Thanks to the efforts of Jerald and the empress’ maids, Pristin endured some morning sickness and ate safely.
As she moved past the first trimester and into the second, her morning sickness had all but disappeared, and while her growing belly caused her back to ache, it didn’t bother her too much, thanks to the occasional massage.
“What do you think?”
Pristin asked in an as nervous a voice as ever during a regular checkup. She thought the results would be normal because she felt nothing strange, but the mother was worried about the possibility that she might not know.
The palace healer relieved Pristin with a gracious smile.
“Your Majesty and the baby are both well. Don’t worry too much.”
“It’s a mother’s heart to worry even when she knows, just in case.”
“You haven’t felt the baby’s movements until now, have you?”
Pristin nodded cautiously at the question.
“You don’t realize it now, but the time is coming when you will feel the baby growing inside you, and you will be more at ease than you are now.”
“So how long do I have to wait?”
“You’ll feel it soon enough. Speak to your baby often. The emperor’s voice will be especially helpful.”
Pristin nodded.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
After the court doctor left, Pristin sat in a fluffy chair and tried to talk to the child in her stomach.
“Baby.”
“…”
“Can you hear Mommy’s voice, little one?”
It was unlikely that she would get a response, but Pristin persistently spoke to the baby as if she were expecting an answer.
Eventually, Christine, unable to stand it any longer, intervened.
“Your Majesty, does your throat not hurt?”
“But if the baby hears my voice, they say it can help them move sooner, Christine.”
Pristin beckoned at her as if she had interjected just in time.
“Please come and say something, Auntie.”
“Oh, my.”
Christine pretended to be indifferent, but eventually got close to Pristin.
Then, clearing her throat, she spoke in a gentle voice.
“Baby.”
And upon hearing that, Pristin burst into laughter. Christine rolled her eyes at Pristin’s reaction.
“What’s with that response, Your Majesty?”
“No, no… Your voice is so different from usual. The baby might find it unfamiliar.”
“That’s the voice I normally use, Your Majesty.”
Pristin looked at Christine with a “You?” face. Christine, who was embarrassed in the end, coughed in vain, perhaps because she felt like a lie to herself.
“Little one, your mommy is waiting eagerly for you to move. Please, start moving soon.”
“It will be amazing when I can feel the baby moving.”
Pristin spoke in a whisper, stroking her stomach dearly.
“Still I can’t believe it. The fact that I’m becoming a mother.”
“True. You’ve been through so much up until now.”
“It’s not just that. The idea that a new life is growing inside me is so wondrous.”
The fact that this life was the result of her love with Jared made it even more miraculous.
Pristin continued to smile and caress her belly, hoping fervently that the baby would move soon.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
It wasn’t until that night that she met Jared again.
“How was your day, Pristin?”
It was bedtime at the end of the day. Jared rubbed Pristin’s shoulders himself and asked from behind.
It had been several months since Jared had started massaging her back, which was slowly creeping down her stomach. Pristin looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke up.
“There’s nothing particularly different than usual.”
“That can’t be. It was your check-up day today.”
“Oh, right.”
Pristin added, looking a bit embarrassed,
“Oh, you know my day better than I do.”
“Of course. You’re the most important person in my life.”
“If the baby hears that, they might feel left out.”
“Even so, I can’t help it.”
Jared wrapped his arms around Pristin from behind and whispered into her ear,
“No matter who is born in the future, you will always be my number one.”
Pristin smiled warmly at his words, which she didn’t mind at all. She turned around and kissed Jared on the cheek.
“Your Majesty is always my number one too.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“That’s really nice to hear, but I don’t think we should say such things in front of the baby.”
And they both laughed. Pristin suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
“Oh, by the way, the palace healer told me today that we might be able to feel the baby move soon.”
“Fetal movement? Oh, right, it is about time to start feeling that.”
“Your Majesty seems to be more knowledgeable about pregnancy than I am.”
“I’ve been squeezing in time to study hard.”
Jared grinned and then asked,
“Anything else?”
“Nothing. He said everything is healthy.”
“That’s a relief.”
“And they said that hearing the father’s voice is good for the baby to start moving.”
“Then I’ll have to make sure to speak to the baby.”
Jared leaned over Pristin’s belly and, in a low voice, spoke close to it.
“Little one, can you hear me?”
“Yes, Daddy. I can hear you.”
Jared burst into laughter at the unexpected response from the baby.
“Our little one’s voice is so sweet.”
“It’s because they take after their mother.”
“It’s great that they take after their mother.”
Jared said sincerely,
“Mommy and Daddy are eagerly waiting for you, so grow up healthy and I’ll see you later. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Again came Pristin’s regular voice.
“Your Majesty.”
Jared slowly raised his upper body, facing Pristin. And after staring only at each other’s eyes for a long time, Jared slowly opened his mouth.
“I love you so much, Pristin.”
Soon he came close to Pristin’s face and kissed her gently.
Pristin’s full lips parted slightly, as if she’d been waiting. Lips met lips, and hot breath and erotic sensations flowed in and mingled between them.
Pristin smiled and tightened her grip on Jared’s arm. Ecstatic sensations engulfed her entire brain. For a long moment, the two of them bit lightly on each other’s lips, sucking gently.
“…Ah.”
Pristin trembled with surprise. Jared flinched at the sudden reaction and looked at Pristin.
“…What’s wrong?”
“That…”
Pristin replied with a bewildered look,
“I just felt the fetus.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Just now… Ah!”
At that moment, once again, the fetus was felt. Pristin’s face was now coloring with excitement as she tremblingly placed her hand on her stomach.
Indeed, the child was alive.
“I think we really have a child here, Your Majesty.”
“I envy you. I wish I could feel it.”
“Here.”
Pristin took Jared’s hand and placed it on her stomach.
“This way, maybe you’ll feel it.”
“How do I get them to kick again?”
“Maybe their dad should try talking to them?”
At that, Jared cleared his throat.
“Little one.”
He spoke in a lower, more resonant voice than usual.
“Can you kick again?”
“Little one, give Daddy another kick.”
But despite waiting, there was no movement.
Pristin spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“I guess that one kick was all we’re getting for now. I wonder when we’ll feel another.”
“No, don’t worry. If we keep talking like this, the baby will definitely kick again.”
Jared held his hand on Pristin’s belly, not giving up hope. Pristin looked at him with a fond smile.
“The baby should understand how much you care.”
“Do you think the baby will remember us talking to them after they’re born?”
“Huh? Can you remember what happened while you were in the womb?”
“No, I can’t.”
“If they remember, it would either mean they’re lying or our baby is a genius.”
“In that case, what do you hope our child will be good at?”
“What do you mean, ‘good at’?”
“I mean, what talents would you like them to have?”
“Hmm… I’ve never really thought about specifics.”
Pristin paused to think and then spoke.
“If it’s a prince, I’d like him to be good at studies since he’ll become the emperor one day.”
“And if it’s a princess?”
“If it’s a princess, I’d still hope she’d be good at studies since she’ll become the empress eventually.”
After finishing her answer, Pristin suddenly looked alarmed and reflective.
“Oh dear, I seem to be putting pressure on the baby without meaning to.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t really what I was asking.”
“Oh my, how do we escape? This time, Your Majesty, answer.”
“I just want them to be good at music, that’s all I want for them.”
“…Hearing you say that makes me feel like I’m the bad parent here.”
“No, no, no. You’re a good mother, a good empress,”
Jared said, squeezing both of Pristin’s hands.
“Whatever child we have, we’ll raise it well together.”
“I can’t wait to see what child we have and how we raise it.”
Pristin asked, staring at Jared,
“It’s my first time being a parent, I’ll be good at it, right?”
“I’m a first-time parent, too, but there’s two of us, we’ll be good.”
“Yeah, because we’re both good people.”
“Ah.”
At that moment, Jared sounded surprised. Pristin and Jared stared at each other.
“Did you just feel that?”
“Your Majesty, did you feel it?”
“This is how it feels. It’s amazing.”
Jared pressed his ear to her stomach and spoke in a watery voice.
“I’m amazed. You really do have our child growing inside you.”
“Yes. You’re growing with our child.”
Our child, yours and mine.
Moved by the profound emotion of those words, the two of them remained still for a long time, listening intently to the belly that had just stirred.
