Break of dawn.
In a faraway place at the base of a mountain... an old woman sporting white hair was sitting on the wooden floor inside the wooden hut, she's staring at the candles burning brightly on the altar.
Among the candles, there was one candle that already faded away...
"One is down..." the old woman murmured sadly and it's her favorite among the candles. She clenched her hands in anger. She released a deep sigh.
Not yet the right time for her to intervene!
She rose to her feet and exited the room.
She needs to go somewhere and washed away the pain!
<<<0>>>
One week later.
Inside Luke's mansion.
The Lord is not home yet.
Perdo, Luke's assistant paid a visit to the mansion but didn't stay long, he leaves after asking Adela how's everything going in the mansion.
When Adela asked if Lady Laura can be allowed outside her room, he gives permission as long it's only in the garden. He only took a quick glimpse of Laura but never attempt to talk to her.
Laura spent the whole afternoon in the garden yesterday, enjoying the blooming flowers and some refreshing snacks accompanied by Adela.
However, today, she wanted to go down into the garden but she's feeling sick.
After she eats her lunch two hours ago she vomited in the toilet. Suddenly for some weird reason, she doesn't like the smell of the food anymore, the foods that she used to love eating are now yucky to her, she wonders why?
Adela entered the room and brought milk for the Lady to drink because she hasn't eaten anything after she vomited. "Lady, please drink your milk," she said worriedly. The Lord will surely kill her if the lady will get sick when he returned.
Laura looked at the maid. "Okay, give me the milk," she said.
Adela handed her the glass.
Laura drinks the milk in one go and returned the glass to the maid.
After a few minutes, she ran to the toilet and vomited on the toilet bowl, again!
Adela rushed to her side and rubbed her back. "My lady, I'm deeply worried about your condition. I will order the other servant to bring the healer here," she said.
"Okay, you do that," Laura agreed. She had no idea why she doesn't like the smell of the food anymore, they use to be her favorites but why she can no longer eat them? Maybe she encountered food poisoning? But seems to be unlikely.
She left the bathroom, went to bed, and lay down, staring at the ceiling blankly.
Adela left the room and went to the kitchen. She was suspecting that the lady is pregnant but she won't say the words unless it's not confirmed yet. The lady is still new in the mansion and yet she's already pregnant! If it's indeed true, she wonders how would the Lord feel about the lady's pregnancy?
She had a suspicion that the lady has a lover or husband previously before she was imprisoned against her will inside the mansion.
She would rather keep her mouth shut and not meddle in the affairs of the Lord and the Lady, she's afraid to get fired from her job, she can't afford it!
She found one of the servants cleaning the floor outside the kitchen. She went to her side. "Dory, go to the healer's house and bring Grandma here in the mansion. The lady is sick, she keeps vomiting and can't eat food," she ordered.
"Okay, I'll go there right now," Dory responded. She set aside the broom and left the kitchen, exited the main door, and walked towards the iron gate.
Adela breathed deeply. She went to the staircase and climbs the stairs going back to the lady's room.
When she arrived in the room, the lady was lying on the bed, looking sick and weak. She went to her side and sat on the bed. "My lady, how are you feeling now?" she asked worriedly.
"I have an upset stomach, I can't stop vomiting! Do you think I have food poisoning?" Laura asked.
"I don't think so, my lady. The cook in the kitchen cooked the same food today for all of us and among the fifteen servants who eat the food, you are the only one who vomited," Adela expressed her opinion.
Laura's brows furrowed. "So... what do you think it is? What do you think is my illness?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm not a healer, so let's just wait for Grandmother the healer to arrive here so that she can check your condition. If we have to get the physician here, we need to travel to town first and that's too far away. Let's listen to the healer's opinion first after she checked your condition," Adela replied.
"Okay," Laura agreed.
Fifteen minutes later.
There was a gentle knock on the door.
"Adela, Grandma is here!" Dory's voice rang in the air.
Adela went to the door and opened it. "Grandma, please, come inside!" she told the white-haired old woman.
The healer entered the room.
Adela grabbed a chair and settled the healer beside the lady.
Laura smiled warmly at the old woman.
Grandma returned the lady's smile. "My lady, you keep vomiting? Is it true?"
"Yes," Laura nodded her head. "The foods that I used to like eating, I can no longer eat them. I can't stand their smell," she responded.
"Ah, okay, give me your hand, I'll read your pulse first," the old woman said.
Laura extended her hand and the healer starts reading her pulse.
A few minutes later, the healer was done reading Laura's pulse.
The healer smiled, admiring the lady's beautiful face.
Laura looked at the healer. "Grandma, what do you think is wrong with me?" she asked nervously.
The healer smiled brightly. "There's nothing wrong with you, my lady. Congratulation! You are pregnant! What you experience is just one of the symptoms of being pregnant," she explained.
Laura's eyes widened in shock. "OMG! I'm pregnant!" she exclaimed in happiness. She and her husband Graven finally had a baby! This is good news!
"Yeah, that's why you hated the smell of some of the food that you used to eat previously. I suggest that starting from now, avoid eating the foods that upset your stomach. So, if you don't like the smell, don't eat it. From now on, eat more vegetables and fish dishes, avoid eating too much meat and oily foods." The healer gave valuable advice to the pregnant woman.
Then she looked at Adela. "Your Lady is expecting... every time her stomach is upset serve her a cup of ginger tea 'coz it will help relieve her stomach discomfort. And it also helps alleviate morning sickness, reduced nausea, and vomiting for pregnant women," she explained.
"Okay, I'll do that, Grandma," Adela replied.
"Go now to the kitchen and bring your lady a cup of ginger tea to prevent her from vomiting again," the healer ordered the maid.
"OK," Adela responded and leave the room.
Laura wore a bright smile on her face. She looked at the healer. "Grandma, can you come here and attend to me every time I'm not feeling well? I just want my baby to grow up healthy inside my womb, I will be relying on your advice from now on," she said cheerfully.
"Sure dear, my house is just near here. The servants can easily come to my house anytime if you need my assistance," the healer assured her.
"Thank you, Grandma! How's the baby in my womb?" Laura asked.
Grandma placed her hand on Laura's abdomen for a few minutes. "The baby is growing healthy inside your womb, just avoid getting too emotional and don't dwell so much on the negative side of things so that the baby won't be affected," she advised her.
"Okay, thanks for your advice, Grandma. It's my first time getting pregnant so I'm lost on what to do..." Laura said, feeling grateful for the old woman's advice.
"Oh, so this is your first baby?" the healer asked.
"Yes!" Laura replied brightly.
"The more that you should be careful, first-time pregnancy is always been difficult for some women, but I'm sure you will have a good pregnancy and don't forget to perform some light exercise, eats nutritious food all the time and everything will be alright for you and your baby," Grandmother smiled reassuringly.
Adela returned with a cup of ginger tea and gave it to her lady.
Laura accepted the cup and sipped the tea slowly 'coz it's a bit hot.
A few minutes later, Laura finished drinking the ginger tea. She looked at the healer. "Grandma, can you stay a few hours downstairs just in case I don't feel well again? Just for two hours then you can finally return home," she requested.
"Sure, I'll just kill my time by chatting with the servants downstairs and maybe picked up some herbal medicine in the garden and make you a healthy drink," Grandma replied.
"Thank you, Grandma!" Laura said with a smile.
"Don't mention it. I'll be downstairs," the healer replied and stood up.
Laura smiled radiantly and placed her hands on her tummy.
Grandma and Adela left the room.
Laura feels much better after drinking the ginger tea, the discomfort in her stomach disappeared magically.
She feels ecstatic after learning that she is pregnant with her husband's baby. They finally have a baby!
If Luke will learn about her pregnancy she was sure it will change his mind. He will finally agree to return her to her husband. There's no use imprisoning her in his house when she was already carrying his twin brother's child and the baby will be his cousin or niece!
The God in heaven is merciful to her, he had sent a gift in her tummy to help convince Luke to do the right thing.
She's excited to see her husband and tell him the good news! Graven will be very happy because he's going to be a father soon!
Her face was glowing with happiness after learning of the unexpected news, it is a welcome relief to her, all her worries suddenly disappeared into thin air.
She's looking forward to Luke's return to the mansion, she wanted to tell him the good news that he's going to be an uncle soon!