"A baby... a baby..."

Florian lay flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling as if it might give him answers.

Tears had already dried against his cheeks, leaving faint, tight trails on his skin. His eyes burned, but he didn’t bother wiping them anymore.

Both of his hands rested over his stomach.

And maybe it was his imagination.

Maybe it was panic.

But he could feel it.

A slight firmness.

A small bump.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t obvious unless you were looking for it.

But now that he knew—

He could feel it.

Notice it.

’How did I not see this before?’ he thought.

Or maybe he had.

Maybe there had been moments. When his clothes felt tighter. When his body felt heavier.

Maybe he had known.

And just refused to accept it.

"Your Highness..."

Cindy’s voice was soft.

She was sitting at the edge of the bed, careful to keep her distance because he had asked her not to touch him. He could feel her gaze on him though. Concerned. Careful.

"Cindy," Florian whispered, his voice breaking again. Another tear slipped down the side of his face. "What am I going to do?"

His fingers pressed lightly into his stomach.

"I can’t... have this. I can’t be..."

He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Cindy inhaled slowly, as if steadying herself.

"Your Highness," she said gently, "I know you’re going through a lot right now. But I’ve been around many pregnant women here. Some were happy. Some were not." She paused. "I know a little about how to deal with this."

Florian didn’t respond.

His chest felt too tight.

"And the first thing I need to ask," Cindy continued carefully, "is... do you know who the father is?"

Silence filled the room.

Florian didn’t speak.

But after a moment, he nodded.

Slowly.

’Of course I know,’ he thought bitterly. ’The entire kingdom knows who Heinz his.’

Cindy nodded once, processing that.

"Alright," she said quietly. "Then this next question is important. And I hope I’m not overstepping. I just want to help."

Florian turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Go... ahead."

Cindy swallowed.

"When you and the father..." she hesitated, cheeks faintly pink, "...when you were conceiving... was it consensual?"

The question hung in the air.

Florian blinked.

Was it consensual?

Of course it was.

"Yes," he answered, voice steady despite the tears.

Cindy visibly relaxed.

"Okay," she said softly. "Then... is he married?"

"No."

"Abusive?"

Florian hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Images flickered through his mind.

Heinz’s anger.

His cruelty.

His regret.

But abusive?

Not in that way.

"No," Florian said. "He’s not."

Cindy frowned slightly, studying him.

"Then..." she asked gently, "why are you upset, Your Highness?"

Florian stared at the ceiling again.

Why was he upset?

The answer was obvious.

And yet impossible to explain.

’I can’t tell her he ruined his first chance at fatherhood,’ he thought. ’I can’t tell her he killed basically killed his child and the real Florian in another life.’

He can’t tell her he didn’t know if Heinz deserves this.

He can’t tell her he didn’t know if Florian deserved this.

He can’t tell her he didn’t even know if he was staying in this world.

And that the real owner of this body may suffer with an unwanted pregnancy.

His throat tightened.

"There are reasons," Florian whispered finally.

Reasons he couldn’t share.

Not with a maid he had just met.

Not with anyone. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

His hands tightened over his stomach.

And for the first time, beneath the panic and the grief—

There was something else.

Fear.

Not of the child.

But of what this child would change.

Everything.

It changed everything.

Florian swallowed.

"I... don’t want to talk about it," he said quietly. His voice sounded tired. Small. "Not right now. I can’t."

Cindy studied him for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand," she said softly. "I won’t push you."

She hesitated before asking, "Then what would you like to do now, Your Highness?"

Florian stared at the ceiling again.

What did he want to do?

Run.

Undo everything.

Wake up.

But none of those were options.

The only thing he could think of was silence.

"I need to be alone," he whispered.

Cindy didn’t interrupt.

"Can you... leave for a while?" he continued. "And tell everyone I’m resting. I don’t want to see anyone today."

His voice trembled at the end.

’Please,’ he thought. ’I can’t hold myself together in front of anyone else.’

Cindy nodded immediately.

"Of course. I’ll tell them you need complete rest. No visitors."

She stood slowly from the edge of the bed.

"And Your Highness..." she added gently, "try to breathe. One step at a time."

Florian didn’t answer.

He couldn’t.

Cindy gave him one last look, then curtsied properly.

"I’ll be just outside if you need anything."

And then she left.

The door closed softly behind her.

Silence filled the room.

It was quiet for only a second.

Then Florian broke.

A sob tore out of him before he could stop it.

He rolled onto his side, clutching his stomach as if that alone could make everything disappear.

"This can’t be real," he choked.

Tears spilled freely now, hot and unstoppable. His shoulders shook violently as the weight of it all finally crashed down.

’I didn’t ask for this,’ he thought wildly. ’I didn’t plan for this. I’m not...ready for this.’

His fingers dug into the fabric over his abdomen.

There was something there.

Something alive.

And it terrified him.

"Heinz..." he whispered brokenly.

His name felt heavy on his tongue.

Anger mixed with grief. Fear mixed with something softer he didn’t want to name.

’Why now?’ he thought. ’Why like this?’

His breathing grew uneven again.

Everything was changing.

His body.

His future.

His choices.

If he stayed, this child would bind him here.

If he left—

He squeezed his eyes shut.

’I can’t do that to the real Florian,’ he thought. ’I can’t leave him to wake up like this.’

Another sob shook him.

He curled in on himself, one hand over his mouth to muffle the sound, the other still protectively pressed to his stomach.

In a situation like this, where everything felt like it was collapsing in on him, there was only one clear thought in his mind.

One person.

Only one.

Florian’s fingers tightened in the sheets as he stared blankly ahead.

"There’s only one thing I can do," he murmured to himself.

Only one person he could go to.

"Hendrix..." Florian whispered, his voice raw from crying. "I need to talk to you."