Her Highness's Second Life

Chapter 3 - The Baby Boom

“Do you think we should check on her?” Raena asked, glancing toward her house as she and Elene waited by the carriage that would take them down to the city. She couldn't contain her excitement ever since she woke up at dawn. She hadn’t visited the restaurant in a while, and even when she did, it was as a client, not as an owner. While Kara did give her regular reports on what was going on, she just wanted to do something herself—even if it was going through the ledgers for hours.

Well, maybe not that, but she couldn’t wait to show the new recipes to the cooks and try them out. It was high time to update their menu again and add special dishes for the festival that was going to be held in a few weeks when the guests from the new continent arrived.

“There is no need.” Elene crossed her arms, leaning on the side of the carriage. She was going out as Raena’s escort today, so she looked especially comfortable in her pants and shirt. She even wore a sword she had bought herself with her first salary, which she had been polishing daily, even though she barely got a chance to use it. Her long, blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she looked almost as excited as Raena, even though that only showed in her eyes. “The maids that were taking care of her said she was getting ready when I passed by her room on my way here.”

“We agreed to have breakfast together,” Raena murmured. “It’s not like her to sleep in.”

“I wonder if she was really sleeping…” Elene snorted. Raena was just about to ask what she meant when Kara appeared from the front door, hurrying toward them. Elene pushed herself off the carriage, opening the door and motioning for Raena to enter. She waited for Kara to follow, then climbed in last, sinking into the seat across from them.

“I’m sorry for being late,” Kara said with a tired voice, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I overslept.” Elene snorted loudly, and both Raena and Kara looked at her. “What was that for? It can happen to everyone.”

“Right,” Elene replied, staring through the window with her lips twitching as if she was fighting a smile. Raena raised an eyebrow.

“What’s so funny, Elene? Share with the class!” Raena grinned, leaning her chin on her hand. Elene ignored her, keeping her attention outside. “Spill it or I’ll make you babysit.”

Elene’s eye twitched in what Raena could only describe as panic, then her escort caved in.

“I just find it amusing how s*x can change people in entirely different ways,” Elene said, throwing her hands in the air. Raena and Kara exchanged a confused look before turning back to Elene, who smirked and motioned toward Raena. “For example, you are almost glowing, even though we have all heard you complaining about your husband’s endless stamina.” Raena rolled her eyes when it clicked. People, as in plural. She turned to look at Kara’s red face just as Elene continued. “While Kara here looks like she had been forced to fight in a battle throughout the night and lost in the end.”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?” Kara snapped, just as Raena grinned. “Don’t grin like that! I did no such thing! I just couldn’t sleep properly!”

“Then a certain aide leaving your bedroom late at night was just a figment of my imagination?” Elene smirked, tilting her head. Raena’s jaw dropped as she turned to look at her friend again.

“He did what?” Raena exclaimed, covering her mouth. Her excitement died down when she remembered the conversation between Kassian and Blaine just before the latter left. “He didn’t force himself on you, did he?”

“What?” Kara gasped, her face turning even redder. “Of course not! What is wrong with you two?” She glared at each of them before letting out a heavy sigh. “He did leave my room after we talked—just talked!—and we did not do…that!” She added, glancing at Elene, who just rolled her eyes. “Why would you assume I’ll jump into bed with him?”

“Because you’re getting old,” Elene murmured, at the same time as Raena spoke.

“Because you two like each other.”

Kara gave them both a betrayed look, then crossed her arms and turned to stare outside the window.

“Nothing happened,” she said after a while, and Raena and Elene exchanged a meaningful look. Elene was just opening her mouth to speak when Raena gave her a sign not to, and the other woman nodded with an exasperated look on her face.

When they arrived at their destination, Raena put her hood on before stepping out of the carriage. Elene exchanged a few words with the driver, then ran to catch up with the other two while he drove off, shouting for people to get out of his way.

They took one of the back streets, catching a few eyes as they disappeared into one of the dark alleys between the buildings. Kara walked with the confidence of a general with an army at her back, while Elene’s glare seemed enough to discourage the two men who tried to follow them.

Once they reached the back entrance of the restaurant, Kara pulled a key from her purse and unlocked the door, stepping inside. She headed toward where Raena’s office used to be, but Raena looked in the opposite direction, where the sound of plates chattering, pots ringing, and loud, tense voices shouting was coming from. Pushing her hood down, she made her way into the kitchen, only to find it in complete chaos.

People were running everywhere, bumping into each other or complaining they were missing this or that, while others rushed from cupboard to cupboard, looking for the necessary ingredients as if this were their first day. Their faces were tense and painfully focused, while Jaehe, who was still working as a manager, was shouting for everyone to hurry.

“What the actual hell?” Raena muttered, her smile turning into a frown. Jaehe turned around, looking ready to shout at her when a spark of recognition flashed in his eyes. His mouth gaped while the staff exchanged confused looks.

“Your…” He started, but then quickly cleared his throat. “Miss Raena?”

“Is this how you run your kitchen, Jaehe?” Raena asked, looking around again while the cooks and the helpers lowered their heads to the floor. “This is chaos. I don’t like it.”

“Raena, what are you doing?” Kara’s tense voice came from behind. “I thought we were going to the office.” At Kara’s appearance, everyone straightened up and fixed their uniforms, their expressions turning even more nervous. “What is going on?”

“Uhm, two people called in sick, and one sent his notice since he was leaving the Capital, so we are a bit understaffed, and…” Jaehe replied, scratching his neck awkwardly. “I’m sorry, we are trying our best, but it’s almost lunchtime, and the restaurant is full, so…please go back so we can go back to…”

“Didn’t you say you’re understaffed?” Raena frowned, taking a step toward the wall and picking up an apron from the hanger there. Everyone stared at her while she shrugged her cloak off, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go! Elene, grab a knife and help with the cutting. Kara, check the customers outside and see what the general mood is. If they are annoyed or angry, tell them their drinks will be on the house when they are paying their bill. Jaehe, take control of your kitchen. Now!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, straightening his shoulder. “But are you sure it’s alright for you to help? Here? Considering…”

“Stop saying useless things and get to work. We’ll talk later. Which spot should I fill?”

She stared at him as he took a deep breath, then slowly released it. His expression smoothed at once, and the nervous tapping of his fingers stopped. He looked back at her and nodded.

“Desserts,” he replied, then turned his back on her and started giving orders to the others in a calm, polite voice. The staff went back to work, including Raena, who strode to the section at the back where a short girl with dark hair in a messy braid was whipping some kind of mix so fast that it looked like her hands might fall off.

“Hey, slow down.” Raena stopped next to her, and the girl turned to her with eyes full of tears. “You will hurt yourself. If you tilt the bowl this way, it would be easier to control your wrist and it will make the texture smoother.”

“I don’t wanna get fired!” the girl sniffed, wiping her eyes before returning to her stirring, following Raena’s instructions this time. “I’m just an apprentice. I don’t know how to make everything yet! It’s not my fault my master got food poisoning!”

“Hey, calm down,” Raena said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m taking over, so all you need to do is help. If you don’t know anything, just ask.”

The girl wiped her teary eyes, giving her a weak smile.

“Thank you. But…who are you?”

“You can call me Raena,” Raena beamed, rolling the sleeves of her dress. “Now let’s get to work.”

***

“My feet are killing me! I’m never getting up again!” Raena groaned as she sunk into her chair and stretched her legs under the table. There were several more customers on the second floor, but it was no longer crowded, so they could rest and talk without bothering anyone.

“Didn’t you promise your husband you won’t do any heavy labor? You didn’t keep your promise even for a day,” Elene scoffed, picking up the napkin from the table and carefully adjusting it in her lap. “If he finds out you actually worked in a kitchen for several hours, he is going to kill me and lock you up. Should you be pushing yourself so much when you’re pregnant?”

“No, she shouldn’t,” Kara replied before Raena could speak. “And this is the last time I’m allowing this. We’ll hire more people and adjust their shifts, so there are enough cooks in the kitchen at all times.”

Raena gave her a proud smile and a faint blush crept over Kara’s cheeks. She quickly looked away, watching the server who had just appeared at the door, bringing their food. Once the lunch rush was over, Kara dragged her out of the kitchen after introducing her as Raena, the owner of the restaurant, and leaving Jaehe to deal with the puzzled workers. They had decided not to reveal her station for now, on Raena’s insistence, since it would only complicate things and disallow her to have a normal conversation with anyone.

Kara was a noble, but everyone knew her before she was one, and apart from using ‘ma’am’ or ‘boss’, nobody had to bow or go out of their way to show their respect. But the wife of the third prince of Etrobia had already become famous after what transpired with Craidal, and she didn’t want that kind of attention on herself. Nor the behavior that came with it.

She could use her identity as a last resort to boost interest in the place—people would likely come just at the chance of stealing a glimpse of her. But on the other side, this would only increase the danger for her, and Kassian said that if that happened, she could forget about going there.

“Fine, fine,” Raena sighed. “Still, it felt good to cook again. I’ve only been doing it at home to taste new recipes, and the cooks are going crazy every time I approach anything remotely dangerous. Like a knife or the fire. It’s annoying.”

“Well, your body is precious, even when you aren’t pregnant with a prince or a princess,” Kara pointed out. “So from now on—”

“Ladies, what a lovely surprise!”

All three of them turned to look at the owner of the familiar voice, and the smile returned to Raena’s face as she met Marden’s gaze. She could barely recognize the man she had met five years ago—he had gotten rid of the unruly hair and the stained, wrinkled clothes in favor of matching pants and jackets and even polished shoes. Currently, he had the top few buttons unbuttoned, showing a small portion of his chest and the edge of his scar from when he was stabbed. His hair was cut shorter and styled back, and his face was freshly shaved. The traces of his love for alcohol and cigars could still be seen on his skin and teeth, but it was still a much better look on him.

He finally looked like a nobleman. More or less.

“I’d give you all a kiss, but you will slap me,” he said as he pointed at Kara, “you will stab me,” he added pointing at Elene, “and your husband will beat me senseless then execute me,” he finished, pointing at Raena with the brightest smile.

‘Well, his character hasn’t changed at all,’ Raena thought as he joined their table without even asking for permission. Elene gave him a disinterested look before returning to her food, while Kara let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. Marden leaned his hands on the table, resting his chin on them and locking his eyes on Raena.

“I hear you’re coming back to work. I’m glad,” he grinned, nodding toward Kara before sighing dramatically. “This lady here has been too hard on me, she works me to the bone! You have to do something about her!”

“It will be much easier for both of us if you just listen to Kara,” Raena said as seriously as she could while he still wore that ridiculous expression. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her.”

Marden opened his mouth to reply, but their server showed up with desserts and Raena’s attention switched to the delicious-looking food on the tray. She was just about to dig into her order, eager to satisfy her craving for strawberries, when a voice spoke from behind her.

“Excuse me. May I ask you a question?”

She looked at the man standing next to their table, and so did the others. He was tall and well-built, with heavily tanned skin, a sharp nose, and high cheekbones. His hair was falling to his ears in soft curls, and he was wearing several gold earrings. His extremely pale gray eyes were staring intently at her.

“Sure,” she said hesitantly, putting the fork down. Elene tensed next to her, but when Raena touched her hand reassuringly, she relaxed.

“What is the name of that dish you’re eating?” the man asked, his eyes moving to her plate. He had a slight accent, which she couldn’t put her finger on, but in combination with his exotic looks, she was positive he was not from around here.

“It’s called Vanilla Panna Cotta.”

“Oh, really? Thank you. Much obliged.” He nodded with another warm smile. “My apologies for interrupting your conversation. Please, excuse me.”

And just like that, he turned around and left, going back to the table where he was sitting with another man who had his back to them. Raena watched him as he picked up the menu and raised his hand to call the server standing by the door. Raena didn’t realize she was still staring until the unfamiliar man closed the menu and looked up, their eyes meeting. He smiled at her, then returned his attention to his companion, so Raena did the same.

“...the baby boom. Maybe I should hurry ‌and get married and have a bunch of children. I didn’t think I wanted children, but it seems to be in fashion right now.” Marden laughed, glancing not so subtly at Kara.

“Baby boom?” Raena repeated, trying to recall what he was talking about before she got distracted. “You mean me?”

“Not just you, although you do seem to be leading in the competition for now,” he grinned. “You, Her Majesty, now that concubine…”

“Wait, what?” Raena asked at the same time Kara did. Raena continued. “What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Marden raised an eyebrow. “I was just in the Imperial Palace yesterday and I heard the announcement. It seems our beloved Emperor is expecting two children now. One of his concubines is also pregnant.”