Royally Bounded

Chapter 142

Clara

"This is fun," Damien laughed as he rolled the dough with me. He stood in between my arms, the flour splattering all over his face. Xander was busy with cutting the cookies, and he organized it quickly onto the baking sheet.

"Be careful," I told Damien, guiding him to slower movements.

I had a month until I was due. After finding out that I was carrying twins, our family was preparing for their arrival. I thought back to the time when Hayden and I lost our last child, but we were gifted with two beautiful children. It made me wondered if the our girl would look like me. Hayden insisted, but I didn't mind though because she would still be as beautiful.

"Can we put them in special boxes?" Xander asked, his eyes beaming with excitement. His face was covered in white flour from his nose to his forehead. "We can gift them to grandma and grandpa. I want to give some to Uncle Silas too."

"Of course, we can," I agreed. "We have some nice goodie bags to use and tie them after with ribbons and tags."

He smiled in replied, showing his growing teeth. We finished the rest of the cookies before putting them into the ovens. Violet took the children out to the backyard while the rest of maids helped clean the kitchen. One of my hands rested to my lower back, and I slowly walked out, stroking my stomach over my maternity dress.

"Queen Clara," Violet called. I turned around, seeing her waiting with a tray in her hand.

"Yes, Violet," I answered.

"Princess Bertha is here for you. I led her to the living room and served her some tea and cookies."

I stopped speaking for a moment. It was rare of Bertha to come to Nascadia alone in the first place, let alone to Imperos and to find me. I wondered what bought her here since she would usually be at Bruchester Palace.

I walked to the living room and spotted a brunette haired woman. When I stepped closer to Bertha, I noticed a frown set upon her lips, and it broke my heart to see that she was still looking like this. She rarely displayed any emotion to anyone, exactly like how her brother was. Last time we saw her at the ball, I could tell she was dealing with some problems from her marriage.

"Bertha," I greeted, stepping into the room.

She raised her head to look at me. Her eyes slightly damped. She wiped her tears away quickly before I joined her on the couch. I was more surprised that she came to see me, especially when we didn't have much to speak about.

When her gaze dropped to my protruding stomach, she looked away. Her lips held a tight line. I took the cup from the coffee table and handed to her. She didn't say anything back, but I recognized that she appreciated the gesture.

"Is there something wrong with Maurice and you?" I asked her softly.

As soon as I mentioned his name, her body tensed. Her fingers tightened around the cup. I only sat there. She didn't bother to say a word.

A sudden laugh escaped her lips. "I can't believe I'm here." The pain behind her voice ached me at the chest, but I kept quiet and listened. "Out of everyone, I had to come to you. You must be busy with the pregnancy."

She was about to leave, but I grasped her arm, keeping her back. She turned her head, looking at me with slight shock in her eyes. I patted the seat next to me, and she sat down, somewhat reluctant.

"Don't say that," I smiled reassuringly. "I'm glad you came here to speak with me. I know we're not that close, but your still my sister-in-law. You're also Hayden's sister. We're a family. No matter what happens, Nascadia is still your home."