We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 75

Alex was dizzy. As someone who aspired to follow in the footsteps of the former Count, he was currently a knight in the Imperial Knights.

There were many alphas there, and he couldn’t possibly not know how much the Emperor cherished them. Perhaps that’s why he felt even more inferior to alphas. Whenever the rarely seen Emperor came and flattered or had friendly conversations with the alpha knights, he couldn’t help but feel envious.

At one point, he even had such thoughts. How great it would have been if he had been born from Melissa’s mother. Then he would have surely been born as an alpha.

How great it would have been if his grandfather, who was still praised by the Imperial Knights, had become his father. If that had happened…

After numerous thoughts, what came was emptiness and envy. No matter how envious he was of the alphas, he had never resorted to backbiting or directly scheming against them. Especially not with pheromones or inducers related to succession. No one should have known about it.

“Get yourself together. You, this isn’t normal.”

Still frustrated by his crying sister, Alex prayed for them to get home soon. He had to inform his father of the truth before it was too late and beg forgiveness from Ian.

As Ian had said, it was not just the family’s fortune that would disappear. What if Ian had taken the inducer and something went wrong? He couldn’t even imagine what would become of the future of the Rosewood family.

Just the thought made him dizzy, and he continued to look at his crying sister with pity. And realizing that Ian’s anger, which he had thought was merely because of his protectiveness around a lowly omega, was actually justified, Alex wanted to apologize to him directly.

Alex, who thought he could preserve his position as Ian’s friend, chuckled silently, relieved that it wasn’t him who had caused harm to the family, but his foolish sister.

Instinctively, he had taken care of his own well-being first.

* * *

I went to bed at my usual time but found it hard to fall asleep.

“I need to sleep quickly….”

Since hearing the doctor’s advice that a regular routine was good for the baby, I had been sleeping and waking up at the same time every day.

However tonight, I strangely couldn’t sleep. My body was tired, but my mind was alert. I got up, hugging my rounded belly and draped a shawl over my shoulders as I went out to the balcony.

As autumn was approaching, the night air felt quite chilly.

“If Ian knew I was doing this, he would definitely say something.”

Thinking of my alpha, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. And then I realized why I couldn’t fall asleep.

“Ah….”

I realized that because Ian wasn’t there to sleep with me. Or if something prevented us from sleeping together, he would emit pheromones beside me until I fell asleep.

I had recognized that I had imprinted on him, but since I didn’t know the full extent of its effects, I felt a little afraid. What changes would come to my body from now on?

Just the fact of having a child would bring countless changes, and with imprinting on top of it, it was difficult to predict.

I gazed at the night sky absentmindedly. When I saw the curved crescent moon, I thought of Ian’s eyes.

“I’ve never seen him smile till his eyes curled so thinly.”

When he heard the news of my pregnancy, he showed a smile that I hadn’t seen before, but it didn’t seem to curl as much.

The moon would undoubtedly be bright, but it no longer seemed to shine in my eyes. Perhaps it was because my eyes knew of the eyes that were brighter and more beautiful than the moon.

I sat in the rocking chair on the balcony, leaning my head back, and gazed at the crescent moon in place of Ian, who was absent in this space.

“I’m lucky that his eyes resemble the moon.”

When he’s not around, I can stargaze like this.

“Baby, are you growing well?” I spoke to the baby, gently caressing my round belly.

In the book Nicola got me, it said that it was good to talk to the baby, even if it was inside my womb.

“Mom will try to eat more and get stronger. It might be difficult to eat meat for now, but once the morning sickness is gone, I’ll eat a lot. So you have to grow well too.”

Talking to the baby felt awkward as it might appear as if I were talking to myself. Initially, it was uncomfortable, but as time passed, it became fulfilling.

When a time of loneliness and uncertainty about how to live in this world had passed and the time of relief had arrived, the fact that I had a child made me feel less alone.

So on this sleepless night, I spoke to the baby to not feel lonely, and waited for Ian. It was already late, but I had a feeling he would come.

As I softly conversed with the baby, I heard the sound of footsteps. I quickly got up from the chair and walked towards the balcony railing.

Ian was walking through the rose garden. As I gazed down quietly, he looked up with a swift motion.

“…you hadn’t slept?”

Laughter escaped me somehow at the sight of his startled, wide golden eyes.

“Thank you for your hard work until late today.”

“….What were you doing up until this hour?”

Ian, who usually didn’t reveal his emotions, showed signs of being taken aback. Then he disappeared from my sight.

I hurriedly entered the bedroom as well, closing the balcony door, and the bedroom door swung open. He entered briskly, bringing in the chilly breeze.

Without even taking off his jacket, he stopped in front of me and hesitated before murmuring,

“I’m back.”

In his words, all I could do was blink. Ian also looked down at me, then briefly pressed his lips to my forehead, releasing his pheromones.

As his long-awaited pheromones enveloped my body, drowsiness flooded over me as if the sleepless hours had been a lie. He confirmed my barely closed eyes and then took off his gloves, muttering almost in complaint.

“Why are you waiting outside on this chilly night? You never listen.”

I wanted to see more of this side of him that I usually couldn’t, but I couldn’t hold back my drowsiness, like a child. In the meantime, he roughly discarded his clothes and gently laid me on the bed and whispered to me.

“Good night, Mel.”

With those words, my heavy eyelids closed.

The slumber that followed was as sweet as his pheromones.