The Daily Life of an Ordinary Couple (4)
As time passed, Aracila’s life as tower master began to settle into a steady rhythm.
The whirlwind of endlessly hectic days gradually gave way to the familiar routine of old.
Waking up beside Damian, sharing meals, enjoying small dates, and winding down the day together.
Today was a weekend, so they had slept in and ventured out for a leisurely outing.
After a late breakfast—or perhaps an early lunch—at a lakeside restaurant, they took a short stroll before heading to a dessert house that had recently gained popularity in the capital.
While waiting for their drinks and desserts, Damian noticed Aracila, her chin propped on her hand, nodding off with sleepy blinks.
“My dear, are you very tired?” he asked gently.
“…Hm? Oh, no, I’m fine,” she replied.
Aracila’s eyes snapped open, and she waved her hand dismissively. But traces of drowsiness still clung to her pale face, unmistakable and persistent.
Truth be told, she had been dozing since they were at the restaurant, despite sleeping in that morning.
Even though her workload wasn’t particularly heavy these days, she seemed unusually exhausted.
“Why don’t we head back so you can rest? We can have the order packed to go,” Damian suggested.
“No, really, I’m fi—”
A yawn cut her off mid-sentence. As her eyes fluttered, threatening to close, Damian rose from his seat without waiting for her to finish.
He escorted Aracila to the carriage first, then returned to the dessert house to collect their packaged order—something she had been particularly eager to try.
In the brief time it took, Aracila had fallen asleep, her head resting against Damian’s shoulder for the entire ride home.
Upon arriving at the estate, Damian gently woke his groggy wife and supported her as they entered, ensuring she didn’t stumble in her half-awake state.
“I’m sorry, Damian. It’s a rare day off, and here I am, too sleepy to enjoy it…” she murmured apologetically.
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” he reassured her. “I find happiness just watching you sleep.”
“Thank you for saying that. I don’t know why I’m so tired. Spring’s already come and gone.”
“It happens sometimes,” Damian said lightly, opening the bedroom door. “The sunlight is still warm, and the pleasant weather can make anyone drowsy.”
He carefully laid Aracila on the bed, and she drifted back to sleep almost instantly.
Tucking the blanket up to her chest to keep her comfortable, Damian gazed down at her with a faint smile. She was always so lovely, even in sleep.
Gently, he brushed back her lavender hair and caressed her cheek, lingering to admire his sleeping wife for a long while.
He stayed by her side, sitting quietly until she woke. A weekend spent like this, together, was more than enough.
“Ugh, I think yawning’s become a habit lately,” Aracila said with a sheepish smile, letting out yet another yawn—she’d lost count of how many. It was embarrassing to keep yawning in front of others.
Sally and Rudy, seated across from her, shook their heads in unison. Rudy offered a comforting response.
“It’s fine. I was so sleepy this morning I thought I’d die.”
“Really?” Aracila asked.
“Yeah. And with how much work you have as tower master, you must be even more tired than me. I’m actually worried you might be pushing yourself too hard.”
Aracila gave Rudy a reassuring smile, signaling she was alright. Compared to the early days of her tenure, her workload had noticeably lightened, so she wasn’t exactly overworked.
Still, Rudy’s concern was evident, while Sally, unusually quiet, merely observed Aracila with a thoughtful gaze.
Normally, Sally would be the one making a bigger fuss than Rudy, so her silence struck him as odd.
He nudged her with his elbow, prompting her to blink as if snapping out of a trance before speaking.
“Tower Master, what if Rudy and I handle the Kent Kingdom trip on our own this time?”
“Huh? Why?” Aracila asked, puzzled.
“Well… you seem to have a lot of accumulated fatigue. Maybe it’d be good to focus on your health for a bit.”
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Aracila protested.
Being a little sleepier than usual didn’t mean she couldn’t perform her duties as tower master.
Besides, this trip to the Kent Kingdom was a personal promise that had turned into an official obligation.
She had vowed to lecture the kingdom’s mages in return for Prince Noah’s help—a promise she was finally fulfilling after three years. No matter what, she had to go.
Seeing Aracila’s firm resolve, Sally backed down easily.
“Alright, since it’s not certain yet…” she muttered cryptically before breaking into a bright smile, as if nothing had happened. Aracila and Rudy exchanged confused glances but let it pass.
Not long after, the three set off for the Kent Kingdom. Sally and Rudy accompanied Aracila, the tower master, as her aides.
After exchanging greetings with Prince Noah, whom she hadn’t seen in some time, Aracila conducted her lecture for the kingdom’s mages.
When the schedule concluded, they each had some free time. While Sally and Rudy went off to explore the sights of the Kent Kingdom, Aracila visited the royal palace.
Her purpose wasn’t to meet Noah again but to quietly check on someone she had sent to live there.
As she waited at an outdoor table set up in a corner of the palace garden, another wave of drowsiness hit her, accompanied by a yawn. She fought to keep her eyes open, but her head began to droop. Just then—
“It’s been a while, Duchess.”
Her appointment arrived at last. Startled by the sudden greeting, Aracila’s shoulders twitched as she opened her eyes.
Before her stood Nora, looking far more mature than the last time they’d met. Dressed neatly in the palace’s maid uniform, her hair tied back, she bore no trace of the shadows that had once clung to her.
Aracila rose with a warm smile and extended her hand.
“It’s good to see you, Nora.”
Though Nora was now a palace maid, Aracila spoke to her with the same respect as before. She hadn’t come to meet a maid, but Nora herself.
“I didn’t expect you to visit. I’m so happy to see you again,” Nora said.
“How have you been?” Aracila asked.
Nora nodded with a bright expression and sat across from Aracila. It wasn’t just polite words—her complexion was genuinely radiant, her face aglow with warmth.
Aracila felt a wave of relief wash over her. It seemed her decision to send Nora here hadn’t been a mistake.
If Nora had been unhappy, Aracila would have inevitably carried the weight of guilt.
For the first time, the two shared a warm moment over tea, catching up on each other’s lives.
Nora, who had begun a new chapter in the Kingdom of Kent, spoke of meeting a partner and steadily building a foundation for herself, thriving in her own way.
“Two years from now, I plan to retire from serving the princess,” Nora said. “I can’t be a lady’s maid forever, you know. I want to try living for myself, doing the things I’ve always wanted.”
“That’s a wonderful plan. I hope it all works out for you. But why wait so long to retire?”
“Oh, the princess is pregnant right now. I want to stay by her side through the birth and for a while after. She’s been so kind to me, and I want to repay that kindness.”
Aracila gave a slight nod. She vaguely recalled reading in the papers that the princess of Kent had recently married.
As she listened to Nora’s updates, Aracila began to feel drowsiness creeping in, lapping at her like waves, impossible to resist.
“…Duchess?”
“Oh, sorry. I dozed off again, didn’t I?”
Aracila, who had unwittingly let her head droop, startled upright, correcting her posture.
Nora tilted her head, studying her closely. There was something oddly familiar about Aracila’s inability to fight off sleep.
It reminded her of the early days of her princess’s pregnancy.
Watching Aracila struggle to stay awake over her tea, Nora ventured cautiously, “Duchess, I hope this isn’t rude, but… are you perhaps pregnant?”
“Me?”
“Yes. The way you keep feeling so sleepy—it could be a sign of pregnancy. I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped, but it might be worth checking, just in case.”
Aracila’s expression turned dazed. She hadn’t come to meet Nora expecting to hear something like this—not in her wildest dreams.
Pregnant? Me…?
Feeling a strange mix of emotions, she brushed her hair back and changed the subject. Thankfully, Nora was perceptive enough not to press further.
As their brief meeting drew to a close and they parted ways, Aracila shared the final words she’d been holding onto.
“Nora, from now on, live freely. Your family is half-dismantled now—no one will come after you anymore.”
When the deposed prince and his faction were swept away, the White Marquisate, tied to them, had crumbled as well.
Nora’s parents, the marquis and marchioness, had been stripped of their titles, and a collateral branch had taken over, reshaping the family entirely.
Nora listened to Aracila’s words with an unreadable expression, a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes. Quickly pulling out a handkerchief, she forced a trembling smile.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… a lot to process.”
“I understand. I just wanted you to know, Nora, that I hope you can live your life fully for yourself now, without worrying about anything else.”
“I know. Thank you… truly, thank you, Duchess.”
Wiping away her tears, Nora’s smile brightened. She might never see her family again, but that was something she’d already braced herself for.
Resolved to let go of even the smallest lingering emotions, Nora bowed respectfully. Aracila returned the gesture, struck by how much stronger Nora seemed compared to before, and turned to leave.
It was likely that they, too, would not meet again after this day. But the parting wasn’t entirely sad or heavy—both women could bid farewell with a sense of lightness.
After parting with Nora, Aracila joined her juniors, who had finished their sightseeing, and boarded an airship bound for the empire. With Rudy dozing beside her, Sally spoke up.
“Did you have a good visit with your acquaintance?”
“Yes.”
A faint smile curved Aracila’s lips. Sally smiled back, then glanced at Rudy as if checking to see if he was still asleep before speaking cautiously.
“Um, Tower Master? I hope this isn’t out of line, but there’s something I’d like to say.”
“What is it?”
Aracila felt a flicker of curiosity, seeing Nora’s hesitance mirrored in Sally’s demeanor. Astonishingly, Sally’s next words echoed Nora’s.
“I have a lot of younger siblings, so I know the signs from when my mother was pregnant. Lately, you’ve been reminding me of how she was when she was expecting…”
Aracila blinked slowly, taken aback by yet another suggestion of pregnancy. Sally, worried she might have crossed a line, pressed on carefully.
“Maybe it’s worth checking?”
“Hm. Alright.”
Having now heard the same thing from two people, Aracila couldn’t help but start to wonder herself.
Upon her return, she sought out a doctor at once.
A little nervous as she underwent the examination, she waited until an elderly, experienced physician approached her with a warm smile.
“Congratulations. You’re pregnant.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, about six weeks along. Be mindful of your health going forward, and take care with your diet and any medications.”
The doctor chuckled, offering his congratulations again before jotting down a list of precautions and leaving.
Aracila, still in a daze, glanced at Audrey. Her maid looked equally stunned, clearly unprepared for her mistress’s pregnancy.
“C-Congratulations, my lady. I’m so sorry—I should have noticed sooner…”
“No, Audrey. I didn’t even know myself.”
Most of the people around Aracila were young and lacked experience with pregnancy or childbirth, so it wasn’t surprising no one had picked up on it.
Had the marchioness been nearby, she might have caught it earlier, but thankfully, it wasn’t too late.
Audrey bustled off, insisting on fetching some warm tea, leaving Aracila alone in the room. Quietly, she placed a hand on her stomach.
A child… inside me.
Joy and excitement mingled with fear and worry.
But for now, her heart swelled so much that she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from lifting.
Though unplanned, this pregnancy felt like a gift, a blessing that had found her.
What will Damian think when he hears?
Imagining him, perhaps even more elated than she was, filled her with anticipation.
Gently rubbing her still-flat stomach, Aracila waited eagerly for her husband’s return.
