Chapter 82 Chapter 82

Chapter 82 Chapter 82
~AUTHOR'S POV~

Chila was distracted in the kitchen, wondering what the noise was about in the corridor. She stretched her neck forward to peep when the knife she was holding cut her.

"Ouch!" She winced, throwing the knife aside. Blood gushed from her fingers; she hurriedly went to the sink to rinse it off.

"What happened?" The head of the kitchen asked. Chila held her bleeding fingers, her face contorted in pain. "I cut my fingers while preparing the Luna's food," she explained, annoyed at her incompetence in doing something so simple for her pregnant Luna, who hadn't had much of an appetite lately.

The head chef frowned before telling her to leave and that she would attend to the Luna's food herself. Chila appreciated the gesture; she knew the head chef was an excellent cook and wouldn't do a poor job preparing a savory dish.

Taking the offer, Chila hurried to her room instead of the healer's hut to treat herself. Her grandmother had sent some healing herbs that she was eager to use.

While Chila was away, Teeyana sneaked into the kitchen when the head chef was done preparing the Luna's food. She scanned the whole room, dipping her hand into her bodice to draw out a paper that held some substance.

She opened the food and poured the substance in, stirred the soup, and covered it just as she had found it. As soon as she was done, a maid walked into the kitchen, surprised to see her there since she wasn't assigned that duty.

"Teeyana," the maiden called out, startling her. Her hands slipped, hitting the cover of the plate, which tumbled and fell to the ground.

"You scared me!" Teeyana blurted out, squatting to pick up the broken pieces. The young maiden offered to help, and Teeyana used that as an excuse to leave the kitchen. While the girl was collecting the broken pieces, Chila stepped in.

Her gaze flickered with curiosity. "What happened here?" she asked, rushing over to see the uncovered food.

"The cover fell when I came into the kitchen," the maiden explained. Chila remained calm; she would have helped the maiden, but her Luna needed the food before she retired to bed.

She picked up another cover, held onto the tray, and left the kitchen after bidding the maiden goodbye and thank you. Chila hummed a melodious song; the scent of the food wafted past her nose, causing her throat to constrict, but she immediately got a hold of herself.

This was her Luna's food!

She knocked twice before entering the room. Nyra was already in her robe; her face was pale and Chila could see dark circles underneath her eyes.

Her Luna was stressed and needed rest. She wondered if it was the pregnancy making her look this weak.

"Chila, you brought my food?" she asked, her voice coming out as a whisper.

"Yes, Luna! Do you want to eat before getting into the bathtub?" the handmaiden inquired, setting Nyra's food on the table.

As on any other day, Nyra had no appetite. She had wanted to work on some of the issues in the pack; however, Olive had sent a message saying she wanted to apologize properly for what had happened three days ago.

Somehow, Nyra felt her daughter acted more like an adult than a child. She was pleased to send a letter back, just as she had received one, stating her approval.

"My lady," Chila called.

"Why don't you get me some water instead? Liquid will do — I don't think eating this morning would be good for me," she responded. Chila frowned; she was ready to make her eat something, but seeing how Nyra looked, she did just as she was told.

Perhaps the pregnancy is taking a toll on her.

Her lady might vomit everything she'd eaten the night before if I were to force her again, she thought.

Chila grabbed a cup and poured water into it. She handed the filled cup to Nyra, who smiled at her in gratitude before drinking.

The handmaiden asked if she could eat the food instead, and Nyra agreed.

\~~~

True to her word, Olive arranged a play date in the garden. She said it was exclusive to her and her mother, and that lifted Nyra's mood.

Olive brought something out of her pocket. "I made this for you," she said, shoving a knitted handkerchief towards Nyra.

It was made with red wool. "This is lovely, Olive. I love it — come here," she stretched her arms, calling her daughter in for an embrace.

A ball of yarn rolled away from a basket that had fallen. "Chila, could you help us get the yarn?" Nyra requested. Chila nodded, lifting her foot ready to move when a sharp pain struck her in the stomach.

She winced and ignored the feeling. Chila hurried to get the yarn before it rolled too far away. As she took a few more steps, the pain became unbearable, and that didn't escape Nyra's notice.

She saw that the way Chila moved was different — almost as if she were injured. "Is anything the matter, Chila?" she asked, her tone laced with concern.

The handmaiden shook her head vigorously. "Y-yes, I am fine! I just feel lightheaded."

"Oh… why don't you visit the healer's hut after grabbing the yarn?" Nyra instructed.

"Alright, my lady!"

As she was about to take another step, the sharp pain tripled. Chila opened her mouth and a scream erupted as she clutched her stomach tightly and dropped to her knees.

In an instant, Nyra got to her feet while Olive was frightened by the scream. Nyra rushed over to where Chila was; blood had started spilling from her handmaiden's mouth, which caused Nyra's heart to leap out of her chest.

"Guards! Guards!" Nyra yelled. Two guards stationed nearby appeared at her side; seeing Chila slumped on the ground, one hurriedly carried her up while the other took Olive back to her chambers.