leonardwarren Chapter 267 : Feeling Very Close
Chapter 267 : Feeling Very Close
Regarding when and where Marianne gave birth, Ariel had been too young at the time to remember clearly.Moreover, this illusion mixed truth and falsehood—it wouldn't necessarily develop entirely according to what had happened back then.
Ariel quickly recovered from her surprise and hurriedly responded:
"So there are actually two pregnant women here. We really must be extra careful."
Eva smiled at them and patiently answered:
"Actually, there aren't just two. Queen Marianne's guard, Viscount Charles Herbert, and his wife Lady Liana are also here. Lady Liana is quite far along in her pregnancy. Lord Charles should have been accompanying her, but since he's Queen Marianne's guard, he couldn't avoid this trip no matter what. So, at Queen Marianne's suggestion, Lord Charles brought Lady Liana along this time."
Hearing the name Charles Herbert, shock appeared in Celitia's eyes once again.
She suddenly felt that this matter might be even more complex than she had imagined.
Not only Celitia—Ariel also felt her brain overloading, nearly unable to process everything.
"Thank you, Sister Eva. We'll go work now."
She thanked the maid Eva and hurriedly pulled Celitia toward the corridor exit.
After confirming they had walked far enough that no one could hear their conversation, Ariel let out a big sigh:
"What should we do? There are actually three pregnant women in one villa? Even if we split up, we can't watch over them all."
"We'll go to Queen Marianne's side." Celitia didn't hesitate.
Ariel was startled: "Why?"
Ariel had never heard of any problems with Sophia's identity.
She had instead heard rumors that Charles suspected Celitia wasn't his biological daughter.
From this perspective, Ariel thought they should start with Lady Liana.
"Queen Marianne has the highest status here. If we're going to investigate, we should start from her side."
Celitia casually found an excuse.
"If we confirm there's no problem, it won't be too late to check the others."
Ariel thought about it and felt it made sense:
"I'm more familiar with mother's situation, so it would be more convenient to inquire. Let's go to mother first."
Having been here several times, Ariel relied on her memory to quickly lead Celitia to Marianne's residence.
Outside the room stood a blonde maid whom Ariel had never seen before and didn't know.
But thinking about it, not having seen her wasn't strange—this was sixteen years ago, quite distant from the present time.
At a certain age, most maids would marry and have children, no longer continuing to serve their original masters—this was common.
The blonde maid at the door stopped them: "Who are you? What are you here for?"
"We're newly assigned maids to serve Queen Marianne."
With Celitia taking the lead, Ariel's lies became increasingly smooth.
"I see. The Countess acted quite quickly, arranging people so soon." The blonde maid didn't become suspicious. "Her Majesty is feeling unwell with swelling in her lower limbs. You two hurry over and give her a good massage."
"Understood." Ariel quickly replied.
The two entered Marianne's room one after the other.
Compared to her memory, the current Marianne was somewhat more rounded.
She reclined in a chair, her expression peaceful, basking in sunlight while gently stroking her belly.
Celitia stared intently at Marianne, carefully observing her.
At least from Marianne's complexion, Celitia didn't see any problems.
Looking around the room again, Celitia also found no traces of any magical rituals.
On the surface, it didn't look like anything unexpected would happen.
"New maids?" Marianne smiled at them. "What are your names?"
"Ariel." Ariel answered honestly.
After answering, she regretted it—she should have made up a fake name like "Emily."
Fortunately, Marianne didn't become suspicious:
"How coincidental—you share a name with my lovely daughter. Unfortunately, she didn't come this time and is still suffering through her lessons in the palace."
Her gaze then fell on Celitia: "And you?"
"Celitia." Celitia answered gently.
"What a lovely name—it brings to mind the faint fragrance of lilies."
Marianne beckoned to them.
"Come, sit for a while and chat with me."
Sitting in the chair before Marianne, Celitia extended her hands:
"Your Majesty, please straighten your legs. I'll massage them for you."
"Such a thoughtful child. I'll trouble you then." Marianne smiled. "My legs are bothering me terribly."
Celitia placed Marianne's calves on her knees, applying even pressure with all ten fingers as she gradually massaged her legs.
Ariel stood aside in a daze, not quite knowing what to do.
Seeing her at a loss, Marianne smiled and instructed: "I happen to want some strawberries. Go fetch some for me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ariel had wanted to go out and continue investigating anyway, so she quickly bowed to Marianne and left.
In the room, only Marianne and Celitia remained.
The two didn't speak, with only faint breathing sounds echoing around them.
"Looking at you, I feel you're quite familiar."
Finally, Marianne broke the silence. "I don't know why, but I feel a sense of closeness."
Listening to this, Celitia's mood unconsciously became complex.
This was exactly what Marianne had said to her the first time she met her in her memory.
Word for word.
Whether past or future, Marianne always seemed able to perceive her difference at first glance without knowing the truth.
Was this the mysterious bond between mother and daughter?
If those accidents had never happened...
Perhaps she could have grown up well under her loving care.
"Looking at Your Majesty, I also feel very close." Celitia replied softly. "The child in your belly is truly blessed to have such a wonderful mother."
Marianne laughed and beckoned to Celitia:
"She kicked me—it seems like she wants to talk to you. Would you like to come listen?"
"Listen... listen?" Celitia's expression was inevitably strange.
Having close contact with her past self who hadn't been born yet...
Unlike the embarrassing history of "Sercis," this time seemed somewhat interesting?
Marianne smiled: "Yes, don't be shy. Come over."
So Celitia stood up, moved to Marianne's side, and carefully placed her ear against her abdomen.
Through that thin layer of skin, Celitia really felt the fetus kick Marianne, seemingly expressing her excitement.