“My love. Please…. Who on earth…. Why… why are you lying here…”

The terrified body carefully embraced the motionless omega.

“Please…. Please answer me. Valentin…”

“…My Lord…!”

“Don’t come any closer!”

Reynard shouted at the person trying to approach.

In an instant, a terribly frightening alpha pheromone explosively spread through the air.

In his eyes, everyone around was an enemy. He clearly saw someone push Valentin in the crowd. The enemy was nearby. Unable to know who it was yet, he couldn’t let anyone come close.

Dozens of meters around, those directly hit by Reynard’s violent pheromones had their knees buckle, collapsing or falling face down. Some quickly covered their noses and desperately fled. Even betas who couldn’t sense pheromones shivered at the suddenly heavy air and eerie feeling.

Everyone nearby was shocked to see Marquis of Valkyries lose his composure for the first time. The strong man they thought would never falter, the alpha among alphas, the Empire’s war hero rumored to have no blood or tears. He had completely transformed. It was chilling just to watch, and at the same time, utterly heartbreaking.

Reynard’s pheromones slowly seeped into Valentin’s body.

The eyelids of the limp body trembled slightly. Even in his distressed state, Reynard noticed this and called out to his love with wide eyes.

“Valentin! Are you conscious? Valentin…!”

“…Re…”

“Yes. It’s me. I’m here. Don’t speak. It’s enough that you’re awake. It’s okay. Everything will be okay now.”

He soothed his injured husband like someone slightly deranged. Repeatedly saying everything would be alright. He kept repeating it like a mantra, as if believing that if he said it enough, everything would truly get better.

“I…”

“Yes. I’m here. My love…”

“My stomach… hurts…!”

The barely open, dazed eyes winced violently as if unable to bear something. As if enduring intense pain.

“Your stomach? Your stomach hurts? Hey! Where’s the doctor?! Why is it taking so long?!”

“Ugh…!”

The limp body curled up as if feeling a sudden pain in the stomach. The slender waist twisted.

“My stomach hurts. The baby, the baby…”

“Valentin…! The doctor will arrive soon. Just hold on a little longer. Please…”

At that moment, one of the Imperial Opera House servants rushed in from outside. He was the only one who had come to his senses and moved among the people who couldn’t do anything. He ran over with Shane, Reynard’s aide.

“Colonel!”

“My Lord! The carriage has arrived!”

“…?”

“It’s pointless to call a doctor here. A palace physician is on the way to the palace. Let’s go there!”

He shouted with a serious face and urgently approached Reynard. And he took a posture as if to support Valentin.

“Get out of the way.”

The person who was just trying to help stopped in surprise at the growling voice and menacing aura. However, he quickly regained his senses and reminded Reynard.

“This is not the time for this, sir. Moving His Highness the Grand Duke Consort quickly is the top priority!”

Being quite level-headed, he made a rational argument to think of the patient despite Reynard’s fierce demeanor. At those words, Reynard, who had been like a primordial male alpha desperately protecting his omega, stably lifted Valentin. Then he followed the servant running to guide them to the carriage.

They soon disappeared through the Opera House exit.

The nobles who were still murmuring about the huge accident without starting the second act screamed again.

“Blood…!”

Where Valentin had collapsed, blood had pooled like a small puddle.

* * *

“It seems His Highness has gone into labor.”

“That’s impossible!”

“It’s premature labor. The sudden shock has opened the birth canal!”

Confused voices echoed around the room. It was nothing short of chaos.

‘Where am I…’

Through his blurry, unclear vision, Valentin’s dazed mind barely registered the vague shapes of people rushing about busily.

“We must prepare for delivery immediately!”

“The baby is only 7 months. It’s far too early to be born!”

“There’s no time. Just…!”

“No. This can’t be…!”

“My Lord, My Lord!”

Several dull sounds rang out strangely. It was the sound of things hitting each other. The sound of bones, flesh, and muscles colliding. Valentin’s ears buzzed deafeningly as if he had entered a cave.

“Colonel, please come to your senses. We must decide immediately as the palace physician says! Don’t you hear that it’s more dangerous to leave things as they are!?”

Amidst the loud and rough noises going back and forth, Valentin’s hazy consciousness focused solely on one thing.

“Ugh…”

The pain in his stomach was getting more and more intense. What had been hurting at intervals now worsened continuously as if there was no more time difference. The omega’s body curled up like a ball and then twisted on its own.

“The birth canal has already opened! Everyone please leave! The birth has already begun!”

“No, I…! Without my pheromones, Valentin will…!”

“…Everyone except the Duke, please leave immediately. Didn’t you hear? It’s an urgent situation, but it’s not proper for so many people to enter the birthing room!”

With the roar of an unknown doctor, Valentin lost his clear consciousness. He only kept thinking that it hurt terribly and that he might really die like this.

At some edge of the pain and haziness, when he thought he couldn’t endure any longer.

Waaah.

A very faint cry was heard.

‘The baby…’

The baby in his belly had been born. The poor little one had come out into the world early.

Valentin barely registered only the moment of birth in his confusion before completely losing consciousness.

Reynard’s voice calling him was fading away.

In the midst of quiet, gentle sorrow

“Are you going in, Colonel?”

The Naval Capital Command’s Inspection Staff Office.

Reynard got up from the heavy, dull-looking desk and put on his coat over his duty uniform. Shane, sitting at the small desk opposite, asked this upon seeing him. The aide’s hands were full of yellow paper bundles. Of course, the desk in front was also piled high with documents.

But Shane didn’t even think of grumbling or muttering at his superior. He just lightly asked about the schedule from behind Reynard, who was hurrying to prepare to go home. It was his own careful consideration for his superior and his family.

“You should call it a day too.”

“No, sir. Please go ahead.”

The aide shook his head firmly at his superior who ordered an early leave together.

“There’s still a lot of work left to do. ‘One, we are the honorable navy of Dales. Two, we obey our superiors’ orders and fulfill our responsibilities. Three, we are the victors who annihilate the enemy to the end.'”

Shane recited the first to third of the Navy’s service creed in succession. For nobles living in Dennox, for families continuing their oath to their lord while treading on the Iron Islands, it was the Navy’s motto and proud phrase that even non-navy people naturally memorized from childhood.

Watching this, Reynard stood straight facing his subordinate and clicked his heels together. Then, with a firm expression, he raised his hand to a perfect angle and saluted.

Although it was towards a subordinate, not a superior, it was a show of respect for the junior who was pouring out enthusiasm as if it were his own work for the accident they had encountered.

Shane, who didn’t expect such a response, opened his eyes wide and round but automatically saluted back. Resolve flowed between the two men, both naval officers and strong Dales people.

Soon, Shane’s eyes, following his superior’s posture, turned to the pile of documents and leather-bound file folders. Reynard nodded with an expressionless face and placed a heavy hand on his aide’s shoulder.

“You’re working hard. Well then, I leave it to you.”

“Yes. Have a safe trip home.”

The subordinate’s farewell wishing safety to the strongest being walking on two legs on land was deeply meaningful. It was similar to a warning about the time they were currently facing.

Reynard left a very faint smile at Shane’s concern and then opened the door of the staff room and walked out. And as he always did, he walked down the familiar corridor.

At the command’s stable, Reynard’s black and massive horse was waiting loyally. He tossed a gold coin to the soldier who brought it out and leaped on. Then he galloped through the streets of Eldon as usual.