Wina was watching Quinus as he read his book about the other races for 15 minutes before getting back to her book.

He seemed to be interested in the Dragons and the Dark Elves.

'I know he's young but he needs to know these things and it's still too soon for him to start sword training. So, giving him knowledge is the next best thing. And besides, he's not a normal boy. He probably has a Demi-god rank mana vein. That alone will bring a lot of attention.'

With that, Wina went back to her book and continued to learn as much as she could about being pregnant and what to do for childcare.

She was about 10 minutes in before she started getting frustrated.

'Haah... Why are there so many different childcare methods? Some say I shouldn't feed my child after a certain time, and some say it's okay. There was this other book I read saying I shouldn't smoke or I shouldn't eat raw fish while pregnant... I mean, I don't smoke, but still! Why is it that becoming pregnant means I have to sacrifice everything that has the possibility of hurting my child?! I like fun! And I feel like I can't have fun anymore! Mathew probably thinks I'm fat! Doesn't he!'

Wina was stressing out a little as she felt like a balloon and was feeling tired as her body was creating her and Mathew's child. She still did exercises that were similar to yoga, but she wasn't used to feeling like a house. The realization hit her when she sat down last week only to be greeted by her breasts resting on her belly.

All of this was new to her. She was used to fighting and assassinating people. She didn't know how to take care of a child, let alone a baby. And she was hoping that her child would be a quarter of what Quinus was during his infancy.

And to add on top of all the new stress, she started feeling hornier as her hormones started kicking in at the beginning of her second trimester.

'Ugh. Why can't I just take care of my needs myself? I-I know Mathew must think I'm fat... That's why he's always giving me space. I haven't gotten any action in three weeks. And that was before I was really showing. I can't believe he hasn't said anything about my looks. I mean, yeah. I know I'm his wife. But damn, he doesn't have to lie to me. I would rather he just told me straight out!'

"Grrraaa!"

Wina grunted out in frustration as she closed the book. She was starting to get worked up and she couldn't stop thinking about all the possibilities of why Mathew didn't love her anymore.

Quinus looked at Wina and could tell she was upset. He didn't know why at first but then he recalled a time when his best friend's wife snapped at him about how he wasn't paying any attention to her when she was about as pregnant as Wina was. He remembered asking him how he fixed the problem and he told him that she was feeling ignored and unloved. Not just mentally, but she was also feeling ignored in the bedroom as her hormones were making her hornier than a teenage boy. Once his friend realized the issue, he made sure to fix the problem immediately.

'Hmm... I don't think Mathew knows about how horny a woman in her second trimester can get... Haah... You are going to owe me big time for this, Mathew.' Quinus closed his book and looked at Lady Wina who was lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice him looking at her.

"Lady Wina... Where's Sir Mathew?..."

Wina jumped when Quinus asked where her husband was. She didn't notice the Prince was finished with his book.

"H-He's was training the knights by the palace barracks..." Wina replied.

"Hmm. Was he doing a morning shift? Or am I mistaken?"

"H-He is on the morning shift. He was doing a training regimen with the Royal Knights outside of the west wing." Wina answered.

Quinus looked at the clock on the wall and it was about 12:15 pm.

'So he should be finished by now... He can't keep a pregnant woman waiting. It's bad luck.'

"So... He should be wrapping up his shift soon?" Quinus asked.

"Yes. That's what his schedule says... W-Why are you asking, your Highness?"

"I have my reasons, Lady Wina," Quinus stood up and grabbed all the books he was reading and put them back on the shelves before heading for the door.

"P-Prince Quinus. Wait! Y-you can't just leave."

Quinus stopped at the door and looked at her with a smile.

"I'm not leaving the palace grounds, Lady Wina... Are you going to sit around all day or are you going to join me?"

Wina didn't know what he meant by that.

"J-Join you?" Wina asked in a curious tone.

"Yes. I'm going to find Mathew and invite him to eat lunch with us. I'm hungry and I would love to eat soon."

Quinus turned the doorknob to open the door.

Wina didn't have time to think as she stood up and put her book away. Then hurried after the Prince.

***

Quinus was walking through the hallways of the western wing of Maldura Royal Palace with Wina following behind him. Quinus's tiny legs made him slower so it was easy for Wina to catch up to him.

She was curious as to what the Prince was planning. She wasn't happy about having lunch with her husband, but she wasn't going to go against Quinus's wishes.

They walked past a few of the servants and a few of the maids. All of them bowed or curtsied to Prince Quinus as he walked past them.

'It's still so weird to have everyone bowing and curtsying to me. It's so formal. I don't know what I did in my first lift to be reborn as a Prince. But I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Anyway, I guess I have to get used to it at some point...'

Wina noticed that they were heading towards the entrance doors to the palace's gardens. Which was right by the training grounds of the barracks.

'Why does the Prince want to see my husband? That stupid jerk doesn't deserve to eat with us.' Wina wondered as they walked.

They walked down the hallways past the servants' dining room and approached the exit. They could hear the sounds of clashing steel and the shouting of men and women as they were sparring outside. The closer they got, the more they could hear the sounds coming from behind the doors.

The palace guards opened the doors and a blast of heat came through as the sun was shining down brightly. Wina followed the Prince and they were walking through the palace's courtyard gardens.

Quinus looked out and could see all the knights doing drills or sparring in pairs or groups of three. It didn't take long for Quinus to spot Mathew putting away his equipment as he was done for the day. And Quinus also spotted Lady Nelumbo.

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'Perfect! Hopefully, Lady Nelumbo has a few hours she can spare to be my bodyguard. Once I get the two lovebirds together again.'

Quinus didn't say anything to Wina and he started heading down the stone steps and made his way across the courtyard. Wina followed him.

Lady Nelumbo noticed the Prince first and she nudged Mathew's side with her elbow.

"Huh? What is it, Lady Nelumbo?..." Mathew asked.

"His Highness is here. And so is your wife."

"Eh? Really?" Mathew said in surprise as he turned around to see the Prince walking towards him with his wife in tow.

Lady Nelumbo rolled her eyes at Mathew.

"You really are oblivious sometimes, Sir Mathew."

Mathew ignored her and started walking over to the Prince. While Wina looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. Quinus could see the look of worry written on Lady Wina's face. This was so unlike her and he knew this needed to be done.

He walked over and stood in front of Sir Mathew.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness... The King and Queen don't want you to learn swordplay. Not until you turn-"

"I'm not here for that." Quinus interrupted him.

"Eh?"

"I'm here to ask if you can go to lunch with me and Lady Wina. I'm hungry and I would like your company." Quinus said with confidence.

"U-uh..." Mathew stuttered and looked at his wife and could tell something was off. "I can do that. Just give me a minute to stow away my equipment."

"Very well," Quinus said, then turned to Lady Nelumbo who was only five feet away from them.

"Ah... Lady Nelumbo! I have a request for you as well. That's if you are free for the next few hours?..."

Lady Nelumbo looked around to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

"Y-Your Highness? Are you speaking to me?"

"Of course. Who else would I be talking to, Lady Nelumbo?" Quinus said in an annoyed tone.

"R-right. Sorry, Your Highness."

"Are you busy, Lady Nelumbo, or not?..." Quinus asked as he didn't want to wait all day for her answer.

"I wasn't assigned to do anything this afternoon, My Prince. So, I'm available. What do you require from me, Your Highness?"

"I'm going to have lunch with Sir Mathew and Lady Wina. And I would like you to come and have lunch with us as well. I believe I'll need you to be my guardian for an hour or two. I don't want to cause any issues if you have something else planned."

Wina and Lady Nelumbo both had a puzzled look on their faces. While Mathew was confused too. But he would never question the Prince.

"I don't see a problem with that, Your Highness." Lady Nelumbo answered.

"Good! I would hate for you to have a conflict of interest."

"Conflict of interest?" Lady Nelumbo was confused by that statement. Quinus wasn't even two years old and he was speaking like an adult.

"Yes. I didn't want to impose if you had other plans. And if you did have something in mind. I wouldn't be opposed to having you do whatever you need to do and I come along with you."

Lady Nelumbo looked at Mathew and then at Wina who was glaring at Mathew when his back was turned.

"O-oh. I see..." Lady Nelumbo had an inkling about what the Prince was trying to imply. And didn't know that someone so young was able to pick up on a lover's quarrel.

"Now, let's head off to lunch. You don't mind if we eat in your quarters Lady Wina? It would be more comfortable there, don't you think?"

Wina blinked when she heard the Prince asking her a question and nodded.

"Y-yeah... It should be fine, Prince Quinus. If that's alright with Sir Mathew?" Lady Wina responded kindly to the Prince before giving an annoyed tone towards her husband.

Mathew didn't know why his wife was being so short with him. He was trying to give her her space and tried to help around, mainly cleaning their room. But it seemed nothing he did was good enough for her. He wishes he knew what to do so his wife didn't look like she was about to murder him.

"Yes, yes. We can have lunch in our quarters. I'll ask a servant to bring up some food for us. I believe they were slow-roasting a wild boar with root vegetables. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Your Highness." Mathew said as he put away his gear.

Quinus nodded, "Very good! Let's go and have some lunch then."

With that, Quinus turned and walked over to the entrance to the palace.

Mathew took off his gloves and followed after the Prince with Wina in tow. Lady Nelumbo didn't know what to make of all of this. She was just going following orders but she didn't know what to make of all these events. So she stayed quiet and followed the Prince, Mathew, and Wina back into the palace.

Wina was still feeling a little down as her hormones were making her feel all sorts of emotions. And her empty stomach wasn't helping matters either. Quinus, however, was calm and couldn't wait to get some food in his stomach.

They entered the palace and went through the hallways, headed up to the royal guest wing where Mathew and Wina were given a permanent residence to live as a wedding gift and a reward for saving Quinus.

The servants and the maids bowed or curtsied when they passed them and it didn't take them long to reach their living quarters. Which was way nicer than the servants' quarters Wina and Mathew used to share.

The four of them entered and Mathew and Lady Nelumbo removed their weapons. So they didn't get in the way of eating.

Lady Nelumbo was surprised that the Prince knew his way around the palace. Normally there would be a young noble or two that would get lost in the palace when they come to visit the King and Queen. Usually, they are five years or six years old when they get lost. But Quinus was different. He was one in a half years old and had a good sense of direction.

"My Prince. It's impressive that you know the way around the palace without guidance."

"Of course, I would know my way around, Lady Nelumbo. I live here after all... Although, I haven't gotten used to the layout downstairs in the basement. I know it's mostly storage and is where the dungeon is. But it's always good to know the lay of the land. Even if I only know the inside of the palace."

"Oh... I see. Well sooner or later. You will be able to visit the city and beyond, Your Highness."

"I look forward to it, Lady Nelumbo. Now let us sit."

They all sat down and were waiting for the food to come. Mathew looked at Wina.

"W-what's wrong, Wina?..." Mathew asked not knowing what to do.

"Nothing," Wina replied quickly and coldly.

Mathew felt the tension between him and Wina was getting worse and worse.

Lady Nelumbo sensed it too. She wanted to be silent but the mood was so thick and heavy that she felt the need to say something to alleviate it.

"So, Lady Wina... How is the pregnancy coming along?" Nelumbo asked, hoping it was a safe topic.

Wina perked up and her eyes sparkled.

"It's been better. My morning sickness has passed long ago... But may I give you a warning?... If you ever get pregnant, just know that things will become limited to you. For example, if you like to drink alcohol, or eat raw seafood. Well, that is out of the question. You also can't take your normal exercise routine. Like running, lifting weights, sparring, or any form of swordplay. Even horse riding is out of the question."

"Ummm." Lady Nelumbo thought the question she asked would have helped put Wina at ease, but now she wished she had stayed silent.

"Then there's this weird thing that happens to your body with everything becoming loose down there and you feel like you're getting fatter. Even though I know I'm not getting fatter in the normal sense. But still, it gets in the back of your mind. Then your husband will start keeping his distance from you because he is so disgusted that he REFUSES TO TOUCH M-"

*Knock! Knock!*

Just as Wina was about to go on a tirade, a maid came into the room with a cart that had a large bowl with a lid and a few smaller bowls. While Mathew wanted to sink into his seat. Quinus didn't seem bothered by it and Lady Nelumbo wished she didn't accept the Prince's order to have lunch with the three of them.

"Your food is ready, Your Highness. It's a roast pig with root vegetable soup and salad." The maid said as she placed the large bowl in the center of the table and set the smaller bowls in front of everyone. The maid put a ladle on the table and placed a small stack of plates on the side. She then distributed the salad and poured some dressing on the side.

'Wina needs some food in her. I think she is hangry on top of being pregnant. Maybe if she eats, things will turn for the better. Then I can fix things... I hope.' Quinus thought as Wina grabbed the ladle and scooped up a generous amount of the roast pork and vegetables and put it in his bowl first.

"Thank you, Lady Wina," Qunius said as he got a plate and started placing salad on it and then added the dressing.

Wina gave him a smile and then scooped some up for Nelumbo and then herself. But Mathew had to get his own.

"You're welcome, Your Highness." Lady Wina said.

The maid left and Mathew, Wina, Quinus, and Nelumbo started eating. Quinus was enjoying the meal and it was quiet and peaceful. Wina seemed to cheer up as she had a full stomach. And Mathew was happy to see his wife smile again. Nelumbo didn't say anything as she didn't want to set off Wina again.

***