"...So it's been going on for two months?! And I didn't know?" My voice resonated through the dining hall. I couldn't contain myself from poking at Tiana's life now. She had been literally taking care of me for the past five months, and I knew so little about the woman. I felt negligence. 'And I thought I would be better than this.'

My questions were going on for the largest part of the meal. I even had Tiana sit next to me and talk. She protested, almost making me feel bad for asking her to sit in the first place. I had to order her to sit next to me to stop the incessant refusals. They were futile from the beginning.

"Yes, milady. Nerephil is..." she wandered off, her cheeks blushing. Although her blushing was actually a torrent of red streaking across the coal skin, providing enough light to see well in the darkness even. It would certainly be difficult to hide. I felt fortunate to be able to at least somewhat contain what was going on in my head at times.

"You know, you once told me to be open to Cerolus. I respect that. And you don't need to say anything. I can practically see it on you." I held up my hands and pulled her into a hug, shrieking.

Tiana panicked briefly, and her arms flailed about for a bit before she embraced me as well. "I am lucky to have him. But I don't think I'll ever have what you and Lord Cerolus possess."

Her eyes took on a tinge of sadness before I wiped at them. "No, no. No crying or sadness here. You have someone you like, and I have someone I love. We're supposed to be happy."

Realisation struck me. I had used these words. Joy, love, happiness. I'd made idle chat. And I did it here, with someone I never thought I'd get to meet. And I had a person that meant everything to me. Somehow, my mind managed to cast fear and doubts. 'How much of this is real? And will this last?'

I tried to not think about the future, staying in the now instead. I had the entire day to myself. I had to learn to use it.

But some things would need remain as a part of my habits. 'Like training with Sephor, for example. But a bit after this hearty breakfast.'

Tiana and I proceeded with chatting as we moved to the Gardens. The morning Sun would warm up the air just enough to feel comfortable. I learned that Dralarag doesn't really get cold at any point in the year, it just got less hot. The lessons I had were taking root, and I now had actual confidence in my language capabilities to hold a conversation without using Lyndarian or the necklace.

I still kept the ornate gem around my neck, for it felt almost a part of me now. Taking it off in the evenings felt neither relieving nor saddening, but it was comforting to have the necklace touch my skin during the day.

A wave of nausea hit me as the fresh air of the Gardens entered my nose. I took smaller, sharper breaths as I clutched my head. Colours seemed blurry for a moment, and then everything dissipated to normalcy.

"Are you alright, milady?" I registered Tiana's concerned tone.

I deflected the remarks. "I'm fine. I could've just ate too much too fast. I just felt so much hungrier today."

Tiana's face briefly remained contorted into worry but soon snapped back to her normal demeanour.

We got to one of my favourite sitting spots in the Gardens. I could lie back and watch the sky change hues, the wind blow through the trees, even glance at the quivering Grappler as it shook occasionally. The flowering season had ended, and the Gardens were noticeably duller.

Cerolus had a structure of stone made inside the Gardens and enchanted to spout water upwards, the droplets flying about. The refreshing air relieved any pressure or worry I had as I took in the sight.

Barks echoed nearby, and Fluffy raced towards me with a large bone in his jaws. His movements stopped as he dropped the large rib onto the ground. His noses moved across the air around him as he sniffed vigorously. Whereas he would almost instantly lay by my side, he was now at a few steps away, visibly perturbed.

I heard Cerberi were great at detecting danger, so I immediately rushed to several conclusion, each less likely than the last.

Just as I got worried about some grave danger hanging overhead, Fluffy picked up the bone and approached me again. He lied down lazily, one head clutching the bone while the other lapped as a response to my gentle caresses. 'That was unusual. For a moment, he behaved like the first time I saw him as if he didn't recognise me.'

I dismissed any presumption I had, considering that it could've been nothing at all.

We enjoyed the beauty of the morning for a while, but it was time to get going and proceed with the day. It was due time to go train with Sephor. I had been slowly improving, getting used to the fighting and sparring style Demons presented with.

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I got to the training grounds, where Sephor had already been waiting for me. We spent almost every day out here, sparring and improving on my technique. Today should be no different. My sparring armour rattled as I moved into the position, preparing for the assault that would inevitably come.

"Good morning, milady," Sephor's words slurred. He would always come off with the slightest hint of mockery in his stance as if I were not good enough for this. It only helped stir up my motivation to improve and learn. If I were to guess, that was his actual goal with his gestures, because if it was, he was an excellent instructor and this castle was lucky to have him as its Guard Captain.

"Good morning to you as well, Sephor," I chided from under the helmet. He had me wear them starting from a month ago, saying it would be good practise once I'd got far enough in the training. The helmet was anything but comfortable and my hair was overflowing onto the sides, making it all the hotter inside.

I intended to strike first this time, switching my defensive stance to one more appropriate for attacking. My heels shifted, pushing the loose soil and digging the rare patches of red.

I made a step. My stomach rumbled. My vision blurred. My throat itched. My head burst in pain.

I toppled over and opened my mouth. A gush of yellowish goop splashed on the ground below, some particles making their way on the iron and leather armour. My throat felt on fire, and my head wasn't any better.

I caught only a glimpse of the ensuing panic. Before I could protest, the helmet was taken off, my hair was tied into a tight knot, and parts of armour were discarded. The sudden fatigue made any attempts to persuade Sephor, Tiana, and Hiratun that I would be fine futile at best.

A soft fabric covered the clothes I was wearing under the armour and Hiratun picked me up, carrying me in his arms. I tried to protest, "I'm fine!"

"We won't take any chances, milady. We're going to have a physician visit your chambers," Tiana responded from out of my view.

Hiratun made short work of the steps and hallways and in what seemed like moments, I was redressed and lain down, embracing the soft covers of my bed. Tiana ran circles around the spacious bed, gathering water and some unknown herbs.

There was a knock on the heavyset doors, and I could hear Hiratun's voice from beyond it. "Milady, it is the physician."

"Let him in," the sentence came out more as a question rather than a statement, but the doors opened regardless. A slender Demon entered. He was noticeably older than the people I came in contact with so far or at least looked the part. Rough spectacles laid on his nose, distorting the size of his eyes. He was bald but had a patch of grey on his chin, giving him the appearance of a scholarly goat, especially considering the large ears and the milky white skin. He possessed hooves like Cerolus, the completely white groom contrasting with the black of his coat and pants.

He trotted slowly to a chair that was laid on the floor near the bed and put a large black case on the seat. "Greetings, milady. I am Asclepias Mantadar and I serve as the physician of the town and castle of Bretir."

His voice was mesmerising, and I had already started to calm down. My head was better and I felt no urge to lose my breakfast anymore.

"Now, if you would just remain calm and tell me what you have been doing prior to the... event."

I briefly recollected what had happened this morning. He demanded details, and after a few nods from Tiana, I had to tell, to my utmost embarrassment, what happened in the bed this morning, omitting all the details I could. The Demon took out a small book and scribbled in it as I talked. My cheeks were now red hot, which could be quite fine considering I had looked myself in the mirror before being set in bed and appeared pale.

Once the painful exchange finished, he put the book down, then went towards the basin of water. He calmly washed his hands while he spoke to me. "Do I have your permission to examine you?"

I nodded slowly, trying to trust the man in front of me. I assumed Cerolus placed some trust in him considering Bretir was, as I came to learn, under our governance and that I was the one supposed to make decisions if my husband was indisposed, like now. 'Really great timing for all of this.'

The wise goat Demon put his hand on my chest, poking at my belly and sides with the other one. He took out several gems from the bag, and I just watched as the cold surfaces touched my skin. Some of the gems glowed, some flickered, others did not change at all. The physician made sighs and grunts as he worked. It seemed like this was either going really well or really bad.

"You don't seem ill," he conceded finally. "Have you eaten anything strange? Drank something that tasted different than usual?"

I shook my head vigorously. I had been eating similar meals for a while and had grown accustomed to them as well. Some fears let themselves out and swirled about my mind. 'Could have someone tried to poison me?'

"Have you drank any medicine or potions?" The Demon made more scribbles in his small book.

"Well, I drank that thing Tiana gave me for the... courses..." the physician wrote something in the book, as I tried to remember when was the last time I took it.

"I usually take it as soon as they start so that was..." I drew blanks. I couldn't remember anything about the green goo. I wasn't particularly distressed or distracted, but any semblance of a memory of it was gone from the past month.

"...two months ago..." The realisation settled in as the entire room enveloped in silence.

Asclepios took out a vibrant red gem from his bag. It was noticeably larger than the previous ones, and he could hold only one end of it in his hand. One side of the gem was almost perfectly rounded, having very few imperfections in its shape.

The rounded edge of the gem was laid squarely on my chest. "This is a heartstone. It detects, well, the beat of one's heart."

The gem slowly lit up, the crimson brightness pulsating through. It beat at a steady pace, and I instinctively tried to count the beats of colour.

The Demon moved the gem slowly towards my belly, the steady beat slowing down a bit. A new shade of crimson could be discerned in the gem, a few brief pulses completely overshadowed by the larger one.

As the gem moved, the pulses of the newly developed shade grew faster, beating the first one in intensity.

Soon, the gem was squarely on one side of my belly, and only one shade of crimson could be seen, pulsing furiously inside the gem.

My mouth was wide open, as the Demon looked towards me. "Congratulations, milady. You are with child."