Special Story 9

It was a curious story.

“How does it let you know?”

“They say that if a pregnant woman chooses this fruit, it’ll have three seeds inside.”

“Three?”

“Normally, it only has one. But if the woman’s pregnant, somehow, it has three. Just a local superstition—believe it or not.”

Florin chuckled. “I think I’ve heard that story before.”

The vendor, feeling generous, offered Florin and Michelle a chance to choose one as well. A fruit that reveals pregnancy—it piqued their interest. They leaned over the basket and, after careful consideration, each selected a venis of their own.

The vendor washed the fruit in clean water and expertly sliced them, arranging the pieces in small dishes. The fresh venis was sweet with a slight tang, refreshing and delicious.

Michelle’s venis contained only one seed. Smiling, she held it up for Vivian and Florin to see.

“One seed for me—of course, I’m not pregnant!”

“Then mine should be the same, right? Let’s take a look.”

New experiences make people giddy. It was a silly superstition, but even so, Vivian’s heart thudded with excitement as she checked her fruit—and then she gasped.

“What? Look at this!”

Startled by her tone, Michelle and Florin leaned in to inspect her dish. Right in the center of Vivian’s venis were three perfect seeds.

“No way.”

Vivian stared at her dish in stunned silence. The vendor glanced at her hand and spotted the ring on her finger. Assuming she was married, the vendor beamed and offered her warm congratulations.

“Congratulations, my Lady! Looks like you’re expecting.”

“That can’t be right…”

“Well, even if it’s not now, it could mean a beautiful baby is on the way soon!”

At that, both Vivian and Michelle turned simultaneously to look at Florin’s dish.

“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Open yours, Florin. Hurry.”

Michelle almost said “Princess” but caught herself just in time. Pressed by Vivian’s excitement, even Florin looked a little nervous.

“Florin? Same name as our Princess! What a lovely coincidence,” the vendor said cheerfully, never guessing who stood before her.

Florin carefully split the fruit where the vendor had made a shallow cut. The soft flesh parted easily, revealing its secret. One, two, three seeds.

“Oh my!”

The vendor, who had come around to watch with them, clapped her hands in delight as though it were her own joy.

“Congratulations! Three seeds again—what a rare sight! How incredible that the two of you found them!”

Two out of three fruits bearing the sign of a child? Vivian and Florin stared at one another in astonishment—and then burst into laughter.

“No way! Ahaha, there’s no way that’s true.”

“R-Right! Haha, that’s just… babies? No, not yet, we’re definitely not…”

But in both of their minds, memories of certain nights flickered past like a reel of flashing images.

Their expressions grew awkward, their eyes avoiding each other’s. Michelle, unable to hold it in, burst into laughter—tears streaming down her face.

***

Their plans to return to the mansion after lunch and fruit shopping had completely fallen apart. Now, the three of them were on their way to see the old woman introduced by the fruit vendor.

“Do you really think that old woman can tell?” Michelle asked, her voice light with excitement.

The fruit vendor had told them about the oldest woman in a nearby village—how she could accurately tell if a woman was pregnant. Not only that, she could even predict the baby’s gender. It was too tempting not to check it out.

After reaching the edge of the village, they asked for directions to the woman’s home. The sudden appearance of three elegant noblewomen in a rural town quickly stirred up attention.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard they’re looking for Granny Ludia. They want to know if they’re pregnant.”

“What?!”

The villagers, unfamiliar with how to behave around nobility, were simple and kind folk. Intrigued, many dropped what they were doing to follow them. This happened again and again as they made their way through the village, and soon, a sizable crowd had gathered.

“Um… Lady Vivian. Are you sure this is a good idea?” Michelle asked.

The people didn’t seem hostile, but the overwhelming attention made Michelle uncomfortable.

Vivian felt the same unease—but her curiosity outweighed it.

“Armin’s child…”

She had never seriously thought about having a child before. But now that the idea had taken root, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Almost without realizing, she rested a hand on her lower belly. It was flat and unchanged. Normal. But just the thought that Armin’s child could be growing inside her made her feel… strange.

It was a curious mix of wonder and fear—difficult to put into words.

About ten minutes into their walk from the edge of the village, the murmurs around them grew louder.

“There it is! That’s Granny Ludia’s house!”

A child, thrilled to be part of something exciting, pointed toward a house nestled beneath a large tree.

“Yes, yes… What is it you want to know?”

“Granny! These ladies—! They want to know if they’re gonna have babies!”

“Gonna have what now?”

“Babies! BABIES!”

Granny Ludia was well over a hundred years old, her face a map of gentle wrinkles. She looked kind but didn’t seem to hear too well. The word *“baby”* had to be shouted several times beside her ear, each time making Vivian and Florin’s hearts pound faster.

After several confusing exchanges, the old woman finally understood, her face lighting up with a broad, toothless smile.

“Ah! You want to know if there’s a baby inside, do you?”

“Yes, that’s it! They want to know if they’re pregnant!”

Granny Ludia looked slowly over Michelle, Vivian, and Florin. Then she motioned to Michelle first.

“Me?”

“Yes, she’s calling you over.”

Nervously, Michelle stepped closer. Granny Ludia reached out and took her hand, pressing her fingers gently to Michelle’s left wrist. She ran her fingertips along it, again and again.

“What is she doing?”

“Shh.”

A child who had come along made a “be quiet” gesture, holding a finger to their lips. The crowd watched, wide-eyed with curiosity. By now, the fruit vendor’s story had spread throughout the village. Everyone knew Michelle was the one who had found only one seed in her venis.

After what felt like a long moment, Granny Ludia slowly shook her head.

“Wow… did she really get it right?”

“That’s amazing!”

Vivian gave a quiet, wry laugh to herself at the murmurs of the crowd. They had come here out of curiosity, yes—but really, it was nothing more than one superstition clashing with another.

There was no way anyone could tell whether a woman was pregnant just from the seeds in a fruit or by having an old woman rub her wrist.

And yet… it nagged at her. Enough, at least, to make her walk all the way into a commoner village with the other two.

The old woman’s next gesture was toward Florin. She too held out her wrist, and the old woman gently brushed her fingers over it a few times before speaking up almost immediately.

“It’s a boy. You’re carrying a boy.”

“A… a boy?”

Florin’s cheeks turned pink. Lately, she had found herself secretly hoping for a son who resembled her husband. The old woman patted her hand and offered her a warm blessing.

“Congratulations. Truly. He’ll be a strong, healthy boy.”

“Th… thank you, Granny.”

Granny Ludia had no idea she’d just been thanked by royalty and simply nodded, smiling gently. Then, she looked to the last of the trio—Vivian.

Suddenly nervous, Vivian swallowed hard. It didn’t really matter, she told herself. Whether she was pregnant or not, it was just a silly little excursion. Something they’d done for fun. She repeated that to herself several times—but it wasn’t entirely true.

If Florin had been told she wasn’t pregnant, perhaps she wouldn’t have cared so much. But knowing they had picked the same fruit with three seeds… she couldn’t help but feel that it would be a strange disappointment if she were the only one with nothing.

Vivian extended her hand. The old woman began brushing her wrist, and, like with Florin, it didn’t take long.

“Oh! A girl. You’re carrying a baby girl. She’ll be just as beautiful as her mother.”

Vivian, whose wrist had grown stiff with tension, blinked in shock.

“Really? You really… you really think so?”

It was a far cry from the calm detachment she’d shown on the way there. Seeing her light up like that, the villagers burst into laughter and delight. Her face turned beet red. Granny Ludia chuckled affectionately and nodded.

“She’ll be beautiful. Just like her mother and father. A lovely girl.”

Just a moment ago, Vivian had no thoughts whatsoever about having children. But now, after hearing those words, she found herself thinking…maybe she had always wanted a daughter.

As they left the village, the crowd waved goodbye enthusiastically. Feeling grateful for the kindness they had been shown, Vivian made sure to return to the marketplace and purchase a generous amount of fruit and meat to be delivered to the villa.

“I was just thinking,” Michelle said with some concern as they walked away, “do you remember what everyone was saying on the way out?”

From the venis seeds to the old woman’s predictions—

They had all come saying it was just superstition. Just something fun to check out. But now, Michelle could see that both Vivian and Florin were taking it rather seriously.

“The old woman isn’t always right,” Michelle reminded them gently. “And sometimes the baby’s gender turns out to be different, right? So don’t take it too seriously. Once we get back, a doctor will be able to tell you for sure.”

She was worried the two might get their hopes up only to be disappointed later.

“Don’t worry. Of course we know that.”

“Right. It’s just superstition… isn’t it?”

“Exactly. Just a fun little memory. Nothing more.”

But even as they said the words, both Vivian and Florin were silently going through more than twenty potential baby names in their heads.