Chapter 167

MILA

The last few weeks had been a blur. Meetings, ribbon cuttings, speeches. I spent countless hours in the countryside of Fresonia helping to relocate people who had been displaced by either the war or the dissolution with Abernathy. I cooked meals for homeless shelters and taught magic to young children.

Felix was hard at work establishing our newly adjusted borders alongside leaders from the other kingdoms. Joseph and Isla were in what was once Abernathy, directing people to either the Library of Magic or the hospital, depending on their level of damage from the King’s drainage.

I myself had been working hard on healing broken magic where I saw it. There were a million little ways a person could be struggling with their own powers, and as someone who had been on both sides of that coin, I took the lead on helping them.

I took my job as the protector of magic seriously. It was my responsibility to not only make sure that magic was safe, but that it was thriving. I knew my role was important, and it was nice to finally be treated as such, even if it was tiring.

The dragons were now all fully healed, and the youngest hatchlings were now starting to fly. Felix took whatever time he could out of his busy days to help care for the babies, and we decided that we would have an open house in a few weeks to allow the Fresonians to meet and get comfortable with the dragons.

Somehow, my restaurant was still thriving. I spent a few hours each Sunday coming up with a new dish for the restaurant to feature that week. Although it was less hands-on time for me, I thankfully had a few chefs who I trusted implicitly to follow my instructions and take care of the menu.

Food and cooking would always be my first love, but magic was my calling.

When I could, I slipped away to the Library of Magic. I spent as long as I could wandering through the shelves, learning and absorbing knowledge of magic from throughout the centuries. The more I knew, the easier it would be to help those with more unique or selective powers.

It was one afternoon when I was deep in the stacks of the library when I felt an odd flutter in my stomach. Although I tried to ignore the feeling, it somehow persisted, following me around for the rest of the afternoon.

When I returned to the castle that evening, I mentioned it to Felix. He frowned, turning me around so that he could study me properly. “Are you feeling sick at all?”

I shook my head. “No, no other symptoms. I’ve been feeling more tired than normal recently, but I think that just has to do with my schedule.”

“Get some rest tonight,” Felix said. “You’ve been working so hard lately, I’m sure it’s just exhaustion. I’ll call the royal physician to see if he can come check you out in the morning.”

I nodded and settled into bed next to him. “I hope you’re right. Where are you off to in the morning?”

Felix sighed and rubbed his temples. “I’m heading to Wisteria to aid with some of the border closings there. We’re hoping to place a mist over the magical kingdoms to really shield us from prying eyes.”

I smiled. “You’re a good King, you know.”

Felix kissed the top of my head. “Someday soon, hopefully not too long, the two of us can just take a break and relax. I feel like I’ve barely seen you.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, rolling on top of him. “Want to see even more of me?”

We made love into the early hours of the morning. Although I did not get a wink of sleep, I felt better than ever the next day.

The royal physician came to the room that had been converted into my office early the next morning, carrying all sorts of medical equipment with him. After a brief discussion of my symptoms and lifestyle, the doctor ran a few tests and did some bloodwork.

After what felt like hours, he handed me a sheet of paper.

“What’s this?” I asked him,

The physician smiled at me. “Your diagnosis.”

I waited that night in mine and Felix’s bedchamber with a bottle of sparkling cider and a few balloons. When he came stumbling in, late in the evening, exhaustion written all over his face, I was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Is there a celebration I forgot about?” Felix asked, looking around the room in confusion.

I grinned. “I spoke to the physician today. He gave me a rather interesting diagnosis.”

Felix’s face paled. “Oh god, Mila, are you alright? Is something wrong?”

“Quite the opposite.” I handed him the piece of paper. I held my breath for a moment, suddenly terrified of how he would react to the news.

My husband’s eyes lit up. “You’re pregnant?”

I nodded, hardly able to speak.

Felix pulled me into his arms, and the dam finally broke. Joyous tears streamed down my face as we celebrated.

“We’re having a baby!” Felix exclaimed. “I can’t wait! We need to figure out how to tell our parents. They’ll all be thrilled. Oh, Mila, I’m so happy.”

I nestled my head against his chest. “I’m a little nervous, to be honest.”

Felix pulled back slightly so that he could see my face. “What? Why?”

“I–” I swallowed, fighting the tears that tightened my throat. “I never had a good family growing up. I didn’t even meet my true parents until a few weeks ago. How am I supposed to be a good mother if I never had one when I was younger?”

Felix brushed a hair away from my face.

“I’m just so scared,” I admitted. “I don’t know how to be a mom. What if I mess it all up?”

“Do you know what I love most about you?” Felix asked softly.

When I shook my head no, he continued. “Despite the cruelty you have faced throughout your entire life, you still manage to be kind and loving. You could have easily turned out as mean and cold as your adoptive family, but you didn’t. You are empathetic and caring and good, against all the odds.”

I wiped away a tear.

“Even though you haven’t always had the best experiences with family,” Felix said, “I know that you’ll be a wonderful mother because you are a wonderful person who loves so much. I can’t wait to go on this journey with you and have a product of our love out in the world. We’re a team. You are not alone in this.”

I finally smiled slightly, his words warming my trembling heart. He had a point–despite everything that I had gone through, I was still able to love. My love for Felix was proof of my own heart.

“Besides,” Felix said, “you already know Isla and Marie are going to spoil the hell out of that child with toys and clothes. So we had better prepare ourselves for that.”

I laughed and kissed him. “I think we’re going to be good parents.”

Felix cupped the back of my neck. “I think so too.”