I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

***

3. Gifts

***

Sponsored by Curufin ? (⅗)

***

Winter continued in full swing after that.

The soft snow turned into a blizzard, and the road was completely frozen, making it difficult to go to the greenhouse.

One afternoon in the midst of such a cold wave, Julia rubbed her eyes and got her body up.  When she checked her pocket watch, it was already noon.

"….Oh my gosh."

She murmured, coming to her senses.  Lately, she has often woken up very late.  Even after sleeping like this, she felt sleepy again in the afternoon.

When she dozed off while reading her books, Melissa, who had come to find her, would often wake her up.  

Julia hurriedly got out of bed.

She then called her maid, bathed, and went straight to her dressing room.  Wearing thin linen underwear and an underskirt, she wore a thick dark green dress over it.

As she came out of the hallway, she felt a warm energy.  A few weeks ago, the magic stones Fernan had brought in from abroad were hung at regular intervals on the wall of the hallway.

 It was the magic stones that served as both lamps and a heat generator.

It was expensive, but it was well worth it.  Julia felt a moderately warm energy and crossed the hallway.

As she was going down the central staircase, at the end of the large lobby, she saw Fernan speaking with his lieutenants.

Unlike her, whose wake-up times were different every day, Fernan has always led a very structured life.

He woke up at dawn every day and trained with the knights, after which he received various external reports from the butler and took care of government affairs.

Today, he must have been doing a lot of work since dawn.

“Leave the Western Military Agreement to the 3rd Division.  Victor Veron, I will leave it to you.”

"Yes, my lord.”

Fernan, who was giving orders to his lieutenants, felt Julia’s presence and suddenly looked back at her.  The lieutenants standing next to him immediately bowed their heads.

“I see you, Grand Duchess.”

“Yes, hello.”

While Julia nodded her head in response, Fernan approached her.

“Did you sleep well?”

He greeted her by kissing her on the cheek, which was familiar to her now.

The determined look in his eyes when he gave the order to the lieutenants a while ago had disappeared.

The lieutenants, who at first looked at him like a ghost, were now accustomed to his change of attitude and were not surprised.

“I’m going to go eat. Don’t worry about me and go do your work.”

Julia smiled and tried to walk away, but Fernan grabbed her hand.

"I’m done. Let’s go together.”

Then he looked back and gave his Lieutenants one final order.

“The afternoon training should be conducted in the annex.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Fernan turned away from the greeting Lieutenants and walked with Julia. They headed to the dining room together.

It was a late lunch.  As soon as they entered the dining room, the smell of colorful food stimulated Julia’s appetite.

As they sat down, the prepared food was laid out one after the other on a nice tablecloth.

White bread made from high-quality wheat, various cheeses, a fresh salad topped with winter raspberries, and a savory veal steak…Julia's eyes twinkled and she admired the prepared food.

Unlike usual, food constantly entered her mouth.

"I'm glad you eat well today."

Fernan looked at Julia happily as she cut her steak into small pieces and put it in her mouth.

She usually has a small appetite.  It wasn't at the level of skipping meals, but she didn't eat the entire portion set in front of her.

But today, she emptied all the steaks and even asked the attendant to bring him another plate.

“I have a good appetite these days.  It must be because it is winter.”

Julia answered with her blushing face. Then she pecked the raspberry with her fork and put it in her mouth.

Seeing her eat so well, Fernan called the chef and ordered him to bring in more ingredients of Julia’s favorite food.  Nodding his head, the chef quietly stepped back.

“If there’s anything else you want to eat, just tell me.”

At Fernan's request, Julia nodded.

 "Yes."

Julia even ate the dessert that came out after the meal.  Fernan watched her munching deliciously as he drank his wine.

She wondered if this was the feeling of being full even if she didn't eat.  When Julia returned to the bedroom, she suddenly realized.

She knew that the reason she suddenly had a big appetite and felt sleepy all the time was because she was on a period.  Somehow, it seemed that the last few days, her lower stomach felt heavy and throbbing.

Julia opened the drawer of her bedside table and took out a small notebook from inside.  But when she checked the date, her cycle was a week late. 

"It's strange."

Julia looked down at her notebook and tilted her head. She had a regular lunar cycle.  When she was stressed or exhausted, it was sometimes delayed or not at all.

But lately, it had never been like that.  Rather, she slept well, ate well, and lived peacefully every day.

After thinking for a while, she told Melissa to call her doctor.

 "Grand Duchess, it’s Lockman. May I come in?"

Melissa ran over and opened the door. The doctor, Lockman, bowed his head in greeting.

“The cycle has been delayed, so I was wondering if there was something wrong with my body.”

When Julia first described her symptoms, Lockman nodded his head.

“Have you been working hard recently or have you been mentally exhausted?”

 "No. There was no such thing.”

"Well….."

Rockman thought quietly, then politely extended his hand.

“Can I feel your pulse for a moment?”

Julia gladly entrusted her hand to him. Lockman grabbed her slender wrist and paused for a while.

Then he tilted his head slightly, shifted his position slightly, and began to feel the pulse again.

“….”

Julia looked at Lockman, who kept checking her pulse, with a slightly anxious look.

 Gulping her saliva, waiting for Lockman to speak, her wrists finally freed.

Lockman, who was looking at her slowly, opened his mouth with a somewhat emotional smile.

 “Your Grace, it's good news.”

While Julia made a bewildered face, Lockman’s joyful voice continued.

“It seems that you’re pregnant.”

"…What?"

Julia opened her eyes wide and asked blankly.  Melissa, who was standing next to her, jumped out of her place as she looked back in surprise.

“Oh my God, Your Grace is expecting!” 

Melissa jumped up and down with joy.

However, Julia, who could not believe Lockman's words for a moment, took a deep breath at the commotion of Melissa.

She blinked her blue eyes several times as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Pregnant, pregnant…..

“With your permission, I will bring this good news to His Highness right away. May I?"

Lockman said to her without hiding his smile. Julia nodded her head meekly. Lockman, who bowed his head, hurriedly left the bedroom, and Julia slowly raised her hand and touched her chest, which started to thump.

When she realized her period was late, why didn't she think of the possibility that she might be pregnant?

Julia took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. Her heart did not calm down.

She had slept with Fernan many times, so it wasn’t sudden.  However, she was surprised because it wasn’t what she expected.  Julia sat down slowly on her bed and exhaled.

“Your Grace, congratulations!  How happy His Highness will be….!”

Melissa blessed Julia with all her heart.  However, Julia was still in a state of shock.

She didn't feel it right now.  However, as time passed and she fully realized this situation, joy and happiness began to fill her heart.

Suddenly, at that moment, the door swung open.

Fernan appeared at the door with Lockman.

He hurried to Julia and leaned his body closer to her. He muttered as he met Julia’s gaze.

“So, Julia……”

“Yes, my lord. Grand Duchess is expecting.”

Lockman replied with a smile on his face from behind.  Fernan's hands trembled.

He looked at Julia blankly, as if he did not know what expression to make.  It was the same expression Julia had when she first heard that she was pregnant.

Then he came to his senses and turned to Lockman and asked.

“Is Julia’s body okay?”

Fernan's gaze was full of tension. Lockman said in a calm voice.

"Fortunately, Her Grace’s current health is very good. However, the future is important."

Lockman took a breath and spoke.

"She’s still in the pre-stabilization stage, so there's a lot to be careful about. Your Highness, too, has to pay more attention to the Grand Duchess than usual."

Fernan looked at Julia again, listening to Lockman's words.