CHAPTER 55 - HARRIET IS PREGNANT?Liam froze on the couch.
Likewise, Harriet was still standing in front of him without a word.
"W-what should I do now?" asked Harriet in a trembling voice.
"Sit down." Liam stood up, making Harriet sit where he was originally sitting, and then the man left with long strides toward the window. Liam jumped from the window without saying anything while Harriet was still staring at the window where her husband had disappeared without being able to make any expression.
The woman's mouth was open, and her eyes were unblinking. A few seconds later, she gasped.
"Oh God," she whispered.
***
The Old Duke was sitting in his room, reading some billing statements on his name after dinner when Liam suddenly opened the window of his room from the outside and barged in.
"What–" The surprised Old Duke saw Liam, who didn't even turn to him and walked to the door.
"Why can't I find Daniel?" Liam asked, opening the door and leaving, looking down the hall and back inside when he couldn't find Daniel.
"Daniel was just here, after delivering your shopping bill today in town," the Old Duke replied, holding up a few bills in his hand.
He added, "Daniel came home to tell his wife about the announcement you made at the boutique this afternoon. He wanted to propose to his wife to help with the boutique's investment," explained the old man.
"Oh," Liam nodded. "Do you know where I can find a physician, Grandpa?" asked Liam, who saw his grandfather standing and looking at him worriedly.
"What is it? Are you feeling sick? Sit down, let me call someone," the Old Duke said and walked out of the room. The old man was surprised to see Liam walking after him, and he stopped walking.
"What…"
"Let's go," Liam insisted on pushing the Old Duke to walk faster. In the end, the two men from the Almandine bloodline walked with wide strides towards the attending physician's assembly room in the castle. Liam wordlessly forced a physician who looked the oldest and most experienced to follow him to the tower.
The Old Duke himself furrowed his brows in confusion, but the old man continued to follow his grandson, who seemed to be restless and worried.
"Is this about Harriet?" asked the Old Duke, and Liam only glanced at him and nodded. "Is she sick? She's been really busy lately," the old man said quietly.
Liam shook his head. His mouth was tightly shut unless he needed to speak. And once they got to Liam's room at the top of the tower, they saw Harriet sitting pensively on the sofa.
Just as Harriet was about to stand up, Liam rushed to her side and blocked her from getting up. "Just sit down," the man said calmly.
Silence.
The four people in the room looked at each other as no one spoke.
"What exactly…" The Old Duke furrowed his brows in confusion.
Harriet and Liam looked at each other for a moment and neither of them spoke, which further confused the Old Duke and the physician by his side. The husband and wife looked like cats got their tongues.
Finally, Old Duke pushed the physician by his side to check on Harriet. Liam showed up because he was looking for a physician to check on Harriet, so the physician came forward and went straight to the basic checkup.
The physician touched Harriet's wrist and checked her temperature.
"Sorry, Your Grace, Young Lord, I didn't find any abnormality in Madam's body," said the physician. "Except that Madam seems to be in shock. Just like Young Lord," said the old man.
"Milord, I don't feel nauseous or dizzy. I don't feel tired either. My appetite hasn't changed at all, and there's nothing out of the ordinary," said Harriet finally speaking up, but only Liam understood what she meant.
"Doesn't your stomach hurt? No weird feelings?" Liam asked then, and Harriet shook her head.
"For goodness sake, what happened exactly? Stop acting weird, and explain everything to this old man," said the Old Duke, who snapped in annoyance.
"We might be pregnant," Liam said in a short and fast voice.
"I haven't had my period this month, Your Grace," continued Harriet.
Silence.
The Old Duke was rooted to the spot.
"Oh! I see. I will examine you now, Madam," said the physician cheerfully while the other three people in the room fell silent.
The physician examined Harriet's stomach and furrowed his brows. After that, he opened his bag and took out a small glass case.
"Madam, allow me to store your urine in this container. I'll pour it on some wheat and barley seeds to see if any of them grow after a while," said the old healer.
Harriet nodded and stood up, while Liam automatically reached his hand around her waist to carry her. Harriet stopped moving and looked at Liam.
"Stay here," the woman said.
Liam just nodded and let Harriet go down the stairs to the toilet next to the downstairs bathroom alone. That man still appeared like he had had an error in his brain, but this time he looked calmer than before.
"Do you think she is pregnant?" asked the Old Duke to the physician.
"I'm not sure yet, Your Grace. I heard that Madam has never experienced a missed period before, so it can be concluded that Madam is indeed pregnant," said the physician.
"Harriet said she should have had her period about two weeks ago," Liam said quietly.
"Ahh, then Madam is probably three or four weeks pregnant," explained the old healer.
Before long, Harriet returned with a container filled with her urine. The healer received the container and wrapped it in a white cloth.
"I will report the results in three or four days, Your Grace, Young Lord, Madam. This is a new pregnancy test method that we learned from desert people! They always work miracles," said the old man with a smile on his face.
"Oh," like confused people, Old Duke and Liam muttered in unison.
"Isn't there another way to find out for sure quickly?" asked Harriet.
The old physician muttered under his breath.
"Hmm, I heard that physicians from the east who can read pulses will be able to distinguish the pulses of women who are not pregnant and those who are pregnant," said the physician.
Old Duke and Liam looked at each other. The old Alpha walked away as soon as he saw the same glint in his grandson's eyes, while Liam cleared his throat.
"You can go and report your findings in three or four days," Liam said.
The old physician went after the Old Duke's steps as he skated down the tower's spiral staircase. At the same time, Liam gently grabbed Harriet's hand and asked her to sit beside him on the sofa.
"My wife," Liam said softly, causing Harriet to squint. "Would you be surprised and disgusted at your husband if I suddenly burst into tears?" Liam asked seriously.
Harriet, who heard it, choked in laughter and sobs that burst out together. Liam chuckled helplessly. Harriet leaned against Liam's chest and felt like the world had given her the most beautiful blessing of her life.
"What if I really am pregnant?" asked Harriet through her happy sobs.
"What if you really are pregnant?" Liam asked, repeating Harriet with a laugh. "Of course, it would be wonderful," he replied.
"You jinxed it!" cried Harriet with a crisp laugh.
"Yeah," Liam kissed Harriet's cheek and the top of her head.
"I jinxed it."