Chapter 288
At my question, Perez put his thoughts together for a moment and then started talking.
"That dream..."
It was still early in the morning, and his voice was soft enough to make me want to go to sleep again.
But the more the explanation continued, the more I woke up.
"Uh... So you mean you saw the world tree in your dream, right?"
"Rather than seeing, I reached out my hand and touched it. But the feeling..."
Perez held his right hand still, then opened it.
As if the feeling was still clear.
"How did it feel?"
"Hmm."
A smile slowly appeared on Perez"s face.
"It was warm. It was comfortable."
"I- I see."
This is a conception dream.
Perez had a conception dream.
"Tia?"
When I didn"t say anything, Perez called, tilting his face toward me.
"Oh, no. Nothing."
I said, lying down on the bed again to control my facial expression.
"Let"s go back to sleep. It"s still too early."
"...Shall we?"
After checking Perez lying down next to me, I looked up at the ceiling and blinked blankly.
There is no concept of conception dream in this world.
There are legends that are made up in fairy tales that children sometimes read, such as that when a hero was born, a star fortune-telling from the Bible appeared.
But it wasn"t me, it was Perez who had a conception dream.
"Then does this child"s conception dream become the world tree?"
I was puzzled.
The conception dream was the world tree, which was very grand and like my child.
Above all, the world tree is the symbol of Lombardi.
As I glanced at the seat next to me, Perez"s eyes were a little dim in the meantime. I hesitated for a moment and said.
"Hey, Perez."
"Yes, Tia."
"If the schedule goes well, would you like to stay in Lombardi tomorrow, or even tonight?"
"Today, too?"
"Yes. I think I"ll be busy preparing for the wedding during the daytime anyway, and let"s have a proper meal in the evening that we couldn"t share yesterday."
As if he had never thought that I would make such an offer, Perez made a surprised face.
Then he smiled broadly like a child who received a gift.
"Yes, let"s do that."
"I"ll tell the chef to prepare comfortable food."
"Tia."
Perez slowly approached me.
As he moved his body, I heard the sound of crumpling bed sheets around my ears.
"Thank you for giving me a chance to make up for it."
Warm lips touched my forehead.
It was the warmth that always rea.s.sured me.
I said in a tone that it wasn"t a big deal on purpose, wondering if I"d get caught with pounding my heart.
"It wasn"t because I wanted you to get sick, but, just get some more sleep."
"Yes, I got it."
At my words, Perez gently closed his eyes like an obedient child.
The face, which usually straight, gradually relaxed calmly.
I looked at it quietly and thought it was fortunate.
In my previous life, Perez had suffered from severe insomnia.
But now, in front of me, there is only a boy-like guy who falls asleep early in the morning without knowing such a thing.
Using that even breathing sound as a lullaby, I also slowly closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, all wedding preparations will be completed.
Then we should sit face to face and have dinner, and let him know on the spot.
A gift came a little early for us.
Then, what kind of face will Perez make? Gradually, I fell into sleep with pleasant thoughts of this and that.
***
"Matriarch, it"s time to try on a dress."
"Caitlin."
"Yes, Matriarch."
"Is there any brides who dies from overwork while preparing for the wedding? If not, I think I will be the first."
I muttered, half lying on the sofa.
Then Caitlin and several employees helping with the wedding preparations laughed quietly.
But I"m really not kidding.
"Oh, my. I"m dying."
There was no such enforcement.
The schedule, which started as soon as the sun rose in the morning, continued until the sunset.
"If it"s too hard, shall we take a short break?"
Perez, who was next to me, anxiously swept my bangs which were flowing down, and asked.
It"s a very tempting proposition, though.
"No. Let"s finish it quickly."
At this rate, I"m going to have a late-night snack instead of dinner.
I can"t tell you baby news while eating late night snacks!
I really got up from my seat, squeezing my last remaining strength.
"Caitlin, are you ready with the dress?"
"That"s right."
"Yeah, just try it on once and it"s over."
I told Caitlin, but it was actually something I said to myself.
As if she knew how I felt, Caitlin nodded with a determined look.
"I"ll be back, so wait here, Perez. It"s my dress, so you should check it out too."
It was us who had been preparing for weddings in the Imperial Palace and Lombardi respectively.
In short, it meant that it was the first time Perez saw myself in a wedding dress.
"I"ll wear it soon."
I waved my hand towards Perez, who had sparkling eyes somewhere, and headed to the next room.
Thanks to all the preparations already in place, the fitting was ended quickly.
But it"s not the end.
"Uuh, I feel it every time I wear it, but this dress is too heavy."
The union of the Emperor and the Matriarch of Lombardi is unprecedented in the history of the Empire.
As a result, the dress was loaded with power.
There was no easier way to show the power of the imperial family and the Lombardi family at a glance than a gorgeous wedding dress.
"I will help you, Matriarch."
Caitlin approached carefully and held my hand.
As I was escorted by her and started walking, the employees opened the door like flowing water.
Chalang, chalang.
With every step I took, the jewels on my dress made a beautiful sound.
As I left the room in a dress, I saw Perez waiting for me.
As if he couldn"t sit still, the man who had been wandering around stopped as soon as he saw me.
He didn"t even blink.
Isn"t he broken?
"Perez, how do I look?"
Perez still remained silent despite my urging question.
His red eyes didn"t move, fixed to me, as if they were frozen.
I think he"s really broken.
"Perez?"
I let go of Caitlin"s hand and took a step closer to him.
"What? Can you say something... Ugh!"
Eventually the heavy dress. .h.i.t the job.
I only took a few more steps, but I stumbled without being able to properly handle the weight of the jewelry and the layered dress.
Oh, I shouldn"t get bruises on my face on the wedding day.
It was when I was thinking like that as I saw the floor that was getting closer.
"Tia."
A low voice rang in my ear as a strong arm supported me.
"Tha- that surprised me. I thought I was going to fall. Thank you, Perez."
I thought I should tell them to reduce the jewelry on the dress.
I patted the arm that was holding my waist as a token of grat.i.tude. And I raised my head.
"Tia."
Perez"s face was very close.
A lot closer than I thought.
"Are you okay?"
I"m sure I wasn"t hurt anywhere, but it"s a sweet voice asking for my well-being.
Why does it sound so dangerous?
"Yeah. I"m fine."
"...That"s a relief."
Even with that answer, Perez did not let me go.
There was a strange air in the room.
"Hey, Perez."
Can"t you loosen this arm now?
What is this atmosphere?
Why are Caitlin and people leaving quietly?
Click.
Eventually, the door closed, leaving only the two of us.
"I"m fine now...!"
Perez"s face, who had been staying close all the time, approached immediately.
The lips clasped together as if they were fitting together.
A big hand gently wrapped my cheeks.
Perez suddenly supported my waist with only one arm.
"Euh."
Is it because of the uncomfortable dress, or because of Perez, who winds up without even giving a break?
I quickly ran out of breath, but I couldn"t even push it out.
"That... haa, Perez."
Even the name I barely spit out was eaten in his mouth.
"Tia."
Perez, who suddenly moved from my lips to my neck, called my name over and over again.
Every time, hot breath, which has become very hot, touches my skin.
A large hand grabbed my arm and wrapped it around his neck.
The familiar yet dizzy feeling made my head go numb.
"...Perez."
As if his name that I whispered in his ear had become a trigger, the slow movement of the man became urgent in an instant.
Tuk, tuk.
Behind my back, I heard a sound of knots loosening up helplessly, which several employees rushed in and hard-tied it.
"Is this okay?"
Such a question suddenly came to mind, but it just pa.s.sed by.
I surrendered myself and closed my eyes.
Chalang.
Once again, there was a sound of jewels clashing each other.
At the same time, the words Estira had asked me several times a few days ago echoed loudly in my mind.
"You should avoid sleeping for the time being. Early pregnancy is still an unstable period."
"Oh, no!"
I pushed Perez away without realizing it.
"This isn"t it."
That was close.
It was impossible to endanger the child by being swept away by the atmosphere.
As soon as I was in a hurry, I sat down half way in a chair nearby and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then I suddenly realized that Perez was very quiet.
I thought he"d come with a relaxed smile.
The man was still there, as if he had been nailed to the spot.
"Perez?"
"I."
My shoulders trembled at the terribly low voice.
The red eyes that looked at me had sunk deep, as if they had heated up.
It was so unfamiliar, yet familiar eyes.
It was infinitely empty. I felt like I could hear the sound of rain from afar.
And with a more gloomy voice than that, Perez asked.
"You don"t like me anymore?"
"...What?"
There was no answer to the question.
Perez walked in with a staggered step.
"But you can"t, Tia."
A shadow stood tall over my head.
"Now, even if you regret it, you can"t."
A large hand reached out towards me.
"Perez, calm down for a moment..."
I couldn"t finish my words.
With a thud sound, Perez"s body lowered.
He knelt down in front of me.
And the hand that reached out to me took my hand on my lap.
His hand, which seemed to embrace for the most precious thing in the world, was trembling terribly.
"Marry me, Tia."
It felt like I went back to the day I was proposed.
But Perez at that time was not trembling like this.
"Please love me again."
He didn"t even beg for affection like this.
"Give me a chance. Because I, I will work hard. please."
This isn"t right.
I came to my senses as if I had been struck by a water storm.
"What are you talking about now?!"
"...Tia?"
"Can"t you see I"m wearing my wedding dress right now? If I don"t marry you, who will I marry?"
I grabbed his face with both hands.
"Perez Brivacau Durelli! Are you not going to marry me?"
"...I- I will."
"But what is this right now? Explain it properly."
"I, I mean."
Perez fumbled my hand as if he couldn"t believe it.
"Tia, I thought you regretted getting married."
"What?"
"I think it"s Marry Blue..."
"What nonsense is that?! Who is it, who is that? No. It"s the trio of idiots with nothing to see, right? Right?"
Perez nodded blankly instead of answering.
"They wouldn"t have said that out of the blue. Why did you think so?"
"Tia, you don"t have a good complexion, and you keep avoiding my eyes at the conference, then..."
"Then?"
"Then sighed..."
Oh, my.
It was really "Oh, my".
It all happened because I had morning sickness.
"Ha."
A deep sigh broke out.
Oh, I don"t know either.
"Well, look."
I grabbed Perez"s hand and led him to my stomach.
"Here."
It was the hand that touched the world tree.
"Here is my child."
I didn"t mean to tell you this.
However, I have no choice but to resolve Perez"s huge misunderstanding.
"Tia, what are you saying..."
"I"m pregnant."
This time, in order for him not to be confused, I said it word by word.
"In here are you, me and our baby."
"...Ba- baby?"
"Yeah. Maybe by half between you and me are like the baby."
Saying so, I pulled his palm so that it could fully touch my stomach.
"Listen carefully. You"ll know if she"s there."
It was Peres who went beyond human limits and felt things that others couldn"t.
"I had a severe morning sickness. All of your misunderstandings are because I wasn"t feeling well because of morning sickness."
"Ah..."
"The day I sighed, suddenly there was food in the meeting room."
It"s ridiculous.
How can you get it wrong for a long time, no matter how wrong it was?
The academy trio is the problem.
I"ll have to call them sometime and educate them.
"So, don"t worry about it strangely, okay? If you say you won"t get married after having a baby like this, the most difficult thing is to say that I am... Perez?"
Something was strange.
Perez said nothing.
One hand was still attached to my lower abdomen, and he just bowed his head quietly.
"No way."
Hey, maybe.
I slowly grabbed Perez under his chin and lifted it up.
The head that did not resist slowly turned towards me.
I hope he isn"t, really.
"Perez, are you... are you crying?"