This Is Wonderful News!
I was completely shocked to hear that Okaasama was pregnant.
Well, sure, ever since the chocolate incident, I’d noticed my parents had been getting along very affectionately, but still.
But to think I’d be getting a little brother or sister… my goodness, the power of chocolate is truly something.
When Miria overheard our exchange, she hurried to Okaasama’s side and reported what Kurogane and the others had said. Apparently Otousama embraced Okaasama and cried tears of joy.
“I couldn’t see his face, but judging by how his shoulders were shaking, I’m certain of it,” was Miria’s report.
It seemed Okaasama had already suspected it somehow.
“Oh my, so I was right after all,” she said in understanding, while rubbing Otousama’s back as he clung to her and refused to let go, saying, “Really now, what a hopeless man.”
That must have been quite a picture, such a beautiful husband and wife.
Personally, though, since they’re my actual parents, being there for it would’ve felt painfully awkward.
Still… pregnancy, huh. What happened earlier was classic morning sickness.
The smell of freshly cooked rice or food scents making you nauseous… that was scent-triggered morning sickness, right?
For that kind, frequent ventilation and avoiding strong smells was the way to go, I think?
She hadn’t looked sick while eating yesterday’s tofu dishes, so maybe it was lucky I’d managed to make tofu.
And then there’s the kind where being hungry makes you feel sick… you’re supposed to eat small amounts often, right?
Also, I’d heard you get sleepy all the time and feel sluggish, so we’d need to avoid tight clothing and make sure she had a relaxing environment.
And food preferences can apparently change completely, so we’d need to be ready to fulfill any requests.
I remembered a friend from my previous life who, once pregnant, ate nothing but fries from a certain fast-food chain.
Another friend kept asking for out-of-season watermelon and drove her husband crazy…
Luckily, I had huge amounts of ingredients stored in my Inventory, so I should be able to grant a fair number of cravings.
Hoarding ingredients because I hated seeing food spoil had finally paid off.
Stockpiling matters.
For now, I told Miria to deliver some fruit water made by squeezing a lemon-like citrus and diluting it with water. Then, since it was nearly time to pick up Mariel-chan, I boarded the carriage meant for discreet outings.
“It was surprising, but Okaasama’s pregnancy is wonderful news.”
“Indeed. The birth of a little one is joyous for any race.”
“It’s nice when a herd gets a new baby. Why don’t humans have babies every year and grow their numbers?”
“Mashiro? Humans don’t give birth every year, you know?”
Well, there are cases of children born one year apart, but every year is pushing it.
“I see. Humans do grow slowly, so maybe they multiply slowly too.”
No, it’s more that they can’t multiply that casually.
“Mashiro, humans cannot increase so easily. Especially those with high mana, like nobles… compatibility is involved, so they are difficult to reproduce to begin with. And if they do increase, then they quarrel over succession and deciding the herd’s leader. Troublesome in many ways.”
That was how Kurogane explained it to Mashiro.
According to Kurogane, by compatibility he meant magical compatibility, which also affects whether a child with high mana can be conceived.
He said that if magical compatibility is poor, then even if pregnancy occurs, it may miscarry in the early stages, or cause serious harm to the mother, so utmost caution is required.
In my case, compatibility apparently hadn’t been an issue, but from the earliest stages of pregnancy I absorbed a tremendous amount of mana. Okaasama became ravenously hungry and ate and ate to recover it.
And once I was born, nursing me drained her mana too, so she kept eating then as well.
By the time I was weaned, she’d developed the habit of overeating and gained weight, and apparently it was hard to return to her pre-pregnancy figure.
Around then, her skin condition had worsened too, so ever since, she’d become extremely concerned about beauty.
… So the reason Okaasama is that obsessed with beauty was apparently me.
Somehow… sorry about that.
We arrived at Baron Mayer’s mansion, picked up Mariel-chan, and headed for the craftsmen’s district.
“Ehhh, Cristea-san’s mother is!? U-um, congratulations!”
“Ahaha, thank you…? But it was only discovered this morning, so please keep it secret from Baron Mayer and your family for now, okay?”
“Ah, right. If it’s still early in the pregnancy, people usually don’t announce it openly.”
Even in my previous life, many people waited until things had stabilized before making it public. Mariel-chan, who had been a nurse in her previous life, seemed to understand that kind of consideration, which was reassuring.
“B-but then… wouldn’t it have been better for you to stay by your mother’s side today?”
“I thought about that, but right now Otousama is glued to Okaasama. And since Okaasama seems able to eat tofu dishes even during morning sickness, I figured we need the wooden mold for firm tofu as soon as possible…”
“In that case, let’s hurry. Ah, let’s get off at the small plaza up ahead.”
After telling the coachman, we got down where Mariel-chan indicated, and under her guidance, stepped into the craftsmen’s district of the royal capital.
What do you think about this chapter?
