After that day, time passed very slowly. But when I thought about the pregnancy at night, it seemed to go by too quickly again.
Perhaps because of the situation, Heinley just hugged me tightly even when we were lying in the shared bedroom.
This naughty eagle, whose eyes were always full of lust, did not usually behave in this way.
However, he never brought up the subject of pregnancy or talked about babies.
Heinley probably didn't want me to feel overwhelmed. I had already decided to have the palace doctor check me out again.
Snuggled up against Heinley's chest, I stroked his chin and cheeks to calm my anxiety.
It must be difficult for a chatterbox to keep his mouth shut.
I admired the effort he made for me by not saying anything for two weeks.
As I stroked his hair a day before the checkup, I untied the knot of his robe and rested my ear on his chest.
Once I heard the pleasant beat of his heart and felt the warmth of his body, my chaotic mind gradually calmed down.
Since when did this man begin to mean so much to me? Did it make any sense now to try not to love him?
I lamented inwardly, letting out a slight sigh.
How will we feel tomorrow when we lie down here again?
Tomorrow we'll know if…
"Do you want to kill me, My Queen?"
"Heinley?"
"Oh my…"
Heinley, who let out a moan, kissed my forehead and pulled his body out from under me, saying, "Wait a moment."
Then he scurried away like a mouse and moaned again.
At that moment I realized that I had groped his naked body a lot, which had greatly stimulated that part of Heinley.
"Are you all right?"
"You're cruel…"
Heinley muttered helplessly and left the shared bedroom.
As I looked toward the door that led to Heinley's room, I grabbed his pillow and hugged it.
With the pillow that still held his warmth between my arms, I fell asleep.
The next day.
The palace doctor who came to see me, almost at noon, seemed very tense.
He even had a tragic expression before beginning the checkup, as if the salvation of the world depended on his next words.
Heinley squeezed my hand affectionately as the palace doctor pulled out his medical tools, but immediately withdrew it at the palace doctor's request.
I swallowed hard and breathed slowly.
My heartbeat felt like the ticking of a clock.
… How long is he going to check me?
It was time to know the result. The palace doctor put aside the medical instruments, and bowed deeply to me,
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! There is no doubt that you are pregnant! You have a baby in your womb!
As soon as he finished speaking, a sob was heard from the side. As I turned my gaze, I saw Heinley looking at me with tear-filled eyes.
No sooner had our gazes met than he rushed to take my hand and embraced me with the other.
The palace doctor didn't stop him, this time he didn't say anything.
Only Heinley's sobs could be heard in the quiet room.
Nothing crossed my mind again, the palace doctor smiled as if he expected to see me happy, but eventually looked at me with a puzzled expression.
It wasn't until he left after giving some instructions that I realized my head was empty.
As my thoughts returned, I wanted to call the palace doctor to check me again.
Is he really sure? He didn't make a mistake? Do I really have a baby in my womb? Me?
"A baby…"
"Seems like that nasty baby eagle was our child, My Queen."
"It wasn't nasty. It was lovely and cuddly."
At my firm words, Heinley kissed me several times on the cheek and said, "You're right, it was a very lovely baby eagle."
Then he picked me up and held me in his arms suddenly, so I clung to his neck reflexively.
"Heinley!"
"If I spun around like this a lot, you'd feel dizzy, right?"
Heinley kissed me all over my face, then set me down on the couch, turned into a bird and started dancing.
He didn't look like the same man who hadn't said anything in two weeks.
Not even before those two weeks had he mentioned that he wanted to have a child. Was he that happy about this?
As I watched Queen dance, who could not be said to be a good dancer, laughter finally broke out as the tension dissipated.
Suddenly, I was touched and my eyes filled with tears.
I'm pregnant. I… I'm going to be a mother.
Although I never dreamed of being a mother, I never thought I wouldn't be.
Becoming Empress, I naturally must have a child. This was tied to the position of the Empress.
But this… was different. Knowing that I actually had a baby in my womb was completely different from what I had imagined.
It went beyond a matter of obligation and happiness.
"My child."
The life growing inside me in a totally unexpected way gave me a strange excitement and fear at the same time.
This baby taught me how amazing a woman was to be able to procreate, and also the fear of knowing that its life depended solely on me to be born healthy.
When I thought that in a few years this baby would grow up to be just like us, talk about all kinds of things, laugh, and play a role in the world, I realized how amazing it was to be a parent.
It was a perspective I had never considered before.
This life, which was in my womb and whose existence was uncertain two weeks ago, would become a lovely baby in less than a year.
When I placed my hands on my belly, tears finally spilled down my cheeks.
Queen stopped dancing and approached me, resting his face on my belly. Then he spread his big wings, covering my belly and my waist.
We stayed like that for a long time…
"The more I think about the child we will have… the more my heart races, My Queen."
"Are you happy?"
"The very existence of the baby to be born is the fruit of our love."
307Heinley made a series of small mistakes throughout the day.
McKenna frowned every time he saw Heinley make a mistake in writing, spill the bottle of ink on the desk, and rewrote the documents completely. He also confused the names of his secretaries and wore his cloak backwards. When he ate, he did not use the cutlery properly as if he were absent minded.
A smile constantly flashed across his face, which made McKenna feel rather uncomfortable.
"You seem very happy, what happened?"
Finally McKenna couldn't help but ask him directly, but Heinley shook his head,
"It's nothing."
After the palace doctor left, and we calmed down a bit, Heinley intended to announce my pregnancy at once.
He excitedly said that he would make this news known to my father, mother, brother, nobles, subordinates, the country, and even foreigners.
But I told him not to do so.
— Let's take this opportunity to identify the troublesome people.
— To the troublemakers… Ah. perhaps…
— Those who attack us now will not suddenly stand still just because our child will be born. We must identify and reduce the power of anyone who might pose a threat before our child is born.
Heinley looked sad, but soon agreed with the long-term vision.
As the rumor of infertility grew, the rest of Christa's forces would emerge like a swarm of bees.
By their actions, it could be determined if they could be saved, even if they were now on Christa's side, or if they were completely useless.
But a few days later, Heinley and I decided to tell McKenna about the pregnancy.
It was unavoidable.
The palace doctor urged me to sleep at least seven hours, eat at a specific time, and reduce my current work to a quarter.
'It is the early stages of pregnancy that are most dangerous, Your Majesty. You must take special care right now. Eat, have fun, rest, watch and listen to good things, and don't work until dawn!'
To comply with the palace doctor's instructions, McKenna would have to take over much of my work, as he did before I married Heinley.
McKenna jumped for joy at first to learn that I was pregnant, but was quickly depressed to hear that I would have to cut back on my workload.
In this scenario, he couldn't say no, so he finally replied, almost in tears, "That's fine," with a heavy voice.
"I was already used to my previous work schedule, I know I only live to work. Your Majesty will be able to rest seven hours a day, although I will only be able to sleep for two hours."
"I won't leave you so much work, McKenna."
"Even if Your Majesty doesn't, the person next to you certainly will…"
McKenna's face, which looked depressed, suddenly brightened and he asked,
"Since it's a secret, you can't prepare the baby's room all at once, but you can make the nest!"
"The nest?"
"Leave the nest in my hands, Your Majesty. Baby birds are small and delicate, so the nest must be made carefully. The trend these days are silk nests."
Wait a minute. What nest?
Sovieshu frowned at Viscountess Verdi's words.
Had she suddenly come to say that Rashta had thrown the princess to the floor?
But he cared for the baby first. Sovieshu took the baby from Viscountess Verdi's hands and examined her as she cried inconsolably.
At first glance the princess didn't appear to have suffered any injuries, but certainly something had happened to her.
"Why does the baby cry like that? Daughter. Princess!"
Sovieshu cried out in despair as he tried to comfort the baby.
"What happened? What happened to the baby?!"
"The Empress threw the princess, threw the princess to the floor!"
Viscountess Verdi spoke again through tears.
The baby's crying shook the whole room.
"Call the palace doctor! No, I'll go myself."
Sovieshu then moved to leave with the baby in his arms in a hurry.
"Don't believe a word she says, Your Majesty!"
Rashta shouted in front of the drawing room door, who had come running with her guards to catch up with Viscountess Verdi.
Due to the dramatic situation, the door to the drawing room was still open.
Rashta entered the drawing room and exclaimed with a pale face.
"Your Majesty, Viscountess Verdi is mad! It was that woman who threw the baby!"
Viscountess Verdi's eyes widened enormously and she retorted, "Lie!"
Rashta continued as she glared at Viscountess Verdi,
"After throwing the princess, she fled with the baby in her arms for fear of being punished by Rashta. Your Majesty, that evil woman tried to kill our daughter! She deserves to be executed for trying to kill the princess! She must be executed!"
Sovieshu looked between Viscountess Verdi and Rashta with a frown.
"Your Majesty. Think about it. Would Rashta throw our daughter to the floor? That is absurd."
Rashta spoke in a tearful voice and held out her hands toward the baby. Instead of giving over the baby, Sovieshu took a step back.
Throwing a newborn baby to the floor was something a sane person would not do.
So while it was true that Rashta had a crueler side than he thought, he wondered if she had really been able to throw her daughter.
Also, he wondered if there was any reason for Viscountess Verdi to throw the baby on the floor.
Just then, in the drawing room where only the baby's crying could be heard, the sudden screech of a bird was heard.
The sound came from the bedroom.
At that moment, the palace doctor arrived. Sovieshu had tried to go personally, but was hindered by Rashta, so a subordinate of his had gone to fetch him.
While the doctor was examining the baby, Sovieshu brought the bird in a cage into the living room.
As soon as the bird saw Rashta, it let out an even louder high-pitched chirp, capable of shattering eardrums.
The chirp wasn't pretty or clear at all.
Rashta took a startled step back.
'It can't be,' the bird's reaction finally convinced Sovieshu.
Sovieshu glared at Rashta as he ordered her to leave.
"Your Majesty, Viscountess Verdi…"
"Get out."
"Your Majesty, Rashta…"
"I said get out."
His cold voice drove Rashta back.
But Rashta tried to remain firm when she saw that Viscountess Verdi was still kneeling in front of Sovieshu. This caused anger to erupt inside her.
'The Viscountess betrayed Navier, so she had nowhere to go. Thanks to me, she got a place where she even received money. How did she dare?'
Rashta gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do now.
Is that cunning bitch sobbing in front of Sovieshu as if she were the princess's mother?
"All right, I'll leave. But Your Majesty, don't forget that Rashta would never hurt the princess. That woman is a complete stranger, and Rashta is the princess' mother."
After speaking as calmly as possible, Rashta turned around and returned to the Western Palace.
When Rashta left, Sovieshu closed the drawing room door and asked Viscountess Verdi,
"You have a child, right?"
"Yes. Yes, Your Majesty."
"Have you ever raised a baby?"
"Yes. We didn't have the money to hire a nanny… so I cared for my child on my own."
Viscountess Verdi responded in panic at the odd question.
Sovieshu nodded. Then he said something completely unexpected.
"I'll prepare a room for the baby next to mine. Stay there with the princess and take care of her."
In other words, he wanted her to become the princess' nanny.
Viscountess Verdi hastily bowed her head until her forehead touched the floor and repeatedly exclaimed through tears, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
308Once Viscountess Verdi also left, Sovieshu anxiously asked the palace doctor,
"How is the princess?"
"She was very frightened, but fortunately nothing of consequence happened to her. If she had fallen straight to the bare floor, it would have been dire, Your Majesty. A baby is fragile, it can suffer serious injuries if thrown with a little force on a hard surface."
It was a relief that the baby was wrapped in thick blankets and that the place where she fell was a soft rug. Otherwise, the baby could have ended up with irreversible injuries.
As the shock wore off, anger came over Sovieshu.
He thought Rashta was being sly to protect herself, but she had gone too far by throwing the baby to the floor.
Just thinking about it made him want to depose her right now.
However, he imagined the kind of comments he would receive if he kicked out the woman he had been married to for less than a year, besides the fact that she was the mother of his newborn daughter.
Even people who despised Rashta would feel sorry for her. People change their minds constantly. They could despise Rashta at the same time they pitied her.
If he made public what Rashta had done to the baby, he could not only kick her out, but also imprison her for life, but he was worried that the adult princess would be shocked to find out about this.
"If she had stayed quiet, she could have lived surrounded by luxuries like a former empress for the rest of her life. What a fool."
So far, Sovieshu had documented every one of Rashta's crimes.
He ignored it all to silently assemble a list of crimes, to the point where others might wonder if he didn't care what she did.
However, these documents were firewood.
Firewood that he did not yet know if he would use, but that if he did, it would burn brightly. It was the kind of firewood that the more it was stacked, the more intense the fire would be. In the end, that firewood would turn into a big fireball.
What Rashta did to the baby was beyond what Sovieshu could ignore.
Sovieshu rocked the restless baby, trying to control his anger.
But his eyes sank dreadfully.
'It definitely won't be a simple divorce, Rashta.'
Meanwhile.
Rashta felt betrayed by Viscountess Verdi and was very hurt that she had thrown the baby on the floor. Returning to the West Palace, Rashta screamed and started breaking all the things in her room.
"Ahhh… Ahhhh! Daughter! Mommy didn't mean to do that!"
As she sobbed, she was more affected by what she did to the baby than by the betrayal.
Then, Rashta knelt on the rug where the baby had fallen, and wailed with her hands on her cheeks.
"Daughter, Mommy really didn't mean to do that…"
Although she was devastated to have thrown her precious daughter to the floor, the eerie sensation of holding a dead baby in her arms remained so vivid in her memory that she wasn't sure she wouldn't do it again.
"Ah… Ah… baby… my baby. My daughter."
'How painful it must have been. How scared she must have been.'
Rashta looked as if she had half gone mad as she thumped her chest miserably.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Beat it! I don't want anyone to come in! Nobody come in!"
Rashta shouted angrily, lifting only her upper body.
But the person on the other side of the door immediately entered without giving importance to Rashta's shouts.
That person was Viscount Roteschu.
"Why are you here? Why!? Get out! That's an order! I said that's an order!"
Despite Rashta's shouts, Viscount Roteschu approached her and said,
"This is no time for this. Get up. Your real father has come to the capital!"
Viscount Roteschu was able to enter thanks to the guards. Rashta had locked herself in her room screaming, so the frightened guards deliberately allowed Viscount Roteschu to enter.
The guards, who believed that Viscount Roteschu and Rashta had a good relationship, thought that the Viscount could calm Rashta down.
The maids thought the same. Not to mention that they were commoners. Even if Viscount Roteschu entered without permission, they would not even consider stopping him.
However, contrary to what they expected, Viscount Roteschu was completely unaware of what had happened to Rashta.
He thought the matter of Rashta's real father was more important than anything else, so not only did he not comfort Rashta, he didn't even care about her.
Rashta staggered limply and her expression became blank. Then she grabbed Viscount Roteschu by the collar and shook him with all her might as tears spilled down her cheeks.
If only this bastard hadn't given me a dead baby! If only I had not held in my arms the dead baby, whom I believed to be the son I had waited for nine months! Then I would have been able to calmly hold my daughter in my arms, sing her a lullaby, whisper that I was her mother and tell her that I was happy to see her. I would have knitted bonnets for the baby, who looked like me, and I would have put on her scarves the beautiful embroidery I had recently started to learn.
As soon as the warm little body in her arms, the tiny fingers reaching for her, the adorable black eyes, and the fresh baby scent came to her mind, Rashta's heart broke. She whimpered and slapped Viscount Roteschu.
"You bastard! You're a bastard! A damn bloody bastard! Die!"
Rashta lashed out at Viscount Roteschu.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"
Viscount Roteschu shouted, unable to shake off Empress Rashta.
Soon after, Rashta loosened her grip and released him helplessly, only then did Viscount Roteschu snort and straighten his disheveled clothes.
"The Empress must not act like this."
"Shut up!"
Rashta tried to slap him again, but this time the Viscount nimbly dodged her by pulling his body back, and clicked his tongue.
"How can I tell you the news of your father if I keep quiet?"
Finally, a mysterious light appeared in Rashta's anger-filled eyes.
"My father? Viscount Isqua?"
"Is it necessary to act in front of me? I'm not talking about your fake father. I'm talking about your real father. That swindler."
Her black eyes twitched quickly. A moment ago she was a little out of it, so she couldn't understand his words. Only now could she understand the Viscount perfectly.
"My real father?"
Rashta asked with a look of bewilderment.
"How can there be news of my father?"
Viscount Roteschu clicked his tongue again.
"That's normal, I suppose he's come for a piece of the pie upon learning that you've become the Empress."
Her pale face abruptly distorted.
"Really?"
"Well, he didn't come directly to ask for money. He came to my house and showed me your portrait. Then he said, 'our Rashta has made it'—"
"Maybe… he only came to you for that."
"He said he'd be back."
Rashta spoke coldly.
"It is not possible that I have the blood of a filthy slave."
"I tried that excuse too, but he was sure."
"Get rid of him."
Rashta spoke firmly, she had a determined look.
He had abandoned her when she was a slave, but now he was looking for her. Evidently, he did not seem to have good intentions.
However, Viscount Roteschu was indifferent.
"Why don't you ask His Majesty?"
"What?"
"Doesn't His Majesty know all about your background? Yet he turns a blind eye. I think this matter would be better resolved if you ask His Majesty instead of me, don't you think?"
"What are you saying? Don't you ask me for money to help me in cases like this?
Viscount Roteschu's expression immediately twitched,
"I told you Rivetti had disappeared."
"… You still haven't found her?"
"That's right, I haven't been able to find her. So in addition to finding my own daughter, I have to find the real daughter of your fake parents as you ordered me to do."
Rashta bit her lips. 'That's all, can't he do three things at once?'
The words, 'Can't you get rid of him while you look for them?' came to the tip of her tongue. However, Rashta was responsible for Rivetti's disappearance, so she couldn't open her mouth.
"Not that it's a bother, but because I've been so busy lately. I can hardly see Alan's face."
Viscount Roteschu sighed, and raised his head to look at the wall clock. As if trying to let her know he was very busy.
"I'll leave tonight in a carriage to go all over the Parme Region. So don't look for me even if it's urgent."
In the midst of this, Viscount Roteschu took a handful of jewels. The reason was that he needed to pay for a lot of travel expenses to get around.
'What should I do?'
Once Viscount Roteschu left, Rashta stood up and nervously paced the room.
309It would be best to speak with Sovieshu to resolve this matter, as Roteschu had said. But less than two hours had passed since he had sided with Viscountess Verdi and ordered her to leave.
If I go now and ask him to help me… will he help me? By reminding him that I had slave blood, won't he get rid of the princess and me for being too much trouble?
After some reflection, Rashta decided to visit Duke Elgy first. He was the man she trusted most in the world.
The babies of his tribe were forced to turn into birds for several hours a day. That's why a nest was necessary.
When I asked McKenna what would happen if they didn't spend several hours a day as birds, he replied nonchalantly.
— They can become birds at any time naturally.
I put the spoon down on the table and looked at my belly, which was still flat. Then I remembered the bird I saw in my dreams. Does that mean my baby will be able to turn into a lovely bird? Like Heinley?
When the baby turns into a bird, Heinley should be able to take care of it better than I can. A baby is small, but in bird form it would be even smaller.
I imagined Heinley happy to hold the baby bird, no bigger than the size of my palm, on his chest. I also immediately imagined the baby wrapped in a soft blanket with only its face uncovered.
Would I be able to take good care of it? Although I was nervous, the corners of my mouth naturally turned up.
"Your Majesty?"
Mastas called me because it seemed strange to her how I moved my lips.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
I answered immediately, and smiled deliberately with regret.
I knew that my ladies-in-waiting would be very happy if I told them I was going to have a child. I was sorry I couldn't do it.
My pregnancy was still a secret. I had decided to use this to set a trap, so I had to be careful.
"Ah, Your Majesty. About Sir Koshar…"
Fortunately, Mastas changed the subject.
"He was much weaker than I thought."
What?
However, the new subject turned out to be very strange. Was my brother weak?
"When I saw Sir Koshar I thought, 'Amazing. So that's what it means to be innocent'."
Also…innocent?
That can't be true.
"… You're not getting the wrong person, Miss Mastas?"
At my question, Mastas laughed and shook her hands,
"No, Your Majesty. It's impossible to mistake that face."
I was puzzled… Was my brother starting to take care of his image now? Or did he act unusually civilized in front of Mastas?
When the rain finally stopped after two days, I opened the window to look out at the scenery. The surroundings were filled with fresh air in no time. Raindrops gathered on the green leaves and yellow petals, glistening like pearls in the sunlight. The garden became even more beautiful.
Then, I tried to speak in the same way as Heinley.
"It's a good day to fish."
… I won't do it again. It does not quite fit me.
Later, I sent invitations to nobles to hold a simple tea party, even to nobles with whom I had a bad relationship.
My ladies-in-waiting helped me with the letters, put them in the envelopes and wrote the addresses on them. But they couldn't help but ask puzzled when they saw some of the names,
"Will you also invite these people?"
"Your Majesty, those people were very close to the former queen."
"Their own families are on good terms with the former queen's family."
Even being a tea party, my ladies-in-waiting seemed to be concerned about inviting nobles with whom I did not have a good relationship.
My ladies-in-waiting pointed to those I had jokingly labeled with them as 'Danger Level 2'.
The higher the level, the more hostile it meant they were towards me. At level 3 were the Ketron Family, the Liberty Family, and the Zemensia Family. At level 2 were those who clung to these families like leeches, and took pride in it.
It was only natural that my ladies-in-waiting were puzzled. I was inviting a Danger Level 2 group without taking any countermeasures.
Still, I didn't change my mind. These invitations were a trap to further strengthen the rumor of my infertility. Wouldn't it be useless to invite only those who were on my side?
Once the invitations were sent out, I ordered to set up a big table in the garden and prepare the food.
After about three hours, the people who received the invitations began to gather. They greeted me and sat down while also greeting each other.
Even while drinking tea and eating, the atmosphere was cheerful and warm. People classified at Danger Level 2 did not cause any problems.
If this good atmosphere continued throughout the tea party, the group I had invited today would drop from Danger Level 2 to Level 1. Then, I would invite another group of hostile nobles to test them.
"Have you heard? Miss Imaru is going to have a child."
But about thirty-five minutes later, they finally showed their true colors.
I deliberately pretended to wipe my mouth with a handkerchief to hide my smile.
"Oh, so soon? Hasn't Miss Imaru only been married for about three months?"
"It's been almost four months since she got married. She must have gotten pregnant soon after the wedding."
"That's good news!"
It might seem like casual news of a young lady who became a noblewoman and got pregnant. It might even be something to celebrate.
However, Imaru was Christa's favorite lady-in-waiting. In other words, they indirectly mocked me for not being pregnant yet, whereas a person who had married later would give birth first.
Maybe I should move this group up to level 3.
"By the way, Your Majesty. When can we hear such good news from you?"
At least the person who had just spoken would certainly rise to level 3.
I put on a serious expression while trying to suppress laughter.
"That is a matter for the Emperor and Empress. It is none of your concern."
After Mastas' cold words, the comfortable and cheerful atmosphere immediately disappeared. Some of those who belonged to Danger Level 2 began to take off their masks.
"Why are you so upset, Miss Mastas?"
"It's just a question. The Empress's child represents the future of our country."
"That's right. That's a question one should be able to ask."
"The Empress's pregnancy could put an end to that 'rumor'… right?"
As those from Danger Level 2 looked at each other and laughed, the atmosphere turned cold.
"What rumor? I haven't heard anything about it."
"I didn't know that rumors of the Empress were circulating?"
"I didn't know there was a rumor going around about the Empress?"
The situation soon turned into a heated argument between those on my side and the nobles in the Danger Level 2 group.
If I were to allow this to continue, the situation could get even worse. It wasn't like an empress to let a fight break out. I had to stop them smartly.
When I felt the time was right, I opened my hand to drop my cup of tea.
The cup of tea shattered into pieces with a thunderous sound as it hit the ground.
The eyes of the Danger Level 2 nobles and even the nobles on my side widened completely.
"Ah. I dropped it by accident."
I told a preposterous lie, smiling more coldly than usual.
"The successor is important, but more important is to stabilize the country right now. Isn't there a delicate disagreement with Whitemond and other foreign countries?"
It was a prepared line intended to make others believe that the successor issue made me uncomfortable.
It worked so well that several Danger Level 2 nobles whispered maliciously.
I had to memorize their names.
310As soon as I entered the matrimonial bedroom after dinner, I quickly took out my notebook and adjusted the 'Danger Level' of the nobles who were at the tea party.
Those who looked regretful when they saw my uncomfortable attitude, I moved them down from Level 2 to 1.
Those who made the bad remarks I moved up to Level 3, and I intended to watch them more closely in the future.
It was fun to do this.
"What's that, My Queen?"
Heinley asked, poking his head over my shoulder. Then, he spoke again as he checked the names in the notebook,
"Those are the nobles with whom there's a bad relationship, right?"
Of course, the names were also familiar to him.
"I'm trying to do it like you."
"Like me?"
"I also want to go fishing."
Well, to me this seemed more like setting a trap than going fishing.
After he nodded, I explained what happened at the tea party. Heinley listened to me with a strange expression and bit his lower lip hard as soon as I finished speaking.
"Heinley?"
When I caressed the corners of his mouth with my hand to stop him from biting his lip, he kissed each of my fingers and smiled broadly.
I don't know why he looked so happy. Once Heinley stopped smiling, he said,
"I want our child to look like My Queen."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, I just thought it would be very cute."
No way. Heinley smiled like that because I'm cute? Sometimes I thought about it, Heinley had strange tastes. He was the cute one.
A baby that looked like me would not be cute. Even as a child I wasn't cute.
Instead, the baby would be cute if it looked like Heinley. This reminded me again of the baby bird from my dream. Although it was clearly cunning, it acted as if it was innocent. It was really cute…
Now that I think about it, I was a little worried. How could I raise a child with that personality?
Such a child would pretend to be obedient in front of me and cause trouble behind my back.
When a child of the imperial family caused trouble, the number of people who were affected was much larger. But it wouldn't just be a troublemaker, it would be a cunning troublemaker… wasn't that a big problem?
"Heinley?"
"Yes, My Queen."
"Can you tell me about your childhood?"
Heinley hesitated a moment before asking with a bright expression.
"Are you interested in knowing more about me, My Queen?"
"Yes. It is said that children are the reflection of their parents. Our child might look like you, so I want to be prepared. Or rather, to imagine it."
If our child's personality was like mine, he wouldn't be difficult to raise. I had been a very obedient child.
It was not to boast. So assured my parents, Sovieshu's parents, the butlers, and everyone who had watched me grow up.
What about Heinley? Kind and cheerful on the outside, but very naughty and capricious on the inside. Even now as an adult…
No, you have to look on the bright side. Our child could be naughty like Heinley in front of me, but obedient like me behind my back… No, this would still be a problem.
It would be better to hear about Heinley's childhood first to judge.
"Heinley, tell me."
When I finally asked in earnest, full of anticipation and trepidation, Heinley responded with a slight frown.
"Well, I personally don't agree that one is the reflection of one's parents."
"Why?"
"I was very independent."
Ah…
"Were you obedient as a child?"
"I don't remember very well."
He definitely wasn't obedient as a child.
"But I remember going with McKenna everywhere, My Queen."
As I looked at Heinley, who had a slight smile as if he was remembering good times, I could see the personality of our unborn son in his eyes and I grew even more uneasy.
Well. This was just my position. My position because I had been quiet in my childhood.
Maybe Heinley would prefer a child like him.
"Heinley. Would you like our child to have your personality?"
"Ah, that could happen. My Queen, you are cruel."
Hmm… What did he mean by that?
After I got pregnant, McKenna took over much of my work, so I had a lot of free time.
There were pros and cons. This was one of the cons. I didn't know what to do with the sudden increase in free time. I had so much free time that strange things came to my mind.
Currently, I could not get yesterday's subject out of my mind. The subject of 'the personality of our unborn child'.
In the end, I put aside the unread book and visited McKenna. He had grown up with Heinley, so he could speak objectively about Heinley's childhood.
But McKenna was meeting with Heinley, so I had to call him quietly through the half-open door.
"McKenna… McKenna…"
"Your Majesty?"
Fortunately, McKenna understood my intentions and was quick to approach.
"Your Majesty, why are you hiding like this? You don't have to work, so you don't have to hide."
"I came to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"You've been close to His Majesty since childhood, right?"
"Huh ah, yes… we've always been close."
"What was His Majesty like as a child?"
McKenna's expression twitched in less than half a second at my question. Then he looked me in the eye, smiled broadly and replied, "He was cheerful."
But no doubt his expression was completely different from just a moment ago. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it,
"I'm just curious. I wonder if our unborn child will look like me or His Majesty."
This really worked. After McKenna mumbled to himself for a while, he quickly turned his head to check that Heinley was still focused on work and whispered,
"I'll tell you about Heinley properly. Come here tonight at eight o'clock."
There was no need to be so formal…
"I'll also bring some portraits of His Majesty Heinley as a child."
That would be nice.
"All right."