He raised his large hands and roughly rubbed his face.

Although Valentin adamantly refused, saying he wasn’t ill, Reynard couldn’t help but call a doctor.

The attending physician, who had conducted various tests on Valentin, just quietly shook his head.

He only quietly left the words that it was a disease of the mind.

* * *

The once vibrant leaves all turned brown and withered.

It’s suddenly striking, as if they were never so lively and clear green.

In the cooling weather, the things that lost their vitality turned dry and brown, rolling on the ground. And stepped on by people’s shoes, they turned to powder while barely leaving behind a shape as unsightly as weed roots.

It was a very natural change of seasons, but Reynard’s heart was extremely troubled watching it. How nice it would be if only the sentiment that autumn was fully setting in with the passage of time remained. But as Reynard watched the leaves falling weakly to the ground, shriveled and dry, something else came to his mind.

‘Valentin…’

One day, as he watched his husband become so desolate without any solution, Reynard finally visited the Grand Duke’s office. It was the first time he had left his duty hours to come here.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

At the deep, dignified voice, the office door opened. The head butler slowly opened it with his white-gloved hand to allow Reynard easy entry. But in his haste, he couldn’t wait even a moment and pushed the door open roughly.

“I request a transfer to the capital.”

At these abrupt words, the Grand Duke, who had been sitting at his desk looking at a map with a monocle, slowly raised his head.

“A transfer?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m willing to accept a lower position change as well.”

The owner of the mountain-like body standing before his father’s desk nodded firmly.

It wasn’t an impulsive request.

Valentin, who had been barely maintaining the most minimal lifestyle, moved with enthusiasm for the first time in days. The catalyst was a small envelope.

It was news from the Wiche family in the capital.

Late at night when everyone was asleep, Reynard saw the Wiche family’s rose crest stamped on the envelope and made his decision after much deliberation.

[His Highness the Consort smiled and ran straight to the office. And he wrote letters to each family member. He didn’t vomit what he ate in the afternoon either.]

Powell’s story also solidified Reynard’s resolve.

At his son’s resolute request, the Grand Duke put down the monocle he was wearing on the desk. Then he gestured to the head butler and took a cigar from the box he offered, cut the end, and lit it.

“You know it’s no different from a demotion, right?”

That was exactly right. The Naval Capital Command was nothing more than a shiny crabapple with just the name “Command” attached to it. Any soldier worth his salt would not miss the honor of the title of commander, even if his post was at the frontlines.

There, he would no longer be an operations commander, nor would he be in charge of a fleet. It was a sinecure position in the middle of land away from the sea, compiling reports from naval headquarters, managing military supplies, handling administrative tasks, or being responsible for the welfare of war casualties and injured personnel. Though there’s no high or low in all things, and all work in the world is said to be valuable and precious, the hierarchy planted in people’s hearts is not all equal.

The navy moves away from key positions as it moves away from the sea. It was also not beneficial for promotion.

The Grand Duke was warning that it would leave a blemish on a perfect record.

“I understand.”

But Reynard didn’t mind.

He had never worried about such things. He just faithfully did what he had to do from the beginning. He had never lived thinking he would polish this path flawlessly and perfectly.

White smoke puffed out of the Grand Duke’s mouth. Whether it was a sigh or just exhaling smoke, probably only the Grand Duke himself knew.

“It’s your life, you’ll handle it as you see fit.”

The Grand Duke nodded. True to his reputation of being blunt to the extreme, he didn’t ask his son anything.

However, the Grand Duke was the master of this castle and land. There was no way he didn’t know what was happening in his territory. Especially regarding what was happening inside his own house.

“I’ll start the procedures right away.”

“Thank you.”

The conversation that didn’t seem like one between father and son ended. But one couldn’t say there was no mutual understanding within it. That’s just how their relationship was.

Reynard saluted the Grand Duke and walked out as quickly as he had entered, with large strides.

Family

“Valentin! My nephew!”

As soon as Valentin’s face appeared at the opening carriage door, Dalton rushed over. Valentin’s face blossomed like a flower at the sight of his uncle welcoming him with open arms and a joyful expression.

“Uncle!”

Just as he was about to jump out, Reynard barely caught him and carefully helped him land on the ground.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Valentin fell into Dalton’s arms and received cuddles as he always had since childhood. And still tightly hugging that broad back, he peeked out his face, brightening it even more as he shouted again.

“Mom! Dad!”

The dignified posture of the Viscount and Viscountess Wiche, who had been standing elegantly at the entrance of the mansion to welcome their son and son-in-law, was also gradually crumbling.

“Valentin.”

“My son!”

Before the four family members could grab each other and start spinning around in circles, Reynard cleared his throat to make his presence known.

“Ahem.”

At that voice, the squirrel family’s posture returned to a very proper one. Of course, Reynard knew very well that the squirrel skin of the Wiche family alphas was just a disguise.

“Welcome, Marquis.”

“I hope you’ve been well.”

Reynard exchanged polite greetings with Viscount Wiche. Valentin was already entering through the entrance, arms linked with the Viscountess and Dalton, bouncing on his heels. Reynard watched that brightened appearance with a satisfied face for a moment before entering the mansion with the Viscount.

*

“So, Mom. You should have seen how elegantly I played the role of consort in that Great Hall…!”

“I’m sure you did.”

The Viscountess nodded with a proud face.

Happy to meet after a long time, she kept smiling with an “Of course, of course” expression at her son’s babbling words, who had turned childlike. She was believing his stories, which were like exaggerated tales of heroic deeds, as if they were true. It was affection for her son who appeared with a gaunt face after a long time.

“The education from the Duchess Dowager of Haddington was effective. I tell you, I was able to maintain quite a dignified appearance.”

“Of course, of course.”

The mother’s head kept nodding as she listened. Then, placing her hand on her son’s thin cheek, she asked carefully.

“You’re not feeling ill anywhere?”

“No. My stomach had been uncomfortable for a while, but eating at home after so long, it’s going down well.”

“Home cooking is the best after all,” he added, and the Viscountess recalled Valentin’s appearance during their dinner together earlier and kept nodding. Despite his gaunt appearance, Valentin had eaten better than expected.

“I thought the morning sickness had ended…”

Still, a mother’s heart can’t let go of worry, can it? She stroked her son’s hand and slightly furrowed her brow.

“I know. I thought it had almost ended, but it seems to have started again. But seeing that I’m fine today, it should disappear soon.”

Valentin rubbed his belly with an awkward smile. Apart from the emotional distress he had gone through, he didn’t want to worry his family by bringing up those stories in detail.

Moreover, wasn’t everything due to trauma related to his past life and the original story? He couldn’t properly open up about why he had reacted abnormally sensitively to the malice of the Dales nobles.

The Viscountess placed her hand on Valentin’s belly and gently stroked it together.

“Yes. It seems to be growing well, though.”

The belly had swollen quite a bit.

It wasn’t as big as a full-term pregnancy, but it was swollen enough for anyone to recognize him as pregnant. Well, it was almost a full 6 months now.

“Do you think people will realize I got pregnant before marriage…?”

The Viscountess shook her head as she looked at her son, who was making a worried expression about whether people in Eldon might be able to estimate the timing, knowing what his figure was originally like.

“The swelling of the belly differs for each person. Let’s insist it’s a honeymoon baby, that the baby seems big because your husband is so large.”

“Sounds good.”

The two omegas, mother and son, clenched their fists resolutely and made a pact.