The Fifth Plan: To Protect the Child (8)

“Give her the wages for the time she has worked so far and send her out.”

I would rather catch her and make her vomit herself if the maid’s condition became so bad when she got caught trying to poison me. Whatever she did, I just couldn’t keep the maid due to her own suspicious behavior.

“And all those who are related to the maid by blood or even from the same area. In fact, even the person who wrote the letter of her recommendation.”

I didn’t want to keep the people who might be in even a slight partnership with the maid.

“Yes, Madam.”

It was a bit of a stretch, but Mrs. May didn’t ask me back twice. She took care of my bed and left before I slowly stroked my stomach while reminiscing about my conversation with Margaret. Even though she was going to leave the office at her husband’s will, she still knew about my true feelings for Carl and did her very best to inform me of some information that she had known.

The daughter had the resemblance of her mother. Margaret even took after her mother’s period of morning sickness. It was common knowledge that daughters would resemble their mothers. In particular, for any gynecological diseases, the mother’s family history proved to be much more important than the father’s line.

And back in my maternal family, my mother, my maternal grandmother and even my great-grandmother; all of them had such healthy fertility. I didn’t know since I never heard of the ancestors before them, but they must have been healthy and prolific as well. It was not known whether the necklace that had been gifted by the God of Fertility really blessed her, but since the family history was just so good, there had been a possibility that such a legend became embedded in the jewelry of the necklace that she passed on to her own daughter.

However, my health had been deteriorating ever since the beginning of my pregnancy—with the exception of today.

A rather unusual start of the day when it was different from ordinary in many ways had been the tea that the Duchess Dowager had prepared with special care as well as a meal with Carl. On top of that, in consideration of the suspicious maid who had presumptuously stepped forward when Carl tried to drink from my glass, the conclusion was simply obvious.

It was hard to believe that I had just noticed that there had been something in the food which I was to eat as well in the drink that I was going to drink.

The person behind it was also obvious after all.

Count Petrika. He was trying to hurt me and my own child. Moreover, it had also been directly at the Duchy of DeMancier under the hands and eyes of the Godmother of the North who had arrived here recently.

* * *

The fastest and most accurate thing that I could choose for a safe birth was to stick close to Carl and eat only what Carl was actually eating. Carl, who had tried to give me anything ever since I was with a baby, never knew anything about it and he liked the fact that he could share every meal with me. The meal for the Young Master had been a little boring, but it was soft and easy to digest. Plus, the meat and vegetables were generously added and it was definitely nutritious too. After sharing a meal with Carl, the Duchess Dowager had guessed something from my improved health, but she didn’t say anything nor did she take any actions towards me.

It had been obvious that Count Petrika was truly the force behind the scenes who did not mean to harm Carl, but only targeted me—the pregnant one. Nevertheless, he was still a Count with considerable power and also, he had been Carl’s maternal grandfather as well. That and nor was the evidence strong enough to blow away any strong base support of the said grandson whose birth mother had passed on earlier. In fact, even if she was Carl’s grandmother, as the Duchess Dowager of the North, she still had to think about her own family. Therefore, her silence was actually expected. Even so, I simply couldn’t help but to feel a little bittersweet.

Carl had played very hard during today’s swordsmanship lesson, so after eating a large dinner, Carl rolled around with the dog on the rug and soon fell asleep. The maid carefully hugged Carl and placed him on the sofa where I was sitting. Then, after moving around a few times, Carl took a hold of the hem of my dress in his hand and left for dreamland once again. I stroked Carl’s plump and soft cheek softly and opened the letter with a paper knife from which the wax had already been removed.

[ My beloved daughter, Mandy. ]

It was my mother’s reply. After talking with Margaret, I asked Mother if she had any gynecological diseases or if she had been tired during her pregnancy and she replied with this. My mother’s love was really evident at the beginning as she asked how I was doing now.

[ As the legendary necklace that was blessed by God had proved it, me and my mother—that is, your maternal grandmother—received our monthly guests on a fixed date for every month. As you already knew, your older brother came to us half a year after I’d gotten married and I finally gave birth to four healthy children—and you, my sweet youngest daughter, Mandy. They had all been perfectly healthy and absolutely beautiful children. ]

The three older brothers above me were all like that and so was myself. All of them grew up very healthy without any common minor illnesses. I never remembered ever seeing a doctor back at the Viscount’s house, except for my second brother who let go of his hands and blew it as he was trying to ride a horse before falling off of it while he had gotten hurt in the process.