Chapter 3: A talk with mother

"Um..." Conrada stuttered, "Hello mother..."

Lady Celi squealed and ran towards her to squeeze her and ended up hugging Yuri. It was only a few seconds before Lady Celi discovered she was rubbing her cheek against Yuri's and her daughter was nowhere to be seen.

"Conrad?" Yuri called.

Conrada was no where to be found. Yuri found that funny. Only a moment ago she was there beside him, now she seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

"Conrarta?" Lady Celi called. Knowing how her three children are very good with hide-and-seek when not wishing to face a problem.

"I'll help you check her room," Gisela offered as she escorted Lady Celi out singing, "Conrarta!"

Gisela's sudden reaction perplexed Yuri. He turned to Yosak and said, "How can someone disappear into thin air like that?"

"Your highness," said Yosak, as he jabbed his thumb upward, "might I suggest you look above."

"Double-crosser," a voice sighed making everyone look up. Finding a rather annoyed Conrada in a widespread position at a small part of the ceiling.

"Gomen taicho..." said Yosak, grinning sympathetically, "but this your godson I'm speaking to."

"It's safe to come down now, you know," said Gwendal, his eyebrow twitching.

"Thank you," said Conrada rather politely, "but I feel more comfortable up here." She shifted her position then. Comfortable?

"In my office?" questioned Gwendal.

"It's the last place she'll look," said Conrada. Yuri just looked at her, uncertain of what to say. His silence unnerved Conrada, if only he would panic where she could come down and assure him. But Yuri did not do so, he was... calm, if anything.

"You do know she'll find you in the end," Wolfram looking at her on the ceiling.

Conrada gave her younger brother a weary smile.

It was evening. Beside the bed were several boxes that mounted haphazardly, containing dresses, blouses, hats and shoes. Much to Conrada's chagrin, Gwendal's office ceiling was the first place Lady Celi looked. She wrapped Conrada up in her apparently steel made arms – it was impossible to get away from her – and took her to an all day shopping tour. Within five minutes, Conrada being pulled by her feet after asking Gwendal and Yuri for any mission possible including getting them a sandwich.

Yuri was silent where Gwendal coldly said, "No."

"You are sooo dead!" Conrada muttered as her mother pulled her away from him. It was Yuri's silence that disturbed her more. No one really noticed how the king was clutching his side.

"I use to love to do this when you were younger," said Lady Celi making Conrada come out from her thoughts. The brown elbow length haired young woman just nodded and allowed her mother to brush her hair. It did not really matter to her. She only wished it was short again.

Lady Celi had brushed all three of her children's hair when they were toddlers. Conrada, as usual, was easiest, though she was a boy. Gwendal and Wolfram often would fuss every time their mother brushed their hair. Conrada, on the other hand, just kept quiet and allowed her mother to brush her hair. Though it became messy all over again from the sword fights.

Sword fights...

The effort her godson made to improve just for her... Every single bond she felt through each duel whomever she met, Gunter, Gwendal, Huber, Berias...

She was so lost in thought of Yuri's reaction, she did not even notice her mother stopping the brush and proceeded to sit in front of her.

"Conrart," she said firmly, cupping Conrada's face in one gentle hand. Conrada allowed her brown eyes look up to her mother's green. "I understand perfectly that this is different for you," she murmured, "How long will it be?"

"A year..." Conrada answered. She dropped her gaze then, brown bangs covering her brown eyes as she clenched her fists. Lady Celi expected to find tear drops on those hands but none came.

"Don't worry about me, mother," Conrada said, though her shoulders shook, "I can handle it. Gisela and Anissina offered to help me in any way they can, including (cough) undergarments."

"And his majesty?"

"He had not said a word since he found I'm a girl," remembering what happened earlier that evening. Though she understood that Yuri had the best interest in mind and was likely speechless, it did not stop the hurt inside.

Just as he was beginning to undress, Yuri felt something discomforting. He lookede towards the woman at the door who was once his godfather.

"Um, Conrada..."

She looked at him, then realising what he was implying, though little did she know that he tried to be gentle, she became red in the face murmuring, "Gomen..." before rushing out. Stunned by his Nazukeoya's reaction, Yuri dressed hurriedly for the night and rushed to the bedroom door.

When he looked, she was no longer there. Guilt rose. Yuri went back into the chamber and climbed into bed. Unaware that his fiance and daughter saw the whole thing.

"What was that all about?" Greta asked her Daddy Wolf. She knew her uncle was at the moment her aunt, but she could not understand why Conrada had acted in such a way. And Yuri was doing his best to be mindful of the situation.

"If I didn't know any better," Yuri mused, "I think she was upset about just now."

"What did you do?" Wolfram demanded, "You do know she was a he for God's sake! She's seen you undress before!"

Before Yuri could answer that his only intention was to ask her to turn around just like he did with Greta of late, he clutched his stomach momentarily.

"Papa?"

"Bathroom," he said and hurried to the privy. He was not at all surprised to find Wolfram and Greta asleep, their backs to him.

He climbed into bed. Wishing that he had not hurt Conrada's feelings. But to his credit, it was some of their alien hormones in her body and the fact that she had reacted a little bit too quickly. He looked towards Greta and Wolfram.

He did not blame them. Neither did he blame Conrada.

His stomach began to hurt again. "I better see Gisela in the morning."

Green eyes widened.

"Run that by me again?" said Gisela.

"Well," said Yuri, reddening, "I've been having some feelings recently... and I was also uh... bleeding right before my exams started and uh... well, ofkuro and oyaajii took me to the hospital and the doctor found I had..." Yuri could not finish, he was too embarrassed to even say what the doctor found.

Gisela found herself gripping her desk, supporting herself. This was something she had never anticipated. Men in Shin Makoku could get pregnant, there was only one slight problem in the matter: Yuri was not from Shin Makoku!

From what she could understand, the world Yuri grew up in. They did not tolerate gay marriages. His parents were accepting, but Yuri's peers... Him being having the symptoms was not something that was usual. Gisela composed herself and could tell that their were signs. The lack of facial hair was among them.

First, Conrart becoming a woman, now this... as if there was not enough on her plate already.

A scream came from Conrada's room before their conversation could continue.

AUthor's Note: Sorry it took so long. It's a bit hard on turning Conrad into a girl and not fully knowing his/her reaction. And working on her realtionship with Yosak.