The Forgotten Field

He carefully brushed aside her disheveled hair, tracing with his fingertips the smooth curve that ran from beneath her ear to her shoulder.

Beneath her fair skin, damp with a faint sheen of sweat, he could feel the delicate framework of her bones.

The fragility of her body, as though it might shatter if he applied the slightest pressure, filled him with an inexplicable sense of unease.

She was so slender that it seemed difficult enough for her body to contain the flesh, blood, and bones of a single person.

He still found it impossible to believe that another life might now reside within her.

Looking down at her with worried eyes, Varkas slowly sat upright.

He gently drew the deeply sleeping woman onto his lap and let her rest her head against his chest.

“Talia, eat dinner before you sleep.”

“It's a bother. I just want to sleep.”

She whimpered like a sleepy child throwing a tantrum and tried to push him away.

Ignoring her resistance, Varkas wrapped one arm around her back and picked up the bowl of soup from the tray.

“You have to eat at least a little. You need to regain your strength.”

Holding the bowl in the same arm that supported her, he lifted a spoon with his free hand.

Thin wisps of steam rose from the light soup, made with clear chicken broth, softened barley, and various herbs.

After cooling it to a suitable temperature, he held it to her lips.

The woman, who had wrinkled her nose in displeasure, reluctantly opened her mouth.

He carefully fed her while watching her expression closely.

Fortunately, it seemed to suit her taste.

After pursing lips that resembled a rosebud, she quietly swallowed the soup.

Releasing a small sigh of relief, he scooped up another spoonful of the clear broth.

“One more bite.”

Still dozing against his chest, she obediently opened her mouth again.

She looked just like a baby bird opening its beak to receive food.

Feeling something heavy swell deep within his heart, he continued feeding her at an even pace.

The woman who would ordinarily have complained that she didn't want to eat finished an entire bowl of porridge without leaving a single drop.

Looking contentedly at the empty bowl, Varkas gently wiped her lips with his thumb.

“Should I bring you some more?”

“No. I'm full.”

She frowned and curled into a small ball.

Setting the bowl aside, he gently rubbed just below her breastbone.

Was this what fullness felt like?

His own stomach wasn't full, yet a strange feeling of satisfaction welled up inside him.

Immersed in that unfamiliar sensation, he slowly let out a long breath.

For more than ten years, he had never once experienced hunger.

Naturally, he had never indulged himself or eaten until he was full.

He had always consumed only the amount of food necessary to sustain himself.

But if any desire for food still remained somewhere within him, he thought this overwhelming sense of fulfillment must resemble the feeling of eating everything one truly loved.

Resting his cheek against her fragrant hair, scented with rose oil, he endlessly stroked the gentle rise and fall of her back.

The soft sound of her steady breathing quietly blended into the still evening air.

Listening to it, he gazed at her peaceful face for a long while.

Perhaps this overwhelming sensation was simply something every man experienced.

Wasn't the instinct to feed one's mate until she was full and care for her tenderly engraved into the blood of every male?

Thinking of it that way, his unusual reaction suddenly felt perfectly natural.

Having neatly organized his thoughts, Varkas wrapped both arms securely around her and quietly closed his eyes.

* * *

“Congratulations, Your Highness. There is no doubt that you are with child.”

The priestess smiled brightly after completing her examination.

Talia merely blinked blankly.

Only after hearing her nanny's excited voice did she finally come back to herself.

“Oh, my dear young lady! Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!”

The nanny threw her arms around Talia and vigorously patted her back with her thick palm.

Beyond the nanny's round shoulders, Talia noticed the chief maid's face, rigid with alarm.

Did she dislike the news of her pregnancy?

A wary look filled Talia's eyes.

Before she could think further, the chief maid roughly seized the nanny's shoulder and snapped in a stern voice,

“What are you doing treating a pregnant woman so roughly? What if you startled the baby?”

The sharp rebuke made the nanny's face flush bright red.

Pouting, she protested,

“Who says I'm treating her roughly? I've looked after my young lady ever since she was a newborn! No one knows her condition better than I do!”

“And yet you never even realized she was pregnant.”

The chief maid's blunt remark instantly silenced her.

After repeatedly insisting that Talia [N O V E L I G H T] must be pregnant, she herself had failed to notice the changes taking place in Talia's body.

The same was true of Talia.

Her monthly bleeding had stopped quite some time ago, yet she had never connected that fact with pregnancy.

Perhaps, somewhere deep inside, she had never truly believed she could become pregnant.

With a bewildered expression, she lowered her gaze to her lower abdomen.

Even now, it still didn't feel real.

Was there truly a child inside her?

As she awkwardly stroked her still-flat stomach, a firm voice sounded beside her head.

“Until now, we have respected Your Highness's wishes. However, from this point onward, you must be attended by the maids of the Grand Ducal House.”

Talia glared at her suspiciously.

Her hand instinctively tightened over her stomach.

“Why should I? I don't have any problems the way things are now.”

“Your Highness is no longer alone. We cannot entrust the safety of the child, who may become the next heir of the Grand Ducal House, to inexperienced attendants.”

The chief maid spoke resolutely.

An anxious look spread across Talia's face as she tightly clutched her nanny's sleeve.

“What can someone like you possibly do if I say no? How dare a mere maid tell me what I should or shouldn't do—!”

“Your Highness, please think of the baby.”

The priestess, who had remained silent until then, suddenly joined the conversation.

Talia turned toward her with a stiff expression.

While writing something across a sheet of parchment, the priestess calmly continued,

“At present, the pregnancy itself places a considerable burden on Your Highness's body. If you wish to deliver the baby safely, you absolutely must receive professional care.”

Fear instantly spread across Talia's face.

“Is... is my body really that bad?”

“At present, maintaining the pregnancy itself will be difficult.”

The cautious reply made her heart sink.

The priestess lowered her eyes apologetically before continuing.

“Fortunately, the baby is extremely healthy. However, Your Highness's condition is not. As the child grows larger, the strain on your body will increase beyond measure, and that burden will inevitably affect the baby as well. If you wish to carry the child safely for the full ten months, you must begin receiving proper care immediately.”

“...What... what do I have to do?”

“You must eat plenty of nutritious food and keep both your body and mind at ease. Above all, during the early stages of pregnancy, you must be extremely careful with your activities.”

Talia's face had gone deathly pale as she nervously bit her lip.

In a frightened voice, she asked,

“...If I do everything you say... will I really be alright?”

Apparently pleased by how cooperative her patient had suddenly become, a gentle smile appeared on the priestess's face.

“Of course. If you begin taking proper care of yourself now, you'll be able to deliver your baby safely.”

After studying her suspiciously for a moment, Talia slowly nodded.

The priestess packed all of her medical instruments back into her bag before standing.

She handed the chief maid a parchment covered in writing and carefully explained all the precautions that should be taken during the early stages of pregnancy.

Talia briefly noticed her nanny, who had apparently been pushed aside from her position as Talia's personal attendant, pouting in dissatisfaction.

Pretending not to notice, she looked away.

After all, it was true that her nanny was absent-minded and careless.

If she had only herself to worry about, she wouldn't have cared.

But now that there was a baby inside her, it really did seem wiser to keep capable attendants close by.

'The baby...'

Once more, she lowered her eyes to her stomach.

Inside her was Varkas's child.

As she turned that unbelievable fact over and over in her mind, she suddenly grabbed the chief maid.

“Don't tell Varkas.”

The chief maid looked startled for a moment before her expression grew solemn.

“I cannot do that. Naturally, His Grace must also be informed—”

“I'll tell him myself.”

Talia hurriedly interrupted her.

“So keep it a secret until then.”

She deliberately lifted the corner of her eyes and issued the warning with all the authority she could muster.

The maids throughout the room exchanged awkward glances.

One of them cautiously spoke.

“Your Highness... His Grace already...”

“I understand. We shall remain silent until Your Highness tells His Grace personally today.”