Published at 29th of October 2020 06:32:54 PM
Chapter 11
Chapter 11: The Queen Mother
"Princess Kasha . Thank you for inviting me here . It's a pleasure to see you in good health again"
Berta went out to the front of her palace to greet the Queen Mother, it was a custom and courtesy when receiving a visit from a superior .
The last time the Queen Mother went there, Berta was caught off guard and was too ill to do so .
"Welcome . Your Majesty, the Queen Mother . "
The Queen Mother always wear a dark-colored dress, almost like a mourning dress .
Rumors say that she had been doing so ever since the former king died .
"Thank you for your kindness, my dear . It is an honor to meet you and the precious prince . "
"Yes, Louis is waiting indoors . If you want, please feel free of holding him and stroking his head, he likes that very much . "
Despite her intention to mourn her late husband even today, it seems that she has an innately cheerful personality .
Looking up into the eyes of Berta, who is a head taller when they lined up, the Queen Mother smiled gently .
Her thin, soft, graying blonde hair made her look older and yet pretty .
With Berta, she acts as a grandmother meeting her daughter-in-law .
In the Kasha family, Berta was cherished by her relatives as a legitimate daughter and was raised as she was a delicate butterfly, a precious flower, especially by the older generation of her house .
Fortunately for Berta, who was aware of her vulnerability to her elders, she did not have to contend with the Queen Mother .
The maidservants were waiting the order to start preparing the tea for the tea party, but it was still too early in the day for doing so .
"Well! Oh my goodness, how lovely . "
He would cry if left in his bed, so Louis was placed in the couch by the nanny, who was making him play .
The Queen Mother noticed Louis as soon as she entered the room and approached the couch with a small cry of joy .
(I always thought that the people in this royal palace were a bit too cautious with infants . It's as if they are protecting a precious and rare animal that has never been kept in captivity . )
Berta herself feels that they could relax a little more, but that would be taken as the opinion of a crude country woman in this royal palace .
(On the other hand, given the circumstances behind their attitude, it is surely not just due to their unfamiliarity with babies . In the royal family, if a child is born, many of them die prematurely and do not grow to adulthood . That is the kind of blood that runs through Louis' body now . )
"Please hold him in your arms . . . He's head is well-formed now, so it's safe to hold him in arms . "
"Oh, yeah? I don't know if that's a good idea . "
"Please feel free to take a seat wherever you wish . "
Berta sat with the Queen Mother beside the baby basket and picked up Louis by hand and moved him into her arms .
The Queen Mother was probably puzzled at first by Bertha's manner, but of course she had dealt with babies before, and she knew how to hold them and to comfort them .
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Louis remained unhurried and clever, and he completed his first meeting with his grandmother smoothly .
The Queen Mother was pleased with the tea served, which had been painstakingly prepared by Berta's maidservants, the tea was brewed with a special method and the leaves are from the southern Kasha's region .
"I am glad to hear that it's of your taste"
(I'll have to send more of it to the Queen Mother's palace after the tea party)
Berta thought, and gave her maid a look .
The maid bowed, for them there's no need to even make eye contact, they understand her Master orders by instinct .
It may be only a gesture of the Queen Mother, but it's safer to be grateful .
Berta was raised that way, socializing like a merchant's daughter .
"By the way, has Queen Kasha lost some weight?"
Berta feels somewhat embarrassed when it is pointed out .
Naturally, the Queen Mother is not talking about comparing it to when she was a pregnant woman, but comparing it to when she first came to the back palace, before her pregnancy .
"Yes . I am ashamed to say that neither I nor my attendants had noticed that I had lost so much weight . "
The Dowager Queen notices the change in Berta's shape because her dress is not the right size today .
Because she spent most of her time in her nightgown or lounge wear after giving birth, the people around her became accustomed to seeing Berta in her pregnant form and her normal shape had faded from their memories, they hadn't noticed that she was thinner .
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This time, she wore a dress that was her previous size for the Queen Mother's visit .
When her maids noticed finally the change, they were all upset because it was excessively skimpy around the waist .
On top of that, her breasts are bigger so the dress looks tight around the chest, it looks awkward now, but it's the same dress she used in the first months of her pregnancy .
"Are you sure you're feeling good now? You shouldn't take it too far . "
Berta was concerned about appearing in public in an ill-fitting dress, but it seemed that the Queen Mother was concerned about Bertha's postpartum physical condition .
"Yes, my physical condition is already good . Apparently, I have a constitution that makes me lose weight after giving birth . "
" . . . Have you already take measures to help her recover?"
The Queen Mother shifted her gaze slightly and spoke to the maidservant in Berta's entourage, who was standing just behind her .
It is not often that a nobleman speaks directly to other family's servant .
On those occasions, it is at the table with their relatives or on fairly close terms .
In terms of formality, Berta and the Queen Mother are a married woman talking friendly with her mother-in-law, so it's not wrong manners, but the maidservant felt lost for a little while .
"Yes, Your Highness . We were trying to fatten Berta up, but our efforts lately have not been very fruitful, and we are still struggling with the issue of postpartum weight loss . "
The maidservant response indicated that the Queen Mother shouldn't worry about it, but she does not seem to be concerned about rudeness .
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"Yes, I know . It isn't like she doesn't eat her meals properly, probably we'll need to try something else . Later I will have my palace's maids bring you something nourishing . And I'll ask some friends of mine for advices, I suppose it isn't that uncommon . "
"Thank you . "
"We greatly appreciate your concern, Queen Mother . "
The maidservant bowed her head in a truly happy manner, and Berta thanked her without being rude, trying to hide her confusion .
"The first and foremost thing is that his mother must be healthy! For Prince Louis to grow up in good health too . Don't worry, I'll take sure that the Queen Kasha and her son have a peaceful life without worrying about anything . "
"That's . . . most reassuring . "
Thankfully, Berta tilted her head inwardly at the same time .
She said that she had no idea of the circumstances under which the Queen Mother had taken her side politically, but that was half true and half false .
Berta certainly didn't know the steps her father had taken .
(I don't know, but considering the circumstances, I can naturally imagine it . . . )
The Kasha family is a wealthy family, on the other hand, the Queen Mother has long since become a widow and since she distanced herself from the Kingdom's battles of power .
First of all, there is no doubt that the Queen Mother's help was bought with money .
Nevertheless, her attitude today is that of a kind grandmother rejoicing in the birth of her grandson .