RETURN OF THE FEMALE KNIGHT

169. Warm Spring Days

Not only did Lalisa become the Empress of the Ruford Empire, but she was also the first duchess of the Duchy of Lalisa. It was a tremendous honor to have a principality named after her. As a result, everyone began to see her in a different light. After Jungkook, she was clearly the most powerful person in the Ruford Empire.

Despite this, her daily life remained mostly unchanged. She entrusted someone else to manage the principality, and was still focused on her future child. The nanny watched Lalisa make baby clothes, and then spoke.

"You can leave that to me."

"No. I want to do this with my own hands. Anyway, this is just a little extra to what you make."

The nanny smiled, and stroked one of the baby clothes on the table that Lalisa had already finished.

"This reminds me of the Yejin, the Countess, for some reason."

"My mother?"

"Yes. Even in the past, she always wanted to prepare for the baby herself, just like you."

"...Really?"

She paused in her sewing and looked at the nanny. It was the first time they've ever talked about the past like this. Lalisa's mother had died so long ago that her memories of her were limited.

"Is there anything else? I wonder what Mother was like when she was pregnant."

The nanny's eyes were far away as she reminisced.

"When she was pregnant with Master Namjoon, she suffered from severe morning sickness. Fortunately, when she was pregnant with you, I remembered she ate and slept well. She probably liked that you were a gentle child."

If Lalisa had heard this story in the past, she would not have fully understood it. Now, she empathized with her mother completely. While she never saw her mother's pregnancies, of course, she could clearly imagine it.

"I'm glad I wasn't too hard on my mother."

"Haha, well, as I said, you were a gentle thing. The last time your mother was pregnant, it was with Roseanne. The pregnancy was so difficult that she couldn't even step out of bed."

"She suffered a lot with Roseanne?"

Lalisa had a vague memory of her mother being pregnant, but she didn't know the details at the time. The nanny replied with a smile.

"You may not be able to imagine it now, but Roseanne was a troublemaker in your mother's stomach."

"I never knew that Mother went through so much hardship."

Lalisa smiled faintly and stroked her round belly. She wondered what kind of child was growing inside. Until now, she was someone else's daughter, but now she was the parent of a child. She still didn't quite process it yet. Later, when the child is born, she may well pass out when they make eye contact with her.

Her mother, whom she missed, probably felt the same way. If her mother was with her now, she may be able to tell Lalisa more... All there was now was the feeling of her mother's absence.

"...I miss you, Mother."

Lalisa gave a little murmur, and the nanny smiled warmly, and took her hands with her own deeply wrinkled ones.

"Among your siblings, you resemble her the most. You have the same beautiful face and strong personality. Don't forget that your existence is because of her love."

"Nanny..."

"Your mother may not be with you, but she will always be watching you."

Lalisa's nose started to feel stuffy at the unexpected words the nanny gave her. Now that she had a child to love, she could imagine that her mother would have looked at her in the same way in the past. She became even more choked up, and she looked up at her nanny.