Paul's Growth

### Chapter 10: Paul's Growth

Paul candidly admitted his mistake.

Indeed,  though Paul is a scumbag.

But he's merely a scumbag and not a heinous villain.

Though saying "he just made a mistake that every man could make" might be an exaggeration, but from my perspective, it's still kinda understandable.

"What if Lilia ends up pregnant because of this?"

"Huh?"

Hearing my question, Paul was clearly stunned.

"T-That… it's unlikely… Rudy, you might not understand, but getting pregnant isn't that easy…"

True.

From Paul's perspective, a one-time encounter leading to pregnancy seems exaggerated.

But it can happen.

"Please answer seriously. What if Lilia does get pregnant?"

"…"

A long silence followed.

Paul took a deep breath and clenched his fists.

"It's my fault, so… I'll take full responsibility."

"As expected of my father. At least you have the basic sense of honor."

I was satisfied with Paul's response.

"Haha…"

Paul laughed awkwardly.

That said, he probably still didn't believe Lilia would actually get pregnant.

...

A month later.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm pregnant."

During a family gathering, Lilia calmly announced her pregnancy.

In that instant, I could clearly feel the temperature drop to freezing.

Paul's face turned ashen.

Zenith and I both turned our eyes to Paul.

Everyone knew who was responsible for this, even without saying it.

After all, Paul's lower half was notoriously untrustworthy.

Father...

You are no longer a competent husband.

But at least you're still a man.

Show me how a man handles such a situation.

I looked at Paul with that thought in mind.

————

**Paul's POV**

Rudy really jinxed it.

I wanted to say that, but after that day, I did consider what to do if such a situation arose.

In short, I can't avoid it.

"Sorry, that's probably my child."

I stood up and said seriously.

"Slap!"

Zenith's slap landed.

My face burned with pain.

But I wished it hurt even more.

And so, an emergency family meeting was convened.

————

**Rudeus's POV**

"So, what are you going to do?"

As usual, Zenith did not lose her composure. After slapping Paul, she became quite calm.

"I will help Madam with the delivery, then… please allow me to resign from this job."

Lilia spoke calmly.

"What about the child?"

"I plan to give birth in Fittoa and raise the child in my hometown."

"Your hometown is in the south, right?"

"Yes."

"Right after childbirth, you'll be too weak to endure long-distance travel, won't you?"

"… Maybe. But I have nowhere else to go."

The same calm response as always.

So, Paul.

What about you?

Did our conversation have any impact?

Or do I need to step in again?

I looked at Paul.

He seemed to sense my gaze and slowly stood up.

"Zenith, although I have no right to speak now, please allow me to say one thing."

"What is it?"

"This incident is my fault. I forced Lilia into it."

"Huh?"

Both Lilia and Zenith looked shocked.

Paul continued calmly.

"I have leverage over Lilia. I can't say what exactly… but I forced her into this, resulting in the current situation."

"Paul, you…"

Zenith's hand trembled slightly.

"Zenith, you can punish or scold me as much as you want after this, but…"

Paul lifted his head, eyes pleading.

"But this isn't Lilia's fault. Please allow her to stay and give birth before she leaves."

Hearing Paul's words, Zenith fell silent.

Hah, haha…

Paul.

You've finally become a real man.

Although you're still far from a competent husband, this is enough.

I've seen what I wanted to see.

The rest is up to me.

…

As everyone fell into silence, I stood up and hugged Zenith.

"Mother, I'm going to have two new siblings. So why is the atmosphere so heavy?"

Paul gave me a surprised look.

But I didn't look at him.

The ensuing conversation was as usual.

In the end, Lilia was allowed to stay.

Although it wasn't a perfect ending, it was something to celebrate.