Though I’d been hit with a succession crisis just as soon as I’d gotten into the swing of my laid-back pregnant lifestyle, my parents-in-law had swooped in from their far-off home of Le Pied to throw me a lifeline. Their encouraging advice of “It doesn’t matter if you have a boy or a girl so long as you and the baby make it through all right” had pulled me out of my funk, and it was without further issue or internal dilemma that I reached the final stages of my pregnancy.
My baby bump had grown awfully large by now, but spending my days lazing about the manor would “be bad for me and the child I was carrying.” (—Dahlia) Thus, I frittered most afternoons away going for leisurely strolls around the garden.
For someone who worked(?) as hard as I usually did, it felt a little too laid back to count as real exercise. That said, the gardens of the Fisalis manor were huge.
Though I generally only went as far as the greenhouse near the mansion or my own personal garden behind the cottage, I’d determined this was the perfect opportunity to scour the grounds from top to bottom, and I was in the midst of an invigorating walk with my escort, Stellaria. Pay no attention to the knight-guards bringing up our rear!
“Man, the trees around the mansion get as dense as forest. In fact, we pretty much are in the middle of the woods, aren’t we?”
“That’s right. The estate was designed to be hidden from outsiders.”
The mansion itself was encircled by towering walls to stave off any unwanted guests. Within those walls, a myriad of tall trees had been planted around the grounds to give it the look of a forest—which also served to keep out prying eyes. A trail ran between the walls and the trees, which the manor’s knight-guards diligently patrolled to keep our home safe.
Not too long ago, a band of thieves had broken into our mansion under the cover of a storm, but we’d tightened our security even further since the incident. Following that little disturbance, we’d had iron grates installed over the windows (retractable, plus sophisticated enough to keep the place from feeling like a jail when they were down!) to make our manor an even more impregnable fortress than before, but we hadn’t stopped there; Rohtas told me he’d drafted a new security protocol too thorough to fail come rain or shine.
But I think that’s enough explanation of the gardens for now.
“I can’t believe how big the place is. You could take a carriage around the grounds and no one would bat an eye.”
“True. Makes it perfect for a walk, wouldn’t you say?”
“You said it! C’mon, let’s do this thing!”
And so it was that I made a daily routine of strolling around the premises.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Isn’t it about time for Master Fisalis to be getting home?”
We’d gone for a walk after lunch that day, and by the time we made it back to my private garden, it was well into the evening. Just as Stellaria said, Mr. Fisalis could be home any minute now.
“We’d better start heading back to the mansion, then...or so I was about to say.”
“Hm?”
Just as we turned to walk back to the manor, I spotted a weed near my feet. Stellaria followed my gaze and likewise her eyes landed upon the offending growth.
“A weed?”
“It sure is. And I’m afraid I’m not the type to let one go once I’ve set my sights on it.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
A pretty wildflower would have been one thing, but this particular weed stuck out like a sore thumb. I wasn’t about to just leave it there.
“I’ll head back once I’ve pulled this out.”
“All right.”
The moment I crouched down to uproot the weed, I saw Rohtas and Bellis heading our way from the direction of the manor.
“Wow, now here’s a rare sight. Looks like someone’s come to pick us up.”
“So it would seem.”
Whenever Rohtas came by to inform us of the time, he usually came alone. Did Bellis have some business out in the garden? Not that it made a difference either way—the pair didn’t appear to be in any rush, so whatever they were up to clearly wasn’t time-sensitive.
“All right—time to yank this thing out!”
I grabbed the weed with both hands.
I’d been so sure I could pull it out of the ground in two seconds flat. Unfortunately for me, it turned out to be unexpectedly tenacious, and a light tug proved insufficient to free it.
“Oh, drat! It won’t budge!”
“The roots of that particular species of weed run deeper than you’d think,” explained Bellis as he came over, glancing down at my hands.
“What, really? Hrm...”
“Don’t push yourself too hard, or else—”
Though I cast Stellaria a sidelong glance as she implored me not to put too much strain on my stomach, I ignored her advice and tugged on the weed with all my might.
“Don’t worry! It’s almost free! Heave...whoa!”
“Madam!” everyone cried out in alarm.
When I’d felt the weed starting to give, I’d given it as hard a yank as I could.
And it did come free.
The issue was that all my leftover momentum had sent me hurtling backwards.
Oh, crud, this is the part where I land flat on my back. I’d love to be optimistic here, but there’s no way my belly’s not going to feel the impact!
Just as I was starting to panic, Rohtas swiftly slid in from behind to catch me, ensuring that I never hit the ground.
“Thanks, Rohtas!”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake... I’m just glad you’re all right, Madam.”
“I’m sorry about that!”
Now, while it was all well and good that Rohtas had gotten me out of that pickle unscathed...
“Bellis?!”
“I was distracted.”
“Oh... Uh, my bad.”
There stood Bellis, covered in the dirt I’d flung his way.
The flow of events went as follows: soil flew everywhere when I pulled the weed up by the roots → Bellis panicked when he thought I was going to tumble over and moved in to help me → but Rohtas was one step ahead of him, so he stopped where he was → a shower of soil rained down upon the spot where he was standing → as a result, he ended up covered in dirt.
And that should bring us up to speed.
“All that matters is that you’re okay, Madam.”
“But you’re not okay!”
“A little dirt isn’t going to kill me. This sort of thing happens to me all the time,” Bellis responded, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe away the soil. The look on his face was as surly and unperturbed as ever, but combined with the pile of dirt sitting on his head...uh-oh. This was hilarious.
“Pfft...”
“Madam Fisalis?”
“I’m really sorry! It’s just, you look so funny like that...!”
Jeez, I can’t contain it any longer. Once I’d come out and said it, there was no stopping the laughter bubbling out of me.
“Sorry, Bellis! I know you’re used to working in the dirt, but when it’s sitting on your head like a hat? Aha ha ha ha!”
“See if I help you next time,” he groused. His trademark frosty aura was starting to coalesce around him, but it didn’t pack the same sort of punch when he was covered in soil.
“You’re not much of a Demon King today, Bellis.”
“Who do you think you’re calling a Demon King?”
“You. Tee hee.”
“Hmph. The next time something happens, you’re on your own.”