Pregnancy (Seeking Collection)

Blackstone Manor.

Aaron Sothoth sat upright at his desk, recording the secrets he had gathered over this period in Chinese:

[Stage One: Unburnt—Breathing Technique, Meditation, Unburnt Ritual]

[Hypothesis: Using ascetic methods to temper oneself, thereby awakening the spirituality of darkness?]

[Stage Two: Son of Burning (Middle-tier of the cult), cultivation method currently unknown]

[Stage Three: Dark Seeker (Representative figure: High Priest, high-tier of the cult)]

These were all fragments he had pieced together by eavesdropping and observing in Black Sun Town; they should be largely consistent with the truth.

It had cost him a great deal of time, but Aaron felt it was entirely worth it.

He paused, then continued to write:

[Judging by various clues and traces, the High Priest must be plotting something. Perhaps he intends to use the Unburnt as sacrifices, or perhaps... it relates to the 'Eclipse Ritual' and some grand ambition...]

After finishing these notes, Aaron let out a long breath: "In that insane world, how could a saint possibly exist? The so-called savior is likely nothing more than a lie!"

He could easily imagine how desperate those scavengers would be when the truth was finally revealed.

Aaron put away his notebook, stood up, and walked to the edge of the window. He exhaled, the breath instantly turning into frost.

The manor was currently blanketed in silver, clearly the result of a heavy snowfall.

He donned his cloak, a rare occurrence, and stepped out of the villa, leaving a long trail of footprints in the snow.

I have already grasped the cultivation method of the Unburnt well enough; perhaps I can try... awakening my own spirituality...

As Aaron pondered, he scooped up a handful of snow and molded it into a snowball.

"My Lord!"

Just then, a slightly chubby young man dressed in a gray scholar's robe came running over, holding a letter, his face flushed red.

"What is it, my Scholar Albert?"

Aaron asked with a smile.

This was a student recommended by the castle scholar, the second son of a knightly family. He had studied grammar and etiquette for ten years and possessed a rudimentary knowledge of herbalism; he now served as the scholar of Blackstone Territory and the manor's steward.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Albert was not physically strong, merely soft-bodied, and he was panting heavily: "A letter from Sothoth Castle, Lady Sylvie is pregnant."

"That is good news."

Aaron replied casually, then suddenly felt something was amiss: "When was she conceived?"

"Calculating by the months, it was during the month of the wedding," Albert answered.

"Oh, then there is no problem."

Aaron nodded.

He kept his subordinates under strict discipline, and none had offended Sylvie, so he was ninety percent certain it was Colin's seed, not the bloodline of those thugs.

But how Colin himself would perceive it was a matter of great intrigue.

Moreover, with Lady Sonia in the castle, who feared nothing more than peace, the situation would surely become very lively...

Sothoth Castle.

"Have you heard? Lady Sylvie is pregnant..."

"This is truly the blessing of the Green Grandmother!"

"I heard from the scholar's servant that the lady's pregnancy is a bit strange... perhaps it was conceived while she was being abducted."

"Are you trying to die? Go let the Winter Forest Wolf snatch you away! How dare you say such things!"

A group of servants gathered together, whispering, but they scattered like startled birds the moment they saw someone approaching.

High atop the wall, Colin, dressed in noble attire, gazed out from a window, his face ashen.

Initially, he had been quite happy to hear the news of his wife's pregnancy, but at some point, rumors had begun to circulate within the castle.

This made Colin's heart feel as if it were being pierced by knives. After all, he had known of his bride's unchastity on their wedding night, though the Green Forest People did not care much for such things.

But these rumors were something he could not tolerate!

Must not get angry, must not get angry!

I know very well that this is a trap set by Lady Sonia; it is highly likely she is the one spreading it. I must not fall into her snare...

Colin breathed deeply, but upon returning to his room and seeing Sylvie Davis embroidering—especially her abdomen, which was already beginning to show—that nameless fire flared up once again.

Sylvie wore a smile, radiating maternal warmth. She looked up and, seeing Colin's expression, could not help but pause: "My dear, what is wrong?"

"Aaron... what kind of person do you think my brother Aaron is?" Colin suppressed the anger in his heart and asked tentatively.

"Your brother, Aaron... he is a very contradictory person, both cruel and gentlemanly."

Sylvie could not help but say. Although she knew he was the one who had breached the castle, she could not deny that he had reined in his soldiers and prevented the atrocities.

Furthermore, during the time she had been abducted, he had treated her quite courteously.

It could be said that if not for him, she might have already died within the castle, and she would never have had the life she lived now.

At the mention of Aaron, Sylvie's feelings could not help but become complicated.

"A gentleman? A gentleman!"

Colin, however, was like a provoked lion; he suddenly snatched the ceramic pot from the table and smashed it against the floor.

Crash!

Ceramic shards flew everywhere, clear water pooled across the ground, half-reflecting Sylvie's pale face: "You... what are you doing?"

"Tell me, whose seed is it that you are carrying in your belly?"

Colin's eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy, and he almost wanted to draw his sword and point it at Sylvie.

"I swear by our shared faith, Colin, this is your bloodline."

Sylvie murmured, suddenly realizing something: "Aaron... he did nothing to me."

Yet she did not know that such things only became harder to explain the more one tried.

Hearing that name, Colin was already so enraged he wanted to kill someone.

"Ahhh!"

He roared, overturning the table.

Amidst the intense argument, Sylvie's stubborn yet sorrowful voice rang out: "If you do not believe me, I have heard that the herbal tea prepared by the castle's scholar is very effective. You can try it, try killing your own child with your own hands..."

Bang!

Hearing the commotion even from such a distance, Ginny frowned, then lifted her teacup like a lady and took a gentle sip.

Beside her, Lady Sonia said triumphantly to her daughter: "Look... Colin is an idiot. It is a fact that anyone with eyes can see, yet he refuses to notice it, or rather, he chooses to torture himself. All of this stems from his jealousy and fear of that man! My daughter, remember this: jealousy and fear can destroy a person more effectively than any sword!"

"Will Colin really order the scholar to prepare a potion to induce a miscarriage?" Ginny asked with some concern.

"He will not!"

Lady Sonia answered with great confidence: "Colin is not a man of such decisiveness, and besides, The Count knows everything. He would not let Colin do such a thing..."

Suddenly, the woman smiled like a fox: "The Count desperately needs a child who carries the direct bloodlines of both sides to consolidate his rule. Even if the rumors are true, it does not matter; after all, they are both his grandchildren, his blood..."

"If this child were gone, it would actually be a happy outcome for everyone. But if he is born, it will be the equivalent of a constant reminder to Colin of today's events, tearing open the scar of his humiliation. Do you want to guess what will happen as time goes on?"