I was awoken from dreamland when Emma banged against my door. Annoyed, I turned around looking for Janus, but found the other side of my bed empty; he was already gone. I pulled the blanket over my head and tried to hide, unwilling to get up, but it was all for naught. After a while of continuous aggressive knocking, Emma simply ripped the door open and tried to pull the blanket away from me.
Sigh, why is she so insistent on getting me up this morning?
“You have to get up, my lady. The Family meeting will be in an hour!”
Instant. My eyes snap open. Sit up, heart thundering, panic clawing through my chest. I don't even care that I'm completely nude. Emma has seen me in my birthing suit anyway. She just politely averts her gaze while I yank a simple camisole over my head, hands fumbling, breath barely catching up.
“Shit, shit, shit! Why didn't he wake me up when he left?”
“He told me to let you sleep since he said you seemed tired.”
“What!?”
Urgh!
Honestly, one hour was enough time to prepare. The real reason I was so anxious was that this would be the first real family gathering since Janus came back, except maybe Lunar Festival, when I had hours to prepare. But now I only had one hour, and I could already imagine that everyone's eyes would be on me again.
I quickly applied some rose water that Janus's mother had gifted me while Emma brushed my tangled bed hair. We didn't have much time, so she was a bit more forceful than usual, and every time the brush got stuck at a knot, I winced from pain, but I just ignored it and remained silent.
Then Emma noticed something,
“There are two more on your neck today and one on your naval.”
She was talking about hickies. Recently, Janus has taken a liking to deliberately leaving little marks on my skin, choosing spots I can't see or reach but that are just visible enough with normal clothes. Sometimes, it almost felt like he was trying to stake his claim in that infuriatingly smug way of his. I wasn't sure whether I found it sweet, annoying, or just embarrassing, probably all three. I felt my cheeks burn for a brief, ridiculous moment before I forced my expression back to normal, refusing to give a real reaction.
I sent a bit of healing magic through my neck region and asked,
“Are they still there?”
“No, but I have spotted another one on your back.”
“What? When did he even… never mind, no one's gonna see that anyway.”
Normally, I would have purged every single one, but I didn't care today. I would just wear a simple dress that covered both the neck and back just to be safe.
When it was all said and done, I was in a simple green dress with red trim. While I looked into the mirror Emma handed me, I couldn't help but notice my belly. It was no longer something I could hide. Had the twins just grown too big, or maybe I had simply too much amniotic fluid? It was to such a degree that I could no longer even see my own shoes when standing up. And there were still four months to go. Just how big will it be by the end? My feet are already killing me, and no longer fit into my old shoes. I constantly have to use healing magic just to escape the pain and swelling, and every day I find a new stretch mark that I have to get rid of.
Jansu said that my skin had become glossier, but all I could see was my oily hair, my aching back, and a constant sensation of being overstuffed and sluggish, as if I’d swallowed a river stone that now lodged itself right behind my navel, dragging me down from the inside.
I haven't felt any new movement on the outside, but by now I could tell they had become a lot more active inside. The once-almost-alien-looking fetuses have become much more human, moving their little fingers and toes. Sometimes, if I lie very still, I get this odd fluttering deep in my belly, like bubbles rising just below the surface, not quite a kick, but almost. Not too long, and I would feel the first few kicks and punches.
I was about halfway through, but now I just wanted to finish it. I know I shouldn't complain since this is all my own fault, and I even want kids, but why does pregnancy have to suck so much? I don't even want to imagine what it's like without healing magic and a rich baby daddy.
I was lost in my negative thoughts when Emma took the mirror away from me and said, annoyance written all over her face,
“Don't put yourself down like that, my lady. I know you don't like it, but a big pregnant belly is a sign of health and beauty in this country.” Emma’s words rang with a kind of pride. Here, people see an expectant mother as proof of prosperity and a strong family lineage, believing that a visible pregnancy signals good fortune. Unlike some places where women are expected to hide their bellies, here it is almost something to be admired. But I still wasn't so sure.
“What? Really?"
For most of modern European history, on earth, women hid their bellies as if they were something vulgar. So I found that claim hard to believe.
“Of course, why else do you think he has been in your bedchambers every night for the last two months. Just like my husband. sometimes he would…”
I don't believe that was the real reason why. Still, I didn't feel the need to correct her. I just made my way towards the Family meeting without any more delays, leaving Emma in my room, where she kept swooning over her husband, Peter, for five more minutes before finally noticing my absence.
But by then, I had already reached my destination: Wilhelm Yuwens' office.
I gave a short greeting to Collin, who was once again guarding the door, and quickly went inside.
Thankfully, I was not the last, since two seats, mine and Anna's, were still vacant. Everyone else was present except for the little Fiona and Maggie, who would mostlikely be bored to death.
I took my seat next to Janus, who greeted me with a smile. I smiled and hid my anger, but secretly pinched his hand below the table. He gave me a confused, wronged look, but I just ignored him.
Thankfully, unlike I expected, no one else paid attention to me and was either engaged in their own conversations or, like Maya, lost in a book. No one really seemed to care all that much about the actual meeting. After another thirty minutes of fruitless waiting, Wilhelm Yuwen spoke up,
“It seems Anna won't be joining us…”
Suddenly, we could hear an argument through the door, and shortly after,
*BAAM*
The door flew open, and Anna strutted inside like she owned the place, her heels clicking against the floor just a bit too loudly, determined to make everyone notice her entrance whether they wanted to or not.
I tried to ignore her, but it was impossible. Anna's eyes swept the room with that trademark sneer, and the moment she spotted me, her lips curled into a smirk so sharp it could cut glass. She wrinkled her perfect nose as if my mere presence offended her. Behind her, poor Collin looked like he'd just barely survived letting her in.
“Oh, how quaint. I see even the riffraff managed to drag themselves here today,” Anna announced, voice dripping with condescension. “What on earth could be so urgent?”
A collective sigh seemed to sweep through the room. It seemed like everyone had hoped she wouldn't show up.
Janus immediately shifted closer, his arm resting protectively behind my chair as he shot Anna a sharp glare. He answered her question and added a whispered remark through his teeth that only I and I could hear,
“A letter from the capital arrived that sadly affects all of us… even you.”
She humpfed again, but everyone could see how excited she got when the word capital " was mentioned and finally took her seat.
Again, Wilhelm took the word a bit more tired than before and said,
“Yesterday, a letter from the capital arrived. First, the good news. The king's wife has given birth to a son.”
For a moment, the room seemed to exhale collectively. Shoulders dropped, and a few chairs shifted as people relaxed back. I heard someone breathe out in quiet relief, and even Anna's icy posture loosened slightly. The announcement of a healthy heir was like a weight lifted off the table.
“And now the bad news. His majesty wants every noble to be present during this year's Solar Festival to celebrate.”
Suddenly, everyone went quiet. Then Madam Olivia perked up and asked,
“Everyone, what about you if you are gone? That would leave the fort defenseless.”
“I'm exempt, but the rest of you will have to attend. Even you, Ruby.”
Wait, I'm not exempt?
“Ehhh? But what about my due date?”
Anna let out a high-pitched, mocking giggle behind her fan at my question, clearly relishing my discomfort. The way she peeked over the top, eyes glinting with malice, made her amusement all the more obnoxious.
I couldn't help but wonder what she has against me?
Janus stared at Anna with a murderous look in his eyes that thankfully shut her up.
“Normally, you wouldn't know, but don't worry, you won't have to give birth while we are on the road. We will use our Teleportation circle instead.”
Teleportation circle?