It was an exceptionally good day.
Despite being lovingly tormented by Karan all night, Elise’s eyes opened brightly in the morning. The sun shone brilliantly even though it was the rainy season, the wind was refreshing, and there was significant progress in developing a high-speed ship with Magnus.
It was the opening day of the 38th branch of Café de Star, and a doctor rigorously trained by Leber succeeded in a transplant surgery.
Even the preparations for Cowett’s 9th birthday party, a week away, were perfect.
But the more smoothly things go, the more careful one should be. Forgetting this fact, Elise let her guard down.
Elise’s day, which had been flowing as smoothly as a ship with the wind in its sails, suddenly hit a snag.
“Do you have indigestion, Your Majesty?”
Regina approached Elise, who kept patting her chest after the afternoon tea time.
“It’s not indigestion, but my chest feels tight.”
Because her condition had been so good in the morning, the bloated feeling felt even more uncomfortable.
Elise rubbed her solar plexus with the fleshy part of her palm.
“I’ll call a doctor. It would be better if you had a check-up.”
“That’s not necessary, Regina.”
Since there wasn’t any specific pain, just discomfort, Elise didn’t want to bother calling the busy doctor.
“Your Majesty, what if it gets worse?”
“I know my body best. It’s nothing. Now, please bring me those documents.”
Elise could have gotten up and fetched them herself, but she gave Regina a task before her nagging could continue.
Regina brought the documents with a disapproving look.
Elise focused on work. As she did so, the bloated feeling gradually faded.
So she let her guard down, but trouble struck in the evening.
****
“Ugh.”
It was a rare family dinner with everyone present.
Karan, Cowett, and even Tyllo, who had been staying at a provincial castle, were there when Elise felt nauseous at the sight of food.
“Elise!”
Karan’s chair fell backward with a loud noise. He knelt on one knee to check on Elise’s condition.
“Karan, help me up for a moment.”
Elise reached out with the hand not covering her mouth. Karan took her hand. As Elise struggled to stand up, she staggered.
“Elise! What’s wrong? How are you feeling?”
“Just a bit nauseous.”
Elise clutched a handkerchief tightly, saying she was thankful she hadn’t thrown up.
“Your Majesty, drink some water!”
Cowett hurried over, offering a glass of water.
He had jumped up from his seat as soon as Elise felt sick, wondering where he was going, but he had gone to fetch ice water himself.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Cowett’s worried face flushed red.
“We should call a doctor.”
Karan nodded at Cowett’s suggestion.
“No. I’ll be fine if I rest in my room. It’s late, so I’ll see the doctor tomorrow. I’m sorry for worrying you, Your Highness.”
Elise met Cowett’s eyes and then turned to Tyllo.
“I’m sorry for showing such an unsightly scene when we haven’t met in a while, Your Majesty.”
As Elise tried to bow her head, Karan grabbed her shoulder.
“Just lean on me, Elise. Shaking your head when you’re nauseous will make it worse. Father will understand.”
Usually addressing him as “Your Majesty the Former King,” he only calls him “Father” when asking for understanding like this.
Thinking this, Tyllo smiled. It was a beaming smile completely out of place in the current situation.
Karan and Cowett’s eyes narrowed.
“Father! You shouldn’t smile when the Queen is ill!”
Cowett was the only one who would openly scold Tyllo.
Karan tended to be more sarcastic, while Elise would endure even if she disapproved of Tyllo’s behavior.
“It’s probably not a serious illness. And it might not even be an illness at all.”
Tyllo chuckled so heartily that even Elise, distracted by nausea, tilted her head in confusion.
Karan gave Tyllo a cold stare. Only then did Tyllo clear his throat and offer a useful suggestion.
“Cough, we should call a doctor now anyway.”
“Do you have any idea what it might be?” Karan asked.
“I’m telling you, it’s not an illness.”
At Tyllo’s gesture, Haltbin immediately approached.
“Call a doctor.”
Haltbin ran so fast his feet were barely visible. As the door closed, Tyllo turned to Elise.
“Don’t worry too much. Right now, peace of mind is the most important thing. Let’s go up to the bedroom.”
“I’ll go up, but please finish your meal.”
Elise felt bad about the table full of food. She didn’t want Cowett, Tyllo, and Karan to go hungry because of her.
“I’m full even without eating.”
But Tyllo left an ambiguous remark and wrapped up the situation.
The four headed to Elise’s bedroom.
While it made sense for Karan, Elise couldn’t understand why Cowett and Tyllo were coming along too.
And she felt sorry.
Because as soon as they left the dining room, her nausea disappeared as if it had never been there.
“Elise, it would be better if I carried you.”
Karan’s fussing beside her made it worse. Elise shook her head and straightened up from her leaning position.
“I’m feeling better now. Let’s go back and have dinner, shall we?”
Elise said, but her opinion was blatantly ignored.
“Are you hungry?” Tyllo asked Cowett.
“No!” Cowett said bravely, but his lie was immediately exposed by a rumbling stomach.
With a bright red face, Cowett shouted, “I’ll eat later! First, we need to make sure the Queen is alright.”
Seeing that persuasion wouldn’t work, Elise sighed deeply and asked Regina:
“Tell the dining room to keep the food ready so we can eat anytime.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Thanks to Haltbin and Regina’s swift actions, Elise was able to see a doctor within half an hour of arriving at her bedroom.
But there were two doctors.
Leber, who could be considered the royal physician, and another female doctor he had brought along.
“Who’s this?” Karan scrutinized the doctor standing next to Leber with piercing eyes.
“She’s a doctor who has been learning under me for two years. I brought her for the Queen’s examination. Her name is Esther, and her specialty is…”
“Learning? Send her back. You examine Elise yourself.”
Karan cut Leber’s words short.
Karan was already anxious even with Leber, the continent’s top expert, examining Elise.
And now they want to entrust Elise’s examination to a doctor who has only been learning for two years?
That shouldn’t happen.
“She might be better than me, especially considering the Queen’s symptoms.”
Leber’s eyes widened.
“How do you know without even touching or examining her?”
Karan’s demeanor turned fierce. The room’s temperature suddenly dropped.
Tyllo turned his head with an expression that said, “Here we go again,” while Cowett, seemingly scared, clutched Elise’s blanket tightly.
“Uh… don’t you have any idea, Your Majesty?”
Leber scratched the back of his head.
“Are you saying you do?”
“Yes. I have a rough idea. That’s why I brought Esther. Her mother is a very famous midwife.”
“Midwife?”
Karan’s eyebrows curved.
Did he hear that right?
A midwife was someone who assisted in childbirth.
Elise was feeling unwell, so why would they need a midwife?
Unless…
Karan’s eyes widened. So did Elise’s.
Seeing their reactions, Leber grinned.
“It seems you’ve finally figured it out. Now, would you step aside so we can examine her? From my conversation with Regina on the way here, pregnancy seems certain, but we’ll still examine to be absolutely sure. Esther!”
Karan, who had been acting as if he’d behead anyone who let Esther examine Elise just moments ago, was now pushed aside by Leber.
He seemed completely dazed, as if all strength had left his body.
Elise, though not as much as Karan, was also examined in a state of bewilderment.
“You’re pregnant. About 6 weeks along, I’d say. You might feel nauseous from certain smells and experience dry heaving for a while. You might also throw up after eating foods you crave.”
Esther explained the symptoms and precautions during pregnancy, but no one was really listening.
“This is wonderful news. We should designate a holiday and hold a banquet,” Tyllo said excitedly.
“Am I getting a sibling, Leber? A sibling? Is there a baby in the Queen’s tummy?” Cowett, leaving his seemingly absent-minded brother and sister-in-law alone, clung to Leber, bombarding him with questions.
“Not a sibling, but a niece or nephew. Not right away, but in about 8 or 9 months.”
“I’m so excited! A sibling!” Cowett exclaimed, not hearing Leber’s correction about it being a niece or nephew, too thrilled at the thought of playing with the baby.
And Karan.
“Everyone out,” he commanded, his gaze fixed on Elise. His voice was deeply sunken.
His attitude was more like someone who had received a terminal diagnosis rather than news of pregnancy.
“What are you all doing? Didn’t you hear me say everyone out?”
The quick-witted Leber was the first to pick up his medical bag.
“If you feel any discomfort other than what I mentioned earlier…”
“I said out.”
Karan didn’t even let Leber finish before kicking him out.
Led by Leber, everyone left the room. Then the room was enveloped in silence.
Karan broke the silence. He knelt at the foot of the bed.
“I’m sorry, Elise.”
Elise was startled.
“Karan, what’s wrong?”
“I’ve gone mad. I should have been more thorough with contraception…”
Karan bowed his head deeply, like someone who had committed a mortal sin.
“Do you not like the child?”
Elise’s voice trembled finely as she asked.
