The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 189: Pregnant

Chapter 189: Pregnant

"Your Majesty, there is really no need. I am a physician myself. Perhaps I ate something bad for my stomach," Dorothy said. In truth, she felt pleased with herself, seeing the king so worried about her. It reminded her of the time when Anastasia was unconscious.

In her heart, she began to wonder if the king had been putting on an act all along. After all, during a moment of passion, he had even told her that he was pretending for the queen.

"Be obedient. Let the physician examine you. How many physicians can treat themselves?" King Edward was not at ease, especially seeing how pale her face looked. In any case, he could warn the physician, and no one would find out what had happened.

Hearing his insistence, Dorothy did not continue to persuade him. Secretly, she wanted everyone in the palace to know that she had not lost the king’s favor.

Shortly after, a royal physician arrived at the chamber and examined her.

King Edward stood by and watched as the physician frowned.

"How long have you been feeling this way?" he asked.

"A few days," Dorothy answered. Seeing the physician frown, she began to worry that her condition might be serious.

"What is the problem?" Even King Edward became worried and impatient.

"There is nothing wrong..." The physician was still speaking when King Edward cut him off.

"What do you mean, nothing is wrong? Look at her complexion. Even I can tell something is wrong. How did someone like you become a royal physician?" King Edward lost all patience. He was already thinking of investigating the royal clinic to find out who had been employing such incompetent people.

No wonder his father had died without an antidote being found for his poisoning.

The physician was shocked at the king’s outburst.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. What I mean is... the lady is not sick, but pregnant," the physician hurriedly bowed his head in fear.

King Edward felt the word catch in his throat.

Pregnant.

He turned to look at Dorothy, filled with mixed emotions. He was happy to become a father, but the timing was all wrong. Of course, he had no issue with Dorothy bearing his child, but she was not yet his official mistress and suddenly, he realized with dismay that Anastasia was not pregnant either.

If this news were to spread, it would bring great disappointment upon him.

Dorothy, on the other hand, was stunned. Although she was a physician herself, she hadn’t realized she was pregnant. After all, in the mines where she learned from her grandmother, they mostly treated injuries and common illnesses.

She turned to look at the king. No matter how ignorant she was of state affairs, she knew that a mistress usually did not give birth before the queen, unless the queen was struggling to conceive.

The king had just explained the court’s political climate holding him back from officially naming a mistress. Now that she was pregnant, what would become of her and the child?

"How far along is she?" King Edward asked, already calculating the situation in his mind. During their time at the military camp, he had not been intimate with Dorothy, his mind preoccupied with the tense situation in the royal city and the ongoing war with Gube.

Except on the night they had celebrated a victory. That day, he had been in high spirits, and they had shared a bed. The next day, rumors spread throughout the camp about him protecting his mistress. He had wanted to investigate, but knowing he had acted wrongly, he refrained to avoid drawing more attention.

Besides, Anastasia had still been unconscious at the time. Even though the royal physicians had said she was out of danger, her condition had not improved much.

That was also why he hadn’t made Dorothy his mistress after becoming king. He had wanted the rumors to die and be forgotten. But now, she was pregnant. He had no idea how to handle the situation.

"She should be at least three months," the physician answered. This was why he had asked Dorothy how long she had felt the symptoms. She should have noticed a month ago. He couldn’t help but suspect that this female physician was scheming to bear the king’s eldest son.

King Edward frowned. Doing the math, she had gotten pregnant on his wedding night. But wasn’t it said that the first weeks of pregnancy were delicate and prone to miscarriage? Dorothy had traveled all the way to the North and still managed to carry the pregnancy.

Dorothy was also surprised. She hadn’t realized she was pregnant for so long. She had missed her period for two months, but since her cycles were usually irregular, she hadn’t suspected pregnancy.

"Is the pregnancy stable?" King Edward asked.

"It seems stable. We can examine her further to be sure," the physician replied. He was only responsible for answering questions.

"Send for Physician Nathan," King Edward instructed. In the enire palace, he trusted physician Nathan most.

---

Meanwhile, Anastasia had sent for Physician Nathan under the guise of being sick. The previous night, after receiving the prescription that Dorothy had written, she discovered that there was an additional herb listed.

Physician Nathan had written the original prescription for her before she returned to the Duke’s residence for her wedding ceremony. After returning, she had another nightmare that made her decide to keep Dorothy close. But she wasn’t foolish. Having lived under the suppression of Duchess Anita and Elizabeth, she would be a fool to gamble with her life.

So, she had never once taken the medicine Dorothy delivered. She had used the incident the day before as a reason to dismiss her.

Asking her to write down the prescription was only for the king’s sake. She hadn’t expected to find an extra herb.

She had immediately swung into action. At first, she wanted to call Physician Nathan and confront him, but the memory of her nightmare—how she had died—made her wary. The royal physicians were the king’s people, after all. She didn’t trust them.

Grater had once been a medicine girl, so Anastasia brought out her mother’s old medical book. Together, they spent the entire night searching. It wasn’t until morning that they found detailed information on the herb. It turned out that, while not harmful by itself, it conflicted with another herb in the mix. Taken together, they could prevent a woman from becoming pregnant. While it didn’t cause permanent damage, the risk was there—especially for someone like Anastasia, who had once been poisoned.

"Physician Nathan, what is wrong with me? My stomach has been uncomfortable since last night. I couldn’t sleep," Anastasia asked in a weak voice. She truly hadn’t slept, and the dark circles under her eyes made it obvious. Rosa and Grater, who had helped search through the books, looked equally tired.

Physician Nathan took her pulse.

"Your Majesty is simply tired and needs rest," he said. There was nothing wrong with her.

"Physician Nathan, are you sure?" Anastasia asked. Even though she hadn’t taken a sip of Dorothy’s medicine, she intended to use this issue to send Dorothy out of the palace.