Pondering
Marianne smiled as she rubbed her stomach. There was one point where she would've been terrified at her upcoming motherhood, or even believed that no one would have wanted to marry her in the first place. She was still a little bit nervous, of course, because who wouldn't be? But now it was more in a kind of anticipating way, instead of a scared way.
She was probably having twins, the royal nurse had said. Marianne wondered if she'd be able to handle two children at once, but at the same time she was excited about it. Was that how most women felt when becoming mothers, nervous and excited at the same time?
There was a knock on the door, and Dimitri smiled hopefully as he entered. He sat down on the bed and kissed her on the forehead before he spoke.
"How are you feeling, love?" he asked gently.
"Fine, I think." She leaned against his shoulder. "Thank you."
"Are you sure?"
Marianne laughed. "I'm sure." She looked down at herself again. "I'm sure they will be, too, if you keep this up."
Dimitri sighed and shook his head, but he was smiling too. "I know I've been worrying about you a lot, but... I just... want this all to go well."
Marianne nodded. That was exactly the same way she felt, after all. And she did appreciate Dimitri doting on her so much. It had really made her feel a lot more at ease about her upcoming motherhood.
"...I hope they both turn out like you," she murmured. "Strong but kind..."
"Ah..." Dimitri squeezed her hand. "I used to worry about if my children would turn out like me. But even now, I do hope at least one of them turns out like you. Quiet and gentle but determined..."
Marianne laughed again. "I used to worry about that, too. But I think we'll all be okay at this rate."
Dimitri laughed as well and kissed her on the cheek. Yes, they both knew they'd do their best, despite their apprehension. Their children would come soon, so now all they had to do was be careful and work as hard as they could, and they'd be fine.
Marianne was more confident in herself now, and she couldn't throw it aside. She'd be strong for her children; she knew she would be.