Chapter 182: Round Belly And A Baby
Seren thought she would be led directly to Drayce, but her servants escorted her to an empty dining hall where she was informed she would be having her morning meal first. After the palace maids prepared the local delicacies of Griven on the table, Eva and Marie told everyone to leave and positioned themselves outside the door, knowing that their queen preferred to eat without people serving by her side.
After some time, Seren heard a knock and Eva entered.
"Your Majesty, the King will be arriving soon to escort you to meet the King and Queen of Griven. Are you done dining or do we inform him to give you more time?"
"I have finished my meals," she replied as she shook her head.
While the palace maids were clearing out the table, Drayce entered the room with a colder than normal expression, causing Seren to keep her gaze lowered. She dared not look at him and decided to be cautious around him to not make any mistake that would anger him again.
"Your Majesty," she managed to force out as she stood up from her seat.
Drayce could see through her thoughts. He didn't like it but he was at fault for scaring her. However, this was neither the right time nor the best place for them to talk.
He went to her and said, "Shall we, my Queen?"
With her gaze still lowered, she nodded. Drayce could see her hands shivering and frowned inside. Well, again she was not to blame for it.
Escorted by their guards and servants, Drayce and Seren walked towards the royal drawing-room where they would be meeting the Royal Family of Cromwell, the ruling family of the Kingdom of Griven. It was a grand reception room of gold and white, with rich decorations made of white marble and redwood, meant to receive guests of the highest importance. Seren had never entered the drawing rooms in the Royal Palace of Abetha, as she was a princess who had never entertained nor welcomed guests before, but she had seen the drawing-room of the Loyset Family and there was nothing to compare.
In the middle of the drawing-room was an intimate arrangement of comfortable cushioned seats and a table with tea and snacks prepared on it. Three men, one old and two young, as well as a graceful middle-aged woman, were occupying four of the eight chairs the moment Drayce and Seren arrived.
Upon seeing the young couple, the royals inside all rose on their feet, while the servants all bowed. The middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious white coat stood up to welcome them as well, his smile warm. "Alas, King Drayce, good to see you here in the palace. Ever since you have been crowned, there have been no chances for us to meet like this."
The older man's friendly words immediately turned the atmosphere of the formal gathering into a more casual one, and it allowed the initially nervous Seren to breathe a bit easier.
"I hope you have been well, King Ailwin," Drayce said while Seren just bowed lightly to greet him. "This is my Queen, Seren Ivanov of Megaris. My Queen, this is King Ailwin Cromwell of Griven."
Arlan took the role of introducing the rest of his family. "This is my beautiful mother, Queen Julien Cromwell, and of course, you have met my younger brother already. No need to reintroduce him."
At the last line, Lenard threw a glare at the older prince, but Arlan simply grinned back.
Used to his first son's antics, the King of Griven, King Ailwin, simply shook his head as he offered a smile to the newly wedded couple. "King Drayce, Queen Seren, we are glad you have decided to take a stop in our kingdom."
The Queen of Griven, Queen Julien, offered a pleasant smile to the lady standing in front of her who had covered her face in a veil. "I hope the new Queen of Megaris is comfortable here with the hospitality from Griven."
Seren nodded lightly to what she said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Queen Julien covered her mouth with a gloved hand as she let out a graceful chuckle. Unlike the peerless beauty, Queen Niobe, who had a proud and regal air, the older queen gave off a more motherly and kind impression to Seren. "Oh my, what a polite young woman. We are both queens. Addressing me as Julien is fine, my dear."
Seren was not used to chatting with people from high society, much less with royalty, and she was yet to be taught the rules of royal etiquette required for a queen. However, Martha had taught her before that openly refusing a royal in front of others was never the wisest move, as most royals consider that rude and offensive.
"I have received your kindness, Queen Julien."
Queen Julien was pleased. "Treat Griven as your home as well."
The Kingdom of Griven. From the books, Seren was aware of the most basic introductions about the known kingdoms as well as their respective histories and royal families. The current King of Griven was said to be also one of the most powerful kings in the entire continent, praised for his strong morals and always ensuring that his policies were relevant and for the benefit of his kingdom and its people. He was the kind of king who even welcomed audiences with ordinary merchants and commoners.
"We are still waiting for someone. Please have a seat first," King Ailwin offered.
Even before Drayce and Seren could head towards the chairs arranged for them, the door of the drawing-room suddenly slammed open.
"Dray!" A little girl in a bright pink dress ran to hug Drayce's leg.
Drayce looked down at the girl whose height barely reached his waist, and she looked up at him with a bright toothy smile. "Dray, I missed you!"
Drayce offered the little girl a rare kind smile and patted her head. "Rayjin, you have grown up fast."
Seren looked at the little girl who looked around the age of four or five before turning her attention at the man smiling kindly at her. He looked nothing like his usual cold and indifferent self. The times Drayce would smile was rare, and even then, it was usually of faint amusement or when mocking someone. It was the first time for her to see this red-eyed man smiling at someone with such tender warmth.
'Isn't this girl scared of him?' Seren could not help but wonder.
Arlan crouched down in front of the girl with a pout on his face. "Naughty girl, why are you not greeting your grandparents and uncles first? You are showing favoritism! Your Uncle Arlan is hurt."
The little girl laughed, her voice sounding like sweet chimes of bells. "But I missed Dray the most!"
Another person entered the drawing-room and spoke in a soft tone, "Rayjin, you can't address the King of Megaris like this."
"Hide me from Mother!"
The little girl covered her mouth as if she got caught saying something bad and peeked from behind Drayce's leg. Drayce patted the little girl's head, as to console her to not be scared, and turned to look at the lady who had just arrived.
The lady who had just entered was walking slowly due to her heavy round belly that showed she was pregnant, and one more lady who seemed to be her servant was helping her walk. She was pretty and graceful, dressed in a luxurious dress not lesser than any of the royals inside the drawing-room. Her already delicate-looking skin emitted the additional glow that expecting mothers had. Her appearance seemed to be similar to the Queen of Griven, only younger by around two decades.
"Father, mother, I apologize for arriving later than our honored guests," she said, her voice soft by nature.
King Ailwin smiled at his daughter. "You came just on time, my child."
"Greetings, the King and Queen of Megaris!" The lady bowed and looked at Seren. "I am Alvera, the Duchess of Wimark and the First Princess of Griven."
Drayce too greeted her back. "We accept your greetings, Duchess Alvera." Seren bowed lightly.
The two princes bowed in front of the lady. "Eldest sister!"
Duchess Alvera's facial features looked similar to Prince Arlan, seemingly to have taken the appearance from their mother. On the other hand, Prince Lenard looked more like their father.
The beautiful pregnant lady accepted the greetings with a light nod and looked at the little girl still hiding behind Drayce's legs.
"Rayjin, how do we greet members of royalty?"
The little girl reluctantly came out of hiding and stood to one side of her mother. She first faced her own grandparents and did a curtsy.
"Granddaughter greets His Majesty Grandpa and Her Majesty Grandma." She then faced Drayce and Seren. "Daughter of Duke Wimark, Rayjin Wimark, greets the King and Queen of Megaris!"
The cute little girl suddenly looked obedient, as if her earlier mischief was an illusion.? The bright smile on her lips that made her chubby cheeks look fluffy was gone. Her eyes that were as bright as stars when she clung on to Dryace's leg had now lost their brightness. She stood like a proper lady, but her face betrayed her true emotions. She puckered her lips in displeasure and her tiny nose looked even smaller.
Seren looked at the cute little girl and found her so adorable and wondered why this lady who seemed to be her mother had to discipline her.
'Seems like this lady is like Martha.'
Seren remembered her childhood days. Martha used to be strict with her and how much Seren hated it. But now, she missed Martha the most.
Everyone sat in the chairs, and soon, they were all in conversation. King Ailwin talked about a few matters related to their kingdoms with Drayce, while Queen Julien, who realized that Seren preferred to listen, mostly talked with her children without making the younger queen feel out of place. It appeared that both monarchs of Griven excelled in the art of conversation.
When everyone was busy talking, Seren's eyes could not help but glance at the round belly of the woman who sat opposite to her.
In a picture book, she once read as a kid, there was a prince who saved a princess and they married. The book described that after the marriage, she got pregnant. In the accompanying picture, the princess had a round belly, and in the picture after that, she had a baby in her arms.
'My sister, First Princess Giselle, had such a round belly too on her first visit to the palace after she married a noble from Mivesea. Martha told me she was having a baby in her tummy.'
This realization caused Seren's eyes to open wide in disbelief. 'How did I forget that? I am married too.' Her hand lightly moved towards her own stomach and she lowered her gaze a little to look at her own flat tummy. 'Doesn't seem like there is any change...yet. Will I have such a round belly too? And a baby in it?'
Her heart leaped in her chest at the thought.
'No!' she screamed inside.
Drayce, who sat next to her, noticed her reaction from the corner of his eyes and could not help but smile inwardly. He could somewhat guess what she must be thinking since her gaze was fixed on Alvera's round belly and she then touched her own.
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