I greet my daughter. I look over her to make sure that she is being treated well. While I doubt Michael would mistreat her I do not want to fail her. “How have you been lately?” I do not need to tell her that I have grown exhausted. I feel as if a collar is being tightened around my throat.

“I am getting old. Age wears down upon me.” I smile at my daughter. She looks just as beautiful as her mother when she was younger. How the years have passed by. I am getting too sentimental.

“Nonsense! You look young and vigorous.” She merely laughs at me. I am glad that my own daughter is blind to my faults. “How has mother and brother been?”

“They have been fine, they visited the great library.” I leave out the part where Leonardo was praising his brother Michael. It seems my son has become infatuated with him. So long as he doesn’t begin to skip lessons I don’t mind turning a blind eye.

“How is the weather, it has gotten colder.”

“I am used to this. Every fall it is the same thing.” A month into fall and she is worried about how the cold is affecting me. Does she think I am going to die in the winter? I may be old but not that old.

“The tournament is today, isn’t it?” Isabella says looking outside. I just grunt in response. The tournaments have been boring. Every year Matteo will win without much trouble. “I am looking forward to it.”

“Are you?”

“I enjoy watching Michael practice, I am sure I will enjoy this as well.” I will not lie. Michael is exciting to watch, he practices like it was a real fight. This will hardly have the same pace, it will be much more controlled. “Excuse me.”

My daughter suddenly gets up and rushes to the window before throwing up. I look to Cecilia and instruct her to get a doctor. “No need. I am perfectly fine I was just feeling nauseous.”

“Just let the doctor look at you.” There is plenty of people who would like to poison her. While I doubt it happened one cannot gamble with their own life. Most times that gamble isn’t actually worth the cost. I sit Isabella down.

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After a short while the doctor enters and begins to look at Isabella. I watch over him anxious of the results. She looks fine but many poisons act slowly and time is of the essence. They often have to be dealt with as soon as they are found.

“Congratulations, your majesty, you are with a child. The imperial lineage is secure.”

I simply relax into my seat. It is just a child. Nothing serious. “Father, I can’t believe it.” I look up to see my daughter smiling at me with the biggest smile I have ever seen. We talk some more but I know that she is restless.

“I must tell his majesty, he will be delighted by the news.” She says. I decline to inform her that he may not be happy with having an heir. I will not be the one to crush her happiness. “I will go immediately.”

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I walk right towards the study. He is most likely there at this time of day. I see Luca and Matteo talking outside his room. They bow for me before letting me enter the room. “Your majesty.”

“Yes?” He says without looking up at me. He seems to be writing a letter to somebody. I bite my lip in worry about this being a bad time. No! There cannot be a bad time for this good news.

“I have some news.” I feel a pit in my stomach. I am worried about how he will react. Everything has been going well lately but I am not sure if he will be happy. For the longest time he avoided me and then all the sudden I am pregnant.

Besides, I am the one who initiated it that night. He just followed along.

“I... I am pregnant. I am carrying your child.” I look at him. He stops writing and looks at me impassively. At least he isn’t mad. Perhaps he is happy about this news but isn’t showing it. I have found that he doesn’t share his feelings all that often.

“What did you say? I do not believe I heard you right, you are pregnant?”

“Yes.” I look down. He doesn’t sound as happy as I hoped he would. I am over the roof about this but it doesn’t seem he feels the same way. “I just learned about the fact myself.”

He gets up and walks towards me. He stops right in front of me and I look up into his eyes. It seems to be a jumbled mess, I can’t figure out anything from them. But I do know that he isn’t mad. “That is the most welcome news I’ve heard all week.”

I freeze.

Most welcome news he has heard all week? He is happy about this child? He wants the child? I suddenly jump up and hug him. He takes a step back to balance himself while I give him a big kiss.

“My apologizes, that was improper...” I say lowering my head. I know that my face must be red from ear to ear. I let myself get carried away. “I shall leave now so you can get back to you work.”

“Yes, I should get back.” He replies. I feel a bit dejected that we are separating so soon after the good news but I understand that he must carry out his duties. I cannot be the one who prevents him from doing so. “I shall see you later today.”