Chapter 166: The Nursery

Brianna’s POV

“I still think the crib should go over there,” I said, pointing toward the window for what had to be the sixth time.

Elara folded her arms, her expression making it painfully obvious she disagreed. “It was over there five minutes ago.”

“I changed my mind.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“So I’ve noticed,” she rolled her eyes dramatically.

Trixie looked up from the pile of fabric samples scattered around her feet with a grin before shaking her head. “At this point, we should just put wheels on the crib.”

I actually paused to think about it. Elara sighed dramatically. “Please don’t encourage yourself.”

My laughter echoed through the empty nursery. The room had been stripped down two days earlier, leaving polished wooden floors, tall windows overlooking the palace gardens, and bare stone walls waiting to become something beautiful. Now every available surface had disappeared beneath paint swatches, curtain samples, folded blankets, rugs, decorating books, and enough tiny furniture to fill the room twice over. The rest remained outside the door until I finally decided where everything belonged. Or, more accurately… Until I stopped changing my mind.

I slowly walked toward the window and looked out across the palace grounds. Warriors trained in the distance while servants moved between the different buildings carrying supplies from one place to another. Life had continued as though nothing had changed.

Everything had changed. A few months ago, this room had been nothing more than another unused chamber on the royal floor. Now I couldn’t walk inside without imagining a crib tucked into the corner, toys scattered across the rug, and Ryder pacing the floor in the middle of the night with our baby resting against his shoulder. The picture in my mind made me smile.

“You’re doing it again,” Elara said.

I blinked before looking back at her. “Doing what?”

“You’ve got that look,” she pointed her finger at me.

“What look?” I put on my most innocent princess face.

“The one where you disappear into your own head.”

She wasn’t wrong. “I was just thinking.”

“That much I figured out.”

I laughed softly before resting a hand over my stomach. “I was imagining this room after the baby gets here.”

Neither of them answered immediately. Trixie simply smiled as she picked up one of the tiny blankets waiting to be folded into the dresser. “It won’t stay this clean for long.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to,” I shook my head and let out a small chuckle.

“No,” she agreed. “You’ll have toys everywhere, blankets thrown over chairs, and Ryder pretending he knows exactly where everything belongs.”

I laughed. “He already thinks that.”

“Of course he does.”

The three of us continued sorting through decorations while the nursery slowly began taking shape. Elara carefully measured the distance between the crib and the rocking chair while I rearranged folded blankets for what felt like the tenth time.

“You’ve moved those three times,” Elara observed.

“Only three?” I raised my brow.

“At least,” she sighed.

I stuck my tongue out at her, earning nothing more than an amused shake of her head.

A knock interrupted us before four members of the palace staff entered carrying trays loaded with fruit, pastries, finger sandwiches, and a full tea service.

“They know us well,” Elara said with a smile as the servants arranged everything on a nearby table.

“They know you,” I corrected, laughing. “I’m fairly certain they’ve decided I’m impossible.”

One of the staff members smiled politely while setting down the teapot. “We would never think that, Princess.”

I glanced down at the stack of curtain samples resting in my lap. “I’ve only changed these four times.”

“Seven,” Elara corrected without missing a beat.

Trixie nodded in agreement, clearly amused. “I’ve been keeping count.”

Their laughter followed the staff as they quietly slipped back into the hallway, leaving the three of us alone again. The moment the door closed, I reached for a strawberry.

“I knew that would be the first thing you grabbed,” Trixie said.

“I’ve been thinking about them since they walked through the door,” I made a dramatic moan.

“You’ve been thinking about food for months,” she pointed out.

I smiled before taking another bite. The baby rewarded me with a firm kick that immediately stole my attention. “There it is again.” My hand settled over my stomach as another little movement rolled beneath my palm.

Trixie looked over with a smile. “Strong?”

I nodded. “Very.” Every kick somehow erased whatever frustration I’d been feeling moments earlier. No matter how many times it happened, I still stopped everything just to enjoy it. It was impossible not to. Every little movement reminded me that our baby was growing stronger every day.

Watching me, Trixie smiled. “I think they’re already telling you they hate those curtains.”

I rolled my eyes and tossed a decorative pillow in her direction. “I haven’t even picked curtains.”

She caught the pillow easily, laughing while Elara simply shook her head at the two of us. “They’ve definitely been awake today,” Elara observed.

“They have,” I admitted. “They haven’t stopped moving all morning.”

“I’d say they already have Ryder’s energy.”

“I was hoping they skipped that part.”

“You know better than that.”

I smiled despite myself. So did they. Almost as though our baby had heard us, a gentle breeze drifted through the nursery. The curtains stirred. I frowned and looked toward the windows. “Did someone leave one open?”

Without saying another word, Elara crossed the room and checked each one herself. A moment later she looked back at us and slowly shook her head. “They’re all shut.”

The breeze returned. This time it lingered. Fabric samples lifted from the table one by one before drifting lazily through the air. Paint cards fluttered like colorful leaves while ribbons tied around gift boxes danced overhead. A folded baby blanket floated from the chair beside me, and a stuffed bunny gently drifted across the room before landing inside the crib.

None of us moved. The mobile hanging above the crib began turning all on its own. Trixie stared at it for several long seconds before quietly breaking the silence. “Well… that’s new.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whispered.

Elara never looked away from me. “No.” Her eyes settled on my stomach instead. “It’s the baby.”

I didn’t argue. I knew she was right. Another warm breeze circled around me, brushing softly across my face before sweeping through the nursery again. It wasn’t wild or frightening. It felt gentle. Almost playful. The tiny stars hanging from the mobile spun one last time before slowing to a stop. The floating blankets settled back into place, and the room became perfectly still again.

No one spoke. We simply stood there looking at my stomach, trying to process what we’d just witnessed. Another tiny kick answered the silence. At that exact moment, every flower arranged on the windowsill bloomed together. A smile slowly spread across my face as I rested both hands over my stomach. I had a feeling this nursery wasn’t the only thing our baby was already making their own.