"What is it? Speak!" Drevon demanded.
"I-I cannot tell the due date," Celia replied shakily.
"What do you an?" I asked, sitting up too fast, and everything spun, but Drevon held steady.
"Careful," he scolded.
"Celia."
"T-The baby is not in position."
My blood ran cold. "I-If there’s no due date, then..." I swallowed. "Is there sothing wrong?"
"Not entirely."
"I suggest you give a more accurate response."
Celia took a sharp intake of breath. "There should be signs that the royal baby is close, but none are showing. Corvin and I already predicted the queen would give birth in 30 weeks."
"Then get Corvin here," Drevon ordered.
"Y-Yes, my liege." She hurried away.
"Don’t worry. When Corvin cos, we can be sure."
"Drevon..." I held him tightly.
"It’s going to be alright. There is no need to be scared."
He was calm about this, and I knew he was only that way so that I wouldn’t panic.
"Dear goddess," The Dowager said worriedly.
Plans had already been made for an early birth, but this delay changed everything.
"My liege," Osha’s voice ca at the door. "Countess Valestra is here."
"What does she want?" The Dowager snapped. "What is she even doing within the royal quarters? Who let her through?"
I felt a comfort knowing Grandmother was here. "Let her in."
The Dowager didn’t seem too pleased by my response. She looked to Drevon as if for him to do sothing, but he wasn’t paying her any heed, keeping his full concentration on .
The doors opened, and Grandmother walked in. Eyes roaming the vast room until she settled them on .
A breath of relief escaped her as she ca close.
"Oh my dear! I heard the news and ca as fast as I could. How do you fare, my child?"
"We have everything under control, so you shouldn’t be here. You may be a guest in our ho, but that doesn’t an you roam as you want," the Dowager said sternly.
"Yes, I’m a guest. However, you cannot expect to just sit still." She faced . "What did your Royal Healer say?"
"There is no due date," Drevon replied. "The baby is not in position."
"I see. Your Healer was right to ntion that you’d give birth early. At most 30 weeks, but with no due date that is a great change. Rest assured, child, I’m sure this is just temporary." She placed a hand on my bump. "We’ll wait for a few days and see."
But I was still shaken, and I kept conjuring images of rotting away like my mother did.
"Valestra, the females in your clan, when do they give birth?" Drevon questioned.
"30 weeks," she replied. "Eloise’s case might be different because she has human blood. She might reach a full term."
I noticed Drevon took a breath of relief before his hand tightened against mine.
"M-My mother." I broke the temporary silence. "She must have given birth at 30 weeks and—"
"Eloise," Grandmother stopped . "What happened to my Lysandra was no doubt the doing of negligence from her supposed husband. Her condition was rare because she carried a mixed bloodline. But you, my child, you have all the support you can need, even a warlock tends to you. With magic on our side, I’m deeply certain this will go well. Trust ."
I forced a smile. "Thank you, Grandmother."
~•~
"Valestra and the Dowager are not on good terms. It’s far worse than I thought," I said as Drevon gave a delicate ssage to my bump.
When Corvin ca, he had said the sa thing. The best we could do was wait a few days, and if it’s still the sa, I might complete a full term after all. I didn’t know if I should be relieved or more worried.
I had prepared in hopes that I would see my son sooner than expected.
"Give them ti," Drevon replied, fully concentrating on his work.
All I had to do was relax, but there wasn’t a bone in my body that I wanted to.
"Maybe we should work on their relationship. We are trying to let the lycans be on good terms with the snowbloods. I think the best thing to do is start with them."
"Good terms? I was only under the impression we were ending the chaos Orianna did," Drevon reasoned.
I licked my bottom lip. "I have been aning to tell you. I think we should ally with the snowbloods."
"Marriage?" He raised an eyebrow.
"No, no. That’d be too big a step, perhaps a form of arrangent that benefits both sides. Discuss with Grandmother, and I’m sure we can make this true."
I knew I had asked a lot of Drevon. It had only been two years since the war ended.
"I shall discuss with your Grandmother. Besides, I already brought the suggestion to my court."
"Y-You did?"
He winked, and I blushed. I cannot believe he thought of that. He was already willing to go that far?
"Don’t tell you were roaming the gardens. Grandmother and I spend a lot of ti there."
He chuckled. "I was watching from my study." He kissed my bump. "It’s a nice view from there."
I pushed against his chest, and he laughed.
"I know how much Valestra ans to you," he said softly. "You have a special connection with her, and I love that. You deserve it."
I blinked away the tears. "Gosh! Silly , I’m always a teary ss."
He kissed my bump again. "You’re making your mother cry too much. Careful now..."
"I thought of a na."
"Did you? So did I."
I gasped. "When were you planning on telling ?"
"Until you were ready."
"What do you an?"
"When I ntioned nas, you told we had all the ti in the world, but..."
"But?"
"I realized that you were thinking so hard about it and you needed more ti..."
"You know too well," I smiled before it slowly fell. "A na ans a lot to . I was never given one. I want the na for our son to be special, but I do not want to set you aside. I want you to be involved too."
"Eloise... you shouldn’t worry about sothing like that. Go on, tell , what na have you chosen for our son?"
"Lucard..."
"Lucard?"
I nodded, hoping he liked it.
"I read a book about a main character with that na. He was the light in the darkness. A brave light."
"Then it’s perfect," Drevon said with a smile against his lips. "Because Lucard’s mother makes it so."
I kissed him on the cheek. "I can’t wait to see our son."
"Soon, my love. Soon." He kisses gently.
"How about this?"
"What?" he asked, trying to focus on kissing .
"Whatever na you have thought for our son he shall have that too."
~•~
A few days passed, and yet there were no signs of a birth. It was then concluded that I might carry up to a full term.
Although I should spend my ti confined in my chambers, I had made preparations for brunch. This was certainly what I got for trying to do this.
The Dowager and Grandmother sat across from each other, and the pressure in the air could suck the life out of you.
I nudged my chin at Talia and Osha to drop the pastries and leave. They did and snappily exited. I didn’t bla such a quick response. I would have left, too, if I weren’t the author of this disaster.
I sighed dramatically. What have I gotten myself into? What exactly was I expecting? That brunch would go as smoothly as a calm sea? I clearly did not think this through. I might be the reason for another war breaking out if I don’t navigate this swiftly.
"Oh, look, macarons, these are my favorites." Grandmother grabbed one and happily chewed on it, ignoring the Dowager’s glare.
"You love macarons? They are my favorite too!" I pitched, hoping to make the mood lighter.
"Oh my, finally I have soone to share my love for these pastries."
"It’s just pastries, there’s no need to be dramatic about it," The Dowager cut in irritably.
"Oh, Arwen, you wouldn’t know the delight of such simple things."
"A-Arwen?" I mumbled. That was the Dowager’s na! Oh my!
"I thought blood was usually the preferred diet. No wonder you look as pale as a ghost."
"Age seems to be catching on with you. Those lines are far more than mine, and I’m not even your age."
The Dowager gasped, and I snorted. She looked at and moved my gaze elsewhere.
"There is no need to be so hostile towards ." Grandmother placed her hand on mine. "I wish for no conflict of any kind. What Eloise carries is all our future, and she shall be the reason we coexist as one. Eloise is the first to make that co through."
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