Blue Blooded - [Mick Schumacher]

Twenty four

October had arrived in the Swiss Empire, and the heavy autumn leaves started falling from the trees. The landscape was coated in the orange and yellows of the fall season, that would slowly, but surely, enter winter not much later. Mick had become more and more caring of Lucia the heavier and rounder her stomach got. Her baby bump was clearly visible. Mick made sure she was eating well, and that she was swimming with him every now and then to relieve the strain in her lower back. The maids had sown wider clothes for her, which would nicely cover her stomach and feel stretchy, and kept her warm. Mick had been busy to rebuild the structures of the border, and he wanted to give the fallen soldiers a proper burial. A piece of land close to the border was marked as the soldiers' graves, and it was visible that their families were grateful for the gesture of their king, that their sons or husbands hadn't been just nameless persons who died for their country, but would never be remembered. Mick made sure that they would be remembered.

Bern had politically fallen apart, however, another Duke had been lying low during the war, and he had taken over Bern. The new Duke of Bern had traveled to Geneva to discuss many things with Mick, and it kept him occupied for quite some time after the war was over. Mick was very satisfied that he had met up with the new Duke, and that he had been in contact with a lot of other important Duke's, Kings, and Landlords around them, even in neighboring empires. Aosta was gifted a lot of gold, as they offered shelter, food and safe place to stay for a lot of people of Geneva, including Mick's family and Lucia. The war had matured the royal couple a lot in a couple of weeks time, and weirdly enough, it made Mick feel sure of his ability to reign his empire. Their empire. Nevertheless, he was glad the busy time of negotiating and the diplomatic discussions slowly passed by. This meant that he had more time to be with his wife, and to see her baby grow even more in her stomach.

On this beautiful fall morning, Lucia was curled up against his chest. There was a pillow between her legs in order to sleep more comfortably. The curtains were tightly closed in front of the window, even though the cold air easily seeped through the stone walls and sometimes took them with a breeze. Mick couldn't feel his arm anymore as her head rested on his bicep, and he carefully withdrew it. He sat up and let the blood run through his arm again, and he moved to his side to look down at her. Lucia was wrapped up in a thick blanket, her hair tucked away, so she wouldn't lay down on it. Mick softly caressed her face with his fingertips, watching her scrunch up her nose as it tickled a little. Lucia sleepily opened her eyes to gaze up at him, and he smiled down at her. "Good morning, love," Mick said, leaning over to kiss her cheek, seeing her smile back at him before he kissed her lips next. "I'm going for a swim," he muttered, letting her know he was getting out of bed. "Alright," she yawned, curling her fingers around the blanket to pull it up to her chin.

Mick let out a soft laugh, his hand moving over her head before he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Lucia lazily watched him when he reached for the curtains, opening them slightly to look over the meadows that were lit up by the golden sunrise. Butterflies filled her stomach as his skin was glowing in the morning light, his heavenly blue hues illuminated by nature, and his blonde hair looking even lighter. The muscles rippled under his shoulders and his back, biceps flexing when he reached for the large towel and the spare blanket. Her king, as handsome as he is on the outside, he is on the inside. Lucia sighed contently, and she heard him close the door behind him. She rolled to the other side and buried her head deeper into the pillow. Mick still had a smile on his face at the small moment they shared, while he walked down the stairs and made his way to the bath house. The chilled air caused the goosebumps to rise upon his skin, the hairs standing straight up on his arms. Mick placed the towel and the blanket on the bench on the side and made his way to the edge of the pool.

He was sure the water would be ice-cold, nevertheless, he didn't hesitate before jumping in. Mick dove into the water, the freezing water waking him up completely in a split second. He swam till his hands reached the stone of the edge on the other side, and he got underwater again to push himself off, and swim to the other side again. He felt his face heating up, and his body was warming up while being in the cold water. After a couple more laps, Mick rested his arms on the edge of the pool to catch his breath, and he looked up to see Lucia slowly coming down the stairs. A smile automatically curled his lips, but his eyebrows furrowed together in concern. "The water is too cold for you to come in now," Mick was quick to say. "I wasn't planning to swim this morning," Lucia replied with a smile, the concerned look on his face rather cute. "Marielle is warming up a bath, would you like to come in with me?" she asked next, folding his towel a little more neath on the bench. Mick looked over his shoulder at the pool, deciding he had done enough swimming. "For sure," he nodded.

He pressed his hands flat against the edge and pushed himself up and over it. His skin had turned pale from the cold water, but he felt fit and alert. Lucia handed him the towel she just folded, and he dried himself slightly to be able to walk back to their room. He wrapped the blanket around himself to not become too cold. Marielle, one of the maids, just came out of their room, and gently bowed for them with a small smile on her lips. The room temperature had risen as a cause of the fire coal that was burning up under the tub. The water was warmed up nicely, and Mick dropped his towel on the floor. He was still naked anyway, and the water felt even warmer against his cold body. He leaned back against the tub, looking over at Lucia while she undressed. Lucia untucked the blanket she had pulled around herself, and folded it over the bedsheets. She untied her nightgown, letting it fall to the floor as well. Mick's breath hitched in his throat, he hadn't seen her naked a lot of times in the past weeks, and he was in awe with the sight of her baby bump, her heavier breasts, her beauty body that was carrying their baby.

His hands reached out to support her while she stepped into the tub, the water softly splashing against the sides. Lucia moved to sit against his chest, and his knees parted to make space for her. His arms curled around her, happy to have her close. "Do you have anything important to do today?" Lucia asked, her head resting against his shoulder. "Not really," Mick said, his palms spreading over her belly. "Did you have something in mind?" Mick asked, kissing her cheek. "I thought we could go for a ride with Elias," she hummed, enjoying the relief in her lower back while his fingertips created gentle designs on her skin. "The weather seems to be good, we can go after breakfast," Mick suggested, which made her nod in agreement. Mick pressed his lips to her shoulder, and she giggled as his fingers 'walked' over her stomach. "Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" he asked. "Hmm, a boy," Lucia replied. "A king like his father, and grandfather," she added, causing his heart to flutter in his chest. "Elias' future buddy," Mick chuckled. "Or a girl," Mick continued. "A little princess," he cooed, tickling her skin a little.

"I will be happy with both, as long as it's healthy and strong," Lucia sighed. Her hands moved over his arms, slowly down to his hands to entwine their fingers. "No doubt about that," Mick said, kissing her cheek again, multiple times. They had to wait a little longer before Lucia would be ready to give birth, and Mick was impatient for it all to happen. He felt like the timing was perfect, now they were properly settled as the King and Queen, the war strengthened their bond with their people, and a royal baby on the way. His heart swell in his chest at the images of Lucia with the baby in her arms, breastfeeding it, taking care of it. Being separated by the war had now made them inseparable, there was no one, nothing ever coming between them again. It was quiet while they sat in the bath together, embraced by love, and they were enjoying their time together. Their bond is incredibly strong, and Mick is sure that nothing would ever break that.