“Because he is so gentle-natured. In that sense, aren’t they a well-balanced couple?”
“Cheraan sometimes tells me about Bartholomew at home, and I have had similar thoughts. But the funny thing is that Duke Vergy also said that the Duchess was exactly like that.”
“That makes sense. I once heard a story that the Duke’s family was in chaos because my uncle had been in love with my aunt for two years and was bedridden.”
“Is that true? Why doesn’t he say it himself?”
“He said he was too embarrassed to speak to her.”
Judith, her eyes wide open, suddenly burst into laughter. She had never imagined that the Duke of Vergy, who had a strong personality and had to speak his mind in front of everyone, would have such a love story.
It was natural that neither Judith nor Franz knew the details of how popular the eighteen-year-old Duke was at social gatherings and banquets.
At that time, not only young ladies of his age but also women of all ages lined up to admire him, and there was even a commotion when a young girl from a Marquis family, who had been engaged since childhood, cried and refused to marry anyone who was not a young Duke from the Vergy family.
When the rumor spread that he, who enjoyed great popularity and could marry anyone he wanted, had become ill because of the daughter of a Count who was not very famous in the social world at the time, many people were shocked. On the day when the young Duke finally married the young lady he loved, not only the nobles but also the commoners of the capital all flocked to the Duke's residence, eager to see the famous Countess.
“Come to think of it, I’ve only met the Duchess once. She came to visit me when I was sick.”
“My aunt has been in poor health for several years now, so she doesn’t go out much. But if you still want to see her, you can bring her to the palace.”
Judith shook her head.
“No, if she's not feeling well, I should go. When the weather gets a little warmer, I can go and check on her, right?”
“Yes, I think I should go too. I haven’t seen my aunt in a long time either.”
As Franz stretched out his arms, Judith immediately leaned her head on his shoulder. Franz looked down at his wife, who was gently embracing him, with affectionate eyes, and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before speaking.
“By the way, I heard you didn’t eat properly today.”
Judith slightly raised her gaze and pursed her lips like a child caught eating a snack secretly.
“Who said that?”
“It’s not just one person. All the servants and maids complain that you can’t eat properly whenever they see me.”
“I feel tired if I force myself to eat. I’m trying to increase the amount little by little...”
Franz furrowed his eyebrows as if he was worried. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat, but that eating itself was difficult, so he couldn’t blame Judith. Franz, who had been quietly looking at her with his mouth raised, sighed softly and shook the bell on the nightstand a few times. Judith looked at him as if asking why.
“Call a servant? Why? Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, that’s not it. I have something to give you.”
“To me?”
Soon the door opened and a servant came in. Judith wrinkled her nose slightly as she saw small dishes placed on a silver tray.
“What did you do, Your Highness? I just finished eating a little while ago.”
“This is dessert, so it will be fine.”
Franz pretended not to hear Judith's dissuasion and took the tray himself. The servant closed the door and left. Judith, curious, looked over Franz's shoulder and examined the tray.
“What is this?”
“It’s nothing special. Someone just told me that private obstetricians sometimes eat this when they have an upset stomach, so they told me to try it.”
When he opened the lid covering the bowl, he saw a lump of something like thick cream. Franz scooped up a little bit with a spoon and held it out to Judith's lips. Judith bit her lip as if embarrassed and said.
“Your Highness, I can feed myself.”
“He told me to do it this way, so just listen.”
“Who the hell is he?”
“My uncle. And your father-in-law said the same thing.”
It was amazing how the King and Duke of a country could be dragged into such a situation so calmly, but on the other hand, it felt a bit funny. When Franz showed no sign of handing over the spoon, Judith pretended to give up and opened her lips slightly.
If anyone had seen Franz's gesture of carefully biting the spoon, they would have thought he was feeding a baby bird. Judith, who had been licking her lips a few times, looked at Franz with a surprised expression. Her hand went up to her mouth on its own.
“It’s delicious, Your Highness. What is this made of? I can feel the grains in my mouth...”
“I’m glad you like it. Would you like some more?”
Judith nodded. It seemed that she wasn’t satisfied with the little spoonfuls he fed her, so she eventually brought the bowl over and ate it herself. Although it was small, the bowl was empty surprisingly quickly compared to the speed at which Judith usually ate.
Judith, who had put down the empty bowl with regret, smiled brightly with a rare pleasant expression. Only then did Franz feel relieved and slowly massaged Judith’s hands and wrists. He knew that her hands and feet often suffered from numbness after having the baby, so it had become a routine to massage her like this whenever he had time.
“What you just ate was rice pudding. You probably wouldn’t know since it’s not something you eat often in the palace... I made it with things like walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, as well as dried fruits. I heard that adding something like cream would be okay... Since you don’t particularly enjoy strong flavors, I made it light.”
“You sure Your Highness made this yourself?”
Franz, who was carefully rubbing his wrist, glanced up and smiled sheepishly. Judith, who had been quietly watching him, suddenly frowned slightly and smiled. She was grateful.
“If you like it, I’ll tell the kitchen to make it often. And if you really have a hard time eating, try drinking warmed milk little by little often. You don’t really like milk, but wouldn’t it be okay if I added some rose sugar or honey to make it a little sweeter?”
“Everyone is so worried because of me.”
“I don’t know about other people, but what I’m worried about is your health more than the baby’s.”
Judith's fingertips flinched at the unexpected words. However, Franz remained indifferent and was only enthusiastic about carefully rubbing her wrist.
Suddenly, the conversation she had with Cheraan came to mind. She wondered if she would like the baby in her womb to be a boy or a girl. Franz said he would like both, but Judith could not answer right away. She was confident that she would love either baby with all her heart, but if a boy was born, Franz would have an official heir and thus would be able to secure the most secure position in the royal family.
But if it was a daughter, a girl, it would be difficult. In the long history of the royal family, there was only one case where a daughter was recognized as the successor in Rotair. It was in the genealogy that Queen Gilsis had ordered everyone to memorize. The only Princess who inherited the throne, Judith didn't know her face or her birth or death, but she was very impressed.
Her life must have been difficult. In fact, despite her many accomplishments after ascending to the throne, not much is recorded about her.
She ascended to the throne at the age of twenty-one and died at the age of twenty-eight. If the first child born between Franz and Judith was a daughter, and if the child grew up to inherit the throne as a successor, would her life be smooth? Would she be strong enough to overcome people’s prejudices and gazes?
“...Your Highness told me before.”
Franz looked up at Judith without saying a word. Judith placed her hand carefully on her stomach and lowered her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if the baby in my womb is a boy or a girl. You will love either child.”
“Yes. Isn’t that obvious? Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Is it really okay if it’s not a boy? This baby is my first child and mine. If Heaven takes care of this child and he grows up safely and becomes an adult, he will be my successor. If it were a boy, there would be no problem. From the moment he was born, he would be recognized by everyone as the heir to the royal family, and that would be a great help to Your Highness. However, Your Highness, what if... what if it were a girl..."
“It doesn’t matter if she’s a girl. If she grows up to be an adult and can do so, I’ll hand over the throne to her. Also...”
Franz's eyes blinked vigorously. Judith tried to calm her anxiously pounding heart, not knowing what he would say.
“Judith, this baby is... yours and mine. Before he is a royal descendant, he is our child. You can’t calculate in advance whether the child will be helpful to his father or mother, can you? If you and I weren’t a Crown Prince and Crown Princess, if we had met as a married couple, you wouldn’t have thought about that either. Right?”
At the same time, Judith let out a small sigh. It wasn't because she was disappointed by his words. Quite the opposite.
“Yes, I would have. If that had been the case for you and me... I would have just been happy. I wouldn’t have cared at all about whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. I would have been more curious about other things.”
A soft smile appeared on Franz's lips. Judith's fingertips were warm thanks to his caressing them the whole time. Franz spoke, holding her warm hand.
“What do you think you were curious about? Tell me.”
Judith thought for a moment. Then she smiled and answered.
“What color will the baby’s hair be? Whose eyes will she resemble? It would be nice if her nose resembled my husband’s... If it’s a girl, I’ll make a stuffed animal that will hang above the cradle in the shape of a rabbit, and if it’s a boy, I’ll make a stuffed animal in the shape of a dove. What will she like? What will she love...”
As he listened to Judith's softly spoken words, Franz's eyes softened and became more affectionate. Judith, who had been dreamily mumbling, held Franz's hand tightly.
“I don’t think I could sleep well because I was thinking about that.”
“Cheraan sometimes tells me about Bartholomew at home, and I have had similar thoughts. But the funny thing is that Duke Vergy also said that the Duchess was exactly like that.”
“That makes sense. I once heard a story that the Duke’s family was in chaos because my uncle had been in love with my aunt for two years and was bedridden.”
“Is that true? Why doesn’t he say it himself?”
“He said he was too embarrassed to speak to her.”
Judith, her eyes wide open, suddenly burst into laughter. She had never imagined that the Duke of Vergy, who had a strong personality and had to speak his mind in front of everyone, would have such a love story.
It was natural that neither Judith nor Franz knew the details of how popular the eighteen-year-old Duke was at social gatherings and banquets.
At that time, not only young ladies of his age but also women of all ages lined up to admire him, and there was even a commotion when a young girl from a Marquis family, who had been engaged since childhood, cried and refused to marry anyone who was not a young Duke from the Vergy family.
When the rumor spread that he, who enjoyed great popularity and could marry anyone he wanted, had become ill because of the daughter of a Count who was not very famous in the social world at the time, many people were shocked. On the day when the young Duke finally married the young lady he loved, not only the nobles but also the commoners of the capital all flocked to the Duke's residence, eager to see the famous Countess.
“Come to think of it, I’ve only met the Duchess once. She came to visit me when I was sick.”
“My aunt has been in poor health for several years now, so she doesn’t go out much. But if you still want to see her, you can bring her to the palace.”
Judith shook her head.
“No, if she's not feeling well, I should go. When the weather gets a little warmer, I can go and check on her, right?”
“Yes, I think I should go too. I haven’t seen my aunt in a long time either.”
As Franz stretched out his arms, Judith immediately leaned her head on his shoulder. Franz looked down at his wife, who was gently embracing him, with affectionate eyes, and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before speaking.
“By the way, I heard you didn’t eat properly today.”
Judith slightly raised her gaze and pursed her lips like a child caught eating a snack secretly.
“Who said that?”
“It’s not just one person. All the servants and maids complain that you can’t eat properly whenever they see me.”
“I feel tired if I force myself to eat. I’m trying to increase the amount little by little...”
Franz furrowed his eyebrows as if he was worried. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat, but that eating itself was difficult, so he couldn’t blame Judith. Franz, who had been quietly looking at her with his mouth raised, sighed softly and shook the bell on the nightstand a few times. Judith looked at him as if asking why.
“Call a servant? Why? Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, that’s not it. I have something to give you.”
“To me?”
Soon the door opened and a servant came in. Judith wrinkled her nose slightly as she saw small dishes placed on a silver tray.
“What did you do, Your Highness? I just finished eating a little while ago.”
“This is dessert, so it will be fine.”
Franz pretended not to hear Judith's dissuasion and took the tray himself. The servant closed the door and left. Judith, curious, looked over Franz's shoulder and examined the tray.
“What is this?”
“It’s nothing special. Someone just told me that private obstetricians sometimes eat this when they have an upset stomach, so they told me to try it.”
When he opened the lid covering the bowl, he saw a lump of something like thick cream. Franz scooped up a little bit with a spoon and held it out to Judith's lips. Judith bit her lip as if embarrassed and said.
“Your Highness, I can feed myself.”
“He told me to do it this way, so just listen.”
“Who the hell is he?”
“My uncle. And your father-in-law said the same thing.”
It was amazing how the King and Duke of a country could be dragged into such a situation so calmly, but on the other hand, it felt a bit funny. When Franz showed no sign of handing over the spoon, Judith pretended to give up and opened her lips slightly.
If anyone had seen Franz's gesture of carefully biting the spoon, they would have thought he was feeding a baby bird. Judith, who had been licking her lips a few times, looked at Franz with a surprised expression. Her hand went up to her mouth on its own.
“It’s delicious, Your Highness. What is this made of? I can feel the grains in my mouth...”
“I’m glad you like it. Would you like some more?”
Judith nodded. It seemed that she wasn’t satisfied with the little spoonfuls he fed her, so she eventually brought the bowl over and ate it herself. Although it was small, the bowl was empty surprisingly quickly compared to the speed at which Judith usually ate.
Judith, who had put down the empty bowl with regret, smiled brightly with a rare pleasant expression. Only then did Franz feel relieved and slowly massaged Judith’s hands and wrists. He knew that her hands and feet often suffered from numbness after having the baby, so it had become a routine to massage her like this whenever he had time.
“What you just ate was rice pudding. You probably wouldn’t know since it’s not something you eat often in the palace... I made it with things like walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, as well as dried fruits. I heard that adding something like cream would be okay... Since you don’t particularly enjoy strong flavors, I made it light.”
“You sure Your Highness made this yourself?”
Franz, who was carefully rubbing his wrist, glanced up and smiled sheepishly. Judith, who had been quietly watching him, suddenly frowned slightly and smiled. She was grateful.
“If you like it, I’ll tell the kitchen to make it often. And if you really have a hard time eating, try drinking warmed milk little by little often. You don’t really like milk, but wouldn’t it be okay if I added some rose sugar or honey to make it a little sweeter?”
“Everyone is so worried because of me.”
“I don’t know about other people, but what I’m worried about is your health more than the baby’s.”
Judith's fingertips flinched at the unexpected words. However, Franz remained indifferent and was only enthusiastic about carefully rubbing her wrist.
Suddenly, the conversation she had with Cheraan came to mind. She wondered if she would like the baby in her womb to be a boy or a girl. Franz said he would like both, but Judith could not answer right away. She was confident that she would love either baby with all her heart, but if a boy was born, Franz would have an official heir and thus would be able to secure the most secure position in the royal family.
But if it was a daughter, a girl, it would be difficult. In the long history of the royal family, there was only one case where a daughter was recognized as the successor in Rotair. It was in the genealogy that Queen Gilsis had ordered everyone to memorize. The only Princess who inherited the throne, Judith didn't know her face or her birth or death, but she was very impressed.
Her life must have been difficult. In fact, despite her many accomplishments after ascending to the throne, not much is recorded about her.
She ascended to the throne at the age of twenty-one and died at the age of twenty-eight. If the first child born between Franz and Judith was a daughter, and if the child grew up to inherit the throne as a successor, would her life be smooth? Would she be strong enough to overcome people’s prejudices and gazes?
“...Your Highness told me before.”
Franz looked up at Judith without saying a word. Judith placed her hand carefully on her stomach and lowered her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if the baby in my womb is a boy or a girl. You will love either child.”
“Yes. Isn’t that obvious? Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Is it really okay if it’s not a boy? This baby is my first child and mine. If Heaven takes care of this child and he grows up safely and becomes an adult, he will be my successor. If it were a boy, there would be no problem. From the moment he was born, he would be recognized by everyone as the heir to the royal family, and that would be a great help to Your Highness. However, Your Highness, what if... what if it were a girl..."
“It doesn’t matter if she’s a girl. If she grows up to be an adult and can do so, I’ll hand over the throne to her. Also...”
Franz's eyes blinked vigorously. Judith tried to calm her anxiously pounding heart, not knowing what he would say.
“Judith, this baby is... yours and mine. Before he is a royal descendant, he is our child. You can’t calculate in advance whether the child will be helpful to his father or mother, can you? If you and I weren’t a Crown Prince and Crown Princess, if we had met as a married couple, you wouldn’t have thought about that either. Right?”
At the same time, Judith let out a small sigh. It wasn't because she was disappointed by his words. Quite the opposite.
“Yes, I would have. If that had been the case for you and me... I would have just been happy. I wouldn’t have cared at all about whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. I would have been more curious about other things.”
A soft smile appeared on Franz's lips. Judith's fingertips were warm thanks to his caressing them the whole time. Franz spoke, holding her warm hand.
“What do you think you were curious about? Tell me.”
Judith thought for a moment. Then she smiled and answered.
“What color will the baby’s hair be? Whose eyes will she resemble? It would be nice if her nose resembled my husband’s... If it’s a girl, I’ll make a stuffed animal that will hang above the cradle in the shape of a rabbit, and if it’s a boy, I’ll make a stuffed animal in the shape of a dove. What will she like? What will she love...”
As he listened to Judith's softly spoken words, Franz's eyes softened and became more affectionate. Judith, who had been dreamily mumbling, held Franz's hand tightly.
“I don’t think I could sleep well because I was thinking about that.”
A New Series, Traces of Moonlight was out now! For you who are tired of regression stories, you can check it out.You can check it HERE!
The New Series, Reincarnating As My Husband's Mistress is out now!You can check it HERE!
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