Sophie was very happy when they stopped in front of the tavern and Nicholas helped her get off his horse. She had not visited a tavern in a long time and mingled with common people from human society. She realized her life after she was involved with the lycans was very different from what she was used to.
She actually missed living among regular humans and become part of their society again. She didn't speak the Lycan language, what she understood was only what people told her. Leland and her children were her translators within the pack. Without them, she was clueless when the pack members communicated within themselves.
She didn't understand their heart and their custom, and even though she knew their tradition and their way of life, she was still an outsider to them until the very end. Her mate and children were her only connection to the lycan society.
However, now that she was out of the pack, her children had become rogues, even though in their case, they were not viewed in a negative way by the pack, it was still a fact that the children were now pack-less.
That's why Sophie wanted to go back to her origins and immerse herself back in human society, and at the same time get her children to be part of human society again. They had studied in Cow Dung, and now they would be educated in the royal palace by the best teachers.
However, she still believed that the best place to learn about life was outside, within the community. So, she was happy Nicholas allowed her to go out of the golden cage, the palace, and built her own nest outside.
She was happy to see the crowd in the tavern. Men and women were talking and drinking in there, making the tavern look more like a social house. Sophie had observed that Riga, especially the capital, was quite progressive with women having almost the same rights as men.
It was not unusual to see female entrepreneurs or adventurers hanging out in public places like this. Sophie's presence in the tavern didn't cause a frown, except maybe for the fact that she was really beautiful and she was accompanied by a very handsome and imposing man by her side.
"I like this place," said Sophie to Nicholas. "It's very vibrant."
"Yeah, many people like it too," said Nicholas. He pulled her hand to sit at the only empty table in the tavern, in the right corner side. After they sat comfortably, Nicholas ordered a jug of wine for them. He immediately realized that Sophie didn't drink wine because she was pregnant and immediately changed his order midway.
"A pot of tea with two cups, please," he said to the waiter.
"Oh, you can order wine for yourself," said Sophie. "Don't let my pregnancy stop you. I can take the tea."
Nicholas shook his head and smiled lightly, "No, that's fine. I didn't come here to get drunk. I just want to accompany you to see your competition, so you can prepare your tavern and make it better."
Sophie smiled and thanked him. After the waiter took note of their order, a pot of tea with two cups and some cakes, they spend their time observing their surroundings and taking notes. While waiting for the order, the tea and cake came, Sophie and Nicholas took the opportunity to chat and discuss Sophie's situation.
"By the way, have you checked up on your pregnancy with the royal doctor?" Nicholas asked while pouring the tea into a cup. He gave it to her and continued. "It's already three months in, right? I think lycan babies are born after 4.5 or 5 months."
"That's right," said Sophie. She unconsciously rubbed her belly and a smile curved up on her face. "That's why I need to make sure that the renovation and preparation to open the tavern can go smoothly before I give birth."
"Do you experience any nausea, or discomfort during this pregnancy?" Nicholas asked patiently.
Sophie shook her head. "Nothing actually..."
"Yeah, but still you need to get checked," Nicholas said again. He looked at her, feeling conflicted about whether he should tell her what knew about her baby or not.
His worry was picked up by Sophie who furrowed her brows and thought Nicholas was being too pushy about asking her to get checked. Before she could ask him, the waiter had returned with their order.
The waiter served the teapot made of beautiful clay, meant for export, on the table and poured it into their two cups respectively. Sophie mouthed her thank you when the waiter took her leave. Then Sophie turned to Nicholas and asked him why he was so persistent that she must she the royal doctor.
"Oh, nothing... I am just concerned because I don't want anything to happen to you and the baby," said Nicholas, giving an excuse. "I was never in this position before, so please pardon my lack of understanding in handling the matter."
Sophie thought he was right. She needed to care for herself and her baby to make sure that she would have a smooth pregnancy.
She didn't have the time and energy to meet with healers or doctors before since she was dealing with a heartbreak. However, now that the baby was getting bigger and was ready to come, she must pull herself together and start taking care of herself.
However... now that Nicholas mentioned the doctor and her pregnancy, Sophie just realized one thing.
For a woman who was pregnant with lycan baby three months in, her belly was still too flat. It didn't seem like she was pregnant at all. She remembered when she was pregnant with Luciel and Jan, and Jack and Anne, at this stage, her belly was already protruding and she gained some weight.
Was this time different because she didn't carry twins like before? Or... did her sadness and stress cause her body to not get the nutrition needed by her and the baby? If that was the latter, Sophie started to worry.
"Let's meet the doctor after we go back to the palace," Sophie said uneasily. "I need to get checked."
"Okay," said Nicholas. He was relieved because Sophie agreed with him.
They spend time until they finished their tea observing the waiters working in the tavern, the customers, and the overall vibe of that place. Once Sophie was happy with what she saw, she asked Nicholas to go home.
Once she reached the palace, Sophie saw her children and the queen playing in the inner garden, close to the queen's quarter. Even Anne looked slightly better and she was watching her siblings play catch from the old queen's arms.
As soon as the kids smelled their mother's scent, they changed the direction of their running and went to her. Sophie laughed heartily as she almost fell down by their enthusiastic jump. Fortunately, Nicholas was quick to support her.
"You all look happy," she commented. Sophie turned to the queen and smiled. "Thank you for staying with them, Your Grace."
"Ah, don't mention it," the queen smiled back. "They are the most adorable and the best children ever! Being with them makes me feel much younger."
Sophie accepted Anne from the queen and kissed her head. "You look happy too, love."
Anne nuzzled her head to Sophie's chest, making Sophie understand that her baby wanted to be nursed. She turned to Nicholas and excuse herself to go to her chamber so she could nurse her babies.
"I will send the doctor soon," said Nicholas. "Do you want me to be there when he examines you?"
Sophie thought about it and then shook her head. "Uhm, thank you, but I think I can handle it myself."
"Okay," Nicholas was disappointed but he didn't force his presence. He was worried about her fetus, but he didn't want to show it in front of Sophie. It would be better if he asked the doctor to meet him later and explained her condition.
He could only watch Sophie's back view as she disappeared with Anne, followed by Jack behind the door. Luciel and Jan stayed behind to continue their studies with the queen and their teachers.
***
Sophie couldn't believe her hearing when the doctor explained her condition.
"Uhm... come again?" she asked the old doctor. "Did you say the first trimester?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes, my lady. Your baby is very healthy for this stage. It's still very, very small. It's normal for someone in her first trimester. You have to rest well and eat good food for the next six months to ensure you will have a healthy pregnancy until the end."
"Uhm... I don't think you understand, doctor," said Sophie. "I already explained that my husband is a lycan and I am carrying a baby lycan. We don't need nine months to—"
The doctor furrowed his brows. "I treated lycan patients before, Your Grace, so I know what a lycan pregnancy is like. Yours is not one."
Sophie was dumbfounded by the doctor's explanation. What did he mean by... she was not carrying a lycan baby?