Bina ordered her maids to help Liliana clean up. With new makeup and Bina’s own jewelry, Liliana looked gorgeous. Bina told her to keep her jewelry as a pregnancy gift and make sure to tell her husband about this great news when she returned home. Liliana blushed and thanked her shyly.
Liliana decided to have dinner with Bina before leaving. Before the meal, when Bina started to bath the baby princess, Liliana gaped in shock.
Y, you wash her yourself?
The maids standing nearby flinched. Bathing a baby was a job for servants, not even for maids and certainly not for an empress.
Bina smiled and explained quickly before Liliana misunderstood the situation.
Oh, the maids insisted on doing it themselves, but I love bathing her. When Luc is with me, he helps too.
T, the emperor helps?!
Liliana couldn’t believe it. The emperor of this kingdom bathing a child was shocking.
Bina answered casually,
In my homeland, even the highest born parents usually have a very hands-on approach to their child rearing.
R, really?
Yes. You bath your baby a few times a day, breastfeed her, and make sure to spend a lot of time with your baby. That’s the best way to create a strong bond. This is very common in my land.
Liliana was surprised again.
You wash your baby a few times a day?
Bina nodded. Liliana would become a mother soon, so Bina decided it was best to tell her as much as possible.
Yes. Frequent bath is the key. Drying thoroughly after is also very important. There was a queen in my neighboring country where the queen had sixteen children and ten of them grew up to be adults.
Bina remembered reading about the 18th-century Austrian female ruler Maria Theresa who managed to successfully raise an unusual number of children despite the high newborn mortality rate at the time.
One of the main reasons for this success was the strict hygiene protocol. At the time, it was considered radical, but Maria strongly believed in keeping herself and her children clean.
When her accomplishment became widely known, this practice started to spread throughout Europe.
Liliana’s eyes shined with interest.
Ten children?
She looked surprised and Bina nodded.
Yes. It was a long time ago, but it apparently worked very well.
Just frequent bath is enough?
Yes. I heard that washing with water can prevent sicknesses.
Bina didn’t think explaining about germs and infection would be helpful. It was best to simplify so people here could understand. As long as the result was good, it wouldn’t matter the understanding of the reason behind it.
She continued,
Of course, you also need to make sure the people around the children keep clean as well. Their hands need to be clean when dealing with the baby. Baby’s plates and bowls also need to be cleaned with hot water. We follow these rules in my land and many more newborns survive there.
Liliana listened carefully. She seemed to have forgotten her anxiety and instead, she was acting like a mother already. Bina continued to giver her helpful basic bits of advice.
She also started to breastfeed Beatrice in front of Liliana and added,
And you don’t have to feed directly, but breast milk can be very good for the babies.
Soon, Bina’s unique caring method spread quickly throughout Rombrook. Liliana was the first to follow and the other highborn ladies followed suit. Ladies liked to follow the newest trends. Originally, only the poor families raised their children this way and the highborn families always looked down on this method. However, as soon as they learned that the empress and the princess followed this way, everyone started doing it as well.
This new fashion became a norm after time, and it was the biggest reason for improving the newborn mortality rate in this world.
One morning on the breakfast table.
Emperor Lucretius dropped his bread at his wife’s news.
A… baby?
Five-year-old Princess Beatrice, who was sitting between the two parents, smartly pointed out her father the emperor’s mistake.
Your highness, you have dropped your bread.
Usually, Lucretius would correct her daughter to call him dad, but he was so surprised at the unexpected news that he forgot.
You… are pregnant?
The respected empress Sa Bina of Cransia nodded elegantly.
Yes. I wasn’t feeling well, so I called for Regia. She assessed me and told me the news.
Regia was Lowson’s only female student who became the empress’ and the princess’ physician. With excellent skills, she was now a respected royal doctor.
Lucretius looked confused as he gazed at his wife’s belly, which was still very flat.
How many months?
She said about three months.
Lucretius continued to stare at his wife with both happiness and fear. His beloved wife would have his baby again, so of course, he was ecstatic. However, he couldn’t help but remember the difficult time they had with the first pregnancy five years ago.
While Lucretius shuddered at the thought of her first labor, Bina helped her daughter with her dish and explained,
Next year, you will have a younger sibling.
Beatrice thought for a second before asking her mother.
Is it like Aunt Liliana’s Cullen getting a younger sister Rose?
Looking at her intelligent daughter proudly, Bina nodded.
Yes, you got it correctly. Would you like a younger sister or brother?
The answer the little girl gave was a shock to both Bina and Lucretius.
I would like it to be a younger sister because if it’s a brother, he will become the emperor.
…
…
Silence fell in the room. Bina looked at her daughter in surprise while Lucretius asked as if he found it funny,
Why do you think that?
Beatrice looked up at her father with the same green eyes and answered,
If it’s a younger brother, I wouldn’t even get a chance, but if it’s a sister. I might.
This was not an answer Bina expected from a five-year-old, but Lucretius laughed loudly.
Yes. You are right.
You… I mean, your highness!
Lucretius smiled at Bina’s frustrated exclaim.
…
They were surrounded by maids and servants, and their daughter was also present, so Bina decided to keep quiet for now.
Later when they were finally alone, Bina asked sharply,
Don’t you think that was unnecessary?
What are you talking about?
Bina got frustrated at Lucretius who feigned ignorance. She knew Lucretius was very well aware of what she was talking about. He was trying to avoid the conversation, but this was important. When she heard Beatrice’s answer, her heart fell.
Bina understood this was normal in any royal families. Competing to become the heir was part of everyday life. What Beatrice said was also true, and that was why it made Bina feel fearful. The new baby would be Beatrice’s biggest competitor, especially if it was a boy. The male child would have the best chance at the crown.
Bina knew what kind of responsibilities and dangers came with the crown. She chose Lucretius despite knowing this because she was ready and willing to accept it all. However, to have her own children fight for it was not something she considered.
It wasn’t that the thought didn’t cross her mind, but she thought things would be different in her case. This was why Bina took such care while raising Beatrice. She breastfed her and made sure she and Lucretius were hands-on parents. She wanted to create a happy family she always dreamed of and Lucretius was only happy to make her wish come true.
Her children fighting over the crown was the worst possible outcome for her family, yet Lucretius seemed unconcerned.
Bina finally exploded.
Luc!
