Pregnancy Is Too Much For The Villain-Chapter 157

“That doesn’t make much of a difference.”

Asif shrugged, finishing up the bag of raisins he had been sorting, and stood up.

Like many other villages around the desert, there was an oasis nearby. The village where Valentin was staying had long been settled in this region because of the oasis, and they conducted small-scale nomadic activities with horses and sheep throughout the seasons, all revolving around it.

There was a separate well for drinking water, while the oasis itself, a small lake, was mostly for the animals.

Valentin followed Asif to help fetch water with the children. They filled beautifully decorated water jugs and loaded them onto camels, while some of the water was poured into leather pouches. The girls sang cheerfully as they used buckets to draw water, creating a bustling and lively atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Valentin, not yet skilled in the task, was holding the reins of camels that had not yet been loaded.

“Valentin! Look at this, look!”

Little Pahod called to Valentin with his short, childish voice from where he stood next to the animals drinking from the water. A large horse was among them, a fine steed rare for this region. Valentin smiled, thinking it resembled Reynard’s black horse in its excellence.

“Look here!”

Pahod pointed at a large curved sword with intricate patterns and decorations hanging from the horse. The owner must be from the Persian region. Valentin found it cute that, even as a little boy, Pahod was already showing interest in weapons, just like other men.

Suddenly, the horse turned around.

“Huh?”

A small child crouched right behind such a large horse was in great danger. If the horse kicked, the boy could get seriously injured. The thought hit Valentin like a flash, and without a second thought, he dropped the camels’ reins and ran.

“Pahod, it’s dangerous!”

“Valentin?”

In that moment, the horse, swatting at a fly with its tail, began to kick. Instinctively, Valentin lunged forward.

“No!”

Splash!

Valentin’s reflexes were sharp. Just in time, he grabbed the boy and pulled him out of harm’s way. However, in doing so, Valentin ended up falling headfirst into the edge of the oasis. Not into the water itself, but into a thick, muddy patch at its edge.

Covered in brown mud from head to toe, Valentin sat there, drenched and stunned. Pahod, oblivious to the danger, burst into laughter, finding the whole situation amusing.

“Valentin, you’re a mud monster!”

“Ugh… Well, at least you’re not hurt.”

Wiping the mud from his eyes, Valentin sighed in relief as Asif came running over.

“What happened here? Oh no, look at your clothes, they’re ruined! Pahod, you little rascal!”

Asif quickly assessed the situation as he helped Valentin up from the mud, scolding his son.

“I’m so sorry, Valentin! What a mess… I don’t know what to say…”

“It’s fine. He’s still just a baby, after all. What matters is that Pahod is safe.”

The boy was clearly too young to understand the danger posed by a massive horse, unlike the smaller donkeys or camels he was used to. Asif gently led Valentin to the cleaner water and began washing the mud from his hair and face, all the while scolding Pahod, who was still giggling.

“This is going to need a proper wash…”

As he rinsed out the mud that had even gotten into Valentin’s ears, Asif apologized repeatedly.

“This isn’t going to do, Valentin. We’ve fetched enough water for today—let’s head back.”

“Yeah…”

Thus, due to the unexpected accident, Valentin was treated to a warm bath.

Bathing with heated water in the middle of winter wasn’t a common luxury for nomads. Asif, who decided to join him, made sure no one could peek by carefully covering the tent. He mixed the cold and hot water just right before pouring it over Valentin.

“Here’s the soap.”

“Thanks, Asif. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”

“Are you kidding? I should be thanking you for saving Pahod. Besides, how else could you get all this mud out without my help? There aren’t even any mirrors around here.”

Valentin chuckled at Asif’s exasperated sigh. The two omegas sat naked on small wooden stools, using a soft cloth and soap to scrub away the dirt.

“The real problem is your clothes. You can’t exactly replace them around here.”

Valentin had been wearing relatively modest clothes from the Empire, even while living in this village.

Although he had adapted by wearing some of the local garments over them, he still preferred his home clothes as he wasn’t used to the local style. Especially the unique way they tied the garments with laces—it was a bit tricky for him. Still, as much as Asif worried, Valentin didn’t mind too much. It was more out of habit than necessity.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be fine once they’re washed and dried. Besides, I’ve been thinking of returning to Marqand soon.”

It didn’t seem right for Valentin, who wasn’t very useful, to stay in the nomadic village through the winter.

Of course, the payment he made for staying in the village had been substantial, but living in close quarters with the family in the shared space might have caused some discomfort. Staying in his own yurt would have been a waste of resources in this environment.

“You’re heading back?”

Asif’s disappointed tone made Valentin grin. He nudged him playfully with his elbow.

“I’m sure you haven’t had much alone time with Jamil because of me.”

Asif, blushing, retaliated by scrubbing Valentin’s scalp a little harder, as if to get back at him.

“Oh, come on, with the kids so young, we don’t have time for that anyway!”

Grumbling in embarrassment, Asif poured warm water over Valentin’s hair, rinsing away the mud. He then used a cloth to scrub every last bit of dirt from Valentin’s body. While cleaning behind his ears and under his nails, Asif asked curiously,

“I’ve been meaning to ask… Valentin, are you pregnant?”

Asif pointed to Valentin’s stomach, which seemed oddly round compared to the rest of his slender frame. Valentin had noticed his belly growing slightly recently, which made him feel a bit like a tadpole, and his face flushed.

“I guess I’ve been eating too much lately…”

“If you’ve been overeating, you’d gain weight all over, not just in your belly.”

“Is that so…? But still, that can’t be right…”

Even though he and Reynard had spent one last night together before their separation, there was no way he could be pregnant. His womb, practically petrified, couldn’t possibly produce a child, no matter how much effort an alpha put in. The professors at Kingsford Medical University had made it clear that he couldn’t conceive.

“You said you were divorced from your husband, right?”

“Yeah…”

“So, nothing else could be going on?”

“Well… there is one thing…”

During their final night, Reynard had gotten a bit carried away and had knotted. But Valentin hadn’t thought about pregnancy, nor had he been concerned about it. After all, wasn’t it impossible for him to conceive? The whole situation was utterly absurd. Valentin absentmindedly rubbed his stomach, feeling conflicted.

“Maybe I’m sick…”

“Could it be that my womb is swelling due to some kind of illness? Could I have a serious condition?” Valentin murmured to himself, but Asif shook his head and brought the lantern closer.

“But the pregnancy line is so clear…”

Asif pointed to Valentin’s belly. Following his gaze, Valentin saw the unmistakable dark line running vertically from his navel downward.

It was the same pregnancy line that had appeared when he was pregnant with Sharon. It had lightened significantly over the years, becoming almost invisible, but now it had darkened again. Seeing this, Valentin felt like he had been struck by a heavy blow.

“Wait… What? This can’t be…?”