The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Side Story 8

“Where did you go? You should have told me before leaving. You really, really are too much…”

As she pouted and complained, Leon immediately wrapped his arms around her shoulders and apologized.

“I’m sorry. You were sleeping soundly, so I thought it would be okay.”

“But when I woke up, I was alone.”

“It was my fault. I won’t do it again.”

Though she hadn’t actually waited long, she clung to him as if she had. Maybe because he always indulged her, she found herself acting like a child around him.

Leon held her quietly for a while before speaking in a low voice. “Veronica, let me dry off first. Just a moment.”

“No.”

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“No.”

If someone else had been this stubborn, it might have been annoying, but Leon just chuckled as if she were endearing.

“At this rate, I won’t even be able to go to work.”

“Good, don’t go. Just stay with me.”

“Alright, I won’t go anywhere without your permission.”

His response was easygoing. It felt as if he would silently agree to anything, no matter how unreasonable or impossible. Feeling appeased, she slowly loosened her arms, and their eyes met. With his wet hair pushed back completely, his striking features were fully revealed, drawing her gaze.

“You look cold.”

“I am cold.”

“Then take off those wet clothes and come inside so you don’t lose body heat.”

“Are you not upset anymore?”

“I was never upset in the first place.”

Seeing her feigned innocence, Leon gave a faint smile and began removing his soaked clothes. The sound of fabric hitting the floor echoed softly, and soon, his broad shoulders and well-toned muscles filled her vision. Mesmerized by the way water glistened on his firm skin, Veronica instinctively tugged him toward the bed.

“I’m still cold.”

“I’m warm, so it’s fine.”

She just wanted to warm him up quickly. Yet he hesitated, his gaze lingering on her, before finally drying himself off and slipping under the covers. The moment their bodies touched, she realized how cold he really was.

“Are you hungry? I asked them to bring up dinner on my way in.”

“I don’t have much of an appetite. More importantly, where did you go?”

She nestled into his embrace, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as she asked.

“I went to meet someone I mentioned before. I once helped the Lord of Roberdin at the border, and he said if I teach his son, he’d grant us land to build a home anywhere we choose.”

“A lord?”

Veronica blinked, stunned. To her, who had lived an ordinary life, a lord felt as distant as an emperor or the pope. The very owner of the land they stood on.

Only then did she understand why Leon had been so certain that the person he was seeking would still be alive.

“Where do you want to live?”

He broke her train of thought with his question.

“If you could live anywhere in this land, what kind of place would you choose?”

Veronica, lost in thought, slowly grasped the meaning of his words. Her eyes sparkled like a child asked to make a wish. She counted on her fingers, listing her desires one by one.

“I… hmm… I don’t want to be too close to the sea or in a big city. Bad weather can be dangerous, and I don’t like too much noise. A hill overlooking the sea, but not too far from the city, would be perfect. I’d love a backyard big enough to raise sheep or goats. A house made of oak with large windows and a cozy fireplace.”

“That’s quite specific.”

Leon smiled as if picturing it in his mind.

“Better than being vague, right? I’ve dreamed of this for a long time.”

“What about children?”

Veronica, who had been answering without hesitation, suddenly paused.

Children…

She wanted them. But ever since coming down from Mount Blasen, she hadn’t had her monthly cycle. She had been reborn and had grown healthier, so she had held onto some hope. In truth, when her chest ached like it did before her period, she had secretly anticipated it.

Glancing up, she found Leon watching her with an unreadable expression. Today, for some reason, it was harder to gauge what he was thinking. Unable to respond, she pressed her lips together.

Leon pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and spoke calmly, “While you were sleeping, I called a doctor to check on you.”

She had expected it. He had been on the verge of doing so anyway, but she hadn’t thought he would actually go through with it.

“You had a slight fever, so I was going to ask for a tonic to help with your energy.”

His serious tone sent a wave of fear through her. Was something wrong with her body? Could she not have children after all…?

“The doctor detected a pulse.”

“A pulse? What does that mean?”

“It’s a sign of pregnancy.”

“……”

Veronica’s eyes widened. Leon, who had been looking at the nape of her neck, slowly met her gaze. Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Time itself seemed to stop.

“So, that means… right now, we…”

Even as she stammered, her mind grasped the truth immediately. That was why Leon had rushed out. Because he wanted to secure a stable environment as soon as possible.

“We’re going to be parents. If we choose to be.”

“……”

“The moment I heard, I thought you might be scared. Even with someone by your side, the weight of this responsibility falls on you the most.”

Leon didn’t try to convince her that pregnancy was purely a good thing. He didn’t impose his wishes on her, nor did he pressure her.

“If it’s too much, if you don’t want this, you can say so. Honestly, I only need you.”

His low voice was steady and sincere. A lump rose in her throat, hot and overwhelming.

A child. A gift from the heavens. A new life carrying both his and her blood.

“How could I not want this…?”

Her lips trembled as she finally spoke.

“This has always been my wish.”

How inadequate human language is to contain emotions.

A vision of Bahamut, which she thought she had long forgotten, flickered before her eyes. The first memory she had seen upon assimilation—her mother and father looking down at their newborn child. The fragments of laughter, tears, and life itself.

We certainly…

Veronica could not finish her sentence and instead threw her arms around his neck. As he embraced her waist, she felt him bury his face in her shoulder, his breath ragged. Overwhelmed and unsteady.

Only when they became one, holding each other tightly, did she hear the raw desperation in his voice.

You were nervous too. Perhaps even more than I was.

Her heart ached.

“I never expected this,” Leon murmured in a hoarse voice. “I feel like I could die from happiness…”

Through their pressed chests, she felt his heart pounding violently. Veronica closed her eyes. When she did, an infinite darkness rippled with a color she had never seen before.

She had once pondered the question—Can a child who has never been loved learn to love? Isn’t love something only those who have received it can give? But for those of them who had worried over such things, they would surely do well. Love was not an innate talent, but an effort.

“I love you.”

He said.

And she answered.

“Yes, and I love you even more.”

***

The rain had stopped. Hand in hand, the two walked through the bustling night market. Past the fire-breathing performers, the gleaming trinkets, and the refugees begging with hats laid out before them, they drew closer to the dark sea. As the salty breeze lifted Veronica’s bangs, she took a bite of the peach she had just bought and looked up at Leon with wide eyes.

“This is insane. Hurry, try it.”

She had been craving peaches, which was why they had come out. She was glad she had insisted on following Leon instead of letting him go alone. She hated waiting, and by the time he returned to the inn, she might have wanted something else instead.

Leon, who had been scanning their surroundings, chuckled at the sight of her puffed cheeks.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because you’re cute.”

Effortlessly deflecting her grumbling, he then asked, “Are you cold?”

“With all these layers? If I were cold in this, there’d have to be something wrong with me. I feel like one of those plump, flightless birds that live on distant northern islands.”

Veronica grumbled through her mouthful of fruit, as if his concern was absurd. The very culprit who had wrapped her in so many layers was finally seeing how she looked. Realizing which bird she meant, Leon burst into laughter.

“Ah, this is driving me crazy.”

“Don’t laugh.”

Though she liked seeing his face light up, for some reason, it embarrassed her. When she playfully punched him, Leon exaggerated his pain dramatically.

After finishing their fruit, they bought fire sticks from the vendor closest to the shore. The long sticks had charcoal pouches at the ends that, when lit, scattered glowing embers—especially popular in coastal towns. She suddenly recalled a conversation they had before, about wanting to play with fire sticks with someone she loved.

“…So pretty. Even after the rain, they still light up well.”

When Leon handed her a burning stick, Veronica became mesmerized by the floating sparks. Sitting on his coat spread across the sand, only the sound of the black waves filled the air.

“I’m thinking of calling Wittelsbach to Roberdin next month.”

“Wittelsbach? You mean Deputy Commander Philip? I don’t mind, but why?”

“If we’re making vows, we need a priest as a witness. Someone who knows my real name.”

As soon as she understood his words, Veronica’s eyes widened. Vows. Witness. Real name.

At some point, a ring she had never seen before was on her fourth finger. When she quickly turned to him, Leon did not look away but simply lifted the corners of his lips.

“When did you…?”

No, there was no need to ask. They had been holding hands the entire time they walked through the dark streets.

“I had it made earlier, melting down a piece of my sword. I was worried about the size, but I guess trying your ring size so many times paid off.”

Now she noticed that the same ring was on his fourth finger as well. The remnants of Hennessis and Apocalypse felt like divine approval. The world may not know, but they had existed, and God would remember them for a long time.

“Your answer?”

Leon asked, and Veronica opened her lips slightly before simply nodding. Only when he wiped her cheek did she realize she was crying. When her tears wouldn’t stop, Leon gently let go and pulled her into his warm embrace. Buried in his arms, she looked at the waves, sniffling.

“Yes.”

In a land she had never set foot in, a nameless place, there was said to be a custom of making wishes upon falling blossoms.

O Lord, I offer You my final prayer. Please grant us an ending where we lived happily for a long, long time.

Let us be a family that can lean on each other when we are weary.

Let us live without needing to seek You.

I earnestly pray. Amen.

The End