In the rush back to where they were staying, nothing was said. The King gave commands to Marcus, that he alone should destroy the tablet, and he looked back at Mahnu in worry.

He believed that she could read minds, but…If it were true and Sedric was thinking of taking her…

He couldn’t deny that he was worried, even though they had people here to protect her.

"I cannot defend myself anymore." Her voice shook a tiny bit and King Richard held her close.

"William will watch over you...Marcus too." The King could only think of adding more guards to her full-time protection…Who other then give her the best, which was Marcus.

"No, Marcus is your Loyal Knight, he does well for you." Before the King could talk, she continued, "Give me another, so that William will be able to rest. He does well but...He puts me first too much. Let him be able to sleep a good rest every day."

The King let her go and walked to William. Even though William had stoked his honour to his woman's safety, the King pressured him to find another that could guard only Mahnu.

William bowed, saying he would do so and that he would tell Marcus on his return.

"Actually," The King said, stopping him, "Get two more instead of one...Trustworthy Knights, loyal to you as well, William."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

 

Mahnu sighed, it was still midday and she already felt like she had a long day. Laying on the bed, she felt herself drift into sleep easily.

She remembered the times of wanting to sleep like this when she was a God. How ironic, she thought, now I can't do without it!

The King walked back in to the room, to find Mahnu sleeping. She seemed already out to the world as he took his place sitting next to her on the bed.

She didn’t move or anything and it had only been a few minutes since their return to the room!

Moving a strand of her hair out of her eyes, he remembered how she looked when she wore all of her hair down. Now she has it up a lot and he missed it down…He also wondered how she had fallen asleep so easily with her hair still up.

Wasn’t it uncomfortable?

Finally letting her sleep, he reads over memorials and waits for the return of Marcus.

When, finally, Marcus returns from smashing the tablet, he asks the King quietly, "Would you like to use the remnants of it, Your Majesty?"

King Richard looked at the bag that held the tablet, that could no longer be read. "Either that or scatter the pieces to make sure…I will leave the decision to you."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Marcus left and William spoke to him about Mahnu's safety, in which Marcus agreed to two more knights to guard her.

Afterwards, the doctor came, and Marcus spoke to her before she entered the room that Mahnu was sleeping in.

 

At first, he was astonished to find the doctor as a female, but it was not rare, just uncommon. He wasn’t sure if it would be an advantage or not, as Mahnu was also female…Nonetheless, Marcus thought that if he needed to, he would just get a third doctor in if he had too.

William told him just earlier that doctors were strange here and had heard some strange rumors about them, but rumors tended to lead one away from the truth…So all Marcus could do, was see how this doctor did…

The doctor nodded her head to Marcus’s words and fully accepted them, as though she was already on the job, taking it very seriously.

Seeing her like this, Marcus was very happy and did not waste time. After everything was said, he stated to the King that the doctor was here, and the doctor was allowed in not too long after that…

 

 

"...I think I misheard you."

Marcus looked on as the King stumbled over his own words.

"The pulse is small, but readable, Your Majesty. She is, indeed, pregnant"

Watching over the sleeping body of Mahnu, Marcus nudged his Majesty in the shoulder, to shake him out of his surprise. It had been quite obvious to him that the King had wanted a child with Mahnu. "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Wait!" The King said.

They had a different doctor yesterday, how could things change in a day? "The doctor, yesterday, didn't say she was pregnant."

The lady pulled her fingers away from the sleeping Mahnu and looked away.

Marcus was unsure whether to trust her or not with that action. He already had doubts, now they were started to show that it could be real…

"I am not a doctor of Bena."

Both Marcus and the King were silent and confused. While she continued. "I am a doctor of Kralaide, I will help anyone, whoever they may be...The proper way."

"What's the difference?" Marcus asked, thinking of William, who got this doctor.

This woman seemed to be spouting nonsense! ‘A doctor of Kralaide’ had never once been uttered before, even by a male doctor!

And…William was the one that had found her!

But before Marcus turned to glare at William, the lady doctor spoke again.

"The doctors of Bena are told to get as much as they can, whether the patient is sick or not. They hardly qualify and they rarely get the right diagnosis...I used to be one of them, but I learnt how to be a true doctor in Conrella…It is my dream after all."

The lady suddenly bowed down and put her head to the floor, scaring everyone awake in the room, "Your Majesty, I am not lying! Please help the people who are sick here and trust my judgement."

 

The King was silent for a moment and Marcus was worried. This type of scandal was pretty big and there would be quite a few people involved!

Thinking about it…The rumours that William had said…Could they have possibly been true then?

"Is she really pregnant?" His question halted Marcus and he wondered if he had heard right.

"Yes, Your Majesty. When I felt her womb, it was slightly swollen but there is an extra beat in her pulse to state that she is a couple of weeks into her pregnancy."

It seemed that it was the same as the Queen, quite some time ago. Only on the night of their marriage, did the King lay with his new Queen and that had been enough to conceive his first child. Now, King Richard wondered if this child had been conceived the same way with Mahnu a few weeks ago, from their first time together.

He seemed to have a special talent to impregnate a woman on the first night!

 

Marcus watched the King let out a sigh and the lady smiled at him. "She has no illness, Your Majesty. Fatigue, being emotional and hunger, are all symptoms of pregnancy."

"Hunger?"

"Yes, your knight here told me beforehand, of what she has been going through...I am certain of my diagnosis, Your Majesty, and wish you my congratulations."

At that moment, Mahnu moved but didn't wake, and the doctor said, "She will be tired for awhile. Please don't let her strain herself."

"Yes, very well. Thank you very much." Finally, the King was able to talk normal again.

"I will take my leave then, Your Majesty, and write down a prescription for her to take."

The King looked at her quietly for a moment, and then said, "We have somewhere to travel soon and I would like you to accompany us."

Marcus was unsure what it was that His Majesty wanted, but it was a good idea. As it was, they had not brought doctors with them from the capital and it would calm His Majesty, if a doctor was constantly by Mahnu’s side.

 

"Your Majesty?" The doctor was uncertain.

"My beloved has suffered much, and I'd prefer it if you could accompany her as a friend and her doctor."

Not only protection with guarding but, of course, now that she's pregnant, protection with a doctor. It was understandable, Marcus thought…He just wasn’t sure if a ‘friend’ would happen. Mahnu…Mahnu was…

Unable to classify Mahnu into any specific type of personality, Marcus could only let it go for now, as the conversation was still going.

"I was..."

His Majesty interrupted the doctor, "Please, Mahnu..." The King looked at his beloved and back at the doctor, "Please?"

The doctor breathed out, taking into account that the King himself was pleading with her, and said, "When will you leave here?"

Marcus went to speak but His Majesty talked first, "We will leave tomorrow. But Marcus..."

Looking at His Majesty, Marcus bowed his head.

"Arrest that other doctor and look into others. We can't have people being taken advantage of, especially when they are sick."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"
He had worried for nothing, Mahnu's pregnancy didn't affect His Majesty in the way he thought it might. But he wondered if it was good or bad that this was happening at this certain time…As…It wasn’t even a day and the King had asked for more protection for Mahnu because of Sedric…

 

"And Marcus."

Marcus stopped from leaving the room, and turned back to the King. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"At the moment, this is a secret, even from Mahnu. It's not to leave this room." Then the King let out a small chuckle.

Marcus blinked and stared for a moment.

"Please understand, miss, of why I asked you what I did just now."

Both the doctor and Marcus were speechless. Why keep it a secret?

"You too, William...Agreed?"

William agreed whole heartily, in which Marcus and the doctor felt like they could only follow suit.

"Good." Was all His Majesty said in return.

Is it a secret from Mahnu, who could read minds...Or perhaps someone else? Thinking that far, Marcus was suddenly aware of the Queen yet again, and had a slight understanding of why a pregnancy could not be said, when Mahnu had yet to be officially accepted as a consort.

Normally, there was a type of wedding and celebration with the people, for a consort to enter into the harem and none of that had yet to be completed!

And now…Mahnu was already pregnant!

Marcus could only sigh to the dilemma that the King is in!

Again, he was glad he had no wife!

 

 

When everyone left the room, King Richard covered his mouth and looked away from Mahnu. He couldn't help but smile. He knew she was going to question this when she found out but at this moment, he let himself feel like he was the proudest man on earth.

Sighing, he put his hand down and wondered how she would act. Would she not like it? Would she be happy?

After all, she had never had a child and she had lived all these years…

King Richard felt giddy and strange all at the same time. He hoped, he longed, he worried, and he wished.

He hoped Mahnu would accept this easier then he believes so. He longed for this child, even though…It wasn’t a very good time…He worried that Mahnu might not like this and being the stubborn and obstinate person that she is…Then…He wished that Mahnu will see how much he loves this situation!

It really was overwhelming for a King like him to be so happy about one small little thing…Oh, and that small little thing will grow and become cute and adorable, just like their mother…

Oh, a little Mahnu…

For quite some time, the King of Kralaide was stuck in his own thoughts and smiling like a fool…

 

Keeping this secret wasn't specifically for Mahnu, it was because he was still unsure on what to do about her and the palace. Leaving her outside of the palace and everyone knowing that she has become a consort, has never been done before. Wives or future wives of the King had always been invited into the palace and stayed there.

Looking at Mahnu, he knew he couldn't do that to her. He wished it so, so that he would always be with her, but she was a free spirit. She rarely counted on anyone for support and to have that knocked out of her, would be upsetting to both of them…Because, that was one thing that he loved about her…

She didn’t act like everyone else, she was her, someone who had opinions and someone that had her own plans…

Becoming pregnant with his child already has made things difficult and if word gets out that his child is not being taken care of by the imperial doctors of the palace, what would happen!?

 

The King had tried to keep things about Mahnu quiet but already people have referred to her as 'Your Highness', without him asking them to do so. Actually, it wasn’t like he was being very discreet…He couldn’t help but blatantly state it to the people that are close, like Betty, Donald and the people who are here with them now.

He had thought about this before, but why should he worry about what people will think!

He was the King!

Why should he worry so much about being so secretive!?

So, knowing about Mahnu and her being new to becoming royal, he did hold himself back, but only to a certain degree!

Then there was the talk, the day before, when Mahnu totally rejected her title…But it made him realize that he had been right to want to keep her away from the palace so far.

 

That is why he asked for their unborn child to be kept a secret. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he knew he had to try. He was probably going to be the first King in history to keep his beloved woman outside of the palace!

Of course…There will be setbacks because of this reason and he knew this, but the idea had taken hold and he wanted to do the best he could to make this happen.

He had a lot of ego right now, so he was very courageous about thinking that Mahnu was able to do as she pleases.

Touching Mahnu’s flat tummy, not feeling anything different to the first time he touched her like this, the King definitely had a huge ego! He was proud, just like any father…

The King sighed again, he wasn't too sure about trying to get the doctor to accompany them. All he knew, was that Mahnu needed another friend, someone who wasn’t him, her lover, and someone that wasn’t William, her protector. He wanted a woman friend close by her side, so that she had someone else to confide in, and this person being a doctor was just an extra…

If the doctor could be a friend and discretely keep an eye upon their little bundle of joy at the same time, it only looked like a positive outcome!

He wanted someone to make sure that Mahnu was healthy all the time as well. He knew he would feel better if there was a doctor by Mahnu's side...At least…Well, they could give it a try…

But…Just like Marcus…King Richard was unsure how this would go, with Mahnu being quite stubborn and obstinate…