden hummed, resting his elbow on the desk as he rubbed the corner of his jaw.

Was this well-spoken, composed man really the type to make such a mistake? However, Ren had no reason to lie.

"Take a seat."

Liam’s head snapped up, eyes widening in surprise. Usually, he would be dismissed as soon as his report ended.

Did the General no longer trust his word?

He swallowed hard, nervously pulling out the chair and sitting across from him.

Zayden leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing, both elbows on the armrests.

"I heard you got someone pregnant."

Liam froze. His breath hitched, shoulders stiffening. However, he quickly regained a cool composure, forcing a polite smile.

"...Where have you heard that from?" he asked quietly, voice trembling despite his efforts to sound calm.

"The source shouldn’t matter," Zayden replied coldly. "Last time we spoke about relationships, you told me you were engaged. It was a woman, not a man."

Liam’s jaw clenched. He lowered his gaze before he spoke.

"My fiancée... She wanted a dominant alpha," he murmured. "She broke things off when she met someone who fulfilled her expectations."

Zayden rolled his eyes.

"Alright, tragic. But that still doesn’t explain how you got someone pregnant."

Liam swallowed hard, fingers gripping the fabric of his sleeves.

"That day, I was in my rut... I wasn’t in my right mind, driven by the pheromones and instincts."

"Oh?" Zayden’s voice dropped, dangerously soft. "So it was a mistake? Rather... You raped him?"

"No!" Liam rose from the chair, panic flooding his expression. "He said he was okay with it! I asked him, repeatedly."

Zayden slammed his palm on the desk, the sound echoing through the room.

Silence settled in. Briefly.

"Oh, but of course. He’s your subordinate. Did it never cross your mind that he might have felt obligated to accept? That he couldn’t risk offending you?"

Air caught in Liam’s throat, barely able to breathe. The realization struck him like a blow, eyes widening in horror.

"I... I didn’t think—"

"Clearly."

Another wave of stillness lingered between them, almost suffocating.

"Then what do I do?" Liam whispered, voice cracking.

"Hah... forget it," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "I want to report you so badly."

Liam paled, his entire body trembling.

"Please don’t..." he begged. "I—I will apologize and ask him to abort."

Zayden stared at him in disbelief, eyebrows furrowed further.

"Abort?" He almost scoffed.

Liam nodded weakly.

"If he doesn’t want it, then—"

"And what if he does?" Zayden cut him off sharply. "What if he wants to keep the child? You have no right to tell him what to do with his own body."

Liam’s lips parted, but no words came out.

Zayden’s voice dropped, colder than winter wind.

"Whether you like it or not, you are responsible for that life."