Chapter 271: Does He Want A Child?
Her blue eyes lifted from the liquid to meet his, earning a raised brow in response.
"Do you really think I would ever give you poison, baby?" Ivan asked in his velvety voice while narrowing his eyes ever so slightly at her.
"Ahem....no," she cleared her throat, silently scolding herself for the poor joke.
He stayed quiet for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "Eve....before you drink it, there is something you should know."
’Why does that sound like the opening of a medical warning?’ she thought internally.
"What is it?" she asked softly, immediately catching the hesitation in his tone.
When another brief pause followed, she added lightly, "You are behaving as though it is poison."
Ivan let out a slow sigh. "It is not poison, Eve. But it does have certain natural properties that act as a preventative measure."
"Preventative?" she repeated while narrowing her eyes.
’Preventative of what? Baldness? Death? Regret?’ her thoughts started to run wild.
"For what, exactly?" she pressed on.
Ivan pressed his lips into a thin line before finally explaining, "It works as a natural contraceptive."
’Oh.’
’Oh!’ It was only then that Eve fully understood what he meant by preventative.
Until that moment, she had not thought too deeply about their intimate moments. All at once, the realisation hit her, and she became painfully aware of just how careless they both had been.
Her cheeks burned instantly at the realization.
She turned away, unable to meet his eyes, and managed only a small, breathless, "Oh..."
Ivan noticed it at once, the way her shoulders tensed, the way she suddenly seemed to shrink into herself. His brows drew together, and he set the fruit down carefully on a nearby rock, only to step towards her.
"Eve," he called softly.
’Do not say my name like that. I am already internally combusting!’ she screamed in her mind.
"I think it is my fault that we never spoke about this," he said in a low voice.
"And....it is my fault for being careless." He took another step, gently removing the fruit from her hands and setting it aside before resting his palms against her shoulders. "But I do not want you to think I am asking you to drink it for that reason."
Her heart hammered violently as his fingers brushed her cheek. When he cupped her face and tilted it upward, she had no choice but to meet his gaze. ’Oh gods! His eyes! He’s looking so earnestly at me! I’m really going to perish this way.’
His eyes searched hers as he continued, "I want you to know," he said softly, "that if you do not want to drink it....then don’t."
’Wait...what?!’ she thought in confusion.
The heat in her face spread like wildfire, all the way down to her chest. Her lips parted, and only a single word escaped her, barely audible.
"What?"
Thinking she had not understood properly, Ivan went on clarifying, "If you want to have my children, Eve, then don’t drink it."
And her brain short-circuited.
As stunned silence followed, Ivan couldn’t help but ask again, "Eve? Did you hear me?"
"I heard you the first time!" she burst out.
Mortified, she clapped her hands over her face and turned around only for her muffled whisper to ring through the silent forest, "Oh Goddess....please let the ground open up and swallow me whole."
"Hey," Ivan said quickly, gently turning her around, catching her wrists and pulling her hands away. "Do not wish for something so grim."
She stared at him wide-eyed and disbelieving. "Ivan," she breathed, "what are you even saying? Did you hit your head up there?"
’Because surely the man I fell in love with did not just casually offer me hypothetical children like we were discussing furniture,’ she thought, still looking at him incredulously.
"No," he replied instantly.
"Then why would you assume I want children right now?" she demanded, still burning crimson as she searched his face.
The crease between his brows deepened. He dragged a hand down his face before looking back at her, "Because you hesitated. And I did not want you to think that I did not want that future with you."
"Hesitated? I was-" her breath caught in her throat, and slowly, her eyes widened as the meaning of his words sank in.
In a voice barely louder than the sea breeze, she asked, "So....you are saying you would want that....if I wanted it?"
Ivan held her gaze, unflinchingly. There was no humour in his expression now, no teasing....only earnestness.
"Yes."
Eve’s heart did a somersault hearing him.
He stepped forward again, closing the distance between them, and cradled her cheeks once more.
Looking closely into her eyes, he continued, "I want to experience everything with you, Eve. Every single thing. You are the love of my life, and if so....even if it is a child that you want at this stage of our lives....I will give it to you.
Although it was my carelessness, I do not regret anything. So if you decide not to drink from the fruit, I will accept it. Whatever happens in the future, I will make everything right and be there with you every step of the way."
Eve was left utterly speechless by his raw, unfiltered words. Even though it sounded ridiculous to consider having a child right now, when threats loomed over them from every possible direction, when they were still studying at the academy, and when they were not even married, this man had still said it with such conviction, against all odds, that it made Eve’s heart melt.
She was truly not immune to this earnest Ivan standing in front of her. Heavens, she had never really been immune to him at all.
The only words that came from her heart were, "I love you..." She said it with so much love that Ivan felt every single word strike straight to his heart.
"And I love you," he replied with utter devotion, prompting Eve to wrap her arms around his waist and bury her face in his chest. Ivan happily enveloped her in his warmth, kissed the top of her head, and stayed like that, absolutely content with each other.
After a few moments, Eve’s muffled voice rang out. "But I still don’t want....children....right now."
Pressing herself harder against him, she explained, "We have danger looming over us, and we need to complete our academic studies, and-" She wanted to talk about marriage, but stopped herself. Instead, she added quietly, "...and we have many things to do before....you know. So....I think I should have that fruit now. Besides, I’m parched."
Lifting her head ever so slowly, she dared to look at him.
And he seemed a little....disappointed?
’What the hell? Did he really want a child?’
Ivan quickly masked his expression, even cursing himself internally for fetching this particular fruit. But he understood where she was coming from. Gazing at Eve, he gave her a small nod and finally moved to retrieve the fruit, offering it to her.
"Drink it, and then tell me what you think," Ivan said, holding the open fruit out to her.
Eve took the fruit carefully before observing the purple liquid more closely once again, before she brought it close to her nose. As soon as the smell hit her, she found herself surprised once again because it smelled....citrusy.
Wanting to know how it would taste, she finally brought it close to her lips and took a gulp.
Flavours burst in her mouth at the taste of it, and she couldn’t stop herself from having more. Gulping down a large portion of the juice, she lowered it and looked at Ivan in awe.
He was smiling and asked, "How is it?"
"Its so sweet! Not only that, it’s like I’m having lemonade! I feel so energized, this.....this is amazing!" Eve gushed about it.
Ivan opened another one for himself and finished it quietly. Looks like she wasn’t the only one who was feeling thirsty.
She drank more until she finished it completely.
"More?" he asked, taking the now-empty fruit from her and placing it beside a tree.
"No, I think I’m good now." She lightly dabbed the corner of her lips with the back of her sleeve before asking, "Do you get this fruit in Versailles?"
"No. Although they are very useful and taste good, they cannot be preserved for long once plucked from the tree and must be consumed as soon as possible, otherwise they rot away. That is why merchants cannot transport them quickly enough to sell them fresh. Another factor is how rare they are, as most of these trees do not bear fruit."
"Oh, you seem to know a lot about them," Eve remarked in wonder.
Ivan caught her hand and began leading her out of the forest. "I have read many books, and rare herbs are among my interests. You never know when you might need one."
Eve agreed with a nod, "Knowledge is power."
Ivan smiled lightly, "Yes, knowledge is power."
Once they were back in the open, he asked, "Ready to head back? You must be hungry."
"Actually..." She pursed her lips before looking up at him. "Can we make one more stop before we head back?"
"And where would that be?" he asked, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"I....I wanted to visit my mother’s grave," she said in a small voice.
