"I'm pregnant," I announced it in front of Lawrence and his father, the Duke. Suddenly, the guards who had been blocking the door were pushed into the conference room and Lobelia who opened the door was in shock. "What the hell do you mean by that?" "Why are you so rude? We are in the meeting here," I reminded her but it seemed that she wasn't listening. I glanced at the guards and nodded once then they scattered out. The Empress Dowager had to returned to the conference room after hearing that Lobelia made a fuss in the room. "What is this all ruckus about?" "Grandma! Listen to sister's nonsense!" Lobelia reported on me. I rolled my eyes and greeted the Empress Dowager, so did the Duke and Lawrence. "What do you mean nonsense? I was about to return to my room and suddenly guards been telling me that you disrupted your sister's meeting," the Empress Dowager took my side as she stared at Lobelia. "Sister said she is pregnant!" Lobelia yelled in frustration. "What? Why did you not tell me this earlier?" The Empress Dowager looked at me. "I was about to after done discussing with the Duke of Oncidium and Lord Lawrence," I replied. "Why? What do they do to related with this news?" The Empress Dowager asked again. "I'm pregnant so we're talking about possibility of our engagement date," I answered. "Who is the child's father?" Lobelia asked. I glanced at another side of the table and that time he stood up. "...It's me." Lawrence, with a resigned look, slowly got up from his seat. Lobelia fell down on the floor in shock and tears, heartbroken. "I am the father of the child." Lawrence repeated himself. "The young Duke of Oncidium? Are you saying that the rumor was true?" The Empress Dowager asked in disbelief but you could see that she looked happy. "A rumor?" The Duke of Oncidium, Lawrence's father asked curiously. "Did you not hear the scandal of the Crown Princess and the young Duke?" Excited about the rumor that came true, the Empress Dowager and Lawrence's father were busy talking about their happiness in another corner.
I cleared my throat and smiled. "In order for our child to be born with good energy, we have to hold an engagement ceremony according to the day that we already decided." "When is the day?" I looked down at the brokenhearted 2nd Princess. "By coincidence, an astrologer said that we have to do the ceremony on the day before the 2nd Princess' coming age ceremony." Lobelia quickly raised from the floor and yelled in frustration. "That's ridiculous! You can't possible pregnant! Lawrence is the father of the child, it's all ridiculous! You lie!" "Just because you lied, do you think I also tell lie?" I asked her. "Me!? When did I lie!" Lobelia yelled.
Suddenly, an old man appeared and entered the room. He was Adolf, the doctor who examined when I woke up on the first day. "Was you who examined the Crown Princess?" The Empress Dowager asked Adolf. "Yes, Your Majesty. I went to the 1st Imperial Palace for the usual medical examination and found out that the Crown Princess is already pregnant and by the age it's almost 2 weeks," Adolf answered humbly. "So it's true? Hahaha!" The Empress Dowager and The Duke of Oncidium couldn't held their happiness much longer so they thanked the doctor a lot. I watched them in silence as I remembered when Adolf went to treat me after I passed out thanked to Lobelia's poison. I observed the doctor for a long time and I believed he wouldn't mind to play along with my play.
** That night **
"Greetings to the Little Sun of the Empire." "It's been a while, Adolf." "I heard that Crown Princess suffered greatly from being poisoned by the blue Monkshood a while ago," Adolf said. "Yes. Everyone seem eager to poison me," I replied as I chuckled. "You said that you vomited and feel abdominal pain today. There is nothing wrong with the naked eyes, so if you allow me to check up?" "Yes." The old man stepped closer and grabbed my arm with a hand that seemed to touch a precious thing. After being contemplated for a moment, he cautiously spoke up. "...It seems to be a disease that cannot be known by my examination only, but do you feel any other symptoms?" I could see that he noticed that I was faking my illness. "Would you like to have a cup of tea before I tell you?" I invited him as I walked to the table and poured a cup of tea. But he stood there, hesitant to accept my invitation. "Do not worry and have a seat," I rest assured him. He finally accepted my invitation and sat down but he didn't drink the tea. "Your Majesty, do you know?" He suddenly asked. "What is it?" I asked him in return. "I was there... when you were born." "...Were you?" Suddenly, I couldn't figure out why he was telling the story but I let him continue talking and somehow I should listened. "When The Empress Dowager had The Emperor, I wished he would be a good leader of the empire and he was. He married to your mother but because of the awful rumor about her, The Emperor brought in a concubine." "What kind of awful rumor?" I asked. "That you were not The Emperor's child. When The Empress died, the truth was revealed and The Emperor blamed himself for her death. He asked for you to be moved to another palace and treated you well but the next Empress despised it. So The Emperor secretly asked me to watch you, and now to fulfill his last will I have to help the Crown Princess then I can see His Majesty in my peaceful dead." The old man smiled at the end of his story, I didn't know if I should be angry or sad, I couldn't responded to his story either. He said that he knew about what I was doing. "You do not need to deceive my mind with these things. If you wish for my help, I will be gladly to help." "...Tell me that I'm pregnant at the meeting tomorrow where you will be my witness," I told him. Adolf smiled, he stood up and bowed politely then left my room.
Now, I was seeing how he smoothly helped with the lie I came up for the first time in his 50 years work as a doctor. "Greetings to the Imperial Sun. I am the astrologer Vanessa." It was the astrologer I hired, who I bought with money and fed a lot of datura powder and wrote the date in front of the Empress Dowager as I wished. "Sire, in order for the child in the Crown Princess' to be born safely, the engagement ceremony must be hold on the 99th day of the 318th year of the Imperial calendar." "It will be overlap with the 2nd Princess' coming age ceremony, is there any other day?" The Empress Dowager asked. "No. It must be that day," she answered. The people in the room remained silence, even Lobelia. "The baby is a child of a noble blood, he must be full of blessings until the birth coming." Soon, public opinion began to defend me. "But it's just a day before my coming age ceremony! I hate that I will not be the main character in my own coming age ceremony!" Lobelia screamed her objection. "Will you like to make one exception for your sister's child just this one time?" The Empress Dowager begged. "No! Besides! You even set my marriage on that day? I will marry the man I want and on the day I want! I don't want to marry any man of your choice!" Lobelia made a fuss loudly, she sure had lost her composure. "Princess, how could you lie again? You didn't tell me this last time, how could you changed your words so easily? I'm confused," I said as I cupped my cheek with a sad expression. "Don't fake yourself! You are the one who is lying! I've never once said that I'm going to get married!" Lobelia yelled. "Lawrence!" Lobelia cried out his name with a distorted face after being betrayed. "I will never get married! Even if a prince from another country comes, I will worry on it my own and be an old lady and marry an old man if I want!" "Be careful on your words, Princess Lobelia." I warned her. People outside gathered, watching and whispering by themselves, finally they saw the true form of the 2nd Princess who was so kind and gentle. "I mean, look at them! An old man who played as the doctor and an astrologer? Suddenly come to this meeting and spitting out nonsenses!" Lawrence finally stood up in front of me and looked down at Lobelia with a cold stare. "It was me who asked Her Majesty to marry me. Why would I called for someone else's name or yours?" "Why do you keep trying to stay by her side and lie to me?!" Lobelia asked. "I never lie. I have no reason to lie." "Then have a baby with me too!" Lobelia finally snapped. "Princess Lobelia!" Lawrence shouted at the crybaby insane 2nd Princess. I was thinking that the angry Lawrence was hot. Suddenly another audience decided to join us, Noah rushed into the conference room. It seemed none of these people realized that the Empress Dowager was there. They were too focused on my play that they did not pay respect for the leader of this empire. "Noah." "Is this true? You are pregnant?" Noah asked as his lips trembling. I nodded and told him that Lawrence was the father of the baby. Noah sat down on the floor as his knees were weakened, he laughed and cried in heartbroken at the same time. I didn't feel bad, I felt it's ridiculous for him to behave like that in front of me. I had my own goal, he should realized that by now.
After all the ruckus, Lawrence and I returned to my room. Lawrence felt guilty after watching the crying Noah since he knew how it felt after his relationship with Sharon, his girlfriend over. "Is it okay to break his heart like that?" Lawrence asked. "It's fine. He will be fine," I answered. After all, he is Noah von Schaumberg, the strongest knight of the empire. He would be fine by the time passed, and I wished for that day came quick.