Chapter 56

Miu’s POV

Morning came quietly, but I didn’t have the strength to welcome it.

I lay still on my bed, staring up at the canopy as the soft light filtered through the curtains. My body felt heavier than usual. I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes for a moment before turning to my side.

My gaze landed on the empty space beside me.

Lena’s side.

The sheets were undisturbed, already cold.

I reached out instinctively, my fingers brushing over the fabric, tracing where warmth should have been. But there was nothing left of it—only the faint memory of her presence.

She had left early.

“You’re strictly forbidden from going out of the palace until further notice.”

Her voice echoed clearly in my mind, firm, unwavering.

“You should rest until you’ve fully recovered. I’ll take care of everything for now.”

I sighed, letting my hand fall back onto the bed.

“Well, if you need any information about the previous progress—”

“It’s alright. I always read Loki’s progress report.”

My jaw tightened at the memory.

She hadn’t even let me finish.

It shouldn’t have bothered me.

And yet… it did.

Ever since yesterday, something between us had shifted—subtle, but impossible to ignore. There was a weight now in the spaces between our words, an awareness that hadn’t been there before.

Lena’s words had suddenly felt… different. Like she knew more than what she’s leading on.

My fingers curled slightly against the sheets.

Are you… getting closer to my truth, Lena?

A faint, bitter smile tugged at my lips.

You and I…

We stand side by side, and yet neither of us truly knows how much the other sees.

But one thing is certain.

Lena was a Queen born from rebellion—someone who stood against the Forgers without hesitation.

If my truth were to come to light…

I closed my eyes briefly.

I hope you won’t waver, Lena.

A soft knock broke through my thoughts.

“Your Majesty, it’s Fahlada. I came to check on you.” Her voice carried through the door.

I pushed myself up gently, the sheets rustling around me. “Come in.”

The door opened, and she stepped inside with her usual quiet composure. I instinctively shifted, about to stand, but she stopped me almost immediately.

“Please stay in bed,” she said gently. “It would be better for you to rest.”

“Oh.” The response slipped out of me without thought as I slowly lowered myself back against the pillows,.

She moved closer, her presence steady as always.

“Have you had breakfast, Your Majesty?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes, I just did. I’m actually feeling better now. Lena was just… worried.” I let out a small, awkward breath, my hand lifting to scratch the back of my neck.

“Regardless,” she replied, already circling to my side, “you are in the final phase of the IVF process. It is understandable for the Queen to be concerned, especially when you are expected to conceive by now.”

Her words settled heavily in the air.

She stopped beside me, her gaze softening just slightly. “May I check your wrist?”

I nodded and offered it without resistance.

Her fingers pressed gently against my pulse—cool, precise, practiced.

“Your Majesty,” she began after a moment, “when was your last menstrual period?”

“My period—”

The word caught in my throat.

My eyes widened as the meaning of her question sank in, my thoughts stumbling over themselves.

“I-I’m not quite sure,” I answered weakly, my gaze drifting anywhere but her face.

There was a brief pause before she reached into her bag and handed me a small paper packet.

“Please take this.”

I accepted it without thinking, my fingers clumsily unfolding the top.

“Use each test,” she said, her tone composed—but there was something beneath it. Something carefully restrained. “So we can be certain.”

Certain.

My heart began to pound against my ribs.

“I-It can’t be…” I murmured, my voice barely steady. “I’ve always been irregular, so—”

The words died in my throat.

They had been irregular because of everything I had taken before.

The suppressants.

The testosterones.

The cost of the life I lived as Matthew.

My grip tightened around the paper bag.

“Just to be sure,” Fahlada continued gently. “Before the embryo implantation, we noted that your womb is fragile. You are at higher risk for miscarriage.”

Her voice remained calm, clinical—but not cold.

“I cannot allow any room for negligence.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I fully processed her words.

Everything felt distant.

Muted.

Like I was standing at the edge of something I wasn’t ready to face.

I didn’t even realize how I got from my bed to the bathroom, how I peed on each test, lined them all neatly on the counter, and returned to my bed like a stranger to myself. The sight of the results still burned into my mind.

There was no doubt.

“I’m pregnant,” I muttered under my breath, sinking back into the sheets, letting my hands press against the cold fabric as if it could ground me.

My chest felt tight, my heart racing, a storm of disbelief and awe swirling inside me.

Pregnant?

Me?

I had lived more than half of my life as a man. I had studied war, diplomacy, and strategy—but never this. Never the delicate intricacies of being a woman, of carrying life.

How could this… happen to me?

“I must tell Lena right away—”

“Do not say a word to her,” I cut through the doctor’s words.

I gripped my nightgown as if it were the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.

I lowered my head. “Let’s wait until we know for sure. Run more tests if you need to. I’ll tell her myself.”

My jaw tightened as I tried to process it all. The portable tests were clear, but my mind refused to accept the reality.

I tucked myself in, hugging my knees to my chest, rocking slightly on the edge of the bed.

I was so alone in my thoughts that I forgot someone else was still in the room.

I’m going to be a mother.

The thought both terrified and thrilled me.

My chest tightened in fear—what if something goes wrong? What if I fail?

But beneath that fear, a soft, unfamiliar warmth bloomed.

I was… happy.

Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes, a trembling tug at my lips coaxed a small, shaky smile.

To carry the child of Lena, the person I love so fiercely… It felt like a dream. A miracle.

And for the first time in years, I felt a flicker of forgiveness toward myself. Maybe I could let go of the self-loathing that had followed me since that night, since the losses, since the life I had been forced to live.

But then guilt whispered.

I must be selfish, conceited even, to feel I deserve this. To feel I could forgive myself.

Yet the truth was undeniable.

This life, this chance—it had been given to me because of them. Because of my mother, and those who had stood beside her in that fire.

The life of Miu… I owed it all to them.

Maybe… I should learn to treasure it.

A gentle hand on my shoulder startled me. The edge of the bed sank beneath her presence.

“Do not worry, Your Majesty,” Fahlada said, her voice soft, far from the firm, commanding tone she usually wore. “I will do everything in my power to make sure your pregnancy is safe. I will protect both you and the baby.”

Her words wrapped around me like a warm blanket, loosening the tension I didn’t even realize I was holding.

I took a slow, deep breath, letting myself sink into the comfort of her presence.

I looked at Fahlada, tears slipping freely down my cheeks now, and smiled.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice trembling but full of something I hadn’t felt in a long time—hope.