Chapter 69

After Sophia and Alex left, Iena also got up as if to follow them.

"I'm sorry to leave early. I'm also worried about Alex, so I'll take my leave for today."

She said it with a truly regretful look, but she probably wasn't feeling well. She hadn't touched her food much.

"Of course. You shouldn't overexert yourself. Let's talk again when you're more relaxed."

Using Alex as an excuse, she probably needed to rest.

After Iena left, Ortimetti fidgeted restlessly, moving the cutlery.

"Titi, if you're that worried, why don't you go check on them?"

"No... I can't do anything even if I go."

A sigh.

"—This never happened with Alex. What's different between two years ago and now?"

"What's different...?"

Everything is different.

The child to be born, the mother's age, and the surrounding circumstances.

"With Alex, she seemed to have felt a lot of pressure up until then. She was relieved and wanted to take care of it together... but this time, Iena can't seem to slow down."

"Maybe she can't slow down? Alex is a lively two-year-old."

It's been over four years since she became queen. This is probably the busiest and most fulfilling time in her career.

"I don't understand what Iena is thinking."

Ortimetti downed his wine in one gulp.

Perhaps he had a bit too much to drink during this rare family gathering. He seemed a bit tipsy.

After the meal, Eidan quietly left the venue with Marivel.

In a separate room, snacks and toys were prepared for the children. Only the adults remained in the room.

"Alex has a nanny, doesn't he? The bill doesn't need to be rushed. —I think she's pushing herself too hard, and it's taking a toll on her body."

"Titi..."

"I tell her to rest. At first, she would laugh and say she was fine... but recently..."

Ortimetti held his head.

"She told me to be quiet."

"Oh, my."

He met the eyes of his father, who is also a father of three. The father patted Ortimetti's shoulder sympathetically.

"Titi, women can become a bit more irritable when they're pregnant. Your mother often kept her distance from me when she was pregnant. We even slept in separate rooms sometimes."

That was news to him.

"She said she didn't like the smell..."

The father said this with a distant look. Was he still hurt? He looked lonely.

"What about you, Cynthia?"

"Me...?"

Indeed, women can become more sensitive to smells. But...

Cynthia looked at her father and then at her brother.

The problem doesn't seem to be there.

These men don't understand.

Cynthia turned to Rias.

"How about you, Rias?"

"You were always wonderful."

Rias smiled at her, and Cynthia was taken aback.

Is that even an answer?

"Um, Rias? Can you be more specific?"

Ortimetti asked hesitantly.

"Cynthia is full of compassion, beautiful, kind-hearted, and wise. Whether before, during pregnancy, or now as a mother."

He said this with a passionate gaze.

"I don't know anyone as wonderful as Cynthia."

"That's an exaggeration."

It really is.

Cynthia shook off the warm gaze and asked a servant for tea.

Let's change the subject.

"—I had severe morning sickness, especially with Sophia. It seemed to get worse with each pregnancy."

People say it's worse with different genders, but it's ultimately subjective and varies from person to person.

Each time was difficult.

"Everything changes inside your body. It's hard to describe. It's not just nausea; you feel sleepy, lethargic, and—well, maybe a bit more irritable too."

Cynthia was like a wounded animal during Eidan's pregnancy until she remembered her past life.

Digging too deep into that story might reopen old wounds.

Rias gently covered Cynthia's hand. His warm hand and loving gaze made her look at him.

"Thank you for enduring so much and giving birth to our children three times."

"Rias..."

This is one of Rias's good qualities.

Cynthia might be influenced by Rias, as she sometimes feels like hugging him even in such situations.

"—With Sophia, it was especially bad. She couldn't eat for days. At the worst, she could only manage a little salt and lemon."

Rias remembers better than Cynthia.

Come to think of it, that was true. She thought she might become a rumor of a duchess licking salt at night.

"That's right. Rias even stopped eating with me."

"Why?"

"Seeing my wife unable to eat, I couldn't bring myself to eat either."

"Didn't that affect your work?"

A knight's body is his capital.

"I train, so it's not a problem. —Compared to Cynthia's suffering, it was nothing."

"Rias would search for the best salt and look into various pickles."

Doing so, she could eat a little. Rias was genuinely happy when she could eat.

"Ah, right. I tend to swell, so he often gave me massages."

Massages were Cynthia's specialty, which she usually did for Rias, but during pregnancy, it was the other way around.

"—You did all that?"

Ortimetti was taken aback.

"I thought I was taking good care of Iena, but I didn't even come close to Rias. —No wonder you love Rias, sister."

Rias blushed, like a maiden.

Cynthia, however, turned back to Ortimetti.

"Titi, why don't you try to get closer to Iena? I'm not saying you should be like Rias."

Iena doesn't want that.

"For example, the alcohol."

"Huh?"

"Iena can't drink, but you drink as usual, right?"

Both the father and Ortimetti looked at their glasses.

They seemed surprised by this thought.

"I'm not saying you should stop. But if I were in her shoes, I'd think, 'He doesn't care that I can't drink.' The same goes for resting. Even with a healthy body and a small bump, if someone tells you to just lie in bed—could you do it if someone told you to stop moving tomorrow? You'd be too worried to relax."

"I'm the king, though."

"Iena is also a queen and a mother. She can't take any of her roles lightly."

Cynthia continued calmly, thinking it was important to say as a family.

As a woman, she felt closer to Iena than to her brother.

"To be blunt... to Iena, you might be a husband, but not a partner. She might think she has to do everything on her own."

She didn't say he was unreliable, but she thought he was seen as ineffective.

"Iena is an excellent queen and mother. She doesn't want someone else to handle her duties or raise Alex. She wants to do it herself."

"But that's why I'm worried about Iena's health."

"I'm not saying you should tell her to do that. I'm wondering if you understand her feelings. Only by understanding can you have a meaningful conversation."

It varies from person to person, but as long as she doesn't see you as a partner, it might be understandable that she doesn't want you in the bedroom.

When her mother said she couldn't stand the smell, she probably felt the same way.

Ortimetti thought about it for a while.