The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 169

Lady Rebecca, who grew up in the southern region, did not do well in the cold. Her weakness against the cold weather worsened after she got pregnant. Everyone sat around feeling warm while Lady Rebecca alone trembled uncontrollably because of the weather.

Lady Tory gave Rebecca her own fur coat to wear while Stra knitted a pair of warm socks for her. They even brought in the brazier, which was only used in the dead of the winter. Unfortunately, the windows had to be opened frequently when using a brazier because the burning coals caused the room to be filled with smoke.

Poliana, who was sitting next to Lady Rebecca, was sweating profusely. Poliana was especially weak against the hot weather because she grew up in the north.

‘Isn’t she hot? How could she stand this heat?’

Poliana was shocked to see how Lady Rebecca continued to shake. She was in her bed that was covered in multiple layers of fur blankets. It should’ve been enough to make most people sweat, but Lady Rebecca’s hands were still ice cold. It seemed that no matter how hard she and everyone tried, Lady Rebecca could not get warm.

The common thought was that one could overcome coldness with enough exercise but unfortunately, Lady Rebecca was pregnant and therefore, she wasn’t allowed to move around too much. She would’ve felt better if she at least ate well, but because of nausea, Lady Rebecca could barely hold down little bits of food. Most of the time, she ended up throwing up anything she ate.

There were two different opinions regarding this situation. Some believed that Lady Rebecca was overreacting. Most women went through one or several pregnancies in their lifetimes, so why did she have to make such a big deal about it? Some, however, sympathized with her. Most did show concern for her condition.

Rebecca had always been fragile, but she was never this sick. Her pregnancy seemed to have dramatically worsened her health. The unmarried maids, when they saw how Rebecca was suffering, became afraid for her and also for themselves. Would they have to go through the same hardship when they became pregnant in the future? The other women, however, who went through the pregnancies themselves or had family members who went through it, consoled these young girls. They told them that it was all a natural process.

“Besides, Lady Rebecca’s case is a bit rare. Most women don’t have it this bad. She was very fragile to begin with, and she is so far away from her home, which doesn’t help.”

“Look at your own mothers. Some didn’t survive, but there are plenty who had safe births, right? There is no need for you to worry.”

Poliana herself was becoming concerned, so she liked to hear these positive things from the women who seemed to know better. Poliana’s own birth mother died soon after her birth, but her stepmother was perfectly fine after the birth of her half-sister Liana.

Giving birth was certainly a dangerous thing, but not every woman died from it. Giving birth was like a war. Anyone who went to war risked themselves being killed, but not every soldier who battled died. If they were lucky enough, they could enter tens or even hundreds of battles and survive them all. Similarly, a lucky woman could survive ten births. A soldier who survived many battles was respected as a great soldier while a woman who survived many births was honored as a blessed mother.

Rebecca was not the sturdiest woman she had ever met, but she had never been seriously sick. If she was, she wouldn’t have been chosen as Lucius the First’s wife. Rebecca’s mother gave multiple births and was still well and alive in Nanikun. Rebecca had never been afraid of giving birth because of her mother since it was believed that genetics played an important role in a woman’s health. Rebecca always believed that she would have many safe births in her life.

But of course, there were exceptions. Not all children resembled their parents, and it seemed that unlike her mother, Lady Rebecca’s body did not like being pregnant. She felt like her body was wasting away slowly, and it was frightening.

Everyone was interested in Rebecca’s health since she was with the first child of the emperor. When she showed signs of a potential miscarriage even during the early stage of her pregnancy, people became more and more concerned. Lady Rebecca hated all of this attention, so she tried her best to look okay. She joked, “They say that the people who look fragile actually live longer, huh?”

Rebecca tried to act like she was getting better, but everyone could see that her condition was getting worse. Poliana became so concerned that she ordered the best medicinal products money could buy from the south. When she received the package and found that it was filled with dried white-tailed lizards, the same kind she used to catch often to feed to the emperor, Poliana became disappointed.

‘I caught so many of these when I used to live in the south.’

Poliana asked the deliverer, “Isn’t this good for only men?”

“It’s actually great for women too. This will help Lady Tory for sure.”

It was explained to her that although some people believed it was only good for men’s stamina, it was actually good for everyone. It was considered one of the best health foods in the south. Pregnant women ate it all the time to gain their strength.

Many different medicines were offered to Lady Rebecca. Every morning, the royal doctors visited her the first to make sure she was fine. All the doctors believed that she needed to gain strength so she could safely give birth when the time came.

Poliana quietly watched Rebecca, who was stroking her belly tenderly. She was starting to show and Poliana wondered what the baby would look like. Everyone prayed that it was a boy since Lucius the First did not have an heir yet; a daughter was going to be useless.

Rebecca murmured quietly, “I hope it’s a boy.”

Poliana nodded in understanding. Of course, a son would be great. Lady Rebecca would become the most powerful woman in the kingdom if her child was a boy. If her son became the future emperor, she would become the dowager empress.

But this was not what Rebecca meant. She shook her head and explained, “It’s not because I really want a son. Not because I want more power. I would just feel sorry for the baby if she was a girl. I would feel guilty.”

“Why would you feel that way? I don’t understand”

“I acted greedily and got myself to this very important position. This means that any daughter of mine would lose her status over time in her life.”

The most important women in the kingdom were the emperor’s wives. If Rebecca had a daughter, she would become the most important unmarried woman in the kingdom. She was going to be the very first child and therefore the oldest child of the emperor, which meant that her importance and rank would be immense. But as she became older, her position would decline. There was going to be no man in the kingdom who had a higher status than her, which meant that she would have to marry below her station. She would end up marrying a nobleman, and as soon as she did, she would lose her royal status. Rebecca didn’t like this at all. One should always try to climb up, not down.

Rebecca gave Poliana a small smile. This smile was different than any others Rebecca gave to her before.

It was the smile of a mother.

Rebecca added, “I know for a fact that if my daughter resembles me at all, she would be a very greedy girl; she would hate to lose her status.” Only

“I am sure your baby will resemble both you and the emperor.”

“Well, in terms of looks, I hope this baby resembles the emperor more than me.”

There was no doubt that Lady Rebecca was a beauty, but she could not compare to Lucius the First’s incredible gorgeousness. All the wives felt self-conscious about their looks when they were around the emperor. If the baby had to resemble one of them, why not resemble the more beautiful one? It would work for both a girl and a boy.

“Or the baby could resemble the emperor’s mother, that would be great too.”

It was common knowledge that Lucius the First’s beauty came mostly from his mother. Poliana remembered looking at the portrait of the emperor’s mother in the “Emperor’s Room.” The emperor’s mother had a very feminine beauty who looked like a delightful flower blooming on a sunny summer day.

Poliana always dreamt of the emperor having many beautiful princesses. A lovely princess would be loved by all, including herself. She smiled just thinking about it.

A baby was indeed a wonderful thing. The possibilities for a newborn child could be endless. Poliana couldn’t wait for Lady Rebecca and the emperor’s baby to be born.