Chapter 136
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136
Thalia’s eyes darted suspiciously between the Head Maid’s stiff, formal expression and the line of servants standing behind her.
“You say that now,” Thalia challenged, “but you’re just going to report everything behind my back the moment I look away, aren’t you?”
“We would never dream of it, Your Highness. We shall not utter a single word until you choose to announce the news yourself. Please, do not worry.”
The Head Maid, her back ramrod straight, gave her word with a solemn gravity. Thalia looked up at her through narrowed eyes for a long moment before giving a haughty toss of her head.
“Fine. Now, everyone out.”
“Have you forgotten the priestess’s instructions? You must remain absolutely still for the time being. From this moment on, assigned maids will remain by your side at all times.”
The Head Maid spoke with finality, as if driving a nail into a coffin, and gestured for the maids behind her to step forward.
“Brisa, Yvonne.”
The two girls stepped forward demurely, stopping before the bed. Thalia scrutinized their youthful faces. They were young maids who had occasionally helped her dress or brought her meals in the past.
“These are the quickest and most capable girls among the servants. Keep them close and use them as you see fit.”
The two girls bowed their heads in unison. Thalia watched them with a dissatisfied gaze before issuing a sharp warning.
“If you get in my way even a little, I’ll have you thrown out.”
“We will do our utmost to serve you without causing any discomfort, Your Highness,” the maid named Brisa replied in a clear, steady voice.
Thalia gave a light snort and turned onto her side, dismissing them.
At this silent command, everyone except the two maids filed out of the room. However, the silence did not last long. Before long, the Eastern Healer arrived.
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
The woman approached with her usual calm demeanor and offered a respectful greeting. Thalia glared at her, her eyes full of suspicion.
“Did you really have no idea I was pregnant all this time?”
“I had my suspicions. However, I judged it better to wait until I was certain before informing you,” the woman replied, her tone composed.
Thalia let out a scoff of disbelief. “Judged? You think you have the right to make judgments regarding my body?”
“...I was merely concerned that Your Highness might be disappointed,” the healer explained, lowering her eyes. “Were you not already feeling pressured regarding the matter of an heir? There is always the possibility of a misdiagnosis in the early stages. Furthermore, since Your Highness’s physical condition is quite poor, I intended to observe you for a few more days before speaking.”
Thalia’s expression clouded over. “Is my condition truly that bad?”
For a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed the healer’s face. She glanced at the two maids waiting by the bed and then began to explain in the Ancient Language of the East.
“Your Highness has a constitution that makes pregnancy difficult. Your vitality is inherently weak, and because your pelvis was slightly misaligned during the accident, you must be exceptionally careful even if you do conceive.”
There were a few words Thalia didn’t recognize, but the core meaning was painfully clear. Her face went pale, and she pressed her lips firmly together. Seeing that she understood, the healer continued.
“I have kept quiet until now because I did not want the Grand Duke’s household to know this. If something were to go wrong with the child, Your Highness would have faced the blame.”
Thalia swallowed hard, stammering out a response in her clumsy, broken Eastern tongue.
“The priestess from the Kalmor Grand Temple examined me. By now... everyone must know.”
“I am actually on my way back from meeting that priestess under the pretext of seeking her opinion. Fortunately, she does not seem to have noticed anything regarding Your Highness’s specific constitution.”
The healer let out a small sigh and took Thalia’s hand, her voice pleading.
“Even so, please refrain from being examined by others as much as possible from now on. If Your Highness successfully gives birth to a son, there will be no problem, but... one must always consider the possibilities.”
Thalia’s mouth tightened into a rigid line. The light, airy mood she’d felt—a brief intoxication of success—plummeted in an instant. Biting her lower lip, she gave a small, stiff nod.
“I understand.”
“Do not worry too much. I will look after your health with even greater care.”
The healer gave Thalia’s cold hand a comforting pat before switching back to the Imperial Common Language.
“Now, let me examine your leg.”
She opened the leather pouch she had brought and took out the ointment for the scars and the pain relief medicine Thalia took periodically.
Thalia looked at the maids with an uneasy expression. Sensing her reluctance to expose her injuries, the two girls immediately set up a screen around the bed. Relieved by their quick wit, Thalia carefully lowered her leg.
When she lifted the hem of her voluminous skirt, angry red scars were revealed through the loosely wrapped bandages. They had been wrapped lightly out of necessity; the skin had become raw and easily irritated.
The healer carefully unwound the cloth, meticulously applied the ointment over the scars, and rewrapped them with fresh, clean bandages. After preparing a cup of medicinal tea to help calm Thalia’s mind, she quietly left the bedroom.
Finally able to rest without interruption, Thalia curled up as tightly as she could under the covers.
She had achieved her goal. She was pregnant. So why was she so anxious?
If the child in her womb was a girl, she would have to start everything all over again. But what if she couldn’t get pregnant a second time? Luck had been on her side this once, but there was no guarantee for the next. To make matters worse, if the fact that she was physically "unfit" for pregnancy became known, the Easterners would try to drag her down from her position as Grand Duchess.
In the worst-case scenario, she might be sent away to a monastery. Even there, she couldn’t expect peace. Gareth would try to kill her by any means necessary, and her mother wouldn’t bother protecting a child who was no longer useful...
Lost in these dark delusions, Thalia eventually forced her thoughts to a halt.
It wasn’t time to assume the worst yet. Regardless of the risks, she had succeeded in conceiving as planned. If she could just give birth to an heir for the Grand Duke’s household safely, her own safety would be guaranteed.
Struggling to suppress her anxiety, Thalia finished a bowl of porridge the maids brought her and tried to nap. When she opened her eyes again, the sun had dipped significantly toward the horizon.
Looking up at the darkening sky through the window, Thalia sat up at the sound of heavy footsteps. Barkas was entering the bedroom earlier than usual.
“How are you feeling?”
Barkas tossed his coat carelessly over a chair and strode toward the bed. He must have washed up in the communal sauna used by the knights again, as the scent of soap and mint clung to him.
“Just... the same as usual.”
Thalia glanced briefly at his flaxen hair, which was still damp, before quickly looking down, feeling restless. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the man pressed the back of his hand to her forehead and frowned.
“You still have a slight fever.”
“It’s because I’ve been by the hearth for too long.”
Thalia cleared her throat awkwardly and quickly changed the subject. “More importantly, why are you back so early? The head butler said you’d be late because of the assembly...”
“I returned quickly after purchasing the item you mentioned.”
Barkas reached inside his elaborately embroidered tunic and pulled out a small bundle. Thalia stared at it blankly. As his long, elegant fingers skillfully unwrapped the leather casing, five or six red berries wrapped in crumpled paper were revealed.
“The flesh is firm and the sweetness is a bit low, which is a drawback, but they said it’s difficult to find a better variety than this at the moment. I’ve placed an order with the Rakasim merchants, so I should be able to get something better within a month. Please make do with these until then.”
Thalia was stunned.
She had asked him to find them, but it was already the beginning of winter. She knew well that finding strawberries in this frozen region was no easy task, even for the Emperor himself.
“Would you like to try one?”
Barkas picked up one of the strawberries and held it out to her. Staring blankly at the tempting, glowing red fruit, Thalia slowly opened her mouth.
The small berry entered her mouth. She rolled it on the tip of her tongue before biting down. A sharp sourness that almost brought tears to her eyes spread through her mouth, followed by a delicate, sweet aroma.
“How is it?” Barkas asked, rubbing her juice-stained lip with his thumb.
Feeling her throat tighten for some reason, she lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze. It was so delicious it brought tears to her eyes—more than anything she had ever tasted in her life.
“...It’s not bad.”