Chapter 30

“Are you alright?”

“Hmm… Since His Highness the Crown Prince is alone, go to him quickly, Vivi.”

Daisy, who had been in the bathroom for a long time, emerged with sunken cheeks and a pale face, startling Vivian and the maid.

Lying on the bed with the help of Head Maid Linda, Daisy continued to worry about the Crown Prince being alone.

“Hurry, hurry and go.”

As Vivian, holding Daisy’s cold hand tightly, showed no sign of moving, Linda stepped in.

“Madam will be fine, Young Lady. As Madam said, it’s best to go to His Highness the Crown Prince now.”

With Linda also urging her, Vivian reluctantly stood up.

Seeing Vivian’s slumped shoulders as she left the Duchess’s room, Linda called out to her.

“Young Lady, I think there might be good news.”

“What do you mean, Linda? Mother is this sick…”

Vivian glanced at the closed door of the Duchess’s room and lowered her head.

Ever since she could remember, Daisy had been frail. After giving birth to Vivian, Daisy had to spend most of her time bedridden until Vivian could walk.  So, even when Vivian turned nine, she had to live in the warm climate of Raspol for recuperation rather than engaging in social activities.

Seeing Daisy sick again after regaining her health for a while made Vivian feel upset and scared.

“Rather than being sick right now… um. Just don’t worry too much, Young Lady.”

Finding Linda’s seemingly cheerful demeanor annoying, Vivian turned her head sharply and headed to the reception room where the Crown Prince was waiting.

“How is the Duchess?”

As Vivian entered the reception room, Louis, elegantly sipping tea, asked.

“She’s feeling a bit unwell.”

“I see.”

Louis nodded and put down his teacup.

“It seems I should leave for today. Please tell the Duchess not to worry and to take good care of herself.”

Vivian nodded. Just as Louis was about to speak, Rayden limped into the reception room.

“Your Highness, we can depart now.”

“…Alright, let’s go.”

Vivian felt somewhat relieved that Louis was leaving immediately. She wanted to run to her sick mother as soon as possible. Still, she had to see Louis off, and as she followed him, she noticed Rayden limping badly.

“Rayden, did you hurt your foot?”

Rayden smiled brightly and replied.

“It’s not a serious injury. It happens occasionally, so you don’t need to worry, Lady.”

Realizing that Vivian was looking at him with concern, Rayden exaggerated his limp even more. Louis frowned at this but said nothing.

“Oh. If you have time, visit the Emperor’s Forest often.”

As he was about to board the carriage, Louis turned to Vivian.

“Pardon?”

“Everyone, step back.”

Rayden, quick to catch on in such situations, moved the servants and knights back. Once they were far enough away not to hear the conversation, Louis spoke.

“It seems Aitor will be going to the magic school soon.”

“What?”

Vivian blinked rapidly, trying to grasp what she had just heard.

“The magic school has granted admission. Aitor will leave with Zero when spring comes.”

Vivian’s eyes trembled violently. She hadn’t expected them to live forever in the small hut in the Emperor’s Forest, but the separation felt sooner than she anticipated, making her reluctant to believe Louis’s words.

“So visit the Emperor’s Forest often. I’ve arranged it so you can go directly to the forest without entering the royal palace.”

With those words, Louis boarded the carriage. Before closing the door, he saw Vivian standing there, looking foolishly at the carriage wheels.

So soft-hearted.

Louis thought of saying something to Vivian but decided to keep his mouth shut. Somehow, it felt like the right thing to do at the moment.

“Let’s go.”

The carriage door closed, and the wheels began to move.

Vivian stood in place until the carriage was completely out of sight.

* * *

Not long after the Crown Prince left, Tereon rushed into the mansion.

“Where is Daisy?”

“Madam is resting in her room.”

Before the butler finished speaking, Tereon dashed to Daisy’s room.

“Daisy!”

Bursting into the room, Tereon saw Vivian putting a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Silenced by Vivian’s stern gaze, Tereon tiptoed over.

Daisy, who had fallen asleep, looked a bit pale.

“How is your mother?”

Tereon asked in a very small voice.

“She fell asleep just a moment ago.”

Vivian replied in an equally small voice.

“Father, there’s a baby in Mother’s belly.”

Vivian whispered, placing her small hand on Daisy’s belly. Kneeling by the bed, Tereon clasped his hands together and began to pray silently.

Watching him, Vivian smiled and gently stroked her mother’s belly.

“But Father, what if Mother gets sick again after having the baby?”

“Don’t worry. This time, your mother is healthy, so even after the baby is born, she will remain healthy.”

When Daisy was pregnant with Vivian, she had an illness. If she hadn’t been pregnant, she could have focused on treatment and recovered within a year, but Vivian’s conception had delayed that.

Daisy postponed her treatment to give birth to Vivian. The delayed treatment and childbirth weakened Daisy, prolonging her recovery.

Now, the doctor had assured them there was nothing to worry about, so the Duke’s family was relieved.

Nodding at Tereon’s words, Vivian looked at him and asked.

“But Father, how are babies made?”

Tereon, overwhelmed with mixed emotions of awe, pity, guilt, and gratitude, didn’t immediately understand Vivian’s question.

“Huh? What did you say, Vivi?”

“The baby. How are babies made? Babies are big, but the baby in Mother’s belly is said to be as small as a bean.”

Vivian’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Well, that’s, um…”

Tereon hesitated. His daughter was smart, he wondered if she need to know this now. It wasn’t a topic to be glossed over, nor could he explain it in detail.

After a moment of pondering, Tereon spoke.

“Every man has a pouch filled with seeds…”

“Dear.”

Daisy called Tereon in a low voice.

“Daisy, you’re awake?”

Tereon stood up abruptly and called out to Daisy. Daisy blinked her eyes and struggled to sit up.

“Don’t get up. Stay lying down, okay?”

“Yes, Mother. Please lie down a bit more.”

Daisy shook her head, looking at the two fussing over her.

“What were you trying to tell Vivi just now?”

“Vivi asked how babies are made…”

“Dear!”

One of Daisy’s eyebrows shot up.

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Vivi, I’ll explain it to you later. For now, go back to your room.”

Seeing her father starting to sweat nervously and her mother, Daisy, looking inexplicably angry, Vivian felt it was best to leave.

“Then I’ll go up now.”

Vivian opened the door and left. As soon as the door closed, Daisy glared at her husband.

“What were you doing with the child?”

“Well, Daisy, Vivi is smart, and she received a proposal letter today, and also…”

“Still, not like that.”

At Daisy’s firm words, Tereon nodded vigorously.

“By the way, how are you feeling, Daisy?”

“I’m feeling better now. It’s just that strong scents make me nauseous, but other than that, there’s nothing special.”

“That’s a relief.”

Seeing Tereon’s relieved expression, Daisy softened her gaze and patted the hand holding hers.

“It will be alright. The doctor said so, and I think it’s really okay compared to when I was pregnant with Vivian.”

“But I can’t help but worry.”

“I’m really fine. By the way, we need to quickly write a response to the proposal letter and send it to the royal family.”

“Eh. It’s okay if it’s sent a little late!”

Daisy chuckled at Tereon’s words and withdrew her hand from his.

“You know His Majesty the Emperor is in a hurry.”

“I’ll delay it as long as I can.”

“Oh dear.”

Daisy shook her head slightly and lay back on the bed.

“Once things settle down in the capital, let’s go to Raspol.”

“Still, it would be better to stay in the capital if Vivian gets engaged.”

“The Emperor and Empress will understand.”

“…”

Seeing Daisy rubbing her belly with a dark expression, Tereon spoke.

“Just think about yourself, only yourself.”

Daisy slowly nodded at Tereon’s words.

* * *

“A sibling?”

“Yeah! A sibling!”

“Wow! So, is it a sister? Or a brother?”

“I don’t know.”

Vivian wanted to boast to Aitor about having a sibling.

“I see.”

“I want a sister like you, Aitor.”

“Huh? But I’m a boy…”

“But, thinking about an heir for the Duke’s house, having a brother wouldn’t be bad either.”

Vivian stroked Zero’s fur, expressing her expectations for the upcoming sibling.

Zero had grown quite a bit since the last time she saw him, now large enough to cover her thighs when placed on her lap.

“What has Zero been eating to get this big?”

“He’s been eating everything he can find. He even rummaged through my food supplies, so I went a whole day without eating.”

Aitor glared at Zero, but Zero was too busy wagging his tail, happy to be in Vivian’s arms after a long time.

“Aitor, I heard you’re going to the magic school?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s amazing!”

Vivian hid her sad feelings and spoke cheerfully.

“It’s thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“No, His Highness said you’re an incredible genius. Any school that doesn’t recognize such a genius should be shut down.”

Blushing at Vivian’s words, Aitor scratched the back of his head.

“When exactly are you leaving?”

The magic school had dormitories. Students had to live there, focusing solely on their studies and practice for five years.

“I’ll probably have to leave in two weeks.”

“So soon?”

Louis had said they would leave when spring came, but the departure date felt much sooner than expected, startling Vivian.

“I plan to visit my hometown before going.”

Aitor’s hometown was far from here. He had left impulsively to find Lily, and now he felt he needed to visit his hometown to reassure the people there before enrolling.

Although it was inevitable, farewells were always painful.

Vivian took something out of her bag and handed it to Aitor.

“What’s this?”

It was a pair of green earrings. They were the earrings she had bought for Daisy for the festival.

“I bought them for Mother, but she’s allergic to this metal. So I kept them, but I’ll give them to you. You can wear earrings, right, Aitor?”

Aitor had pierced his ears before, and there were marks on his earlobes. Pointing to those marks, Vivian smiled brightly.

The earrings sparkled with gemstones the same color as Vivian’s eyes.

“Thank you, Vivi.”

Aitor, unable to take his eyes off the earrings, stroked them like they were precious treasures.