If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 208

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Suppressing his disappointment, Cain was about to withdraw his hand.

At that moment, Agatha felt a faint but clear movement from the baby again.

“Wait.”

She quickly caught Cain’s hand as it was about to withdraw and gently pulled it back onto her belly. The baby responded with a strong kick right on cue.

Cain’s pupils dilated. His eyes shone in disbelief at the sensation he had just felt with his own hand.

“Just now…”

“The little one who hasn’t even been born yet is already quite strong, isn’t it?”

As if answering Agatha’s words, the baby kicked once more. This time, a faint smile spread across Cain’s lips, which had been open in surprise.

“My goodness. This feeling is new to me, Agatha.”

“Me too.”

The gentle but firm kicks from within were utterly lovely. Yes, this feeling was definitely one of love. Could such a tiny being, whose face they had yet to see, truly feel this lovable?

Cain blinked slowly, overwhelmed with emotion.

Among all the feelings he had ever experienced in his life, he could say with certainty that this was the very first time he had felt something like this. His breath quickened, and his chest swelled with emotion.

There was a clear difference between vaguely thinking in one’s mind that a child existed and actually feeling it at one’s fingertips.

After the third kick, the baby fell completely silent again. But Cain lingered, unable to remove his hand. It was as if he hoped to feel the baby once more by keeping contact.

Agatha didn’t push his hand away.

Through the layers of fabric, the warmth between them remained long and steady.

Though many thoughts raced silently through their minds, neither spoke aloud. Their throats felt constricted, as if something blocked the way.

Cain bit his lower lip quietly. Only after biting down painfully did he recognize the source of the tightness in his throat.

The child’s presence was nothing but a source of awe for him. The first moment he felt the baby move would remain etched in his memory as a long-lasting shiver of emotion.

Baby. I am your father.

Baby…

Cain silently called the child inside, swallowing down the determination rising in his throat.

He would protect this child and Agatha. For their sake, he was willing to give his life.

‘I will protect you. I promise to keep you safe.’

It was a resolve too deep now to voice aloud.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Meanwhile, the Grand Duke, having taken command over the mercenaries under the Count’s authority, began to set his plans in motion. Rumors from the servants whispered that the Grand Duke had summoned not only Pahel but also all the mercenaries dispatched to nearby southern towns.

The Count, roughly estimating their numbers, sensed that the Grand Duke’s scheme had reached a far more serious level, It was more than preparing an assassin to eliminate a nobleman.

The total number of mercenaries the Grand Duke had summoned matched the size of a respectable knight order. But raising a knight force without imperial approval was an illegal act.

Fearing that he might be implicated by the Grand Duke’s reckless actions, the Count could not hide his growing dread.

‘What on earth does he intend to do with so many mercenaries…?’

Every time the servants reported on the Grand Duke’s movements, Count Schuck’s heart felt as if it dropped to his feet.

How had he, such a coward, ever allied himself with a Grand Duke plotting rebellion? Blinded by the sweet fruit the Grand Duke offered, he had eagerly grasped the hand extended to him. Only to regret it bitterly now. But by then, it was too late.

They say regret is always too late, no matter how quickly it comes. No matter how much he struggled in fear, there was no way to escape the Grand Duke.

All that remained was to pray that the scheme wouldn’t go so wrong as to cost him his life.

This was the first time the man who once declared money to be the highest value had turned to God.

“God, have mercy on my life. I cannot die like this…”

He had lost count of how many lives had been lost to his greed long ago.

One servant nearby, watching the Count, thought silently that if God truly heard such insincere prayers, God would surely be furious.

After all, God is a just arbiter of reward and punishment. There was no way God would heed prayers from a man like the Count. Nor should He.

‘God, punish this beastly man, soaked in greed.’

The servant whispered this prayer silently to himself, lowering his eyes.

Likely, everyone present shared the same thought.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The sun began to set.

It was a season when the days grew shorter. They needed to hurry if they wanted to reach the capital before the cold set in.

Cain looked away from the land glowing red in the sunset.

The sensation left in his hand would not fade easily. The presence of the baby felt nothing short of miraculous on his skin. A life that had not even peeked its head into the world yet wriggling so vividly, asserting its existence…

How could he possibly describe this feeling in words? No phrase could capture the emotion he was experiencing.

Cain glanced down at his hand. Perhaps, he thought, he was grateful to Agatha for allowing him to touch her body.