Talia looked back and forth between the head maid's rigid, stern-looking face and the maids standing behind her with suspicious eyes.
"You say that to my face, but you're all planning to report everything behind my back, aren't you?"
"As if we would ever do such a thing. Until Your Highness chooses to announce it yourself, not one of us will utter a single word. Please put your mind at ease."
Standing perfectly straight, the head maid made the promise with a solemn expression.
Talia stared up at her through half-lidded eyes before giving a haughty little nod.
"Fine. Now all of you may leave."
"Have you already forgotten what the High Priestess said? You must remain on absolute bed rest for the time being. From now on, your assigned maids will remain at your side at all times to attend you."
The head maid spoke as if driving a nail into place, then called the maids standing behind her.
"Brisa, Yvonne."
The two girls whose names had been called stepped quietly toward the bed.
Talia slowly examined their youthful faces. They were the young maids who occasionally helped dress her or carried meals to her room.
"They are the quickest-witted and most capable among the maids. Please keep them close and make use of them as you see fit."
The two girls bowed their heads simultaneously.
Looking at them with obvious dissatisfaction, Talia issued a warning in a dignified voice.
"If either of you gets in my way even a little, I'll throw you out."
"We will do everything in our power to ensure we never inconvenience Your Highness."
The maid named Brisa answered in a clear, unwavering voice.
Talia let out a quiet snort before turning over onto her side.
Taking her silent dismissal as an order, everyone except the two maids gradually left the room.
The peace, however, did not last long.
Not long afterward, the healing mage arrived.
"Congratulations, Your Highness."
The woman approached with the same composed expression as always and offered a careful greeting.
Talia glared at her suspiciously.
"So you mean to tell me you never noticed I was carrying a child?"
"I had my suspicions to some extent. However, I believed it would be better to speak only after I was certain."
The woman replied calmly.
A disbelieving laugh escaped Talia's lips.
"You believed? Since when do you have the right to make decisions about my body?"
"...I was only worried that Your Highness would be heartbroken."
Lowering her eyes, the healing mage quietly defended herself.
"You have already been under considerable pressure regarding pregnancy, have you not? During the early stages there is always the possibility of a misdiagnosis. Moreover, Your Highness's physical condition was extremely poor, so I intended to observe you for a few more days before saying anything."
Talia's expression darkened.
"My condition is that bad?"
For a brief moment, conflict flickered across the healer's face.
She glanced toward the two maids standing beside the bed before explaining in the language of the elves.
"Your Highness has a constitution that makes pregnancy itself difficult. Your vitality has always been exceptionally weak, and your pelvis was also slightly displaced because of the accident. Even if you do conceive, you must exercise extraordinary caution."
Although there were several unfamiliar words mixed into the explanation, understanding the meaning was not difficult.
The color drained from Talia's face as she pressed her lips tightly together.
Seeing from her reaction that Talia had understood, the healing mage continued.
"I remained silent until now because I did not wish for the Grand Ducal House to learn this. If, by any chance, something were to happen to the child, Your Highness might be the one blamed."
Swallowing hard, Talia slowly forced out clumsy Elvish.
"The High Priestess of the Grand Temple of Kalmor examined me. By now... everyone must already know."
"I have just returned from meeting that priestess under the pretext of hearing her opinion. Fortunately, she doesn't appear to have noticed anything about Your Highness's constitution."
The healing mage let out a small sigh, took Talia's hand in hers, and urged her,
"Even so, from now on, please avoid being examined by anyone else whenever possible. If Your Highness safely gives birth to a son through this pregnancy, everything should be fine... but there is always the possibility that something unexpected could happen."
Talia's lips stiffened.
The elation that had made her feel almost intoxicated vanished in an instant.
Biting down repeatedly on her lower lip, she finally gave a small nod.
"I understand."