Side Story 2 – Three Months
Side Story 2
Three Months
“Then, regarding the damage in the northern region…”
“The treatment of Eastern merchants is more urgent!”
“Whatever the case, our primary concern should be our imperial citizens’…”
The council chamber was heating up. The nobles’ passionate debates seemed endless.
As Ashaella had advised—to let the nobles exchange their opinions as much as possible—Hadel was simply listening quietly this time as well.
If he remained silent like this, the nobles would eventually turn to him for the final decision.
“Your Majesty!”
“Emperor! Please make a decision!”
“A decision!”
The nobles, who had been appealing to Hadel with eager eyes, suddenly held their breath in unison as if by agreement.
“Y-Your Majesty…?”
Ordinarily, the Emperor would have made a decision by now, but for some reason, he was frowning intensely with his lips tightly sealed.
Wasn’t the Emperor someone who never got angry these days and always wore a smiling expression?
This savage expression was so rare that the nobles were busy exchanging glances.
It was a silent contest of who would step forward and ask the Emperor what was wrong.
The winner was the Duke of Deache. He was the Empress’s father and also a great noble who enjoyed the Emperor’s trust and favor, so he was unlikely to fall out of favor.
The Duke let a bead of cold sweat trickle down as he struggled to open his mouth.
“Your Majesty, has something… unpleasant happened?”
His voice trembled slightly at the end, but the Duke managed to complete his sentence.
Yet the Emperor still gave no answer.
At this moment, only one thought crossed the nobles’ minds:
‘He must have fought with the Empress!’
But they couldn’t ask that directly. This wasn’t just any issue, but one concerning the Empress.
The issue to which the Emperor was most sensitive. If they made a misstep, it might not end with just a stern rebuke.
‘Shouldn’t someone bring the Empress here?’
The nobles still vividly remembered.
The power of the Empress who had calmed the raging Emperor with just a word!
Everyone’s eyes turned to the Duke of Deache again.
It was pressure for him to do something, being the Empress’s father.
Finally, as the Duke was about to speak again.
“Urgh…!”
Suddenly, with a bizarre sound, the Emperor covered his mouth and stood up abruptly.
“Y-Your Majesty…?”
The nobles looked up at the Emperor with bewildered expressions, but Hadel was in no state to care about such things.
“Ugh…”
The dry heaving rising from deep in his stomach made his head spin.
His stomach had been uncomfortable for days, but since this morning, it had been so bad he wanted to throw up everything he ate.
Not wanting to worry Ashaella, he had quietly taken medicine to aid digestion without showing any signs.
He thought he might have indigestion, but somehow it kept getting worse as time passed, and finally, unable to hold back, the retching burst out.
“Your Majesty! A-Are you alright?”
Deril, who had been standing quietly behind, noticed something was wrong and rushed to support Hadel.
As his body swayed back and forth, Hadel felt even more nauseous and growled out a few words.
“Don’t… touch me. It just makes me dizzier… Urgh…!”
But he couldn’t finish his sentence and covered his mouth again, staggering out of the council chamber.
The nobles, frozen like stones, could only blink at this incomprehensible situation.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I shall support you! You there! Call the imperial physician! Quickly!”
Outside the council chamber, only Deril’s urgent voice and the Emperor’s dry heaving sounds echoed endlessly.
Rumors that the Emperor had contracted a fatal illness began to spread, which was only natural.
* * *
“It’s morning sickness.”
At the imperial physician’s simple and clear statement, the palace fell into silence.
“Imperial physician, have you lost your mind?”
Hadel, whose condition had improved somewhat after taking medicine the physician had temporarily prescribed, frowned and snapped.
The physician’s shoulders flinched at that fierce gaze, but his diagnosis remained unchanged.
“Y-Your Majesty is currently experiencing morning sickness… It’s a condition that will naturally disappear after the Empress gives birth, so please don’t worry too much.”
He tried to give a lengthier explanation, but it was still insufficient to make the Emperor and other attendants understand.
“What nonsense… Why would I, a man, have morning sickness instead of the Empress?”
Feeling the crisis of possibly being expelled from the palace, the imperial physician finally looked around for Ashaella.
“B-Before that… where is the Empress? This is a matter the Empress should hear as well.”
Hadel, who had come to the Sun Palace to avoid worrying Ashaella, frowned.
“The Empress is resting now. First, explain to me in detail. Imperial physician, what exactly does this mean?”
“I, I… well, you see.”
Without the Empress present, one had to be extremely careful not to upset the Emperor’s mood.
The imperial physician, who couldn’t understand why the examination was suddenly taking place in the Sun Palace where the Emperor rarely visited, rolled his eyes.
He was carefully choosing his words, trying to figure out how to avoid offending the Emperor.
“Your Majesty!”
The bedroom door swung open, and a familiar voice was heard.
“I heard you’re unwell, Your Majesty. What’s wrong?”
Shimmering silver hair flowed calmly over the Empress’s robes.
Silver eyes that one could drown in were tinted with worry as they took in Hadel.
“…Asha.”
Visibly dismayed, Hadel avoided Ashaella’s gaze and let out a small sigh.
“Oh, Empress!”
The brightening expressions of the imperial physician and attendants were a bonus.
“How about a lemon tart, Hadel?”
Ashaella held out a well-baked tart to Hadel.
Its tangy scent pricked his nose, stimulating his appetite.
“I think I’m feeling a bit better… Urgh!”
But that was it. As soon as he imagined swallowing food, an unbearable wave of nausea came over him again.
Hadel finally shook his head, his face pallid.
“It’s no use. I can’t eat anything.”
“This is troublesome… I could at least eat desserts.”
It was the third day since the imperial physician had told him he was experiencing morning sickness on Ashaella’s behalf.
Surprisingly, since then, all Hadel had eaten was a crumb of dried bread with no taste or smell.
Ashaella looked at Hadel with concern and put the tart in her mouth.
Tangy, smooth, and nutty flavors filled her mouth.
“By the way, it’s really fascinating. Exactly ten days ago, my morning sickness stopped like magic.”
“That’s a relief, I’m glad you’re alright, Asha.”
Ten days ago was when Hadel had started to experience what he now knew was morning sickness.
It wasn’t as severe then, but as time passed, it became difficult to swallow even a sip of water.
“Really, what can we do?”
Ashaella’s white hand caressed Hadel’s cheek.
Liking the warm, soft sensation, Hadel quietly closed his eyes.
“I wonder how extraordinary a child is trying to be born…”
Until recently, it had been tormenting Ashaella, and now it was tormenting Hadel.
Despite being unable to eat anything, Hadel’s face was full of smiles as he grasped Ashaella’s hand, delighted for some reason.
“So about five months… left?”
“Yes. The physician said the baby could come as early as four months from now. And typically, morning sickness doesn’t last until right before birth. It will probably get better in two or three more months.”
“I’m fine. I just hope it doesn’t go back to you, Asha.”
“Really…”
Hadel smiled broadly at Ashaella, whose eyes said, ‘What am I going to do with this fool?’
