The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 728  Uncomfortable Breakfast

The weeks began to fly by in a blur of work that had Dominic moving all over the city.

He had to ensure that the deliveries made it to the Merchant's Guild, that the factories were working smoothly, catch up on all the paperwork, and try to keep his wife from going insane as it became increasingly clear that the midwife was right about bed rest.

By the time that she was down to only one week from her estimated due date, the stairs had become an issue, with her muscles struggling to adapt to the rapid changes, and Alexis was most definitely into the "Not Happy" portion of the pregnancy process.

"What are you laughing at, I'm the size of a house, and I can't even see my feet."

Dominic leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"I was just thinking that we might need to revise the family plan. That dress looks good on you."

"I am going to murder you with a spoon."

Even as she said it, a slight smile curved Alexis lips. It had become a running thing between them in the mornings. She was having an increasing hard time physically getting out of bed, and actually needed the assistance of her staff some days, but he would be unerringly sweet about it, to the point that it just looked ridiculous to yell at him.

The staff hid their smiles as they set out breakfast, and waited patiently to see if Alexis would send anything back. For some reason, she had a sensitive stomach lately, as if the child only wanted very specific foods. She had been trying everything to curb the cravings, not wanting to have to do intensive physical training after the birth to get back into her armour. But nothing was working.

She hadn't actually gained an excessive amount of weight, all things considered.

But with the intense physical conditioning that she did under normal circumstances, she felt every single kilo that she gained as a personal affront to her years of training.

Why couldn't it be the men who carried the children?

She knew that it was illogical, and that she really should eat this oatmeal for breakfast. But she was just illogically angry this morning, and frustrated that she couldn't go out to the training grounds and take it out on the Royal Guards.

Annoyed with her situation, Alexis sighed, and then reached over and stirred a spoonful of peanut butter into her oatmeal.

At first, Dominic thought that it was a mistake, but as he smelled it, he realized it wasn't actually a bad idea.

A bit like a peanut butter cookie.

She was looking uncomfortable, but that was nothing new these days. The little one was not so little anymore, and it made everything awkward.

Then, a massive cramp rippled across her abdomen, making her scream in agony.

"Doc!" Dominic called, summoning the Trollish midwife.

The stout woman grabbed the Princess and carried her up the stairs to the treatment room, then began issuing orders to the veiled maids, while the Royal Guards were rearranged to block the ends of the hallway, as well as the windows of the rooms of the outside of the house.

The room she was in had an interior window, overlooking the grand hall. It was shut tight right now, but that didn't matter to Dominic's hearing when the door was open.

He didn't know that he could be insulted in so many different ways.

Dave poked his head into the room from the kitchen. "Aren't you going to go outside? I'm pretty sure that pacing back and forth in the yard is the tradition for men at this time."

Dominic chuckled. "She can yell at me just fine from here. I've heard that some wives like to crush their hands during childbirth. Especially if she is delivering early. So, it's probably best that I don't wander too far away."

Dave shrugged. Trollish fathers paced in the yard. That was their spot.

Another midwife rushed into the manor with a quick curtsy for Dominic before she ran upstairs with an armload of something wrapped in cloth, and a veiled maid right behind her.

"Lad, pacing in the dining room isn't any better than doing it in the garden. Why don't we sit down and have a coffee? In my experience, these things take some time. Half a day or more for the ones my wife managed." Jack Merlot insisted.

The other advisors gathered and led Dominic to the sitting room on the main floor, overlooking the garden. They had been blocked from wandering the hallways this morning, and couldn't get to their offices, so they had little else to do except join the Duke in waiting for his heir.

They likely could have negotiated with the Royal Guards to be escorted past, they were trusted residents of the building, but protocol said that when a Princess was giving birth, only a limited number of people were allowed nearby, and they all had to be approved.

Even the most trusted of advisors might still be working for another faction, if they were within the Royal Palace.

And the official rules didn't have an addendum for family members who were living elsewhere. Plus, the Wavemates Family rules were very similar, but had a few more clauses about preventing baby swaps, as that had been attempted many times in the past, with other Noblewomen or servants hoping to get a good life for their child, and knowing that the young Royal would eventually grow into their birthright.

They had just settled into the comfortable chairs of the sitting room when Rill, the Merchant Guild branch leader, came in, escorted by one of Dominic's new Royal Guards.

"Well, it appears that I have horrible timing. I have official receipt of the second monthly quota allotment, and a request from the King of Dagos for particular items to be sent next month, if possible," he explained.

"No, it's perfect timing, we all needed the distraction. Come and sit, grab a drink." Dominic insisted.

The Merchant smiled as Jack Merlot poured them all a glass of mead, his drink of choice at breakfast.

"How long has it been?" Rill asked.

"Just now. I would imagine we have some time ahead of us yet, so there is no harm in doing a bit of paperwork first."