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This time, Helena didn’t shake my hand off.
Instead, she gripped it tighter, as if to confirm something, and stared straight at me.
“Your Highness, I have to ask, just in case.”
“Yes?”
“So, by any chance…”
She hesitated for a long moment, then spoke with tears welling up in her eyes.
“I don’t know why, really. But I feel another life inside you. No? Am I, am I going crazy?”
Could she sense pregnancy with her divine power?
I hadn’t included any pregnant characters in the novel, so I hadn’t even considered that possibility.
‘𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥.’
I had no intention of burdening Helena with my pregnancy.
If her powers were starting to awaken, even slightly, after meeting Lurick, there was no telling how she would react to my pregnancy.
‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵.’
The current Lurick was neither rampaging nor imprisoned.
Not only was the younger sister who had triggered Lurick’s rampage still alive and well, but she was also carrying a new life.
“……Helena.”
As I called her name cautiously, Helena suddenly flinched and let go of my hand.
“I apologize, Your Highness. I’ve made a slip of the tongue. Please forget what I said.”
“Helena, I…”
But before I could reassure her, she dropped to her knees.
Clasping her hands together, she began to weep and beg for forgiveness.
“Please forgive me, Your Highness. I have committed a grave sin against you, an unmarried lady. Please forgive me…”
Her face was so distraught that I couldn’t help but reconsider.
‘𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺?’
After all, Helena hadn’t formed a good relationship with Lurick yet.
‘𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵……’
So I whispered softly,
“If what you said is true, can you keep it a secret?”
Helena gasped, then looked up at me with a pale, stricken face.
“True… you say?”
“I also asked you to keep it a secret.”
Surely she couldn’t refuse the Imperial Princess to her face.
Was it the weight of the secret?
Helena scrambled to her feet and nodded.
“I can keep a secret.”
But she looked utterly shocked.
Unable to bring myself to continue talking about Lurick, I offered her a gentle smile instead.
“But to feel another life inside me… how is that even possible?”
I wanted to give her a hint about her divine power, but Helena just shook her head with a dazed expression.
“I… I don’t know, Your Highness. It was just so strong… that feeling. I couldn’t help but ask impulsively. I’m sorry if I startled you.”
Then she quickly added,
“I had a terrible headache yesterday and couldn’t sleep. I think I wasn’t feeling well because of the lack of sleep, and I had strange thoughts. Maybe it was just a coincidence that it matched your situation.”
She’d coincidentally guessed that an unmarried princess was pregnant.
It was a far-fetched excuse, with the odds astronomically low, but Helena seemed to be having trouble accepting what had happened to her.
“Yes, maybe you’re right.”
For now, I agreed and gave Helena a handful of chocolates, cookies, and other treats.
“Take these and get some rest. I shared my secret with you, so if you’re ever worried about anything, come to me. I’ll keep your secret too.”
Maybe this way, she would come to me when she remembers her past life?
With that hopeful thought, I sent Helena on her way.
Although, in the end, I would come to regret it deeply.