The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 117 (Side Story 1)

The spring breeze, warmed by the sunlight, gently brushed against his cheeks. Struggling to keep his drowsy eyes open, Kyle saw a vast field of clover stretching endlessly toward the horizon.

‘Where am I?’

Kyle slowly sat up, his body still sluggish. Opening his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar place with no reasonable explanation was certainly odd.

But strangely, he didn’t feel uneasy. Instead, the vibrant greenery sprouting around him and the pastel sky above were so breathtakingly beautiful that they naturally reminded him of someone.

‘…She would love to see this.’

At some point, whenever Kyle encountered something beautiful, his thoughts would drift to his wife. Amelia Chaeild. He savored the sound of her name, which now shared the same surname as his, with a gentle smile.

Since she always gasped in delight at even the smallest gifts, like a gold mine or a summer estate, she would undoubtedly love this place too. If he could, he would buy this entire field and gift it to her.

The thought of her strolling happily through the meadow, lifting the hem of her dress slightly with each lively step, made his heart feel warm and full.

‘Maybe I should pick some clover for her.’

He had paid close attention to a section in How to Please Your Wife – Practical Edition, which explained how to weave a flower crown. It seemed like a good decision now. Feeling lighthearted, Kyle set to work making Amelia’s flower crown.

Even the tedious task of carefully selecting only the prettiest flowers felt enjoyable. Finally, with an armful of delicate blossoms, he sat down to weave them together.

“…?”

That was when something soft and fluffy burrowed into his embrace. Kyle blinked and looked down at the unexpected creature snuggling into his chest.

‘Too big to be a rabbit… and the fur is strange.’

Yet, the tall ears and twitching nose were unmistakably those of a rabbit.

Figuring it was simply a lost rabbit that had wandered too far, Kyle decided to return it to its habitat before finishing his task.

However, as soon as he set the rabbit down, another one jumped onto him. Now there were two, rubbing against him as if asking to be petted.

Though he had never considered himself an animal lover, he found it impossible to resist their soft fur and affectionate behavior. With both rabbits in his arms, he indulged in petting them.

‘Something feels off.’

Noticing a sudden increase in weight, he glanced down—only to find three rabbits now nestled against him.

While each was undeniably adorable, their inexplicable multiplication puzzled him.

Kyle attempted to stand up. But the rabbits wouldn’t let him, pressing him down onto the grass instead.

Now settled comfortably in his arms, the three rabbits stared at him expectantly, their greenish-brown eyes shining with anticipation.

‘If she ever turned into a rabbit, I imagine she’d be just like this.’

With that thought, Kyle decided to entertain them a little longer. After all, he himself enjoyed being stroked by her.

However, the more he petted them, the larger they grew, swelling like clouds.

“Wait a moment…!”

Before he knew it, Kylean Chaeild had been completely buried beneath the enormous, fluffy rabbits.

＊＊＊

Kyle’s body jerked slightly as he woke up, his eyes flickering open. He took a moment to survey his surroundings.

Though his perspective was slightly different than usual since he had fallen asleep on the sofa, he was, without a doubt, in his bedroom.

‘…What a strange dream.’

To him, dreams had always been nightmares. And on the rare occasions they weren’t, they tended to vanish like mirages upon waking.

Yet here he was, recalling an absurd dream where he had been smothered by rabbits.

Admittedly, it was preferable to nightmares of being bitten by dogs or chased by wild boars, but it still made no sense.

‘…Maybe it’s because I went to bed later than usual.’

But last night had been inevitable—it was their first wedding anniversary, after all.

Amel had been waiting for him on the sofa, adorned only in the lavish jewelry crafted from the gold mined at Amelia’s own site.

As he had walked toward her, entranced by the way she lazily waved her hand, her voice, thick with temptation, had reached his ears.

“Happy first wedding anniversary, Kyle. Your gift is me. Do you like it?”

“…”

“No matter how long you stare, I won’t take it back. I’ve always wanted to try something like thi—mmpf!”

Kyle had wasted no time in discarding every last piece of her jewelry, marking the end of their first anniversary with a night neither would forget.

Even as she trembled under his intense movements, her lashes fluttering, she had smiled and whispered words of love. There was no way his self-restraint could have survived such a moment.

‘…I wonder if she enjoyed it as much as I did.’

The thought alone made him smile unconsciously.

Kyle shifted his gaze to Amel, still sleeping on top of him. The thin blanket draped over her had slipped down to her waist.

Carefully, he adjusted the blanket, tucking it around her. As was now his habit, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

For a while, he simply indulged himself, softly tracing her skin. But even then, her delicate breaths remained steady and unbroken.

Realizing that his precious wife was still sound asleep and that their sweet, newlywed life was intact even after a year filled his heart with overwhelming happiness.

From the moment he had spent that fateful night with her in that shabby pub, his life had been like this—filled with the joy of waking up to a face that made him smile.

‘Next year’s anniversary should be even happier than this one.’

Kyle resolved himself firmly.

He pondered how he could bring even more happiness to Amel. It didn’t take long to arrive at an answer.

Although she had improved somewhat, Amel still tended to fall asleep quickly at night. If he helped build up her stamina and endurance, then barring unforeseen circumstances, every night for the next year could be just like last night…

‘Wait.’

His thoughts, which had been racing forward at full speed, suddenly hit a wall.

Kyle mentally flipped through several calendar pages, then carefully marked each night they had spent together with a circle.

An astonishing statistic had emerged—starting from today, it had been nearly six weeks without a single missed night of love. There should have been at least a few gaps in between.

‘…When was the last time?’

Kyle tried to recall Amel’s menstrual cycle. His wife was in good health, and her cycle was regular, occurring once a month like clockwork.

Whenever that time came, she would cling to him tightly as he, out of habit, tried to coax her into his embrace. With a soft smile, she would whisper, “Not today,” gently soothing him.

Of course, he always respected her wishes. Instead, he would offer her his arm as a pillow, intertwine their fingers, and pat her back until she fell asleep.

But as he mentally reviewed the past month, he realized something—the usual week of abstinence was missing from his calendar.

Kyle was now fully awake, his drowsiness vanishing in an instant. He carefully recalled all the books and miscellaneous knowledge he had absorbed over the years.

‘If a woman skips her period…’

Extreme stress or sudden weight loss could alter her cycle.

But Amel had shown no signs of stress lately—other than feeling a little more sluggish than usual and being sleepier than normal, she hadn’t mentioned anything concerning.

“……”

Still, the most common reason for a missed period was pregnancy.

Kyle swallowed dryly. The symptoms she had mentioned… all matched the early signs of pregnancy.

‘Stay calm. Stay… No, staying calm in this situation would be insane.’

This was the first time he had ever completely lost his composure, and the realization left him disoriented.

His eyes landed on Amel, still fast asleep on top of him. Carefully, he focused all his energy on shifting her without waking her, gently laying her down on the bed. The physical skills he had honed for far more mischievous purposes finally proved useful in a different way.

After tucking the blanket around her, he lay beside her, thoughts racing at full speed.

Could that strange dream have been a conception dream?

If he had been more diligent about contraception, he would have dismissed the possibility altogether, assuming it was a minor health fluctuation.

But that wasn’t the case.

With the way their passion flared at the mere meeting of their eyes, it was inevitable that, ever since their wedding, there had been… occasional lapses in caution.

Or rather, not just occasional. A few times? No… Several times?

‘…More than I can count on my fingers.’

Kyle ran a hand through his hair, trying to piece together the timeline. Since she had her period two months ago, he only needed to account for the past six weeks.

Too many instances immediately came to mind.

For example, that night in the carriage, on their way back from the imperial wedding banquet, after watching Princess Lienne and His Majesty’s ceremony until nearly midnight—

“Sister, isn’t there something that must be done on the night of a wedding?”

“The wedding was for Princess Lienne and His Majesty, so why are you— Ah!”

Kyle pressed his palm against his forehead as another memory surfaced.

“Sister, why are you sitting in front of the vanity at exactly the time I finish work? And looking this beautiful, no less?”

“Don’t blame the vanity, Kyle. Even when I was in the attic, in the library… Ah—!”

She was the one at fault for constantly tempting him in unfamiliar places. How was he supposed to resist when she looked into his eyes for three whole seconds and greeted him with a soft “Welcome home”?

Of course, there were times when she had been the one to act first.

One evening, she had excitedly prepared a new ultra-soft towel, eager to show it off—purely out of innocent enthusiasm, or so she claimed.

“You like soft things, so I got this for you.”

“A towel, huh…? But if I stay like this, I’ll catch a cold from the dampness. Kyle, will you dry me?”

“……”

“Hmm? I’m getting cold, you know.”

She was always the most irresistible when she was cold.

Then there were other moments—the time at Kylean Island in Amelia Lake, the glass bathtub filled with pristine water… one after another, they all resurfaced.

The chances of her being pregnant were high. Extremely high.

‘My child… might already be growing inside her.’

His heart pounded fiercely. His vision blurred slightly as warmth flooded through him. A surge of overwhelming emotion spread across his chest.

He wanted to share this joy with her immediately.

But he couldn’t bring himself to wake her. Instead, Kyle clutched his pillow tightly, as if to contain his excitement.

He suddenly felt the urge to retrieve the list of baby names he had secretly kept in his office drawer.

Would it be a boy or a girl? Either way, if they took after Amel, they would be absolutely adorable.

‘First thing in the morning, we’ll get her checked…’

Kyle was so lost in happiness that he failed to notice the dawn breaking outside.

But then, suddenly, he froze.

A memory surfaced—his conversation with Amel not long ago.

“We should take our time before thinking about children. There’s no rush.”

His heart, which had been soaring just moments ago, plummeted like a stone.

Kyle’s expression turned grim. He felt as though he had committed an unspeakable crime.

She had looked genuinely concerned when she said that. In fact, whenever the topic of children came up, she always seemed anxious.

‘What if I… forced something on her that she didn’t want?’

The pillow he had been hugging slipped from his grasp. His blood ran cold.

What if she wasn’t ready for a child?

“Kyle…? Did you wake up? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“……”

Still half-asleep, Amel reached for his hand, her fingers brushing against his engagement ring.

Kyle silently slid the ring off her finger.

First, he needed to confirm whether or not she was truly pregnant.

Then, whether he needed to talk… or kneel and beg for forgiveness.

“Sleep a little longer, Sister.”

Today was going to be a very, very long day.

Support