Chapter 136
Thalia looked back and forth with suspicious eyes between the head maid’s stubborn-looking face and the maids standing behind her.
“You’re saying that in front of me, but you’re going to report everything behind my back, aren’t you?”
“How could that be? Until Your Highness informs him yourself, we will not breathe a word, so please do not worry.”
The head maid, standing with her back straight, promised with a solemn face.
Thalia looked up at her through narrowed eyes, then soon gave a prim gesture with her head.
“Fine. Now everyone leave.”
“Have you already forgotten what the priestess said? You must take absolute rest for the time being. From now on, the assigned maids will remain by your side and serve Your Highness.”
The head maid spoke firmly as if driving in a nail, then called the maids standing behind her.
“Brisa, Yvonne.”
The two girls who had been named walked obediently to the bed.
Thalia slowly looked over their youthful faces.
They were young maids who sometimes helped her dress or brought her food.
“They are the quickest-witted and most deft-handed among the maids. Keep them by your side and use them comfortably.”
The two girls bowed at the same time.
Thalia looked at them with displeasure and issued a warning in a dignified voice.
“If you get in my way even slightly, I’ll throw you out.”
“We will do our utmost to serve Your Highness without causing any inconvenience.”
The maid named Brisa answered in a clear voice.
Thalia gave a light snort and turned over.
At that silent dismissal, everyone except the two maids left the room one by one.
However, the quiet did not last long.
Not long after, the healer came to visit.
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
The woman, who approached with her usual composed face, carefully offered her greeting.
Thalia glared at her with suspicious eyes.
“You didn’t notice at all that I had a child?”
“I had guessed to some extent. However, I judged that it would be better to tell you after it became certain.”
The woman answered in a calm tone.
Thalia let out an incredulous laugh.
“Judged? Do you think you have the right to judge anything about my body?”
“…I was only concerned that Your Highness might be distressed.”
The healer lowered her eyes and made an excuse.
“Are you not already feeling pressured about pregnancy? In the early stages, there is also a possibility of misdiagnosis, and Your Highness’s physical condition was so poor that I intended to watch for a few more days before telling you.”
Thalia’s complexion darkened.
“Is my condition that bad?”
For an instant, conflict appeared on the healer’s face.
She glanced at the two maids waiting beside the bed, then explained in the language of the elves.
“Your Highness has a constitution that makes pregnancy itself difficult. Your energy is extremely weak, and your pelvis is also slightly misaligned from the accident, so even if you conceive, you must be especially careful.”
There were a few words mixed in that she had never heard before, but it was not difficult to understand the meaning.
Thalia pressed her lips tightly together with a bloodless face.
After confirming through her reaction that she had understood her words, the healer continued explaining.
“I have remained silent until now because I did not wish to inform the grand ducal house of this fact. If anything happens to the child, Your Highness may be blamed.”
Thalia swallowed dryly and stammered in awkward Elvish.
“A priestess from the Great Temple of Kalmor examined my body. By now, everyone must know that fact.”
“I was actually on my way back from meeting that priestess under the pretext of asking for her opinion. Fortunately, she did not seem to have noticed Your Highness’s constitution.”
The healer let out a small sigh and grasped her hand as she urged her.
“Even so, from now on, please avoid receiving examinations from others as much as possible. If Your Highness safely gives birth to a son with this pregnancy, there will be no particular problem, but… there is always the possibility of the unexpected.”
Thalia’s mouth stiffened tightly.
The mood that had been floating as if she were drunk plummeted in an instant.
Thalia bit her lower lip repeatedly, then gave a small nod.
“I understand what you mean.”
“Please do not worry too much. I will watch over Your Highness’s health even more carefully.”
The healer lightly patted the back of her cold hand as if comforting her, then spoke again in the imperial common tongue.
“Now, I will examine your leg.”
Then she opened the leather pouch she had brought under her arm and took out ointment to apply to the scars and the painkiller Thalia took regularly.
Thalia looked at the maids with an anxious expression.
Perhaps knowing that she disliked showing her body, the two girls immediately set up a screen around the bed.
Secretly relieved by their quick-witted action, she carefully lowered her leg out of the bed.
When she lifted the loose hem of her dress, reddish scars appeared between the loosely wrapped bandage.
Because her skin had become inflamed, she had no choice but to wrap it loosely.
The healer carefully unwound it, thoroughly applied salve over the scars, then wrapped it loosely with a clean new bandage.
Then she brewed a cup of medicinal tea that supposedly helped stabilize the mind and body, and quietly left the bedroom.
At last, now able to rest without anyone disturbing her, Thalia curled herself tightly under the blanket and lay down.
Since she had conceived a child, her goal had been achieved.
Then why was she so anxious?
If the child in her womb was a daughter, she would have to start everything over from the beginning.
And if a second pregnancy did not happen easily, what would happen then?
This time, fortune had followed her, but there was no guarantee next time.
To make matters worse, if it became known that she had a constitution that made it difficult to conceive, the easterners would try to drag her down from the position of Grand Duchess.
In the worst case, she might be sent to a place like a convent.
Even there, it would be difficult to expect a peaceful old age.
Gareth would try to kill her by any means necessary, and Mother would not bother protecting a child who had become useless…
Thalia, who had been absorbed in extreme delusions, soon put a brake on her thoughts.
Now was not the time to assume the worst.
In any case, she had succeeded in conceiving a child according to plan.
If she safely gave birth to the heir of the grand ducal house, her own safety would likely be guaranteed as well.
After forcing down her anxiety, Thalia emptied a bowl of porridge brought by the maids and then tried to take a nap.
When she opened her eyes again, the sun had visibly tilted.
Thalia, who had been looking up at the darkening sky through the window, heard heavy footsteps and sat up.
Varkas was entering the bedroom earlier than usual.
“How is your condition?”
Varkas, who had taken off his coat and draped it carelessly over the chair, strode to the bed.
Perhaps he had washed at the communal sauna used by the knights again today, because his body carried a strong scent of soap and mint.
“It’s just… the same as usual.”
Thalia briefly looked at his still-damp, flaxen hair, then soon restlessly lowered her gaze.
The man sitting on the edge of the bed brought the back of his hand to her forehead and frowned.
“You still have a low fever.”
“It’s because I was near the stove for too long.”
Thalia awkwardly cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.
“More importantly, why are you here so early today? The chief butler said you would be late because of a gathering…”
“I hurried back after purchasing the item Your Highness mentioned.”
Varkas slipped his hand inside the splendidly embroidered upper garment and took out a small bundle.
Thalia stared blankly down at it.
His long, beautiful fingers with prominent knuckles skillfully undid the carefully wrapped leather covering, revealing five or six red berries wrapped in crumpled paper.
“The flesh is firm and the sweetness is a little low, which is a flaw, but they said it would be difficult to find a better variety at present. Still, I have made a request to the Lakasim merchants, so we should be able to obtain better goods within a month. Please endure with these until then.”
Thalia looked stunned.
She had asked him to get them, but they were already entering the beginning of winter.
She knew very well that obtaining strawberries in this cold region was not easy even for the emperor of the Empire.
“Would you like to try one?”
Varkas picked up one unwrapped strawberry and held it out to her.
Thalia blankly looked at the plump red fruit, then slowly opened her mouth.
Soon, the small berry entered her mouth.
She rolled it on the tip of her tongue, then bit into it with her teeth.
A sweet fragrance spread out along with a strong sourness that nearly brought tears to her eyes.
“How is it?”
Varkas asked, rubbing her juice-wet lips with his thumb.
Feeling her throat somehow tighten, she avoided his gaze and lowered her eyes.
It was so delicious it nearly made her cry.
More than anything she had ever eaten in her life.
“…It’s not bad.”
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