CXLIX: the worries of the whole kingdom

"You must be good," she warned her baby seriously not caring if she heard her or not. "I can not afford to sleep in the daytime but you are forcing me to. I have much to do at this moment and it is not easy for your mother s remain calm and let me do all I have to not just for me alone but for this kingdom as a whole."

The baby kicked as though giving her a response to her plea. She smiled and sighed.

"At least you are kind enough to answer," she murmured softly.

***

The king came later that night as he said he would. He listened to the narration of what happened with his brow furrowed and his hands wrapped around her waist.

His hands slide up to her abdomen and he rubbed it gently. "You should not cause any trouble for your mother," he scolded the child.

"I am very curious to know what my child's gender is," she murmured as her hands rested on his hands.