Chapter 44

The Fifth Plan: To Protect the Child (1)

Carl had been looking for Gellerhard for quite some time now. The unanswered call eventually reverberated hollowly throughout the castle. And every time that happened, I comforted him by saying that Dad would soon come back when it had gotten cold and also, when he had finally returned, he would then ride a sleigh with Carl while building a snowman as they played catch together. Fortunately, Carl’s dog had lingered around its disappointed owner before it rushed towards him, which diverted Carl’s mind to another place. In the end, Carl, who had kept looking for his father, slowly understood as time passed that he could no longer see his father easily.

Carl would constantly urge the people around him to play just like how he did with his father who had good strength and stamina since Carl had enjoyed himself playing with him during the winter. After tugging on their clothes with his small hands, he would then dash away and everyone would have to run along trying to catch the Young Master. And eventually, even the escort knights would often become the ones tagged as well.

Ultimately, the 2nd Knight Commander recommended him to start his swordsmanship lessons. And for that time, more than a swordsmanship lesson, it was actually more like a physical education class as well as playtime. The nannies were able to secure some free time as the active children, like Carl himself, took swordsmanship lessons together, but I still had to watch over Carl and the dog at that time since Carl never wanted to stay apart.

That was how Gellerhard had fallen out of our daily lives as his vacancy began to get filled little by little. As the Duchy calmed down once again and I gradually got used to the Duchess’s work, I suddenly felt some strange symptoms appearing in my body little by little. My energy had been running low and my digestion was not going well too, so I eventually lost my appetite. At first, I thought that I might have gotten sick after sending Gellerhard away while preparing for the war, but after seeing that I was actually upset at the smell of food I usually ate well, one could already guess the reason.

“Mandy—”

Carl, who was still eating on my lap, began to look at me with a tearful look on his face. The maid instantly put away the soup that she had quickly brought in, but the smell still lingered behind. So, I suppressed my grumbling stomach and put Carl down from my lap.

“Carl, you should carry on eating with your grandmother today. Mother, uwook! Do tell them that you’d continue to eat with Carl…!”

My mouth soon watered and my stomach started churning at once. After barely speaking to Carl and the maid, I ran out of the dining hall and could hear Carl’s voice trailing behind me while calling out; ‘Mandy!’. Nevertheless, I just couldn’t turn back at all. Right after I emptied my stomach, Mother-in-law then came over to me as she knew that I had skipped meals and just drank some cold water instead along with a doctor.

“I heard that you couldn’t eat because you were feeling sick. Your physical condition has been quite bad lately, so let’s get you a formal diagnosis.”

“Yes, Mother. Thank you for caring.”

“What?”

Although she seemed to be trying hard not to show it off at me, the Duchess Dowager’s expression was filled with such anticipation that couldn’t be hidden at all. Her mouth drew into a strange arc as she tried to force down the corners of her already widely curved mouth.

“Mandy!”

The puppy hurriedly trailed behind Carl. The child, who started reaching his arms out for my embrace, was automatically pulled back by his grandmother.

“Carl, wait a moment.”

“The Doctor will look after Mandy for a while to make sure that she is not sick. So, Carl, please wait for a moment.”

“Ugh, uh uh.”

Carl puckered her lips and quietly stood in one place. Carl’s dog gently took a seat next to him as well and the doctor began to ask me about my symptoms calmly before questioning this and that as she finally took out a small tool from her bag. Something that was like a stethoscope slowly touched my chest as well as stomach and just within minutes, the doctor had confirmed my own pregnancy. Still, it wasn’t that visible yet. On top of that, Gellerhard and I had already slept so much together that I couldn’t even guess the specific time when I had become pregnant.

“Carl will soon have a younger sibling!”

The Duchess Dowager was very happy as she squeezed my hand. Carl didn’t seem to understand her words at all, but since he could notice the joy in his grandmother’s voice, he started smiling broadly. The doctor then took about two steps away from me and Carl instantly tried to mount onto the couch where I was still half-lying.

He put his hands on the couch and groaned before his puppy proceeded to push his bottoms up with its head, which eventually gave Carl a nudge. In fact, I also gently lent my hands to him as well. Carl eventually came up on top of me as if he was rolling over and I immediately hugged him in a familiar embrace. Even after he had weaned off, Carl still had a scent like that of such sweet milk. And even though the doctor said that I was pregnant, it didn’t really feel true at all. However, it straight away turned real when I had Carl in my arms.