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Early BBYW Vol. 4 Interlude 6 (WN)
🕑 Added 2025-03-20 14:26:11 +0000 UTCFull title: I’m a Bastard But You’re Worse!
Note: This chapter has not been TLCed yet, and might slightly differ from the public version. If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.
Translator: Dario
Note 2: This is the web novel version
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The Empire’s Red Rose 6
【POV: Raine Halphas】
After hearing my reply, Rossellia opened her eyes wide, completely surprised. She then peeked into my eyes, full of curiosity.
Her Majesty’s angelic visage was suddenly so close to my face, that I couldn’t help but lean away.
“Eep!”
“What made you come up with that name!? Please tell me your thought process!”
“M-My liege…! You’re too close…!”
“Oh dear…my apologies.”
Empress Rossellia was probably embarrassed of her outburst of curiosity, as she blushed and covered her mouth with a hand.
Seeing an “otherworldly” beauty like Her Majesty making such a maiden-like gesture changed my impression of her.
(Even if she’s the Empress, she’s still in her teens, after all…I might have been misunderstanding her…)
Despite her high rank, or the child in her womb, she was still a young woman around my same age.
Empress Rossellia cleared her throat, then asked the question again.
“Let me ask one more time…what made you think that Lord Dyngir could be the father? Please let me know.”
“......”
(“Lord” Dyngir…is that so.)
Using such a title alone was enough of a hint that there had to be some kind of relationship between them…but I put that aside for the moment.
I took a deep breath to collect myself, then explained the thought process.
“The assumption started from two of your attendants.”
“My…attendants?”
I took a quick look around the bathtub.
In this large bathroom, used exclusively by the royal family, there were many maids ready to serve Her Majesty — however, two of her closest servants were absent.
“Lady Luna, your personal attendant. Lady Estina, your escort knight. Neither of them are here today.”
Maybe it was plausible for a knight like Estina, but Luna, the Empress’ personal maid, would definitely accompany her to help during the bath.
However — she was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally so: she was currently on long term leave, away from the palace.
“Not only Lady Luna, but Lady Estina too is on leave from her duties. If I recall correctly…on maternity leave.”
“..............”
“Your Majesty, Lady Luna, Lady Estina…three women who spend most time together have all become pregnant in the same period. I thought there might be an explanation.”
“...indeed. Both of them said they were ready to work as long as they could, but Luna had terrible episodes of morning sickness, and Estina’s work is taxing on her body, so I had both of them go on leave…anyway, please continue.”
“Certainly, My Liege.”
I nodded and resumed.
“Assuming that all three women had had the same partner, who could the man be? A gentleman capable of having three such beautiful, noble women bear his child at the same time…”
I first thought of an enemy soldier or a bandit.
During the war, they fell into enemy hands and were violated…such a horrible scenario had surfaced in my mind.
“However…none of you aborted their child, and you, My Liege, seem so blissful. It gave me the impression that…you are proud of the fact you are bearing that man’s child.”
“Yes…I suppose you are right about that.”
“In other words, that man not only has courted and conquered the hearts of three women at the same time, he has also spent the night and successfully impregnated all three. Of all the gentlemen I am aware that were in contact with the three ladies in question, I could only think of one playboy capable of such a feat…Lord Dyngir Maxwell.”
“I see…you are correct, for the most part.”
Lady Rossellia nodded, satisfied, then added a “but”.
“Lord Dyngir has not courted only us three, though. In the week he spent here in the empire, he has taken all the maids here to bed.”
“EEEH!?!”
Now that I would have never expected.
I couldn’t help but react loudly, and looked at each one of the maids in the room.
Some smiled, while others shied away in embarrassment.
“All women shared the same man, and now share the secret. That is the reason why we are so tightly knit together. There is no way for the secret to leak…or so I thought…”
Lady Rossellia’s expression turned grave. She supported her chest with her right arm, concealing her large breasts, and stood up.
“There is at least one more person, other than you, aware of this secret. Can you guess who that is?”
“Eh…..ah!!”
I recalled the heated exchange during the meeting and, before I knew it, found myself standing up too.
Fully naked, it was clear that I was not as developed as most women my age, but I stayed there, frozen.
“T-The child you bear is going to inherit the throne. If, by any chance, the father is revealed to be someone unacceptable by the empire…for instance, a commander or noble of a foreign country…such a scandal would shake our homeland to the very core…!!”
“Marquis…Sargue Dagon knows the secret…!?”
I mumbled, dumbfounded.
The head of one of the major noble clans of the Empire, a man that also bore ill will towards Her Majesty, knew such a critical secret. It could have a tremendous impact on the future of the country…
(The current situation is unstable as is…in the worst case scenario, we might have a civil war on our hands…)
The realization made me swoon a little.
I felt like the bath was spinning around me, and fell backwards.
“!? Miss Halphas!!”
The maids closest to me rushed to support me.
My head felt hot and heavy, I couldn’t think straight anymore. Everything was spinning, as if I had suddenly got drunk…
“Wah…he knows…the secret…wah…”
“Er…Your Majesty, it appears the hot water made her a bit dizzy. Should we take her outside?”
“Yes, please…hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have her think so hard in the bath…”
Hearing bits and pieces of Her Majesty and the maids’ conversation through my dizzy spell, I was thus brought out of the bathroom.
