A Saint Who Was Adopted by the Grand Duke
chapter-ex16

The moment Deheen saw Esther’s expression changed, he opened his mouth, about to ask her if she was okay.

“Urgh.”

Suddenly, Esther vomited.

It was the first time this had happened, so everyone in the dining hall looked at Esther in surprise.

“I’m okay. I suddenly feel a little sick…”

Esther tried to defuse the situation when she saw the chef’s complexion turning blue as he worked harder to introduce the dish.

Lifting a spoon, she tried to eat the stew to show that it’s really good…

“Urgh, ugh.”

Again, unbearable nausea came up.

“Why am I like this today?”

As she pounded a fist on her stomach in frustration, Deheen stared at the chef coldly.

“Are there any new ingredients?”

“Oh, no. This was made with the same recipe that Her Highness has been eating well since she was young. Really.”

When the chef sensed he was about to be falsely accused over his carefully prepared food, he knelt down and begged for Deheen’s trust.

Deheen didn’t think the chef that had been serving them for a long time had done anything wrong, but he was uncomfortable with Esther’s condition.

“It doesn’t smell strange.”

Sniffing the stew, Judy took a bite and tilted his head.

“The taste is the same as usual.”

But when Deheen saw that Esther’s grimace hadn’t disappeared, he ordered,

“Get the stew off the table right now. Everything, without exception!”

“Yes. All right.”

The chef got up in a hurry and brought all the stew away with the help of the maids.

Esther’s breathing became better as the smell that plagued her stomach disappeared.

“Drink this.”

“Thank you.”

After gulping down the cool water Dennis handed her, Esther’s stomach felt a little relieved.

“Dad, it’s not the chef’s fault. I must have been tired from riding the carriage.”

“Isn’t this the first time you’ve ever been like this? We can’t just let it pass.”

“Look at this. I’m eating well. Everyone, continue eating.”

Esther smiled brightly and ate the pickled tomatoes in front of her.

Once it was clear that there was no special reaction, the tension in the dining hall eased.

The meal resumed, but frankly, Esther suffered from nausea every time she tried to eat something.

Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere, she endured, but the limit was approaching.

‘It’s happening again.’

She picked the foods she liked to eat, but when the nausea came up again, she decided to pretend to eat.

Deheen looked anxiously at Esther, who was only poking her food.

“Are you sure you are not sick?”

“Sure. I am healthy.”

As the meal continued, the next main dish appeared.

This time, it was a steak that was grilled until no trace of blood could be seen, but as soon as she saw a tiny pinkish part, Esther’s expression darkened.

She hesitated right before her knife cut the steak, and eventually, she stood up.

“Esther?”

“Sorry. I think I have an upset stomach. I’ll go up first. Don’t follow me!”

Deheen and the twins stared blankly at Esther’s disappearing back as she hurried out of the dining hall, covering her mouth with a napkin.

“Isn’t Esther really very sick?”

“It is very different from usual. What happened in the imperial palace…”

“I am worried too. I guess I’ll have to call a doctor.”

After Esther left the dining room, the meal came to a halt.

Upon reaching her room, Esther ran straight to the bathroom.

Dorothy rubbed Esther’s back as she continued to vomit.

“You haven’t eaten much… Could it be the snacks you ate during the day?”

“No. The smell too… Urgh.”

The strong smell of stew came to mind again, and after a long period of suffering, she finally composed herself and went out of the bathroom after rinsing her mouth with water.

Shur climbed onto Esther’s lap as she sat on the bed, exhausted.

“Shur.”

“Shhhhuk.”

As Shur rubbed his face against her stomach and coiled up, mysteriously, the queasiness she experienced throughout dinner subsided.

Surprised, Esther stroked Shur’s head as he blinked cutely at her.

“Did you do something?”

“Shusyuk.”

“It’s refreshing. Thank you.”

Dorothy, who watched all of this from the side, quietly left the room.

And as she was going down the stairs, she ran into Deheen, who was on his way to Esther.

“How’s Esther?”

“She is fine now. But I…”

Dorothy hesitated for a while, thinking if she should share her suspicion. Ultimately, she parted her lips with a determined expression.

“I’ve been observing Her Highness recently, and I wondered if she might be pregnant. I might be hasty, but it bothers me that she couldn’t eat today. How about checking it out?”

“What… now… preg… pregnant?!?”

Astounded, Deheen stuttered, his voice taking a higher pitch. Then he hurriedly shut his mouth.

“It’s just my guess, Your Grace.”

Deheen held onto the railing of the stairs, trying to accept the sudden shock.

“Our Esther… She might be pregnant… .”

Come to think of it, in the past… Irene often had a poor appetite when she was pregnant with the twins.

Compared to others, her morning sickness was especially severe, and her suffering until the birth of the twins was clear.

“Why didn’t I remember that?”

The scene of Esther vomiting as soon as she smelled the food overlapped with that of the former grand duchess.

With a flushed face, Deheen slapped himself on the forehead and ordered Ben.

“Go and get Doctor Ethalin right away. Although he is retired, he will move when I call him.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Having heard Dorothy’s words, Ben ran down the stairs with a face as excited as Deheen’s.

“I will bring the doctor up when she arrives. Stay by Esther’s side.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Dorothy went back up. Deheen, now left alone on the stairs, wandered about, unable to control his emotions.

“It’s my first time feeling this way.”

It hadn’t been confirmed yet, but just imagining that Esther was pregnant made his heart swell.

He was happy yet sad, thinking it was too fast for his daughter who was still young in his eyes, and it hurt just thinking of the hardships she would go through.

Stopping his steps in front of the hung portrait of Irene, Deheen muttered.

“Can I be a good grandfather? Can I take good care of Esther?”

Deheen’s mind went white at the thought that he would become a grandfather. He had no idea what to do.

“It’s the second, though. So I will do better than when I was with you.”

Deheen waited impatiently for the doctor, promising to do everything for Esther that he regretted he couldn’t do when Irene was pregnant.

★★★

A few hours later.

“Esther, can I come in?”

Esther, who was lying down with Shur, lifted her upper body at the sound of Deheen’s voice.

“Yes. Come on in.”

The door opened and Esther’s eyes widened at the sight of a stranger following Deheen.

“This is a doctor. I think you need medical attention.”

“It’s because I’m really tired… It’s okay now.”

“The more you take care of your health, the better, right? Let’s check.”

Esther nodded because she understood Deheen’s concern for her.

Plus, it wasn’t like when she was young, where he made a fuss and brought in a line of doctors. He just brought one.

“Ethalin.”

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

Doctor Ethalin was an elderly gentleman.

He put down his bag, took out several tools, and sat in front of Esther.

“Take care of my daughter.”

“I will examine carefully.”

Seriousness could be sensed from Deheen’s tone. He stood next to Ethalin and was unable to hide his nervousness.

Esther found it strange, but she thought it was simply because he was worried, so she turned to Ethalin.

Ethalin first felt Esther’s pulse, and he made a strange expression.

He checked something several times and listened to her heartbeat. Afterwards, he put a tool on her stomach. Then he looked at Esther and asked,

“Recently, you feel nauseous and sleep a lot, right? You also go to the bathroom often.”

“Yes.”

“Congratulations.”

“What? What…”

Unlike Esther, who was bewildered, Deheen grasped the meaning and squeezed his eyes shut.

“You are pregnant. It’s just close to 2 months, so the pulse I can get is very weak, but with my 50 years of experience, I’m sure you are pregnant. Haha.”

Esther then realized that Deheen had brought in a doctor who specialized in pregnancy.

“Really… Am I…? Am I pregnant?”

“That’s right. Oh, it’s a national celebration. It’s an honor to be able to confirm Your Highness’ pregnancy.”

When Ethalin made eye contact with Deheen, his eyes turned red and moist and he took out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears.

“Even when Her Highness Grand Duchess was pregnant, I was the first… I am so happy and thrilled that I cannot explain in words. Heuk. Sorry. As I get older, there are only a lot of tears.”

“Please don’t spread rumors until an official announcement is made. Do you understand what I mean?”

“You know how heavy my mouth is, don’t you? I am just an old man who has already retired.”

After agreeing to Deheen’s request, Ethalin congratulated Esther again and left the room.

Left alone with Deheen, Esther blinked, completely stunned by the results of the medical examination.

“I don’t know what to say. In this case… What expression should I make?”

Esther’s face was strange, like she was about to laugh and cry at the same time.

Deheen smiled warmly as he sat down next to Esther and squeezed her hand.

“You just have to be happy the way you are. When Judy and Dennis were born, and when you were adopted. I was happy as if I had the whole world.”

“Can I raise them well?”

After finding out she was with a child, Esther was a little afraid instead of happy.

Although her wounds were healed after being adopted into the grand ducal family, she had never felt a mother’s love since she was born.

She was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to fully give the love she never received to her unborn child.

“Everyone goes through a first time. I was also clumsy and lacking, but all three of you grew up well like this.”

Deheen hugged Esther and patted her on the back.

“This is a very noble and blessed thing. What could be happier than having a child? Congratulations. How proud I am.”

Unbeknownst to Esther, a few drops of tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Thank you for saying that.”

Ame: Just 3 more episodes… I can’t bear to let this go TT_TT It’s taking me forever to translate these last few extras, and it’s not because it’s super long or difficult ;-;