Jerald carefully knelt before Pristin.
Pristin was taken aback by the sudden action, but unsurprisingly Jerald embraced Pristin’s waist and kissed her on the flat stomach.
“Good night, baby.”
“…”
“I don’t know if you can hear your daddy right now.”
Pristin’s face flushed in spite of herself, thinking that he was so sweet and soft.
After a while Jerald rose again, Pristin muttered in a small voice.
“What are you going to do if someone sees you…”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s a father saying hello to his child.”
“I didn’t think you’d be so sincere.”
“I have to do my best,”
Jerald replied in a natural tone.
“It’s a child between you and I. It’s not enough even with all my heart.”
“…”
The words touched Pristin’s heart. Pristin smiled broadly with slightly wet eyes as she swallowed heavily into her throat.
“Thank you.”
The question of why he was grateful for something so obvious came immediately afterward, but it was all she wanted to say in the moment.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
When the next day came, Pristin headed on time for the imperial palace in a carriage.
“Are you sick?”
“No, Your Majesty. I’m fine.”
This was the fifth time she’d been asked this question. Growing tired of it, Pristin demanded,
“Stop asking me that now.”
“Why?”
“You’re getting the same answer over and over again.”
“But the body is a fickle thing.”
Jerald didn’t relent.
“You don’t know when it’ll get bad again, because you went through such a big thing yesterday.”
“In all fairness, it was just a roll down the stairs.”
“You can’t forget that you’re pregnant.”
“…”
Of course, a pregnant woman can’t be too careful, but she was in good shape. Apparently Jerald saw her as a candle that would blow out with a breeze, or a glass doll that would shatter with the wrong touch.
Priestin sighed inwardly. Overly concerned and overprotective.
“Anyway, it’s fine now. I think I’ll be fine in the future. I know my body the best, so you can trust me.”
Pristin said so, then lowered her head and whispered to her still flat stomach,
“Darling, it’s because your dad cares and loves you so much. You understand.”
“You come first,”
Jerald corrected. Pristin stared at him like she didn’t know what that meant.
“Because I care about you and love you so much.”
“…”
“Even our child in your belly is too precious and too dear to me.”
“Is there… a difference?”
“Just in case you think I only care about the child,”
Jerald said, locking eyes with Pristin.
“You’ll always be number one to me, and I just wanted to tell you that.”
“…I know that I’m not the only one who cares about the imperial child,”
Pristin added with a smile.
“So you don’t have to worry about it; I know Your Majesty very well.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“By the way, more than that,”
Pristin changed the subject carefully.
“What are you going to do about Princess Gennant?”
“Ah.”
Jerald opened his mouth as if he had forgotten.
“I’m actually going to put the matter on the table at tomorrow’s meeting.”
“What kind of punishment do you have in mind?”
“If, as I suspect, the Gennants are up to no good.”
Jerald’s voice was cold.
“I see no harm in taking their heads off.”
“Then…”
“After all, you are pregnant with the next emperor, and soon to be empress.”
Jerald looked straight at Pristin and went on, one by one,
“She deliberately pushed someone like that, even though she knew full well what the consequences would be.”
“…”
“No matter what punishment it is, it’s not heavy at all.”
“I don’t know how the Gennant family will deal with it.”
Pristin carefully expressed her thoughts,
“I would hope that the punishment would be within the bounds of common sense.”
“Yeah. I knew you’d say that.”
Jerald smiled and gently stroked the back of Pristin’s hand.
“Don’t worry too much about this matter. I can assure you, I’ll make sure that Princess Gennant doesn’t touch you carelessly again.”
“…”
Pristin nodded silently.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
On her return to the palace, it was Aruvina’s tender concern and celebration that greeted Pristin.
“Countess.”
Aruvina approached Pristin with a big smile on her face.
“Congratulations. I heard you’re pregnant.”
“Oh, you’ve already heard the story.”
“Of course. There’s an imperial celebration.”
Aruvina continued, unable to hide her joy in her expression,
“His Majesty even issued an imperial decree ordering the release of minor criminals. Everyone is pleased. Princess Claret also wants to see the Counte….”
“Oh, you’re right. I should go to the princess’s palace, too.”
“Are you feeling well enough for that?”
Aruvina’s expression was quickly stained with worry.
“Of course, I heard everything is fine, but I’m still worried. You have to be careful in the early stages of pregnancy.”
“I’m fine, Madame Korsol. I don’t feel any pain.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but if you feel the slightest bit out of sorts, you should let me know.”
“Yes. Of course.”
Pristin nodded trustingly, as if to tell her not to worry.
“I’m going to go check on the princess, she must be worried.”
Pristin then instructed Christine, who was next to her,
“Christine, you need to get some rest. You haven’t fully recovered from your injuries yet.”
“Sister, I’m fine. I’m really fine…”
“You’ve been hurt worse than I have. Listen to your sister today.”
“I will escort her to the princess’s palace,”
Aruvina, who had been listening, quietly interjected.
“Let’s go, Your Excellency.”
So Pristin went to see Claret with Aruvina.
As they walked wordlessly toward the palace, Aruvina spoke up beside her.
“Your sister must have regained her memory.”
“Yes?”
“I mean Lady Lamont.”
“Oh, yes.”
Pristin explained with a nod,
“It seems that the shock she received when she rolled down the stairs affected her memory. I even learned the news of the child because of that… It unintentionally brought me two good things.”
“Well, congratulations. You’ve been through a lot with that.”
Aruvina smiled warmly and thanked Pristin.
“I wish you nothing but good things in the future.”
Pristin fervently hoped so.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
When Pristin arrived at the princess’s palace, Claret had two reactions.
“Congratulations, Pristin, you mean to tell me that my nephew is growing up here?”
The first was joy and delight at the new addition to the family.
“What in the world is Princess Gennant thinking?”
The second was anger toward Tanya.
Pristin had to return to Camer Palace, more concerned with appeasing Claret’s anger rather than celebrating with her.
Pristin found Claret’s response exactly as expected. It made Pristin feel that Claret was adorable and comforting.
For Pristin, the brother and sister who stepped up to help her as if it were their own business were the strongest support inside the palace.
“Sister, what’s up?”
When Pristin entered Camer Palace, the first person she saw was Christine.
“Christine, why are you here without a break?”
“I rested so well last night.”
Christine approached Pristin with a refreshed smile.
“If I stay in bed any longer, I’ll be bored out of my mind, so I’m going for a walk.”
“I see. Good for you.”
And immediately afterward, there was a brief silence between them. Something that hadn’t happened before she lost her memory.
Pristin hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
“Can we talk now?”
“Sure. Okay.”
Pristin forced a smile at her sister in front of her.
It was time for the not-so-good stuff to come out.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
“Uva tea, Your Excellency.”
Aruvina brought them hot tea and a sweet chocolate cookie, so they could chat. Pristin took a bite of the cookie and took a sip of tea before she began to speak.
She didn’t know where to start with the past.
She didn’t know if she should speak first, or if she should be asked.
“First of all, I’m so glad you’ve regained your memories.”
Pristin started off with an honest sentiment.
“And I’m sure you’re curious about the time you lost your memories.”
“Right.”
Christine replied briefly, then took another sip of her tea, looking quite nervous.
“My memories are cut off in the middle, Sis, and my last memory is of traveling to the Perk Empire to see our maternal grandmother on her deathbed, and then the ship was wrecked and I fell into the sea.”
“…I see.”
“And after that, all I remember is being rescued by by His Majesty and working as a maid in the castle far north, and then, by some miracle, meeting you again.”
Christine bit her lip hard, then continued,
“I wonder what happened to you during the time I didn’t remember, and… what happened to our parents.”
After saying that, Christine immediately shook her head.
“No, no, no. I’m actually curious about the story before that.”
“…The story before that?”
“Why the hell did that happen to our family?”
Christine asked, looking Pristin straight in the eye.
“Why did Mom, Dad and Sister suddenly have to be taken to the capital, and where the hell are our parents?”
“…Christine.”
Pristin spoke up, her voice heavy.
“As you may have noticed, our parents are not in this world.”
“…Why?”
Christine asked, her voice cracking.
“What the hell happened to them two years ago?”
“…”
What happened.
Pristin sighed for a long time. Then she pulled out the ring she was wearing around her neck and held it out to Christine. An elegant ring hidden inside, with the crest of the imperial family. Christine, who gave it her eyes, looked puzzled.
“This is…”
“Yes. The ring Jerald gave me before he left me two years ago.”
“Why this all of a sudden…”
“The whole tragedy,”
Pristin began the story in a trembling voice,
“It started with this ring.”
