Josephine

𝓔𝓹𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓭𝓮 68: 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓐 𝓖𝓲𝓻𝓵 𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓐𝓼𝓴 𝓕𝓸𝓻

December 24, 1979

Dear Journal,

It was the day before Christmas. This Christmas was the first that I'd be spending with Mattéo. Not the first with Victoria, but the first now that I knew I had a true husband to be with. That man never bothered to spend Christmas with me... well... except for you know... then.

But this Christmas had this aura to it, I was excited, and I knew Victoria would be excited with one of the gifts I got for her: An invitation to a public school. On the promise that her identity and titles remain hidden from her soon-to-be peers. The teachers will know but that is it. She is to receive no special treatment as she wants a normal childhood. That is Victoria's dream and I have no right to take that away from her. It's a practical dream, and she deserves a bit of normalcy.

On another note, I hope that I can handle dinners tonight and tomorrow, I have been experiencing nausea and headaches for a couple of days now... oh whatever, I'll deal with it.

Josephine

I closed my book and stood up, redoing the buttons on my blazer. Mattéo was already up and dressed.

"Question my dear, will I ever know what you write in that journal of yours?" He asked as I walked towards him.

"Hmm..." I tapped my chin, "I don't know-"

Suddenly I was overcome with a wave of nausea.

"Ooh..." I moaned and gripped my stomach, wincing.

"Nausea again?"

I nodded.

"Maybe you should go see the doctor Josey... I'm worried about you,"

"Oh, I'll be fine Mattéo-oooh no, nope, not fine,"

This was not just nausea. I rushed into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and dropped in front of the toilet just in time to heave my guts out.

That doesn't feel good at all!

However, it was over just as quickly as it began. I quickly flushed the toilet, went over to the sink, and washed my mouth out, getting the nasty, awful taste in my mouth... out.

"God that sucked..."

Mattéo's casual way of speaking is really imprinting on me now.

I went back and opened the door to see Mattéo with his arms crossed.

"Josephine... you need to go to the doctor..."

He only used my full name when he was worried or serious.

"Okay! I'll go!" I threw my hands up in surrender.

I hate doctors so I wasn't too enthused to agree to go, but I didn't want Mattéo to worry about me. That was the opposite of what I wanted.

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I was frozen. The doctor didn't just say what I think he said... right?

"Your majesty? Did you hear me?"

"I-I think so..."

"Your majesty, you are with child," The doctor said, repeating himself, though I was still a little dumbfounded.

Mattéo and I slept together once! In Paris! Wait... oh... there was Russia... Germania... oh well  I suppose at that rate I shouldn't be surprised. I couldn't be that fertile at this age... could I?