"In case you don't know, I have called the priestess. I would like you to see a doctor."
I glanced at Barcas, feeling my face burn with shame.
"It's not a big deal. I just stumbled for a moment."
"Until yesterday, you were having a hard time because of your back. Please stay still."
Barcas, who hugged me even tighter, gave Edric a cold look.
The man, who was rolling his eyes awkwardly with a bewildered expression, flinched and stiffened. It was as if Barcas had pointed the tip of a knife at him.
"You should leave here. Isn't it time to be idle?"
"...Still, I was just about to leave."
The man who swallowed his dry saliva said in a nervous tone.
Barcas, who had been staring at the scene with an expressionless face, immediately took a step towards the entrance and added.
"Then let's go. I instructed the stable keeper to prepare a piece of horse that could be used, so you can ride it."
"Oh... Thank you for your attention."
Despite Edric's polite greeting, Barcas left the drawing room without any response.
I glanced at the man standing frozen over his shoulder, then looked up at Barcas. Then I met the blue-gray eyes that were staring at me, and I shrank my shoulders.
He had a calm face that was no different from usual. But why did I get chills for a moment?
"What did you talk about with Ruben?"
"It's just.. I didn't talk about it."
Barcas's eyes narrowed at the answer that seemed to be vague.
He asked in a squeaky voice, as if questioning.
"What a big deal."
I rolled my eyes awkwardly.
There was no reason to hide what I had been talking to Edric Ruben, but I thought he might be offended if he found out that I had been skewering him behind his back.
After thinking for a while, I muttered like an excuse..
"I just said hello."
"..."
"He's a bit of a broad-minded person. It seems that he was always worried about whether I was doing well..."
Worried about the prolonged silence, I added, and a sharp light flashed around Barcas's eyes.
Only then did I realize that he was not in a very good mood. However, the exact reason for this could not be identified.
Was he angry that my careless behavior almost put the child in my womb in danger?
I looked at him with an anxious face, and Barcas, who was climbing the stairs, muttered in a dry tone.
"It looks like you're pretty close to Ruben."
"I've only been with him as a guard knight for a few months, what?"
I snorted reflexively.
"It's just that man is meddling at will. He's the most persistent nagger I've ever seen! Would a nanny be more suitable for his proximity than a knight?"
For some reason, the longer I gossip, the harder his expression.
He thought we were on bad terms because he treated me so coldly, but was he actually a subordinate I cared for?
Keeping my mouth shut, I noticed that Barcas had arrived at the front of our bedroom and seemed to nod to the servant standing in the hallway
"Open it."
The servant who was cleaning the window threw the rag and immediately opened the door.
Barcas stepped inside, put me down on the bed, and naturally took off his coat.
"How is your back?"
"It's okay. Maybe it's because I slept soundly yesterday, so I'm less sick than usual."
The man, who should have shown even the slightest hint of relief at my words, fell silent.
Barcas, who was staring intently at my belly with a thoughtful face, slowly stood up. Then the healers poured me a cup of herbal tea prepared in advance.
Meanwhile, the priestess and two healers rushed to me after being summoned by Barcas to check on my physical condition.
Naturally, there was nothing wrong with me and the child in my womb.
The priestess, who had to be dragged from the chapel in the castle, said in a voice mixed with sighs.
"Now that we have entered a stable period, we never need to settle down like before. Moving little by little without putting a strain on your body will actually help relieve back pain."
I glared at Barcas as if to look at it.
Barcas, who was looking down at her with his arms crossed in front of his chest, frowned.
"How exactly is a line that doesn't put a strain on the body?"
"Your Highness just needs to be at a level that is not difficult."
The priestess who was plowing the luggage replied with a subtle expression that was neither smiling nor frowning.
How excited she had been in the past few weeks, she seemed to have come to perceive the feared Grand Duke of Sheerkhan as any other young husband who was restless about having his first child.
She added with a kind face.
"If you take a regular walk for about 10 to 30 minutes, your pelvic pain will be relieved. However, you must bring someone with you to support you. If you fall and hit your stomach, the fetus may be harmed."
The priestess gave me a wooden look. I hugged my stomach with a piercing expression.
Eventually, the Priestess left the room, and this time the healers began to examine my body. While Marisen hit the partition, applied plaster to my leg, and changed a new bandage, Tiuran cushioned my back and helped me get into a comfortable position.
When all the fuss was finally over, Barcas let them out all at once.
I noticed that he had something to say to me, so I stood still, and I looked nervous.
The man, who had been silently looking down at me for a long time with his arms crossed over his chest, finally opened his mouth.
"Your Highness is now the Grand Duchess of the East and my wife."
I looked up at him with bewildered eyes.
Can't you even see my belly?
I blinked my eyes in the distance, wondering why he was talking about what everyone in the world knew, but Barcas added coldly.
"I can't tolerate messing around with men like you did when you were an immature teenager. Please behave like a Grand Duchess."
My face turned red at the sudden accusation.
Anger instantly rose to the top of my head.
"I just had a brief conversation with my old knight. What did I do wrong?"
"It is inappropriate just to stay alone in the same space with an outside man. Don't you know that much?"
It was true. Married aristocratic women were always required to be accompanied by attendants. This was especially true when she met a man who was not her husband.
However, I, who had not kept anyone by my side except my nanny and Barcas since I was a child, could not stand the fact that someone was chasing me. I felt like I was being watched.
I glared at him with a defiant look.
"Don't talk about it as if I have a secret secret meeting, there are more than two hundred people stationed in this nature alone! Servants were coming and going outside the drawing room."
"All of them must have seen Your Highness with a young man from outside. Don't you think they might have squeezed a cube?"
"If someone makes fun of his mouth being dirty, you can pull out his tongue!"
I shouted fiercely. I was so angry that my eyes were all hot.
I began to shoot fiercely at the man, who was as cold and stiff as icicles.
"I'm crippled and pregnant. Who do you think will deal with me? Even if I rush in naked, won't everyone blink an eye? I'm glad I didn't run away!"
"Don't say it that way."
Barcas stuck out his upper body and muttered roughly.
I shrank my shoulders in surprise. Since getting married, he has shown such a threatening attitude only a handful of times.
As if noticing me frightened, Barcas took a step back and took a deep breath. Soon after, a calmer voice was heard.
"...I was overly sensitive. I apologize if you were offended."
Rather than sincerely repenting for his mistakes, it was just a formal apology to end the useless argument.
I closed my mouth and lowered my eyes. Seeing my eyes burn up, Barcas sighed and sat down beside the bed. Then he took me in his arms and stroked my hair.
It was like giving me a beating and soothing, but I didn't bother to push him away. There was no small relief that Barcas had returned from his former cold and cold antagonist to my devoted protector.
"...After eating, try to go for a short walk."
After confirming that I had calmed down, Barcas suggested. I shook my head, remembering what I had heard from Edric.
"Yes. You do your job. I'm just going to take a nap."
Barcas, who was pursing his lips as if he was about to say something, quickly lay me down on the bed and left the room.
I listened to the footsteps moving away, then quietly got up from my seat and approached the window. I could faintly see the back of Eric Ruben dragging his horse over the courtyard of the spacious castle.
Soon, the man began to ride his horse across the wide hill. I could see snow clouds creeping up on it. I stared at the back of the knight for a long time, hoping it wasn't an ominous sign.
***
Winter passed in the blink of an eye. And I could no longer afford to worry about rebellion or war in the north. As my belly grew larger, the pain in my lower body reached an unbearable level.
Comments
Post a Comment