[IYFILWATIP] Chapter 14

“Of course, I only follow Your Highness’s orders. If you tell me not to tell anyone, I won’t. But I don’t understand why you want to keep this a secret. This is a very joyful occasion. Your Highness can finally have a baby. It’s a celebration for the empire.” 

Kirona blankly repeated the unfamiliar word. 

“...Baby?” 

“Yes, a baby. A baby that looks like Your Highness. A proud heir to the empire.” 

The attendant replied, lowering his green eyes and gently wiping the tears from Kirona’s eyes. 

It was certainly a very disrespectful action. Something a mere attendant should never do to the empire’s first royal. But Kirona couldn’t stop or scold him. 

“What’s your name?” 

“...Francis.” 

“Francis?” 

“Yes, I’m Francis, Your Highness.” 

Francis smiled like a picture and looked directly at Kirona. 

***

Sixteen years old. She fell in love. 

He was a man as beautiful as a flower. Although of low status, to Kirona, he was like a splendid knight straight out of a fairy tale. He was always there when she needed him and said the words she desperately wanted to hear. 

‘Please stay by my side, Your Highness. I don’t need anything else. I only need you...’ 

“Your Highness, do you no longer need the sleeping herbs?” 

“I don’t need them anymore.” 

Emma Hugin raised an eyebrow. Kirona was humming a tune as she moved around the office like she was dancing. Emma had noticed that Kirona had been visibly brighter lately, but it was the first time she had seen her this excited. 

“Is something good happening?” 

At Emma’s question, Kirona grinned. Then, as if showing off, she held out the bouquet she was carrying in her arms. 

“Aren’t the flowers pretty?” 

“Oh, they’re pretty. Did you receive them as a gift?” 

Emma answered out of politeness. In truth, it wasn’t a particularly pretty bouquet. Dwayne flowers, just simple wildflowers that could be seen anywhere in the empire. A few of the flowers were already wilting. 

For gifts, flowers are usually treated with magic to keep them fresh for a long time. It seemed clear that this bouquet hadn’t been bought but picked directly from somewhere. Whoever gave it clearly hadn’t thought much about it, Emma thought with a click of her tongue. It was a rather humble gift for a royal who could have anything in the world. 

“They say the flower’s meaning is ‘love that transcends time.’ Isn’t that romantic?” 

But Kirona seemed genuinely happy. 

Watching her, Emma recalled a rumour that had been circulating in the palace. When she first heard it, she had laughed it off as nonsense. 

‘They say Princess Kirona and Francis are in some kind of relationship.’ 

Emma knew who Francis was. He was one of the attendants who served Kirona closely, a boy with red hair and green eyes, around Kirona’s age. 

Emma remembered once seeing them whispering something to each other and then quickly pulling away as if burned when she entered the office. Now that she thought about it, they did spend an unusual amount of time together. 

With that one knot untangled, all of Kirona’s strange behaviour suddenly made sense. 

“No way, Your Highness, that...” 

“Emma.” 

Kirona interrupted Emma’s words and sat down on the bed. This time, her expression was serious. 

“Do you think I could get pregnant?” 

“It’s definitely possible. You’ve already proven that your reproductive function is normal.” 

Sometimes, when you hear something shocking, you speak before you fully process the meaning. Emma, trying to ignore the flood of questions that arose, added an explanation. 

“If you conceive right after the second fever passes, it should be fine. There’s a recovery period of at least a year between fevers. That should be enough time to have a baby...” 

“...” 

“Why are you suddenly asking about this...?” 

Could it be that Francis or whoever he was put the idea in her head? Emma felt frustrated as if she had turned into an old, closed-minded woman. To her, the royal sisters, including Kirona, were like daughters. She felt especially fond of Kirona, who was suffering from an incurable illness. 

But Kirona, unaware of Emma’s feelings, nodded firmly as Emma trailed off. 

“Yes, I want to have a baby.” 

“...Honestly, I want to advise against it.” 

“Why?” 

“Pregnancy and childbirth are processes that put a great strain on the body. Even for healthy women. It can leave lasting aftereffects, cause irreversible damage, and some even die in the process.” 

“I know that. But I’m not scared. I’m going to die anyway.” 

Kirona spoke firmly. It seemed she had already made up her mind. Emma knew how stubborn this princess could be. If she had come forward and brought it up herself, there was likely no room for negotiation. Emma sighed and offered another suggestion. 

“If you must, how about not now, but a few years later? After the third fever passes. You’re only sixteen now. You’re too young. Wait until you’re a little older...”