Don't Get the Wrong Idea!

“R-Really...? But why does my stomach feel so tight, and why do I have a fever?”

Arteni gently stroked Kara’s pale cheek and began sharing her own past experience.

“I used to be an Imperial swordsmanship instructor, flying around that training yard and putting the male students through their paces until I went on leave, you know? Just like you, Mrs. Kara, I thought I was incredibly tough and invincible.”

Arteni shrugged.

“At first, I didn’t even know I was pregnant... and even after I found out, I trusted my usual stamina and stubbornly pushed through my entire training schedule. Then one day, just like you, I suddenly got burning hot, broke into a cold sweat, and had such terrible cramps that I nearly collapsed. You can’t imagine how much my husband scolded me. I thought something had happened to the baby, and my vision went black.”

“Gasp... You went through that too, Instructor?”

“Yes. So I panicked and rushed to the obstetrics ward at the infirmary, and the doctor just laughed and told me...”

In a clear, precise voice, Arteni gave a very scientific explanation of the natural physiological changes in early pregnancy.

“At this stage of your pregnancy, your hormone levels change rapidly, and your basal body temperature rises by about one to two degrees to keep the baby in your womb warm. It’s a perfectly normal physiological phenomenon. That’s why you keep feeling hot and as though you have a low-grade fever.”

Arteni lightly tapped Kara’s lower belly with a finger...