"Lately, I’ve been finding sweet and tangy things delicious."
Alicia gave an awkward smile.
"Then we should get you more fruit."
"I’m already eating plenty, no need for more."
"Other than fruit, what else do you like?"
"You mean food-wise?"
"It doesn’t have to be food-related."
Cabelenus nodded lightly.
He was in a position where he didn’t need to remember anyone’s preferences.
But he wanted to know Alicia’s preferences — no, more than that, he wished there was nothing he didn’t know about her.
"That’s…"
Under his persistent gaze, Alicia took a short breath.
The sudden question had caught her off guard.
"I think I like drawing."
‘If you like something, you just like it — what’s with saying ‘I think I like it’?’
Alicia slightly furrowed her brow at her own vague words, but Cabelenus didn’t seem to particularly mind.
"And?"
“I like taking walks, and I also enjoy classes...”
"What else?"
"Hmm…"
Alicia began counting the things she liked, then paused mid-sentence.
Come to think of it, she didn’t really know much about that man either.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to talk about it?”
"No."
She quickly shook her head.
"Then?"
"...What about you, Your Highness?"
Alicia looked at Cabelenus with a slightly tense expression.
"Me?"
"What do you like?"
“I’ve never really thought about something like that. Are you curious?”
"Then why did Your Highness ask me what I like?"
The woman, who had once been terrified, now knew how to lift her head and ask back.
Cabelenus found that quite to his liking and gave a faint smile.
“Because I want to know more about you.”
"That’s how I feel, too."
“...”
Of course, that smile didn’t last long.
Cabelenus barely restrained himself from reaching out to her.
The woman had always known how to stir him, then, and now.
So naturally, he had no choice but to return the favour.
A flicker of mischief glinted in his golden eyes.
"I think it’s you."
"…M-me?"
"I’ve never really thought about what I like, but if I had to choose the one thing that’s been on my mind the most lately, it’s you."
“...”
“If I had to express what I like in words, then it would be you.”
“...”
If Zerpheus caught sight of this, he’d likely be cursing right away.
Cabelenus found himself looking to a woman much smaller than him for cues, carefully weighing his words, and even he thought it was absurd.
But Cabelenus liked Alicia’s confused expression enough to endure looking that way.
Watching her face ripple like a lake disturbed by a pebble at even a casually thrown word, he clearly saw what he meant to her.
“What about you?”
"Y-yes?"
"Am I included in the things you like?"
"I…"
Alicia’s expression twisted.
She told herself to hold back, but when she looked into his eyes, she didn’t want to lie.
He liked honesty.
And she didn’t want to do anything he hated.
"So you don’t like me, is that it?"
"No! Th-that…."
"Then which is it?"
No, actually, that was just an excuse.
To be more honest, she wanted to speak her mind.
She was curious what kind of expression that arrogant man would make when she said she liked him.
"…I like you."
Alicia’s face flushed a deep crimson as if it couldn’t get any redder.
Her eyes darted anxiously without rest, and her tense body was stiff as a board.
Even so, she didn’t lower her head until the very end.
Instead, she fixed her gaze on Cabelenus, trying to remember every detail of his reaction.
The man avoided eye contact, and he slightly furrowed his brows as if flustered.
His earlobes were faintly but clearly flushed red, noticeable only on close inspection.
A low, warm breath awkwardly escaped through his tightly clenched teeth, and even the corners of his lips twitched upwards.
Everything.
Alicia’s hand moved reflexively.
She suddenly wanted to draw.
She wished that image would remain in memory forever, unchanged.
"I like you."
"..."
"I really like you."
Her words, packed so tightly with emotion they could no longer be contained, were difficult even to utter.
But because of that, she couldn’t bear not to say them.
Once spoken, the words were like a signal flare, creating cracks in the wall of patience she had carefully built.
"I still feel like I’m dreaming. I’m scared and anxious that I might wake up from this dream at any moment. Even so, my desire to want more hasn’t changed."
“Because you’re not just anyone — you’re Your Highness.”
She said that with a smile.
And the man who heard it twisted his face.
It was strange.
Though these were his own feelings, Cabelenus couldn’t define them.
Alicia had said she ‘liked’ him, but his sharp instincts told him it didn’t end there.
The woman who smiled shyly despite her deathly pale face was certainly something the man 'liked,' but that word alone felt insufficient.
He needed words that could express his feelings more deeply and clearly.
But no matter how hard he tried, the words wouldn’t come to him.
There was only one woman, and every time he saw her, countless thoughts and feelings surged inside him, leaving him unable to find the words to express them.
In the end, all Cabelenus could do was hold Alicia tightly in his arms, savouring her warmth again and again.
・・・・・
"How are you feeling? Are you alright?"
"Yes. I’m fine."
Unlike Alicia, who nodded readily, Madame Morco wore a grim expression.
The list of foods Alicia couldn’t eat was growing by the day.
Now, the only thing she could eat was some fruit — and even then, not all kinds.
At first, she ate all kinds of fruit without issue, but eventually, she couldn’t swallow anything unless it was sharply sour.
"Would you try this, at least?"
"What is this?"
“It’s squeezed lemon juice mixed with sparkling water. I thought you might like it, my lady. Please try it. Of course, if you really can’t drink it, you don’t have to finish it.”
Madame Morco gently handed Alicia the glass, her voice calm and reassuring.
Although Alicia clearly looked reluctant, she couldn’t refuse Madame Morco’s kindness and obediently took a sip.
"...Oh?"
Alicia’s eyes widened.
"Is it okay?"
"Yeah. It’s good."
Clutching the glass tightly with both hands, Alicia smiled shyly, and Madame Morco smiled along with her.
But inside, Madame Morco’s heart was burning with worry.
No matter how much she watched, her suspicions remained the same.
The symptoms Alicia displayed were unmistakably those of a pregnant woman.
Even plain lemon water, which has no added sugar and barely any flavour, was something pregnant women liked to drink.
Yet no physician who had examined Alicia had been able to confirm a pregnancy.
It was as if they had all rehearsed the same line: the symptoms were suspicious, but there was no sign of a fetus.
‘What on earth is going on?’
Madame Morco’s eyes narrowed in concern.
Unable to eat properly, Alicia was growing thinner day by day.
If this continued, she might eventually collapse from exhaustion.
“Is there anything you feel like eating?”
“Something I want to eat?”
“You have to eat something, my lady. At this rate, you’re going to collapse.”
The physician had given her another nutrient injection today, but that couldn’t be a long-term solution.
As Alicia’s inability to eat worsened, Cabelenus grew increasingly uneasy, and everyone in the Schwarhan castle found themselves carefully watching his every mood.
If Alicia collapsed, it was certain that some kind of disaster would follow.
“I guess I shouldn’t lie to His Highness and say I ate well?”
“It’s probably too late for that — he’s likely already heard.”
Madame Morco let out a sigh, almost like a groan.
Even amid the busy task of receiving guests, Cabelenus remained completely focused on Alicia’s meals.
He not only checked exactly what she ate each day but, whenever she managed even a little, he’d send more food in excess.
By this afternoon or tomorrow, the castle would likely be overflowing with lemons and sparkling water.
“…I’m sorry. I feel like I’m troubling everyone so much.”
“It’s not like you don’t want to eat, my lady.”
"But I still feel sorry for causing so much trouble."
“It’s alright. So, especially now, please try to keep your mind at ease.”
If it wasn’t pregnancy, then it was likely psychological.
Madame Morco softened her voice and gently took Alicia’s hand.
Her hand felt thinner than before, which made Madame Morco feel even more worried.
“If there’s anything at all you want to eat, please tell me.”
Alicia had never been picky and usually ate well, but now that had become a problem.
Since she had no particular favourites, it was even harder to find something she’d want in this situation.
"Actually…"
After hesitating for a long moment, Alicia finally spoke up cautiously.
Madame Morco quickly seized the opportunity.
"Is there something you would like to eat?"
“There is, but… it’s probably impossible to get.”
“If it’s something you want, my lady, I’ll get it for you even if I have to cross the freezing cold — just say the word.”
Cabelenus wasn’t the only one growing anxious as Alica became thinner.
Madame Morco felt the same way.
She never once complained when crates of uneaten fruit piled up, because she understood — if it meant Alicia would eat even just one bite, it was worth it.
"...I want to eat soup."
"Pardon?"
“I want to eat the soup my mother used to make…”
Alicia couldn’t say anything more and lowered her head.
She knew it was impossible — her mother had long since passed away.
But sometimes, the memory of that soup would suddenly come to her, and lately, it happened even more often.
Just thinking she couldn’t have it made tears well up in her eyes for no reason.
“Please don’t cry, my lady. I’ll do my best to make it for you.”
“I’m sorry, I really don’t know why I’m like this. I just…”
Alicia couldn’t finish her sentence and pressed her lips shut.
Before she knew it, tears soaked the hem of her dress.
Lately, she had been feeling strange and couldn’t control her emotions.
‘I hate this. I really hate this.’
She shut her eyes tightly, unable to bear seeing her reflection in the water.
At first, she thought she’d be okay, but each time her body changed, she grew more frightened.
"The physician will come again tomorrow."
"Then, what about the painting class tomorrow?"
“Your health comes first now, my lady. Please understand, even if it’s disappointing.”
"Alright."
The more she was told to rest, the more she longed to paint, but she couldn’t.
Alicia fidgeted with her fingers, thinking of Cabelenus’s face — still unfinished on her canvas.
“In regards to the soup that your mother made for you, if you can remember anything about it, could you please tell me, my lady?
"Why do you ask?"
“I want to try making it myself.”
"That’s impossible. My mother passed away a long time ago.”
Alicia shook her head weakly.
“Even if I can’t recreate it exactly, I’d still like to try.”
"But…"
She was about to say it wouldn’t work, as she always did, but paused at Madame Morco’s confident look.
Trying was better than giving up without a fight — that was what Madame Morco always said.
“Giving up without trying is the real shame, don’t you think?”
“...I don’t remember much though, is that okay?”
“That’s fine. Even the smallest detail you share will help me try to recreate it.”
“Then, I’ll try my best to remember.”
Alicia nodded cautiously.
Though she doubted it would work, deep down she wanted to try.
“Take your time to think it over, even if it takes a while, then tell me.”
“It was a long time ago, so I can’t remember everything, but there are a few things that stuck.”
“Could you tell me what you remember?”
“My mother said she often ate that soup when she was pregnant with me.”
Alicia looked down at her hands.
She thought she was doing okay, but just thinking of her mother made her eyes well up again.
“When she was pregnant with you?”
“My grandmother also had it when she was pregnant with my mother.”
“So it was like a family tradition?”
“I’m not sure about that. My mother didn’t come from a noble family.”
“...”
“B-but that doesn’t mean she was strange or anything!”
Alicia’s shoulders tensed instinctively.
She still remembered the whispers.
Everyone pointed fingers at her mother, calling her lowly.
No matter how much she dressed up, people whispered that she couldn’t hide the filthy blood of a barbarian.
But to Alicia, her mother was neither lowly nor filthy.
Her mother was strong.
Even amid cold treatment and persecution, she held her head high and stayed true to her beliefs.
“...She just wanted to protect me. That’s all she ever wanted.”
Though everyone cursed her mother, no one dared to lay a hand on her, afraid of her power.
Her mother’s power had reduced her to a mere tool of authority, yet at the same time, it was also the shield that protected her.
And the one who took that shield away was none other than her own daughter, Alicia herself.
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