Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 50

“Even after you recover, if you’re not ready, you can use contraception. Usually, it’s more effective for women to take something, but men can also drink a decoction made from Wagali tree roots.”

“But why did you discreetly ask the maids about it? Is it embarrassing?”

“Well, it’s just that… In families like these, having an heir is very important.”

“The heir is Eirik. Eirik is the important one.”

“No, that’s not it. I mean…”

As Gella hesitated, Miessa spoke with a serious expression, “Gella, if you don’t explain everything properly, I’ll never understand. So you need to tell me everything, completely.”

With that, Gella had no choice but to explain everything. She talked about how things usually worked in noble families, the importance of heirs, and even the significance of legitimacy.

“If I can’t have an heir, my position becomes weaker…”

Miessa, staring blankly into space, lowered her head to look at her fingertips.

Sitting in the bath for too long had made her skin pruney. Staring at the wrinkled, unsightly appearance, Miessa closed her eyes weakly.

“Do I even have a position to speak of?”

She had tried to ignore it, pretending not to know, but the reality was clear to everyone. Just closing her eyes wouldn’t make it go away.

***

Eirik woke to the sound of heavy rain pounding from afar. The storm hammered from all directions, accompanied by the rumbling sound of thunder.

How is the situation at the barracks? What about the wounded soldiers? His mind’s blank. He hastily tried to get up but felt the soft texture of the blanket and let out a sigh of relief.

After rolling through battlefields for over ten years, it was unavoidable. He thought as he rubbed his dry face with his hand.

Every night, he would check the weather for the next day by looking at the sky. Yet, only a few months after the war ended, he no longer looked up at the night sky.

When was the last time he saw the constellations? His mind, which was wandering aimlessly, eventually reached the thought of the wife he met a few months ago.

Turning his head to the side, he saw Miesa lying still and sleeping soundly. He recalled how she had once mentioned hating rainy days. Perhaps it would be better to close the curtains more tightly. While he was looking at the window, lightning flashed, heralding another thunderclap.

Eirik got up and headed for the balcony. He firmly closed the thick curtains before returning to bed.

He could hear no sound of breathing beside him. Assuming Miesa was in a deep sleep, he tried to fall back asleep as well, but a sense of unease lingered.

Eirik rose again to check beside him. Miesa lay on her back with the blanket pulled up to her mouth.

The sight seemed even more unusual. He hurriedly got up and turned on the light. His wife, when she truly slept, always curled up protectively and only slept lightly.

“Miesa…?”

Lighting the candlestick on the nightstand, he finally saw her condition clearly. Miesa was drenched in cold sweat, shivering violently.

Eirik reached out and pulled her into his arms. Her cold body was stiff.

“Miesa, Miesa!”

Miesa struggled to open her eyes, saw Eirik’s face, and then lost consciousness.

He immediately sent for an attendant to fetch someone from the knights’ quarters. Gella, who had hastily dressed, ran in, dripping with rainwater.

“It seems like exhaustion. Did she overexert herself?”

Eirik explained with a long sigh, “You know she’s afraid of birds, right? She also said she hates rainy days, but I didn’t realize it was this severe.”

“Oh dear…”

Gella, examining Miesa’s pale face, turned to Eirik. “Young master, do you have any clean paper?”

Gella picked a sheet of paper from the desk, tore it into small pieces, wetted them, and then wrung out the moisture, shaping them into long, thin strips. Knowing Gella’s competence as a doctor, Eirik watched without interrupting.

“I’ve tried various things, but paper works better than cotton. This is just to shape it; it must be completely dried before putting it in her ears. Putting it in while wet can cause ear infections.”

“Will that block the sound?”

“Yes. Unless the thunder is extremely loud, this should be effective.”

Gella made several paper pieces and placed them on the nightstand.

“But as you know, this doesn’t solve the fundamental problem.”

“With the rainy season ahead, it’s worrying.” Eirik sighed.

Gella, standing by with a solemn expression, made a suggestion, “Young master, why not…?”

When Miesa awoke with a start, she found herself in an unfamiliar place instead of her usual surroundings.

“……?”

At first, she thought she was under a giant’s skirt. But as she regained her senses and looked around, she realized her bed was now enclosed by fabric.

“It’s similar to the tents we used on the battlefield. Ah, can you hear my voice?” Eirik’s voice came through.

Her ears felt blocked, as if something was stuffed inside. When Miesa reached to touch them, Eirik gently stopped her.

“It’s still raining heavily. I’ll remove them once the rain quiets down a bit,” he explained.

Miesa blinked. Though there was a humming noise, she could clearly hear the man speaking next to her.

“Why… this…?” she asked, her voice groggy.

“Because of the rain,” Eirik replied.

“Then, why this…?” she pointed to the fabric surrounding the bed, and he chuckled.

“At first, I drew the curtains on the bedposts to block the sound,” he began, ensuring she was following his explanation before continuing. “But as I stayed here, more documents to review kept piling up. Eventually, there was nowhere to place the candlesticks safely, so we ended up like this.”

Thick fabric sloped from above the bed, covering the area down to the floor, with the nightstands lined up around the bed’s perimeter. The candlesticks were securely placed under the nightstands.

“Even if the blanket falls, it will land on the nightstand, so there’s no risk of fire,” he added.

With the surroundings enclosed and a gentle glow from the candles, it was hard to tell whether it was night or day outside. Miesa gazed around in a daze.

Eirik put down the papers he was holding and gently patted her head. “How do you feel? Can you eat something?” he asked.

When she nodded her still-dazed head, Eirik stepped out for a moment and returned with a tray.

“You might have trouble digesting, so eat slowly.”

He blew on a spoonful of thick porridge and brought it to her lips, but Miesa found it hard to open her mouth.

Miesa felt like her chest was about to burst.

It felt like she was back in her childhood, in Celia Palace. That small, neat place.

There, her mother always greeted her with a warm smile, and the maids took care of her kindly. Everyone who met young Miesa’s eyes would call her name and smile brightly.

She was truly loved, and she loved everyone dearly.

But after a certain day, no one remained by her side.

Since then, Miesa had turned a blind eye to everything that reminded her of her childhood. Gradually, the beautiful times and the squalid reality in her mind became perfectly separated.

Thus, she lived her life as if she were watching it from a distance.

She genuinely enjoyed her bizarre behavior. She didn’t mind being pointed at. Like a puppet on a well-made stage, she believed her current life was not her own.

But now, there was someone looking at her with warm eyes and a kind smile, even in this dirty and ugly reality.

“Are you alright?” Eirik asked.

Miesa slowly opened her mouth. “…Thank you.”

Eirik tilted his head as if doubting his ears.

“Thank you for treating me well.”

After hearing her hesitant words, Eirik smiled brightly, looking quite pleased. “Well, well. To think I’d hear such words from my wife.”

Then he added playfully, “I feel proud. If it had been when we first met, you might have thought, ‘What a commendable person to serve the royal family so well.'”

He spoke jokingly, but Miesa couldn’t find the words to respond. Because it was true.

“If you’re thankful, eat up and regain your strength.”

Following his words, Miesa diligently opened her mouth to eat the porridge.

“It was Gella’s idea to drape the fabric around like a tent,” Eirik said as he wiped her mouth. “It turned out to be quite useful than I thought. In many ways.”

***