SMITTEN

"Why did I say that? I should've asked for a one-week Gaean trip for free!" Aisha pondered with her pouted lips as she walked back to her Chamber with Rosalia and the other female servants. 

She heaved out a heavy sigh as she continued to walk with her head lowered down.

She had just finished her dinner alone. She thought that the herbs that she had found were enough to appease King Leandro's crankiness. But he said, he has no appetite for dinner and encouraged her to eat well instead and stay inside the Castle walls for the time being.

'Well, maybe it's true. He seemed to have a rough day,' Aisha thought as she recalled his dim appearance. 

While she was being sincere when she said that she wanted him to think about his own happiness for once, she also wanted to be free to roam around.

She could not stay within the walls of her room for even half a day!

Her autumn eyes darted to every corner of her Chamber, which was lit with beautifully placed lamps. It was every female human's dream to live in such a luxurious place with lots of female servants serving her. 

The room also was very comfortable with a relaxing scent of incense filling the place. Her hands touched the soft cushions on the plush couch before she sighed, "If only I was an introvert or a homebody, this would've been nice."

She recalled her former life when her parents would put her in a deluxe playground in the hotel where they would have meetings and leave her to the care of hotel attendants and their butler.

But she would always find her way out of it and roamed the hotel, making the staff irritated whenever they saw her with her parents. 

'Maybe that's the reason why these things don't excite me,' Aisha thought to herself before she sat on the couch and laid her head on its headrest.

She was physically tired, but she felt fulfilled. She was just out and helping other people, seeing their lives change and being a part of it. That's what makes her happy. 

As she was pondering how she would get by without leaving the Castle walls, Rosalia responded to her. 

"I think the King is just concerned about you, my lady. You are still a hot subject in Gaea. And besides, you will bear his child soon. You must always keep yourself safe always, my lady," she tried to see the positive light of her experience.

Her voice sounded like a cooling fountain watering down her constricted soul.

Aisha understood the part that he was keeping her safe. That was why he sent Lord Emilio himself to guard her. But the reason for keeping her within the walls was because she would carry his child? That was new to her.

She immediately stood up from lying down, making Rosalia's tail and the other female servants' puff up.

"What does that even mean? I'm not allowed to go out until I have given birth to a child? Oh, no! I haven't thought about that!" Aisha whined.

Her face froze in a pained stare. "But that couldn't be. I have friends who got pregnant early on, and they still hang out with me at the bar," she tried to reason out how unreasonable it is to keep her confined. 

But she quickly added, "It's not that I will drink or anything. But maybe I can just get out of the Castle, breathe in some fresh air, you know? It will be good for the baby, right?" her face lit up, hoping she was making sense. 

But the other female servants' lips went downward as they gazed at one another, feeling the distress of their lady. Their chests heaved out sighs of sympathy.

It was Rosalia who spoke what was going on in their mind, "But yours was no ordinary conception, my lady. You will conceive the next heir to the throne. Maybe it would be helpful to think of a woman who will be carrying the baby of the next King of your country. Here, that woman is you."

Aisha nodded her head as Rosalia's words removed the cloud of selfishness that was blurring her mind. It is true. What's worse, the King has never born a child before!

Just as she was pondering on these things, a messenger announced his presence from behind the door of her Chamber.

"A letter from the royal physician, my lady," he informed them, making Aisha's eyebrows knit together.

"Oh my gosh, what could it be? Am I sick or anything?" she stood up as she waited for Rosalia to get the letter from the messenger.

Aisha's jaw drop as she held in her hand a long scroll with these words written:

"This is a list that a royal wife must fulfill in order to conceive a child for the King. This must be started as soon as possible. Failure to do so could lead to punishment or removal of the rights bestowed by the King."

There were classes that she has to attend, daily exercises, foods that she has to eat, and a lot of don'ts scribbled in a formal way.

She flipped the scroll up in a quick manner, hoping she would see the last part. But it took her minutes to reach it. 

Her body slumped back on the couch as she put her palm to her forehead. "These were like a one-year fertility program treatment. I didn't sign for this. I'm doomed!" her extremities collapsed, faking a faint. 

"Maybe I shouldn't have agreed with the Chosen One thing," she uttered in a helpless cry.

The baby held by the mother who has just given birth somehow deepens her resolve to be faithful to her word to the Great Theos. But she didn't know how tedious the preparation would be. And everything was against her norms!

"Don't worry, milady. The King and us are here to support you. It will increase your chances of having a viable conception, too," Rosalia encouraged her with a warm-hearted smile.

Aisha couldn't help but respond positively. "Thanks, Rosalia. What would I do without you?"

Then she peeked at the list again. With a deep sigh, she asked herself, "I just hope you're right."

************************

Pregnancy is the happiest reason ever for feeling like crap.