It’s concerning enough to see a pregnant woman walking alone in the forest, but I couldn’t just pass by when she was carrying all that heavy weight on her own. 
 
“Lily.”
 
“Yes, madam.”
 
“Tell the coachman to stop for a moment.”
 
“Yes.”
 
Lily opened the carriage window and spoke to the coachman, and the carriage slowly came to a stop. Then Milto, who was leading the way, came closer and asked through the window.
 
“Is there something wrong?”
 
“Yes.”
 
I smiled at Milto, whose eyes widened at my words, and reached out my hand outside the window, pointing to the young woman who had already fallen behind.
 
“My heart is very uncomfortable.”
 
“Oh….”
 
Milto understood what I meant and nodded his head.
 
“Turn the carriage around.”
 
“Understood.”
 
Milto replied energetically, and after a moment, the carriage turned around. The woman, who had been bowing her head at the sight of the carriage bearing the lord’s emblem, was surprised and quickly stepped back as the carriage returned. Even that brief movement seemed difficult for her.
 
When the carriage stopped in front of her, the woman fidgeted; she looked like she didn’t know what to do.
 
“Do you want to get off?”
 
Lily asked with surprise as I lifted my hips.
 
“Yes.”
 
I answered, immediately opened the carriage door and got out. Lily hurriedly followed me down.
 
Milto, who was escorting me, asked the young woman various questions. I looked at the woman whom I couldn’t even meet eyes with. Up close, her belly seemed to be protruding more than I thought, as if she didn’t have much time left.
 
“Are you going somewhere alone with that body… Okay.”
 
I quickly changed my words as I habitually tried to show respect to someone I met for the first time. As a noblewoman in a class-based society, it was definitely strange for me to show respect to someone on my own territory.
 
As someone who had grown up in a powerful Confucian country for more than 20 years, it wasn’t easy for me to speak freely to a stranger from the first meeting, but I had become accustomed to it thanks to the servants and knights in the mansion.
 
“She’s on her way to Montreux.”
 
Milto answered instead of the hesitant woman.
 
Montreux was the capital of the Empire. Was she really walking, with a pregnant belly in full-term, at a distance that would have taken four days to travel by carriage without a portal?
 
I looked down at her worn-out shoes and pointed to the carriage with my thumb.
 
“Get on. We’re going to the capital too.”
 
“Yes, what?”
 
The young woman’s eyes widened as if she had heard unexpected words.
 
“It’s, it’s okay. I, I mean…”
 
The young woman glanced at me briefly. From the fact that I was riding in the carriage of a noble family, she could tell that I was a person of high status, but she didn’t know exactly who I was from her expression.
 
“She’s the Duchess of Wheaton.”
 
“Yes?”
 
At Lily’s words, the young woman looked at me with a shocked expression, then stepped back with a more guarded expression.
 
She didn’t seem to be getting on the carriage voluntarily, but we couldn’t delay any longer and I couldn’t just leave her there, so I silently glanced at Milto.
 
The woman who had lost her luggage to Milto in an instant looked at me with an expression of despair. I felt like a thief who had ruthlessly taken away the belongings of a lone traveler walking on a mountain path, even though I was just trying to help.
 
“It’s too much for you to walk all the way to the capital with that body. Just think of it as carpooling for your convenience.”
 
“Yes? Car…pooling?”
 
“I mean, let’s share the ride. Get on quickly.”
 
At my urging, the hesitant woman bowed her head, thinking that she could not refuse anymore.
 
“Thank you.”
 
As the woman turned towards the carriage, I quickly grabbed her arm.
 
“Where are you going?”
 
“What? I was going to get on the carriage…”
 
The woman, who had been rolling her eyes wondering if she had done something wrong, quickly lowered her head with a surprised expression.
 
“I’m sorry, Ma’am. I was thoughtless and showed my back first. Please forgive me.”
 
“No, it’s not that. You’re supposed to ride here, not go that way.”
 
I pointed to the open door of the carriage. The woman, along with Lily and Milto, widened their eyes.
 
“How dare I ride in the carriage with you, Ma’am.”
 
“Madam, I don’t think you have to do that.”
 
Lily whispered quietly.
 
“The seat next to the coachman is enough.”
 
Even Milto tried to dissuade me. As a knight escort, he seemed worried about me riding in the same space with a stranger like her.
 
Certainly, it would be against the law for a noble and a commoner to ride in the same carriage. But for me, humanity and morality came before the law. And it was obvious that a pregnant young woman like her would be uncomfortable sitting next to a strange man.
 
I didn’t want to waste my time persuading them, so I just said one thing.
 
“This is my carriage.”
 
“Thank you.”
 
I said ‘This is mine, and I’ll do with it as I please’ to shut everyone up at once. Then I extended my hand to the woman, Remida, who was thanking me repeatedly.
 
“No need to thank me. We’re going the same way anyway.”
 
“But…”
 
I smiled and looked down at Remida’s belly.
 
“When is your due date?”
 
“At the end of next month.”
 
Remida stroked her belly with her hand as she spoke. Her smiling face was kind.
 
“Are you planning to walk all the way to the capital next month? What if you had contractions on the way? That would be a big problem.”
 
“Well, I have to eat and live.”
 
Remida smiled wryly.
 
“I heard that mutroi grass is common in the countryside, but it’s quite expensive in the capital.”
 
The luggage she was carrying around looked like it contained mutroi grass.
 
“Even so, it’s not safe to travel that far alone.”
 
“My husband died in an accident not long ago. I’m all this child has left, so I have to be strong. That’s the only way I can protect my child…”
 
Her tired eyes showed a strong determination. In that moment, she looked stronger than anyone else, despite her delicate appearance.
 
“I’m sure the baby will be happy.”
 
For being loved even before coming into the world. I looked at her belly and spoke. Remida, who had been watching me quietly, muttered in a low voice.
 
“You’re completely different from the rumors I’ve heard…”
 
It was a small whisper, but it stuck in my ear. I had a vague idea of what the rumors might be, but I didn’t ask. It was better not to know.
 
Pretending not to have heard, I took out a piece of chocolate from my reticule¹a woman’s small handbag, originally netted and typically having a drawstring and decorated with embroidery or beading. and offered it to Remida, who was still fidgeting nervously in the carriage. She seemed to need it more than I did, as I had planned to eat it when I got dizzy.
 
“Eat it.”
 
Remida, who accepted it without knowing what it was, hesitated at the unfamiliar food before finally taking a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise.
 
“It’s so sweet!”
 
I watched her nibble on the chocolate like a squirrel, feeling pleased, then turned my gaze out the window. Suddenly, a large portal came into view.
 
Milto, who had stopped in front of the portal, took out his travel permit from his pocket and pushed it into the portal. Soon after, the portal, which had been emitting a faint green light, sparkled blue. It was a sign that the way was open.
 
‘It’s amazing every time I see it.’
 
As soon as the carriage entered the portal, we emerged on the other side in the blink of an eye. The forest that had been filled with coniferous trees with spiky leaves was now filled with broad-leaf trees, and even the path we had taken looked unfamiliar.
 
We had already arrived at the forest near the capital.
 
I dropped Remida off in front of Schuetz’s guild, where she planned to sell her goods. As a commoner wearing old clothes, she attracted attention when she got off the flashy carriage alongside a noblewoman in a dress. Their faces looked as if they had seen something strange.
 
I ignored those gazes and asked Remida,
 
“When are you planning to return to the duchy?”
 
“Oh, as soon as I sell my goods.”
 
“There’s a cafe called Rocco’s Bakery over there.”
 
I pointed my finger in the distance and spoke.
 
“The cake is really delicious. Wait for me there.”
 
“Huh? What do you mean?”
 
Remida cocked her head as if she didn’t understand.
 
“I’m going back to the duchy in the afternoon, so let’s go together then.”
 
“Oh, no, ma’am. It’s already too much that you gave me a ride this far… I’m really grateful, but it’s okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”
 
“I’m worried about you. You’re from my territory, so I have to take care of you. It’s for my peace of mind, so don’t feel burdened.”
 
Unable to refuse any further, I just smiled gratefully at Remida and called for Milto.
 
Milto was surprised when I asked him to stay with Remida.
 
“I have to escort you, madam.”
 
“See that palace over there? I’ll arrive in five minutes by carriage, right?”
 
“But… “
 
“There are so many people guarding me besides Sir Milto. Besides, it’s a knight’s duty to protect the people of the territory. Help me make sure that merchants don’t cheat her out of her goods. After all, the capital is a place where you have to keep your eyes open.”
 
“……Yes.”
 
Milto nodded his head with an expression of helplessness. Finally feeling relieved, I climbed back onto the carriage.
 
‘Finally, it’s time to meet my favorite!’
 
As I looked at the palace getting closer and closer, I asked Lily.
 
“Lily, how do I look?”
 
Lily extended both thumbs up at my hair-flipping gesture.
 
“You look absolutely stunning! There’s no one more beautiful than you at the tea party, madam.”
 
I smiled broadly at her face that’s full of sincerity.
 
“I think so too.”
 
I waved my hair confidently with a self-assured gesture.