Claimed By The Tyrant King

"Oh, honestly," Catarina replied with a wave of her hand before looking back at Rosalind with a smile. "I was only saying."

Rosalind felt her cheeks grow warm and looked away with an embarrassed smile.

Hannah noticed immediately and laughed quietly. "Have the two of you started choosing names for the baby yet?" she asked.

Rosalind hesitated. "Um... not yet."

Both Catarina and Hannah blinked at her in surprise.

"Not yet?" Catarina repeated. "Then what have the two of you been waiting for?"

Rosalind smiled helplessly before resting a hand over her stomach. "Every time we start talking about names, something else comes up. Either Rowan gets called away because of the restoration work, or I end up forgetting about it altogether. We always tell ourselves we’ll discuss it that night, but by the time he returns, he’s exhausted and I don’t have the heart to trouble him with it."

Catarina nodded in understanding, "Then we’ll make sure the two of you sit down before we leave," she teased. "My grandchild cannot keep waiting forever for a name."

The conversation naturally drifted to lighter topics afterward. They spent time admiring the tiny clothes once again, discussing babies, laughing over old family stories, and eventually opening the gifts Marek had carefully prepared for Rosalind. Every item he had chosen seemed to carry a little piece of home with it, and Rosalind found herself smiling all over again as she looked through them one by one.

****

Meanwhile, in another chamber, Rebecca and Julian had gone to visit Cedric as It was time for his meal, and Rebecca carried a tray inside before placing it carefully on the table beside his bed.

"You’ll have to sit up a little," she said gently as she slipped one hand beneath his arm to help him.

Cedric tried to cooperate, although his body was still weak from lying in bed for so long.

"Julian, I need your help with the pillows."

"Right!" Julian answered immediately before hurrying over. He fluffed the pillows and arranged them behind Cedric’s back until the man was comfortably resting against them.

"There," Rebecca said with a satisfied nod before reaching for the bowl of soup.

Cedric glanced down at it with slight curiosity because it wasn’t something he recognized. Rebecca noticed his expression and smiled.

"Oh... this is..." She paused, trying to remember the name. "I’ve forgotten what she called it."

"Haha soup," Julian reminded her proudly.

Rebecca’s face brightened. "That’s right. Haha soup."

Cedric looked from one to the other, his brows knitting together.

"Haha?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes slightly as though he suspected they were teasing him.

Julian immediately laughed. "It really is called that."

Rebecca smiled as well. "It’s a traditional dish from Merovia. The Queen had it prepared today because her parents came to visit."

As she spoke, she carefully lifted a spoonful toward him. Cedric accepted it without protest because his hands were still too unsteady to manage a bowl on his own. Although his strength was returning day by day, they still trembled whenever he tried to hold anything for long.

He tasted the soup, paused for a moment, and then gave a quiet nod.

Cedric took another spoonful, allowing the warmth to settle in his stomach before looking up at Rebecca. "It’s different from what I’m used to... but it’s good." His voice was still weak, although it carried sincerity.

"The palace kitchens have been making more Merovian dishes since Her Majesty arrived. I thought you should try some while it was still warm." Rebecca smiled softly before continuing to feed him one spoonful after another.

The room settled into a comfortable silence, and Julian sat nearby, quietly watching the two adults.

Every now and then, Cedric’s eyes would meet Rebecca’s for the briefest moment before both of them looked away almost immediately. Julian didn’t fully understand what he was noticing, but something about the atmosphere between them felt different from before.

Without thinking, he spoke his thoughts aloud. "Mother, you’ve been smiling a lot more since Lord Cedric woke up"

Rebecca froze.

Her eyes shot toward Julian, and she felt heat rush straight to her face. It was as though her son had unknowingly said the one thing she least wanted anyone to notice.

Julian, completely unaware of what he had done, simply giggled to himself.

Rebecca wished the ground would open beneath her feet and swallow her whole.

Across from her, Cedric had witnessed the entire reaction, and despite himself, the corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly.

Julian caught it immediately. "Hmm..." he murmured as he narrowed his eyes. "Cedric... were you just smiling?"

Cedric blinked.

"I saw you smiling at Mother just now," Julian replied innocently.

Cedric slowly turned toward the little boy, while Rebecca pinched the bridge of her nose in embarrassment.

Rebecca then busied herself with straightening the blanket over Cedric’s lap even though it didn’t need adjusting.

"Julian," she said, trying to sound stern despite the blush still colouring her cheeks, "you really have to stop saying whatever comes into your head."

She refused to look at either of them because she knew her face had grown warm, while Julian remained blissfully unaware that he’d just embarrassed two adults with a single innocent sentence.

Julian only hummed to himself, completely unconvinced.

Rebecca let out a quiet sigh before finishing the last spoonful of soup and setting the empty bowl aside. Once she had done that, Julian climbed onto the edge of the bed beside Cedric, making the man glance at him curiously.

"What are you planning now?" Cedric asked with quiet amusement.

Julian grinned. "Say, Cedric... would you like to come with us to Merovia?"

Cedric looked at him in surprise.

"Hannah said there are beautiful gardens, huge markets and sweet shops everywhere. She even said there are musicians on some of the streets! I want to see all of it..."

"Mother and I are going to visit," Julian continued excitedly. "So... will you come with us too?"

At those words, Cedric’s gaze instinctively shifted toward Rebecca. For a brief moment, he wondered whether she and Julian were already preparing to leave the palace.

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