Chapter 114 [part 2] (1/2)

Chapter 114 [part 2]

(1)

Beth warmly welcomed Lucia into the Queen’s Palace. They briefly greeted each other then Lucia asked about Princess Selena, the new princess.

Princess Selena was to be turning one year old in a couple of days. It was widely known that the King would be holding a huge party in celebration of her first birthday.

Unlike the moderate display of affection he showed to his sons, the King coddled his only daughter. Everybody knew how much he cherished his daughter.

“The princess is already getting into trouble, unlike a girl, it makes me worried.”

“You’re worrying too much. I heard that when they are a child, they have to cause a little trouble to grow up healthy. I was quite the tomboy when I was a child.”

“Oh my, you, Duchess? It doesn’t seem like that at all. But I feel slightly relieved after hearing what you said, Duchess.”

The dishes were placed on the table one by one. Braised rabbit liver in wine was served as an appetizer.

Lucia put a piece of the meat in her mouth, chewed, and her back broke out in cold sweat. The aroma of wine and rabbit liver mixed with the distinct smell of blood made her stomach churn.

Even though it was not a dish that she would usually enjoy eating, it wasn’t something that she couldn’t eat. She forced herself to eat a bite and rinsed her mouth with juice.

The sweet juice that she usually liked felt too sweet to her. She wanted to drink something sourer. She thought to herself that when she got home she would have a glass of lemon juice. Upon recalling the sour lemon flavor, her appetite returned.

She took a spoonful of the soup that was served after and knit her brows. The smell of onions, unique to onion soup, was nauseating. It had been several days since she ate onion soup because she had asked her servants not to serve it to her as of late.

It wasn’t to extent that she couldn’t force herself to eat but Lucia could only manage to take three to four more scoops before she placed down her spoon. She picked up the juice, gulping it down to wash away the onion taste in her mouth.

The main course was steak covered with truffles. It seemed that the Queen had paid a lot of attention to the dishes since fine cuisine that Lucia didn’t normally eat were served.

Even without putting it in her mouth, the unique smell of the truffles made her feel sick to her stomach.

Lucia endured and ate the steak while drinking juice again. Her hand was busy from start to finish, hurriedly filling up her empty glass of juice. After drinking three glasses of juice, Lucia drank water.

Beth, who was watching Lucia carefully, asked a handmaid to bring some soft bread. Lucia looked at Beth as the maid brought the white bread to her side.

She expressed her thanks to Beth, who was smiling, then she took the bread and bit into it. Thankfully enough, she was able to eat it without any irritation.

After the meal, simple snacks and tea were brought in. It wasn’t flower tea which had a strong smell, but a delicate and crispy tea made by boiling the roasted grains.

Lucia took a sip of the tea and felt her stomach calming down.

“I enjoy drinking this tea when my stomach feels uncomfortable. I don’t know if it suits Duchess’ tastes as well.”

“It is very delicious.”

Lucia hesitated for a moment then she asked.

“May I know how to make this tea?”

Beth laughed.

“Of course. I will tell you how to make it and bring some prepared ones for you to take back home with you. That said, it seems Duchess has good news.”

“Pardon?”

“In the early stage of pregnancy, the smell of food you usually have no problem eating aren’t the most pleasant. I suffered a lot because my symptoms were more on the unusual side. I survived on only bread and tea for a while.”

When she saw Lucia staring at her in a expression that said she didn’t understand, Beth exclaimed in surprised.

“Oh my goodness, you don’t seem to know yet. Well, it makes sense. Duchess is young, and it is your first child, so you might not know.”

Lucia finally understood what the Queen was talking about. And at the same time, she felt perplexed.

“No. That’s not possible.”

“Did the doctor say you’re not pregnant?”

“No but…”

“Then since we’re on this topic, shall I call a palace nurse?[1] It is not easy to diagnose pregnancy in the early stages. The palace nurse that was in charge of me until Selena was born is very skilled in the medical arts. She studied mysterious medicines in other countries and has a long history of experience with pregnant mothers. She checked the pulse on my wrist and discovered my pregnancy.”

Lucia didn’t stop the Queen from calling the palace nurse. She knew it shouldn’t be possible, but she couldn’t throw away the strange anticipation in her heart. She kept thinking that the condition of her body was strange. It didn’t hurt, nor did she feel ill, but it was obvious to her that something had changed overall.

The palace nurse who arrived upon summon from the Queen was quite advanced in age. The nurse politely asked for permission before taking Lucia’s wrist and pressing her fingers against Lucia’s pulse for a while.

“I cannot speak with confidence as Duchess is not someone that I usually treat. A woman’s pulse changes after she gets pregnant so if I had checked the Duchess’ pulse before and after, I could be fully sure, however, I can only say that in this current state, there is a high chance that Duchess is pregnant.”