“Should we rush the wedding a little more?”
“Further up?”
“If we work hard, we should be ready in three months.”
“Well… I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a belly in half a year.”
“It’s not really a matter of great importance, actually.”
Jerald smirked and buried his face in Pristin’s shoulder.
“Because you’re just as beautiful with or without a belly.”
“When you’re pregnant, it’s not just your belly that bulges. Other places also gain weight.”
“It doesn’t matter, you’re beautiful even if you gain weight.”
“…In Your Majesty’s eyes, that may be the case.”
Feeling like she was going around in circles, Pristin ended the conversation. She thought for a moment, then spoke.
“I suppose we should hurry up a bit, considering the guests’ eyes as well.”
“Yeah. Good idea, but first.”
Jerald’s expression turned sour in an instant.
“I think we should set the record straight.”
“Ah…”
“So this is the situation where Princess Gennant pushed you down the stairs?”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How on earth did that happen…”
“I bumped into her on my way back to the party after meeting with Your Majesty, and I didn’t think it would be a good idea to linger, so I thought I’d just say hello and make a quick exit, but then she saw the shoes I was wearing.”
Pristin’s brow furrowed as she recalled the situation.
“She seemed particularly agitated to see the glass shoes on my feet, and she got really angry, saying I’d taken everything away from her.”
“…That’s not even funny.”
“Yeah, well…considering her usual demeanor, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Pristin shrugged and continued,
“We got into a scuffle, and then she pushed me down the stairs, and if Christine hadn’t wrapped her arms around me and rolled with me…”
Pristin narrowed her eyes and ran a hand over her flat stomach.
“…this child would probably be gone before they ever saw the light of day.”
Miscarriages were especially common in the early days. In fact, even with Christine’s arms around her, it felt like a miracle that they were still alive after the impact of the fall down the stairs.
Pristin shuddered as she imagined the horrible scenario, but Jerald hugged her tightly, reassuring her that she had nothing to worry about.
“It’s all right, Pristin.”
“…”
“I shouldn’t have given you those shoes back then…”
“Don’t beat yourself up,”
Pristin said firmly.
“It’s purely the fault of Princess Gennant. However it may have looked like, it’s not grounds for pushing someone down a flight of stairs.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
Jerald nodded as if he would not deny it.
“The only good thing that can come out of this is that I have officially announced you as the next empress.”
“…”
“The punishment won’t be mild, and besides, you’re carrying our child inside you.”
“Is it okay if we announce the news of the child before the wedding?”
“We have to do that to bring the news of the wedding forward.”
Jerald patted Pristin gently.
“Don’t worry about anything else, just take care of yourself for now. Miscarriages are especially common in the first trimester.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Pristin nodded with a faint smile. Then, as if she had forgotten, she spoke up.
“By the way, I should go see my sister.”
“Perhaps you should rest a bit before going to see her.”
“I need to make sure she’s okay with my own eyes,”
Pristin insisted, her voice nervous.
“She picked me up and rolled with me, so it’s not strange at all if she’s seriously hurt.”
“Okay, Pristin. Calm down for now.”
Jerald quickly calmed Pristine down, just in case she got excited.
“I’m sure your sister is fine, which is why no news has come to us yet.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course. If you don’t believe me, let’s go check on her now.”
So Pristin scrambled to her feet. After all, the hospital room was right next door, so it wasn’t hard to see Christine’s face.
When they entered Christine’s room, she despaired at the sight of her lying there, as if dead.
“Ah…”
“Pristin!”
Jerald quickly grabbed her as she staggered in shock. He was going to wait until she’d calmed down before bringing her back…
Jerald sighed inwardly and turned to the doctor.
“Is she all right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, you shouldn’t worry too much.”
In a calm voice, the doctor told him about Christine’s condition.
“Sure, she’s got a few cuts and bruises from the impact of the fall, but nothing serious, and she’ll recover in time.”
“Did you hear that, Pristin?”
Jerald asked, soothing Pristin.
“She’s fine, so don’t worry too much.”
“But why hasn’t she woken up yet?”
“The impact of her fall down the stairs knocked her out for a moment. Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll wake up before dawn.”
It was only after hearing that that that Pristin was relieved. A maid quickly brought a chair for Pristin, who sat weakly on the chair.
Jerald asked her in a worried voice,
“Shall we return to the palace now?”
“And what about Christine…”
“I think we should have her stay here for the night, and have her enter the palace tomorrow.”
“I want to stay by her side,”
Pristin said in a pitiful voice.
“She’ll be very upset if I’m not there when she wakes up.”
“…”
Jerald’s first priority was Pristin, so he wanted her to take care of herself for now, but that was going to be difficult. With a small sigh, he made a condition.
“Just promise me you won’t be here all night. Then I’ll be fine with you staying here.”
“…”
“You do realize how bad it is for a pregnant woman to stay up late, don’t you?”
“Of course, Your Majesty, don’t worry.”
Pristin nodded with a smile.
“I care about our baby in my belly just as much as you do, Your Majesty.”
“…Of course I know that.”
Jerald gently took Pristin’s hand in his and brought it to his lips. Pristin looked up at him sheepishly.
“Apart from that, I’m just…worried about you.”
“Your Majesty…”
“What happened earlier, if it weren’t for your sister, you could have been in trouble.”
“…In the end, we’re all safe, all of us.”
“I don’t want to look at it that way.”
Jerald continued with his eyebrows narrowed,
“You’re going to have a lot more escorts now that you have a child. I will never let the hair on your head get hurt again.”
“…I’m sorry to have worried you.”
“You’re not at fault at all.”
Jerald smiled lightly and hugged Pristin in his arms. Pristin stilled in Jerald’s arms.
“So there’s no need to say anything.”
“…”
“I’ll stay here tonight, too.”
“And you, too?”
“Yes. I’m sure Lady Jenkins will agree.”
“Of course she will, but won’t it be inconvenient?”
“It will be much more comfortable than leaving you here alone.”
Jerald stroked Pristin gently and whispered to her,
“I’ll be back at exactly ten o’clock, and I want you to be asleep by then. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I will.”
“Good. Rest.”
After sharing a quick kiss, Jerald left Christine’s room. Left alone, Pristin stared at Christine, who laid comatose, with a blank expression on her face. She had mixed and nuanced feelings.
She felt grateful and sorry for Christine for protecting her.
Biting her lower lip, Pristin clasped Christine’s hands in hers.
“Wake up, Christine.”
Only then would her guilt be lessened.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Pristin stayed by her side until nine o’clock, the time she had promised Jerald, but she showed no sign of waking up.
‘Maybe it’s not the right day…’
In time, she calmed down. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, she had been anxious that something with Christine was wrong, but now she was able to listen to the doctor and wait calmly.
She had been told there’s nothing wrong, and she’ll definitely open her eyes before dawn. She was convinced.
‘But I’ll wait until ten o’clock.’
Just in case. At the end, Christine might open her eyes like in a drama. Pristin did not give up hope and calmly stood by her.
Then one moment.
“Countess Rosewell.”
A maid from the Jenkins mansion approached Pristin carefully. Pristin looked at her with a puzzled look.
“If you’ll excuse me, my lady wishes to see you.”
“Oh, yes.”
Without hesitation, Pristin rose from her seat and turned to the maid.
“Where is Lady Jenkins now?”
“She’s at the door.”
With that, Pristin went straight outside. The face she recognized from the auction earlier was there, and she greeted her, looking a little nervous.
“Countess Rosewell.”
“Lady Jenkins,”
Pristin apologized to her with a shy expression,
“I accidentally ruined the bazaar.”
“Ruined? Not at all. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. Fortunately not.”
“You really were fortunate.”
Lady Jenkins grabbed Pristin’s hand warmly as she spoke. Pristin was momentarily surprised, but she brushed it off as the typical affectionate expression of an elderly lady and didn’t think much of it.
“I came by because I was worried. Don’t worry about the charity event. We heard the news about the imperial child at our mansion and we’re just thrilled. Congratulations.”
“Oh, thank you,”
Pristin said awkwardly, pulling up the corners of her mouth.
“I never thought I’d find out either.”
“Well, good news always comes unexpectedly,”
Lady Jenkins said with a smile.
“We’ll do our best to make sure you have everything you need for your stay tonight, but if there’s anything you need, just let us know.”
“Yes, I will. Thank you, Lady Jenkins.”
“You’re welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay.”
After a brief greeting, Lady Jenkins left. Priestin stared blankly at Lady Jenkins moving away, then opened the door again and entered the hospital room.
Pristin was rather absent-minded throughout the entire process. She’d been through a lot, and then she’d gotten some very unexpected good news, and she was a little tired.
“…Ah.”
But the sight that greeted her upon entering the room jolted her back to reality.
