Side Story 1 – Early Spring (Part 2)

Wanting to share the happy news immediately, Ria asked the elderly physician, who had risen swiftly despite his age, to keep it a secret for now. She wanted to personally reveal it at the perfect moment.

Then she remembered today’s luncheon and decided it would be the right time to share the news. As such, even the four men in her life were unaware of her condition.

Since it was still early and she only felt occasional fatigue, her condition wasn’t noticeable. Luckily, the men had been busy, so she didn’t need to make excuses to avoid sleeping arrangements.

That morning, however, when she experienced mild fever and dizziness, she was momentarily flustered.

Rune, ever quick to notice, called the physician before she could stop him, causing a brief commotion. Had she not already asked the physician to keep it a secret, the truth might have been revealed then and there.

In any case, the real concern now was how to bring up the topic. As Ria walked toward the banquet hall, she pondered over this. She had no idea that an unexpected situation would arise before she could even think of a proper way to start.

“Ugh…!”

It wasn’t loud. Only Rune and Eden, who were seated beside her and paying close attention to her, barely noticed the sound.

Nonetheless, the entire banquet hall fell silent in an instant.

The Emperor and Empress, who had been casually conversing with Knox, stopped speaking. The footsteps of the attendants and maids carrying the first course of the meal also came to a halt.

“A-ah, I’m sorry. It’s just…!”

The already embarrassing situation became even more overwhelming, and Ria’s light brown eyes darted around in confusion. She felt she needed to explain, so she removed her hand from her mouth to speak. However, a nauseating smell hit her nose as if it had been waiting for this moment. She couldn’t even finish her sentence before she had to hurriedly cover her mouth again.

Her furrowed brows and pale complexion snapped Rune out of his frozen state. He immediately pushed her plate of food far away. Eden handed her a glass of water.

But Ria, unable to remove her hand from her mouth, shook her head and pressed herself against the back of her chair. It was an instinctive action to distance herself as much as possible from the table.

“What’s going on? Did they serve spoiled food?!”

Naturally, the blame shifted to the head chef.

The head chef, who had worked in the palace for decades, vehemently protested his innocence when scolded by the Emperor.

“No, Your Majesty! All the ingredients for today’s luncheon were freshly delivered this morning! They were carefully inspected multiple times before cooking! There’s no way they could have gone bad! Furthermore, we excluded any ingredients that the Young Lady cannot consume from the menu selection process!”

Not only that, but given the timing of the luncheon, the dishes were intentionally kept light. The first course, in particular, was prepared to whet the appetite without using heavy spices or ingredients. It was meant to be easy to enjoy.

So how could this happen?!

The chef’s pride in his work and his sense of injustice sharpened his gaze toward the attendants. Unless someone had tampered with the food, this situation was inexplicable.

However, the attendants and maids were equally indignant. Why would they risk tampering with food meant for the high-ranking guests?

At that moment, the Empress, who had been frozen in surprise at Ria’s dry heaving, clapped her hands together. The sound drew everyone’s attention—Rune, Eden, Knox, Letban, and even the attendants and maids who had been exchanging accusatory glances.

“For now, it’s best to move the Young Lady to another room. In the meantime, clear away all the food and ventilate the banquet hall.”

The Empress’s clear and concise instructions restored order to the chaotic atmosphere. The attendants quickly moved to carry out her orders, while Rune scooped Ria into his arms and left the banquet hall. The other guests followed.

Even as she was being carried out, Ria couldn’t lower her hand from her mouth. She looked at the Empress with eyes full of gratitude for handling the situation and regret for ruining the luncheon.

The Empress smiled warmly and shook her head as if to say it was fine. Then, she called for Gerda.

“Fetch the Chief Royal Physician.”

The Chief Royal Physician, the highest-ranking medical professional in the palace, was someone Cherta frequently brought to examine Ria. 

In this palace, no one knew Ria’s condition better than him.

***

There wasn’t a suitable room for Ria to rest on the same floor as the banquet hall. Thus, Rune carried her to the nearest parlor, located just up the stairs. Thankfully, the nauseating smell couldn’t follow them there.

Rune placed Ria on the sofa in the parlor and knelt in front of her. He carefully observed her as she finally removed her hand from her mouth and took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine now.”

Ria offered a faint smile to reassure him and accepted the glass of water Kahin had thoughtfully brought. She sipped it slowly, finishing the entire glass. Only then did the nausea completely subside. At that moment, a thought struck her.

‘Could this be morning sickness?’

There was no way spoiled food would have been served at a banquet attended by Their Majesties. Moreover, she was the only one reacting this way. When she received her diagnosis, the physician had mentioned that morning sickness might begin soon.

Realizing the cause, her light brown eyes rolled nervously.

She could faintly hear the others discussing how to investigate everyone involved in preparing the banquet. If she didn’t speak up, the innocent staff might be unfairly scrutinized.

“Actually, the truth is…”

“Daughter-in-law!”

However, Ria’s words were abruptly cut off by the Emperor, who flung open the door to the drawing room and entered.

The Emperor, who had been causing a commotion by insisting on staying by the Empress’s side to investigate the palace staff—claiming that there might still be accomplices of those who sought to harm Ria—immediately ran out of the banquet hall upon hearing the Empress instruct Gerda to summon the First Imperial Physician. Without waiting for further explanation, he personally dragged the physician back.

Considering his usual composed demeanor, such behavior was enough to make anyone gasp in astonishment. The Empress, unable to stop him in time, could only watch helplessly.

“Your Majesty, please calm yourself.”

The Empress, who had left Gerda to handle the aftermath and followed the Emperor a step too late, gently grabbed his arm and pulled him aside in an attempt to soothe him. Though the Emperor seemed about to protest further, his lips clamped shut when he saw the Empress’s firm expression, her lips pressed tightly together in determination.

With a sigh, the Empress glanced at the Emperor, who looked like he had much to say but remained silent, and then directed the Imperial Physician to examine Ria.

By the time Ria, startled by the sequence of events, regained her composure, the Imperial Physician had already begun the examination.

As the physician repeatedly checked her pulse, his expression grew increasingly peculiar. Observing this, the onlookers’ faces became more and more anxious.

Except for two people: Ria and the Empress.

“…Have you perhaps been feeling fatigued or dizzy lately?

The Imperial Physician asked.

“This morning, she had a slight fever and felt a bit anemic.” 

Rune answered abruptly, his face filled with anxiety as he watched the examination. Having grown accustomed to such situations, the Imperial Physician nodded and continued his questions.

“Have you experienced nausea or queasiness when looking at food?”

“No, I’ve had no issues.” 

Ria replied.

“Then, when was the last time you had your monthly cycle?”

At this final question, the anxious expressions of the onlookers shifted to ones of confusion. Monthly cycle? Why would he ask about that? 

It was a common thought shared by all.

“Last December was the last time.” 

Ria answered, then added with a faint smile, 

“It must have been morning sickness, wasn’t it?”

…Morning sickness? What did that mean?

Their minds froze, unable to process the information quickly. The four men stared blankly at Ria with foolish expressions. It was only then that they noticed her hands gently cradling her slender abdomen.

“Indeed. Congratulations on your pregnancy.” 

The Imperial Physician’s voice rang in their ears.

Pregnancy. The moment they registered this single word, an indescribable emotion surged through them, piercing deep into their hearts. A shiver ran through their bodies, leaving their throats choked with emotion. Their fingertips trembled.

This was a feeling they had never experienced before. It was so unfamiliar that they couldn’t even name it. No, to be precise, no word could adequately describe it.

“Well, it seems I’m a step late.” 

A familiar voice echoed as the door to the drawing room opened. Into the silence, which had descended due to the unexpected news of the pregnancy, stepped a confident figure. With each step, long strands of white hair swayed.