With a suspicious look, I alternated between the maid's naive face and the maids standing behind her.
"Are you going to say that in front of me and report everything behind my back?"
"How could it be? Don't worry, we won't be open until Your Highness informs His Excellency directly."
The maid, who stood upright, promised with a solemn face.
I, who was looking up at her with wide eyes, immediately nodded sadly.
"Yes. Now let's all get out."
"Have you forgotten what the priestess just said? You should be absolutely stable for the time being. From now on, the maids in charge will be by your side to serve Your Highness."
The maid, who spoke firmly as if driving a nail, called out to the maids standing behind her.
"Brisa. Yvonne."
The two girls who were nominated quietly walked out of the bed.
I glanced at their young faces. They were young maids who would sometimes help me groom myself or bring me food.
"They are the quickest and most agile children among the maids. Keep them by your side and feel comfortable."
The two girls shook their heads at the same time.
I, who had been looking at them with suspicious eyes, issued a warning in a dignified voice.
"If you mess around even a little, I'll kick you out."
"I will do my best to serve you so as not to cause any Inconvenience to Your Highness."
A maid named Brisa replied in a clear voice.
I snorted lightly and turned to lie down.
In silence, everyone except the two maids left the room one by one. However, the silence did not last long. Soon after, a healer came to visit.
"Your Highness, Your Highness."
The woman, who approached with a calm face as usual, greeted me cautiously.
I glared at her suspiciously.
"Didn't you notice that I had a child at all?"
"I guessed it to some extent. However, I decided that it would be better to tell you after I was sure."
The woman replied in a calm tone.
I burst into a hearty smile.
"Judgment? Do you think you have the right to judge my body?"
"...I was just worried that Your Highness would be heartbroken."
The healer lowered her eyes and made an excuse.
"Aren't you still feeling pressured by pregnancy problems? In the beginning, there was a possibility of misdiagnosis, and Your Highness was not in good physical condition, so I was going to tell you after watching for a few more days."
My face darkened.
"Am I in such a bad condition?"
In an instant, a hint of conflict appeared on the healer's face.
She glanced at the two maids waiting by the bed and explained in the language of the elves.
"Your Highness has a difficult constitution to get pregnant. You are very weak and your pelvis was slightly distorted due to an accident, so you have to be extra careful even if you have a child."
There were a few words I had never heard before, but it was not difficult to grasp the meaning.
I pressed my lips tightly with a bloody face. The healer, who confirmed that I understood what she was saying through my reaction, continued her explanation.
"I didn't want to tell the Grand Duke about this, so I kept it secret. If the child goes wrong, Your Highness may be blamed."
I gulped and spat out a clumsy elven language.
"The priestess of the Great Cathedral of Kalmor examined my body. By now, everyone should have known about it."
"I'm on my way to meet the priest under the pretext of asking for his opinion. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice Your Highness's constitution."
The healer let out a small sigh and wrapped her arm around her and asked.
"Still, please refrain from being examined by others as much as possible in the future. If Your Highness gives birth to a son safely with this pregnancy, there will be no problem... Because there is a case in case."
I stiffened my mouth tightly. My drunken and excited mood plummeted in an instant.
I, who had been biting my lower lip tightly, nodded slightly
"I understand what you mean."
"Don't worry too much. I will pay more attention to Your Highness's health."
The healer patted me coldly, as if comforting the back of my cold hand, and then spoke to me again in the official language of the empire.
"Alright. Now, I'll examine your leg."
Then she opened the leather pouch she had worn on her side and took out an ointment to apply to the scar and a painkiller that I took regularly.
I looked at the maids with an anxious expression. Knowing that I was reluctant to show myself, the two girls immediately put up a screen around the bed.
I was relieved by that quick action and carefully lowered my leg out of bed.
When I lifted the hem of my puffy skirt, a scar was revealed through the loosely wrapped bandage. Because the skin was crushed, it was wrapped up loosely.
The healer carefully untied it and applied the plaster to the scar, and then loosely wrapped it in a clean new bandage. Then, she gave me a cup of medicine that was said to help stabilize my mind and body, and quietly left the bedroom.
When I was finally able to rest without being disturbed by anyone, I curled up in the blanket and lay down as much as I could.
Now that I have a child, my goal has been achieved. But why am I so anxious?
If the child in my womb is a daughter, I have to start everything over again. But what happens when the second pregnancy doesn't go well?
This time, luck followed, but I can't guarantee the next one. To make matters worse, if it becomes known that I have a constitution that makes it difficult for me to have children, the Easterners will try to remove me from the position of Grand Duchess.
In the worst case, I may be sent to places like monasteries. It's hard to expect a peaceful rest of my life there. Gareth will try to kill me by any means necessary, and my mother will not dare to protect her useless child...
I, who was preoccupied with extreme delusions, soon put the brakes on the accident.
It was not yet time to assume the worst. Anyway, I succeeded in having a child as planned. If I give birth to the heir of the Grand Duke safely, I will be able to guarantee my safety.
Trying to calm my anxiety, I emptied a bowl of porridge brought by the maids and took a nap.
When I opened her eyes again, the sun was visibly tilted.
Looking up at the thickened sky through the window, I heard heavy footsteps and stood up.
Barcas was entering the bedroom earlier than usual.
"How are you doing?"
Barcas, who had taken off his coat and casually placed it on a chair, strode to the front of the bed. Today, he seemed to have washed himself in the public sauna used by the knights, and his body smelled of strong soap and mint.
"It's just... It's the same as usual, huh."
After a moment of gazing at his sweet hair, which had not yet dried, I immediately became restless and looked away.
A man sitting on the edge of the bed put the back of his hand on my forehead and frowned.
"You still have a mild fever."
"It's because I've been sitting by the stove for a long time."
I, who coughed awkwardly, quickly changed the topic.
"Why did you come so early today? The butler said you were going to be late because of the meeting..."
"I bought the goods that Your Highness mentioned and hurried back."
Barcas slid his hand inside the richly embroidered top and took out a small package.
I looked down at it from a distance. When the long, beautiful fingers with protruding bones skillfully unwrapped the carefully wrapped leather wrap, five or six red berries wrapped in chewy paper were revealed.
"The flaw is that the flesh is firm and the sugar content is slightly low, but at the moment, it is difficult to find a variety that goes better than this. Still, I have commissioned it from the merchants of Raqassim, so I will be able to get better products within a month. Until then, please put up with this."
I was stunned.
I asked him to procure it, but it was already early winter. I 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?"
Barcas picked up an unwrapped strawberry and held it out to me.
I, who had been staring at the luscious red fruit from afar, slowly opened my mouth.
Soon after, a small fruit entered my mouth. I put it on the tip of my tongue, rolled it, and chewed it with my teeth. The sweet aroma spread with a strong sour taste that brought tears to my eyes.
"What do you think?"
Barcas asked, rubbing my juice-soaked lips with his thumb.
I felt my throat tighten somehow, and I lowered my eyes to avoid his gaze.
It was so delicious that it brought tears to my eyes. More than anything I've ever eaten in my life.
"...It's not bad."
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