Chapter 135
He carefully swept aside her disheveled hair and traced the smooth curve from below her ear to her shoulder with his fingertips.
Beneath her fine skin, faintly damp with sweat, he could feel her delicate frame.
A strange anxiety even arose in him at the fragile body that seemed as though it would crumble if he touched it with just a little force.
Her body was so slender that it seemed barely enough to contain one person’s blood, flesh, and bones.
It was hard to believe that a new life might have taken root inside it.
Varkas, who had been looking down at her with worried eyes, carefully sat up.
Then he pulled the woman, who had fallen deeply asleep, onto his lap and made her lean her head against his chest.
“Thalia, eat dinner before you sleep.”
“It’s bothersome. I’ll just sleep.”
She whined like a sleepy child and pushed him away.
Varkas paid no mind and wrapped one arm around her back while picking up the soup bowl from the tray.
“You need to eat at least a little. That way, you’ll recover your strength.”
He held the bowl with the hand supporting her and lifted the spoon with the other.
Thin steam rose from the light soup made with clear chicken broth, softly soaked barley, and various herbs.
After cooling it to a suitable temperature, he brought it to her lips, and the woman, who had wrinkled the bridge of her nose, reluctantly opened her mouth.
He carefully pushed the food inside and closely watched her expression.
Fortunately, it seemed to suit her taste, because the woman, who had been moving her rosebud-like lips, soon swallowed the soup.
Letting out a small sigh of relief, he scooped up another spoonful of clear broth.
“One more bite.”
The woman, who had been dozing while leaning in his arms, opened her mouth again.
She looked just like a young bird opening its beak to receive feed.
Feeling something heavy fill the depths of his heart, he moved the spoon at regular intervals.
A woman who normally would have thrown a tantrum, saying she did not want to eat, emptied an entire bowl of porridge.
Varkas looked at the emptied bowl with satisfied eyes, then rubbed her lips with his thumb and asked.
“Should I bring more?”
“No. I’m full.”
She frowned and curled her body into a ball.
He moved the bowl aside and gently stroked her solar plexus.
Was this what fullness felt like?
It was not his own stomach that was full, yet a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in him.
Intoxicated by that odd feeling, he exhaled at length.
For more than ten years, he had not felt appetite.
Naturally, he had never indulged in gluttony, and it had been far too long since he had eaten anything to fullness.
He had always consumed only a suitable amount of food as needed.
But if he still had any desire for food left, he thought this feeling of fullness would probably be similar to the feeling of eating one’s fill of something one liked.
He leaned his cheek against her fragrant hair, which carried the scent of rose oil, and endlessly stroked her back as it rose and fell at regular intervals.
Her soft, even breathing melted gently into the quiet evening air.
Listening to that sound, he looked for a long while at her face, which looked as docile as a baby’s.
Perhaps this overwhelming sensation was a natural reaction any man would feel.
Was the desire to feed one’s mate until she was full and care for her comfortably not an instinct engraved into the blood of every male?
Thinking so, his unusual reaction felt natural.
Having sorted out his thoughts in an instant, Varkas wrapped both arms around her without leaving any gap and slowly closed his eyes.
***
“Congratulations, Your Highness. You are clearly with child.”
The priestess who had finished the examination spoke with a bright smile on her lips.
Thalia only blinked blankly.
Then, only after hearing the nanny’s excited voice, did she come sharply back to her senses.
“Oh my, our Young lady! How wonderful. So wonderful!”
She pulled Thalia into a tight embrace and patted her back hard with her thick palm.
Beyond the nanny’s round shoulder, Thalia saw the head maid’s face hardened fiercely.
Is she perhaps not pleased about my pregnancy?
Just as Thalia’s eyes sharpened with thorns, the head maid roughly grabbed the nanny’s shoulder and snapped in a stiff tone.
“What do you think you are doing, treating a pregnant woman so roughly? What if the fetus is startled?”
At the sharp rebuke, the nanny’s face flushed red.
She pouted her lips and argued.
“Who treated her roughly? I’ve cared for our Young lady since she was a newborn! I know our Young lady’s physical condition best!”
“You speak well for someone who had not even noticed she was with child until now.”
At the head maid’s sharp remark, the nanny closed her mouth like a mute who had eaten honey.
That was only natural, since she had sung endlessly about pregnancy, yet had not noticed the changes that had occurred in Thalia’s body.
The same was true for Thalia.
It had been quite some time since her monthly flow had stopped, but she had not connected that fact with pregnancy.
Perhaps some part of her heart had not believed at all that she would actually come to carry a child.
She looked at her lower abdomen with a confused expression.
Even in this moment, it did not feel real.
Was there truly a child inside this?
As she awkwardly stroked her flat belly, a firm voice rang out near her head.
“Until now, we have followed Your Highness’s wishes, but from now on, you must receive the care of the grand ducal house’s maids.”
Thalia glared at her with wary eyes.
Her hand around her stomach tightened on its own.
“Why should I? I’m perfectly fine as I am now.”
“Your Highness is no longer alone in your body. We cannot entrust even the safety of the fetus, who may become the future heir of the grand ducal house, to an unskilled attendant.”
She spoke firmly.
Thalia tightly gripped the nanny’s clothes with an anxious face.
“What can someone like you do if I say I don’t want that? How dare a mere maid order me around…”
“Your Highness, please think of the baby in your womb.”
The priestess, who had been silent, suddenly joined the conversation.
Thalia turned to her with a stiff face.
The priestess, who had been scribbling something on parchment, continued calmly.
“At present, pregnancy itself may be a burden on Your Highness’s body. To give birth safely, you must receive professional care.”
Thalia suddenly looked frightened.
“Is my body that bad?”
“At present, it is difficult enough for you to maintain the pregnancy.”
At the cautious answer, her heart dropped with a thud.
The priestess, lowering her eyes as if apologetic, added carefully.
“Fortunately, the fetus is in a very healthy state, but Your Highness’s condition is not very good. As the baby grows larger than now, the burden Your Highness must bear will also become uncontrollably greater, and that impact will be passed directly to the fetus as well. If you are to safely complete ten months, you must begin strict care starting now.”
“…What should I do?”
“Please consume enough nutritious food and maintain stability of mind and body. Especially in the early stages, you must be careful with your conduct.”
Thalia, pale-faced, bit her lips repeatedly and asked in a frightened tone.
“…If I do as you say, will I really become all right?”
As if satisfied by the attitude of the now docile patient, a gentle smile appeared on the priestess’s lips.
“Of course. If you take care from now on, you should be able to safely give birth to the baby.”
Thalia watched her with doubtful eyes, then soon nodded.
The priestess rose after packing the medical tools she had brought in large bundles into her bag.
Then she handed the head maid a parchment document with something written on it and explained in detail the precautions to take during the early stages of pregnancy.
Thalia caught sight of the nanny, who had been pushed out of the position of her personal attendant before she knew it, pursing her lips in displeasure, but pretended not to know.
It was true that the nanny was careless and inattentive.
If it had been only her own body, it would not have mattered, but considering the child in her womb, it did seem better to keep capable attendants by her side.
The child in my womb…
She lowered her gaze to her lower abdomen again.
Varkas’s child is inside here.
As she chewed over that unbelievable fact, she hurriedly caught the head maid.
“Don’t tell Varkas.”
The head maid looked surprised for a moment, then soon sent her a solemn gaze.
“That cannot be done. Naturally, His Grace must know this as well…”
“I’ll tell him myself.”
Thalia hurriedly cut her off.
“So keep it secret until then.”
When she deliberately raised the corners of her eyes and issued a grave warning, the maids filling the room exchanged awkward glances.
One of them carefully opened her mouth.
“Your Highness, His Grace already…”
“Understood. We will remain silent until Your Highness tells him yourself today.”
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