Ch#135
135
He carefully brushed back her stray hairs and traced the smooth curve leading from her ear to her shoulder with his fingertips.
Beneath her fine skin, lightly dampened with sweat, he could feel her delicate bone structure.
A strange sense of anxiety rose within him at the thought of this fragile body, which felt as though it might crumble if gripped with even a little force.
She was so slender that it seemed a struggle for her body to contain the flesh, blood, and bones of a single person. It was hard to believe that a new life might be dwelling inside her.
Looking down at her with worried eyes, Barkas carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position. He then pulled the fast-asleep woman onto his lap, letting her head rest against his chest.
“Talia, eat some dinner before you go back to sleep.”
“I don’t want to. I just want to sleep.”
She whined like a cranky child and tried to push him away. Ignoring her protests, Barkas wrapped one arm around her back and picked up the soup bowl from the tray.
“You have to eat at least a little. That’s the only way you’ll regain your strength.”
He gripped the bowl with the hand supporting her and lifted the spoon with the other.
A thin wisp of steam rose from the light soup, made with clear chicken broth, soft barley, and various herbs. After cooling it to the right temperature, he brought it to her lips. The woman, who had been wrinkling her nose, reluctantly opened her mouth.
He carefully fed her, watching her expression closely. Fortunately, it seemed to suit her palate; her lips, shaped like a rosebud, moved as she chewed, and she soon swallowed the soup.
He let out a small sigh of relief and scooped up another spoonful of the clear broth.
“One more bite.”
Leaning against his chest and nodding off, the woman opened her mouth again. She looked exactly like a baby bird opening its beak to be fed.
Feeling something heavy welling up from deep within his heart, he moved the spoon at a steady pace.
Under normal circumstances, she would have been irritable and insisted she didn’t want to eat, but today she finished the entire bowl of porridge.
Gazing at the empty bowl with a satisfied look, Barkas rubbed her lips with his thumb and asked, “Should I bring more?”
“No. I’m full.”
She curled her body into a ball, knitting her brows.
He set the bowl aside and gently rubbed her midriff.
Was this what satiety felt like? Even though his own stomach wasn’t full, a strange sense of satisfaction filled him.
Intoxicated by that peculiar feeling, he took a long breath.
For over a decade, he had never felt the sensation of hunger. Naturally, he had never overindulged, and the feeling of being full was a distant memory. He had always consumed only the necessary amount of food as required.
However, he thought that if any desire for food remained within him, this current sense of fulfillment would be similar to the feeling of eating one’s fill of something they loved.
Leaning his cheek against her fragrant hair, which smelled of rose oil, he tirelessly stroked her spine as it rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
The sound of her soft, even breathing melted gently into the quiet evening air. Listening to that sound, he stared at her face—as peaceful as an infant’s—for a long time.
Perhaps this overwhelming sensation was a natural reaction that any man would feel.
Wasn’t the desire to feed one’s mate and care for them comfortably an instinct engraved in the blood of every male?
Thinking of it that way made his unusual reaction seem natural.
Having quickly organized his thoughts, Barkas wrapped his arms tightly around her and slowly closed his eyes.
“Congratulations, Your Highness. It is certain that you have conceived.”
The priestess, having finished her examination, spoke with a bright smile.
Talia merely blinked blankly. It was only after hearing the Nanny’s ecstatic voice that she snapped back to her senses.
“Oh, my lady! Well done. You’ve done so well!”
The Nanny hugged her fiercely and thrashed her back with her thick palms. Over the Nanny’s rounded shoulder, Talia saw the Head Maid’s face, frozen in a grim expression.
Is she not happy about the news of my pregnancy? As Talia’s eyes sharpened with hostility, the Head Maid roughly grabbed the Nanny’s shoulder and snapped in a stiff tone.
“How can you treat a pregnant woman so roughly? What if you startle the fetus!”
The Nanny’s face flushed red at the sharp reprimand.
She pouted her lips and retorted, “Who are you saying is being rough? I’m the one who has looked after our lady since she was a newborn! I know our lady’s physical condition better than anyone!”
“You talk big for someone who didn’t even realize she was pregnant until now.”
At the Head Maid’s stinging remark, the Nanny fell silent like a mute who had eaten honey. And for good reason—despite constantly singing about pregnancy, she hadn’t noticed the changes occurring in Talia’s body until now.
It was the same for Talia. Though it had been quite a while since her monthly cycle had stopped, she hadn’t associated that fact with pregnancy. Perhaps, in a corner of her heart, she hadn’t believed she would actually conceive a child.
She looked down at her lower abdomen with a confused expression. Even at this moment, it didn’t feel real. Was there really a child growing inside here?
As she stroked her flat stomach with an awkward hand, a firm voice echoed from beside her pillow.
“Until now, we have followed Your Highness’s wishes, but from now on, you must receive the service of the Grand Duke’s maids.”
Talia glared at her with wary eyes. Strength instinctively flooded the hand covering her stomach.
“Why should I? I’m perfectly fine as I am.”
“Your Highness is no longer alone. We cannot leave the well-being of a fetus, who may become the next heir to the Grand Duchy, to incompetent servants.”
She spoke adamantly.
Talia gripped the Nanny’s sleeve tightly, her face clouded with anxiety.
“And what can someone like you do if I say no? How dare a mere maid tell me what to do—!”
“Your Highness, please think of the baby in your womb.”
The priestess, who had been silent, suddenly cut into the conversation. Talia turned to her with a hardened face.
The priestess, who was scribbling something on a piece of parchment, continued calmly.
“Currently, the pregnancy itself may be a burden on Your Highness’s body. To give birth safely, you must receive professional care.”
Talia’s face instantly paled with fear.
“Is my health that bad?”
“At the moment, it is to the point where maintaining the pregnancy will be difficult.”
At the carefully delivered answer, Talia’s heart sank with a thud.
Looking down as if apologetic, the priestess added cautiously, “Fortunately, the fetus is very healthy, but Your Highness’s condition is not very good. As the child grows larger, the burden you must bear will also grow uncontrollably, and the aftermath will be passed directly to the fetus. To complete the ten months safely, you must undergo thorough management starting now.”
“……What do I have to do?”
“Consume enough nutritious food and maintain peace of mind and body. You must be especially careful with your movements during the early stages.”
Talia, biting her lip until it was pale, asked in a frightened tone, “……If I do as you say, will it really be okay?”
A gentle smile touched the priestess’s lips, seemingly satisfied with the patient’s newfound docility.
“Of course. If you take care from now on, you will be able to give birth to the baby safely.”
Talia watched her with suspicious eyes before finally nodding.
The priestess stood up, packing the medical tools she had brought into her bag. She then handed a parchment document with notes to the Head Maid and explained in detail the precautions to be taken during early pregnancy.
Talia caught a glimpse of the Nanny pouting in dissatisfaction as she was suddenly pushed out of her position as the primary servant, but Talia pretended not to notice. It was true that the Nanny was clumsy and careless.
If it were just her own body, it wouldn’t matter, but considering the child in her womb, it seemed better to have skilled servants by her side.
The child in my womb…….
She lowered her gaze back to her lower abdomen.
Barkas’s child was in here.
As she chewed over that unbelievable fact, she hurriedly grabbed the Head Maid.
“Don’t tell Barkas.”
The Head Maid, who looked surprised for a moment, soon gave her a solemn look.
“I cannot do that. Naturally, the Grand Duke must also know this fact…….”
“I’ll tell him myself,” Talia interrupted her quickly. “So keep it a secret until then.”
When she purposefully raised her eyebrows and issued a stern warning, she saw the maids filling the room exchange awkward glances.
One of them spoke up cautiously.
“Your Highness, His Grace is…….”
“I understand. We will remain silent until Your Highness speaks to him personally today.”
