Pregnancy Is Too Muc Chapter 156

[Right. We promised to travel together ever since we were kids.]

As soon as Valentin heard the word "travel," a spark of life returned to his face. Cecilia had finally found a topic that could lift her old friend's spirits. Encouraged by the thought that she was on the right track, she continued enthusiastically.

[Christopher, in fact, was invited by a friend from the Turkistan region. He suggested we all go together, and I think it would be great if you joined too. You’ve always wanted to visit those countries, haven’t you?]

Cecilia brought up Central Asia, a region Valentin had always shown interest in.

[Christopher got an invitation, you say...?]

[Yes!]

Indeed, if it were Christopher, he could be trusted. Valentin nodded at his friend’s words.

Cecilia’s fiancé, Christopher Vernon, the young Marquis, was renowned for his extre sociability, to the point where he had at least one friend in every country. With a deep interest in foreign cultures, and an active personality, Christopher loved traveling far and wide—a cheerful eccentricity not commonly found among the noble class. This ti, it seed he was planning to bring his fiancée, Cecilia, along on the journey.

[It’s a noble family with deep traditions in Turkistan. It’s going to be fun.]

And so, Valentin was swept up in the trip, half by his own will, half by circumstance.

After all, since returning to the Earl’s estate, his family, especially the Countess and Dalton, had been worried about him wandering around handing out flyers in dangerous neighborhoods. So when they heard about the trip, they couldn’t have been happier. They imdiately began packing his things and pushed him into going.

At first, as a guest of the Babur family, Valentin leisurely enjoyed the trip.

Alongside Cecilia and Christopher, they explored the area as tourists, appreciating the journey for what it was. They spent the early days marveling at mosques and minaret spires adorned in erald and gold, Islamic architecture unique to the region. One day, Valentin even traced the intricate patterns of the turquoise and deep blue tiles that decorated the walls of an ancient temple.

Though Valentin enjoyed his ti as a guest of the wealthy household, he soon realized that this wasn’t the kind of trip he truly wanted. While the Babur family, descendants of the Tamar dynasty, were indeed powerful and provided him with a comfortable stay, Valentin began craving a more authentic, more liberating travel experience.

[Christopher, do you think it would be possible to experience a trip that delves more deeply into the lives of ordinary people?]

Christopher, who had been explicitly instructed by the Earl’s family to ensure Valentin’s safety, hesitated. But upon Valentin’s earnest request, he eventually arranged for soone to guide him on a more imrsive experience.

Asif, an oga young man, was introduced. He lived in a region that all travelers crossing the desert had to pass through. Since childhood, Asif had guided rchants through the desert, ensuring they didn’t get lost. He was skilled with cals, horses, donkeys, and livestock, and was fluent in the languages of the surrounding countries. Valentin, paying Asif for his services, was brought to the man’s ho.

Both ogas, and the sa age, Valentin and Asif quickly bonded.

Valentin seamlessly integrated into the local lifestyle of this remote region, where he found satisfaction in imrsing himself in their daily routines. He learned through experience, observing the differences in their cultures, and frequently captured scenes from their lives in his sketches.

On so days, he followed the shepherds as they tended to their sheep, while on others, he tried his hand at weaving tapestries with the elder won. Each day was filled with new and enjoyable experiences.

One chilly day, Jamil and the village n returned with cals and horses laden with goods.

They had gone to the bazaar in a nearby city, a round-trip journey that took two days. It was part of their routine to occasionally go to buy items they couldn’t produce themselves.

The won and ogas gathered to inspect the goods, weighing and distributing the items. Asif, who was inspecting dried fruits like apricots and dates, struck up a conversation with Valentin.

“You should have co along.”

It was a fond rebuke, implying that Valentin would have enjoyed seeing the bustling city rather than being stuck in a quiet nomadic village.

“I’ve already had my fill of places like that before coming here.”

Valentin, who had already visited the large capital city of Marqand before arriving here, shrugged while nibbling on a piece of thick honey that Asif was distributing to his sons.

Just as Valentin was playing around with Pahod, trying to stop him from making a sticky ss with the honey, soone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hm?”

The hand was rough but gentle, and Valentin turned around.

It was Khalil, a tall, broad-shouldered alpha. He was probably the most handso young man in the village.

To Valentin, Khalil was still a ‘boy.’ After all, in this region, boys beca n in their mid-teens, marrying young, whereas in the Heston Empire, one wasn’t considered an adult until they were at least twenty. Though Khalil had a sturdy build and was an alpha, he was only eighteen years old.

“What is it, Khalil?”

Khalil couldn’t et Valentin’s bright blue eyes directly. Instead, he pulled sothing round from his coat and rubbed it on his sleeve before handing it over.

“A pogranate?”

The crimson fruit, with a brownish stain on its skin, had been polished so well that it glead. It was large and ripe, its quality evident at a glance.

“Eat it.”

“You’re giving it to ?”

Khalil nodded sharply at Valentin’s question and then hurried off to tend to the tired horses. Valentin stared blankly after him as he walked away, holding the reins and gently stroking the horses’ muzzles. Then, he glanced down at the fruit in his hand.

“Looks like he likes you.”

Asif, watching Valentin absentmindedly hold the pogranate, casually threw out the comnt.

“What?”

Valentin was so startled that he jumped. It was sothing he hadn’t even considered. Asif, shrugging, looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“…It’s only natural, isn’t it? Getting fruit that’s not even in season isn’t easy.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that…”

Indeed, unlike the noble circles Valentin was accustod to, here, out-of-season fruit would be expensive and difficult to acquire. Khalil must have gone to so trouble to get it. As the realization dawned on him, Valentin’s face flushed with embarrassnt. He fumbled with the pogranate as if it were a ticking bomb, not knowing what to do with it. Asif, however, took it all in stride.

“Be nice to him. Khalil’s a good kid.”

“‘Be nice’ to him?!”

Asif’s face grew even more perplexed as he watched Valentin’s panicked reaction.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s only natural for an oga to be with an alpha.”

“I’ve never even thought about it! Besides, he’s too young!”

Valentin’s only alpha had been Reynard, who was ten years his senior. Perhaps, without realizing it, Valentin had co to assu that he needed an alpha around that age for them to be a match.

“Young? He’s practically late for this village. Everyone his age is already paired off, and he’s the only alpha left without a partner.”

“He’s still a teenager!”

“I married Jamil as soon as my first heat hit at 15. Jamil was 17 at the ti. That’s how it is around here. Khalil’s the unusual one.”

“Unusual?”

“Yeah. It’s rare for an unmated alpha to be his age in this village.”

Jamil and Asif made a perfect alpha-oga couple. They were obviously deeply in love, and it was clear to anyone that Jamil, the village’s alpha leader, adored his oga, Asif. As Valentin absentmindedly stroked the head of little Pahod, their son, he couldn’t help but admire how happy and healthy their family was.

“It’s unfortunate. I was the last oga around his age, so he didn’t have much of a choice. And there aren’t many ogas looking to marry into a village like this.”

Valentin nodded in understanding. In this small nomadic village, with only a few dozen people, it was rare to find an oga. And while the number of alphas in the village wasn’t as low as in the Heston Empire, where the elite held most of the ogas, it still wasn’t easy for commoners to find oga partners for marriage.

“Khalil’s parents and the village elders even suggested beta girls to him, but he refused. He seems set on having an oga as his partner.”

“I see…”

Indeed, in the Empire, dicine to suppress the heat cycle was hard to co by and expensive, so it wasn’t uncommon for non-noble ogas to marry early, just as in this region. And here, living in nomadic tents, there wasn’t much space for isolation during heat periods or to take the necessary dicine. Valentin glanced around the shared space in the yurt, where families lived together.

Asif, who was now transferring dried apricots into another bag, turned to Valentin.

“Speaking of which, how are you doing with your heat? You’ve been here nearly two months now, and you haven’t had a single episode.”