The Cursed King

Elise resumed tending to the gardens more slowly after that. Even though she could keep using her powers, it was also wonderful to actually kneel on the ground and touch the soil with her fingers as she checked the plants' conditions.

Whenever she did that, she always noticed how it soothed her self to do.

"Does the earth have healing properties within itself?" Elise asked herself aloud.

There were so many things that she learned during her visit to Raphael but she always ended up having more questions when it came down to it. 

Now that Elise was by herself and could have thoughts that weren't always with Loriel, she thought about magic and the world in general. It wasn't strange and, while she missed Loriel, there were other things that occupied her.

Once Elise considered her work to be done, the woman pulled herself up to her feet and then felt a certain pain across her abdomen. Was it the strain of standing up?

"Uff… maybe I really should stop getting down on my knees to work in the garden." Elise touched her stomach tentatively and did her best to return back to her residence.

Once she returned, all of the maids began to circle around her and she felt a headache coming on. Even though Elise wasn't usually annoyed by many people coming in and out, this time she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by their numbers.

It was thanks to Alina that she got back inside of her chamber all by herself without any hindrance.

"Your Majesty, we have your lunch prepared here, His Majesty has instructed us to have you eat during proper times," Alina said and greeted her with a tray filled with Elise's meal. 

It was a healthy lunch as usual, if not a little bland because of Elise morning sickness when it came down to it. If Elise ate a lot of food, there was a tendency for her to vomit and that was especially when the food was rich in flavors.

"Thank you, Alina." Elise smiled and looked down at the tray with her chicken congee, lentil soup, a side serving green leafy vegetables and then a glass of fruit juice. All of them were made in a way that the royal physician Zaff approved.

Nothing too sweet or too salty, somewhat a bit tasteless if Elise was asked, but she ate it without any problems because it would keep her child healthy.

So, it was with a sudden jolt of nausea that when Elise placed a spoonful of the chicken congee in her mouth, she quickly called for Alina and the girl brought her a bucket. Elise coughed up some of the food that she ate and then wiped her mouth with a clean napkin.

"Is there something wrong with the food, Your Majesty?" Alina asked worriedly. "Was it prepared wrong by the chefs?"

If the maidservant was in Elise's shoes, she would have a hard time only eating what Elise ate. There were no sugary meals or even the luscious and flavorful taste of rich food like raw milk and cheese, cold cuts of ham and even specific types of seafood were disallowed.

Elise shook her head and smiled wearily at her maid. "No… it's not just sitting well with my stomach."

"Your Majesty, it is recommended for you to eat, even if a little bit," Alina urged her. "If not the rice porridge then the grilled chicken or the salad, Your Majesty. You cannot let your stomach be empty."

"I know and understand," Elise nodded her head. She took a deep breath and resumed eating her meal and tried to imagine how beautiful and strong her child would be as long as she ate well and healthily.

There were times in the past that Elise refused to eat when she threw a tantrum or got upset with her father before as a young child and teen, but now that she was going to be a mother, there were sacrifices that she now understood.

Once Elise was done eating and drinking, Alina had one of the other maids bring the empty dishes back to the kitchen so she could remain by her side. "I will tend to Brick, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," Elise smiled and glanced down at the cat on the ground. 

Usually, after her meal and when Elise was feeling a bit tired at staying in her chamber all day, Loriel and her would take on walks with even Brick around. Brick looked a bit restless today and it was just the first day of Loriel leaving.

"Are you missing the king already, Brick?" Elise teased.

Brick's head perked up at Elise's voice and her tail swayed and bounced happily, but it wasn't necessarily a yes to missing Loriel. Brick and Loriel kind of hated each other. She mewled and tried to get on Elise's bed as Alina picked up the cat.

"You can't stay in bed with Her Majesty, silly kitty." 

"I don't actually mind," Elise smiled and patted her bed. "You can bring Brick here, Alina."

"I will, Your Majesty."

There were times that Loriel complained that the sheets smelled like a cat, so Elise got them changed regularly, but she enjoyed her cat's presence.

Elise's day seemed actually peaceful and without any trouble… until she got up to head over to the bathroom. There was actually a chamber pot for her to use so she didn't move around that much, but it was really embarrassing to use it.

Not to mention it involved squatting down again.

When Elise went to the bathroom and pulled down her undergarments, she immediately became pale-faced at the sight of blood on them. It wasn't heavily soaked with blood but the sight made her dizzy and lightheaded.

"No. No."

Was this the light spotting that Zaff said was normal for the first months of pregnancy? Or was this entirely something else? Elise felt like it was something different, but she convinced herself that it was the first.

"I'm okay, this is fine.." She closed her eyes and took a deep, trying to convince herself that it was nothing.