The rain started just as Xienne left the office building.

“Perfect timing,” she muttered, opening her umbrella.

The streets were still busy even though it was already evening. Cars splashed through puddles while people hurried past her, trying to get home before the rain got heavier.

Xienne sighed as she walked toward the crosswalk.

Another exhausting day.

Her shoulders ached from sitting at a desk all day, and her brain felt fried from staring at spreadsheets and reports. At this point, the only thing keeping her alive was the thought of her bed waiting at home.

Maybe she would order fried chicken.

Yes.

Fried chicken sounded wonderful.

“Hang in there, Xienne,” she whispered to herself. “Just ten more minutes and you’ll be reunited with your bed.”

The pedestrian light turned green.

People began crossing the street, and she followed along absentmindedly.

Her thoughts wandered. Work deadlines. Bills. The embarrassing fact that she was already an adult and still had zero romantic experience.

Then—

HONK!

A deafening horn blasted through the air.

Xienne looked up.

Bright headlights rushed toward her.

Her brain froze.

Wait.

Was that—

A truck?

“Is this how I die…?” she thought blankly.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“A VIRGIN?!”

Her inner voice practically screamed.

“Don’t mess with me!”

Unfortunately, the universe did not appear interested in negotiating.

Everything went black.

—

Xienne expected death to be peaceful.

Maybe floating in darkness.

Maybe hearing some dramatic music while a mysterious god judged her life choices.

Instead—

“Push harder!”

“Don’t give up, my lady!”

“The baby is almost here!”

Xienne’s eyes snapped open.

“…Huh?”

Her vision was blurry.

The ceiling above her was wooden. Candlelight flickered around the room, and shadows danced along the walls.

Voices filled the air.

“Push! Push!”

Push?

Push what?

Then suddenly—

A wave of pain exploded through her body.

“AAAAHHH!”

Her scream echoed throughout the room.

Xienne nearly launched herself off the bed.

“What the hell was that?!”

She looked around wildly.

Several women surrounded her. One held a bowl of water. Another held towels. An older woman sat between her legs with a very focused expression.

Xienne’s brain stopped working.

Between her legs.

Why was someone—

Her thoughts slowly connected.

Her eyes widened.

“…Wait.”

Another painful contraction slammed into her body.

“AAAAAHHHH!”

“Oh! Good push!” the older woman said excitedly.

“Good push?! GOOD PUSH?!” Xienne screamed internally.

She grabbed the bedsheets like her life depended on it.

“What is happening to me?!”

“Push again, my lady!”

My lady?

What lady?!

Xienne looked down at herself.

Instead of her office clothes, she wore a loose white gown.

Her stomach felt strange.

Her whole body felt strange.

And the pain—

The horrifying, soul-destroying pain—

Suddenly, a terrifying realization struck her.

“No.”

She looked at the women.

Then at her body.

Then back at the women.

“…No.”

Another contraction hit.

“AAAAHHH!”

The midwife beamed proudly.

“Yes! That’s it! The baby is coming!”

Xienne’s soul left her body.

Baby?

BABY?!

Her brain short-circuited.

“I just died five minutes ago!” she screamed in her mind. “How did I skip the entire pregnancy DLC?!”

“Push!”

“STOP TELLING ME TO PUSH!”

Unfortunately, her body didn’t care about her complaints.

Another contraction forced her to push.

“AAAAHHH!”

Tears formed in her eyes.

“This is illegal!” she thought. “There should be rules about this! I demand a refund on this reincarnation!”

The midwife looked thrilled.

“I can see the head!”

Xienne nearly fainted.

“You can WHAT?!”

“Just one more push!”

“WHO DESIGNED THIS SYSTEM?!”

With one final, desperate push—

A loud cry suddenly filled the room.

“WAAAH! WAAAH!”

The pain stopped.

Xienne collapsed against the pillow, breathing like she had just run a marathon.

For a moment, everything was quiet.

Then the midwife laughed happily.

“It’s a healthy baby boy!”

A baby.

Boy.

Xienne stared blankly at the ceiling.

Her brain had officially shut down.

A woman gently placed something warm into her arms.

“Congratulations, my lady.”

Xienne slowly looked down.

A tiny baby wrapped in cloth rested against her chest.

He was small.

Red.

Very loud.

And currently crying like he had just been evicted from the world’s most comfortable apartment.

Xienne stared at him.

The baby stared back with squinted eyes.

“…What is this?” she whispered.

The women gasped softly.

“My lady, that is your son.”

My son.

My.

Son.

Xienne blinked.

Then blinked again.

Her thoughts slowly rebooted.

“Wait a minute.”

She looked at the baby.

Then at herself.

Then at the ceiling.

“I died…”

The truck.

The headlights.

Her final complaint.

“A virgin?!”

Her eye twitched.

“…Don’t tell me.”

She looked back at the baby.

The baby hiccupped.

Her eye twitched again.

“Did I seriously get reincarnated…”

“…and the first thing I did in my new life was give birth?”

The baby sneezed.

“Ah.”

Xienne stared at the ceiling again.

“This is the worst isekai start ever.”

No magical academy.

No cheat powers.

No handsome duke waiting to marry her.

Just—

Surprise motherhood.

She looked down at the baby again.

“…Whose kid are you?”

The baby grabbed her finger.

Xienne froze.

“…Wait.”

A new horror slowly crept into her mind.

“If this is my son…”

“…then who is the father?”

The room suddenly felt ten times more terrifying.

Xienne looked around nervously.

“Okay,” she whispered to herself.

“Step one: figure out what world this is.”

“Step two: figure out whose body I stole.”

She looked down at the baby again.

“…Step three: find the father before he finds me.”

Because somehow—

She had a feeling that part would be very, very important.

And possibly very dangerous.