Chapter 90: Protected from Within

Ariana walked calmly through the hallway, with Leah following behind her. Leah wanted to inform Ariana about the horse riding but also reasoned that they had a tea party yesterday, meaning today wouldn’t really be the best time to go riding, as her lady needed rest—not to mention... "Queen Ariana, the physician will be coming today to check on you," Leah finally said. Ariana nodded at her words. She knew she had been staying at the castle for nearly a month now, and it was only normal to check on herself for any updates—what she should avoid and what not to. She understood Leah perfectly. She turned and signed. "When will the Royal Physician arrive?" "She will be here any moment from now. I’ll take you to the Royal Infirmary area." Ariana nodded. She hadn’t expected this place to have a royal InfirmaryJust what else was she unaware of? She wondered as she calmly followed Leah. Leah guided her as they walked through the hallway, but Ariana soon realized this path led to a different hallway—one that connected to the other side of the palace. They walked down the hallway and finally stopped in front of a door as she opened it calmly. The room beyond was high-ceilinged, spacious, and seemed untouched for a very long time. Of course, no one really used it, as she had expected. A faint scent of medical herbs drifted through the air, meaning someone must have been there earlier. It made sense—they had planned for her to come today. Leah spoke quietly to Ariana, "Your Grace, I’ll stay by the door. You can go sit on the bed." Ariana nodded and walked toward the bed, sitting down gently. She remained calm and silent, glancing around the spacious room as she waited. Not long after, the door opened and a physician entered. Her red hair was tied back, freckles stood out across her face, and her green eyes rested on Ariana before she bowed. She wore a simple white dress as she approached and bowed respectfully. "Queen Ariana, I will be your personal physician from now on. I’ll be the one checking on you before your delivery," she said. Ariana nodded at her words—she had no problem with that. The physician continued in a quiet voice, "I’ll begin with some basic checks to understand what you’ll need during this short period. It won’t be much, considering it’s still early in the pregnancy." Ariana nodded again, though she wondered if Zavren had something to do with this. She recalled Ava’s words about relaying matters to His Majesty through Raven, who would either approve or decline them. Still, she decided not to think too deeply about it. Instead, she simply lay down on the bed. The lady opened her bag and brought out a small bottle-like container. It looked like it held water, but it bubbled slightly—so Ariana guessed it wasn’t. "Queen Ariana, this is Leed’s medicated ointment. It will be used around your stomach. I’ll need to raise your dress for this," the woman said gently. Ariana’s eyes narrowed. ’M-My dress...’ She knew she needed to understand that things like this were normal, but she didn’t know how to just raise up her gown like that—especially since she was wearing just panties... Sure, the woman was a lady, so it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. But still, why did embarrassment hit her so hard? It wasn’t like she was insecure or anything—she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. The woman noticed her hesitation and responded gently, "Queen Ariana, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I just need to rub it on your tummy to make sure everything is okay. It helps me check without making mistakes during your process." Still, Ariana hesitated. The lady understood—she had heard of such cases, but in her eight years of working, she had never encountered someone like this. It seemed she had finally met one who was quite stubborn. She could already tell this was going to be difficult. She turned to Leah, who also understood. Leah had feared something like this but had brushed it off, thinking nothing serious would be required this early in the pregnancy. Her Highness was only two months pregnant, after all. Not to mention, Ariana never even let her help with bathing. It was understandable—Ariana was the only one in the palace who still refused help during baths, no matter the occasion. Leah stepped forward quietly and spoke in a calm tone. "Lady Ariana, we understand you’re not comfortable. But... how about you do it for the baby?" she finally said. As soon as those words left her lips, Ariana seemed to calm down a little. It worked. Ariana raised her hands and signed slowly. "But if I raise this up, my..." She paused, unable to continue. Her face was already crimson. Back in the village, if her local physician had said this, it wouldn’t have been a problem. She usually wore a blouse and a maxi skirt, so raising it up wasn’t a big deal. Plus, she had been good friends with the old woman. But now—this was a gown. It was completely different from her usual, and that’s what made her hesitate. Leah, who had been silent as if lost in thought, suddenly spoke as something finally clicked. "I will bring a sheet, Your Grace. You’ll cover your lower half, and then we’ll turn away while you raise your gown. After that, she’ll apply the ointment," Leah offered gently. The physician’s eyes widened slightly. In all her years of work, she had never seen something like this. Shock alone kept her from responding. And suddenly, her respect for the king increased even more—she had already held him in high regard, but now it had doubled. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. This wasn’t pretense. She could tell from the way Ariana bit her lip, the way her eyes darted in panic—as though she would run away if given the chance. Her flushed face confirmed it, this woman wasn’t faking anything. Soon after, Leah returned with a white sheet. Ariana sat up with a small smile, relieved. All she wanted now was for this to end so she could leave. She couldn’t believe this had happened. If she had known, she would’ve come more prepared. But now, she just needed to get through this and be done with it. She turned as Leah addressed the physician, whose face still carried a flicker of disbelief. "Please, I would advise that you turn your head slightly. She will be needing some privacy," Leah said quietly.Correct content is on The woman simply nodded. She could only hope that, with time, the queen would become more comfortable—because she couldn’t even begin to imagine how the day of delivery would go.. Ariana turned, and just as she realized they weren’t looking, she moved. She slowly raised her dress, calmly covering the sheet over her legs and waist. Those areas were now fully covered, and she was glad for it—she couldn’t even imagine if they weren’t. She gently moved the dress until it now lay just over her chest area and the bed, leaving her bare stomach exposed. Lady Leah waited a moment before she spoke. "We will be turning now, Queen Ariana." Ariana simply nodded, even though they couldn’t see her. And then they turned. The physician’s eyes briefly flickered toward the sheet covering Ariana’s legs, and as she did, she wished she hadn’t. It now looked like this was exactly what Ariana had been trying to avoid. Ariana’s eyes met hers, and in that moment, it was as if she said, ’Thank heavens I did that.’ "I will be applying the ointment now, Your Grace," the physician said gently as she put on a pair of gloves. Ariana watched as the woman took the small bottle and pressed it lightly, allowing a bit of the content to drop into her gloved hand. She brought it to Ariana’s stomach and began rubbing it gently, with great care. "Don’t be tense, my queen," she said softly, noticing the tension building on Ariana’s face. Ariana nodded slightly. The cold liquid moved across her stomach, but it soon began to warm. The woman removed her hand and calmly took off the gloves. Ariana watched as the once-cold substance warmed on her skin. She wondered if this was some kind of test. She kept her eyes on the woman as she placed her bare hand softly on Ariana’s stomach. But suddenly, the woman yanked her hand away with a small gasp—like the liquid had burned her. Ariana’s face shifted to panic. Her heart began to race. Was something wrong? Why did she react like that? Was there a problem with the baby? Her thoughts scattered in her head like wild wind. The woman’s face quickly returned to its calm state. She reached for a clean, wet white towel and began gently wiping Ariana’s stomach in silence. Even Leah held her breath. Then, finally, the woman spoke. "Your Grace, how did you feel during the placement of the ointment and before I wiped your stomach?" she asked softly. She gave Ariana a small nod, acknowledging her hesitation to raise her hands. She knew sign language. Ariana blinked. Compared to the village, where barely anyone understood her, a fair number of people here at the palace actually did. That alone brought a small flutter to her heart. She raised her hands and signed, "It felt cold at first, but then it got lukewarm." The woman nodded. "Was there any sign of hotness, like a burning sensation..when I touched you, even just a little?" Ariana shook her head. Then she raised her hands again and signed, "Is something wrong?" The woman shook her head gently and began to explain. "The ointment I applied was just to check if everything is progressing well with your baby. There’s already a small bump forming. Since you’re human, the delivery will take eight months instead of the usual six for us werewolves." Ariana looked down at the tiny bump on her stomach, her heart fluttering again for reasons she couldn’t explain. "Burning reactions are rare, especially this early. Normally, that kind of reaction only happens much later," the woman continued. "It’s not dangerous—just rare. But in your case... when I touched your belly, I felt a sharp burn which you did not." All eyes were now on her. Ariana still held her breath. The woman paused, then spoke again. "Your baby is already reacting. It seems your child senses I am not you—and sees me as a threat." Ariana’s lips parted in disbelief. The woman continued calmly, "Your child already knows his mother. So, if anyone touches your stomach and feels a sharp pain or is instinctively repelled, it means they are being rejected by your baby, my queen." Ariana’s eyes flew wider. "R... Rejection?"