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Date Posted: 18:57:46 02/10/08 Sun
Author: Rox
Author Host/IP: c-24-9-183-109.hsd1.wa.comcast.net / 24.9.183.109
Subject: Overlord 7 (All new stuff starts here)
In reply to: Rox 's message, "Overlord" on 00:24:24 02/04/08 Mon

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Nikita stifled a yawn and struggled to balance herself on the pillowed seat next to her husband at dinner. The conversation at the banquet was all in Japanese, and since she could only make out a phrase here and there, the evening seemed interminable. Worse, she had had to excuse herself three times because the food being served was terrible; just the smell of it had made her violently ill. Thankfully, she managed to hold the contents of her stomach down long enough to leave the table, but she worried she might not make it the next time, and how would that look? The new Shogun’s wife couldn’t stomach the food?

And she was exhausted. Every moment that passed, Nikita had to fight to keep her eyelids open and it wasn’t helping that the constant drone of unintelligible conversation around her was acting like a lullaby. Any minute now, she was going to embarrass herself and fall face first into her plate. She braced herself on her arms as a precaution.

Glancing over at Mikel, who was deep in conversation with Musashi and the rest of the Twelve Shoguns in attendance, Nikita wondered why he wasn’t exhausted as well. Lately, she was having a difficult time keeping up with him and stood in awe of her young husband’s ability to juggle a dozen things at once. From early in the morning when he left their bed, to late at night, he never seemed to slow down. He trained with his soldiers in the morning, taught eager students how to reverse-engineer the power systems of Sky City in the afternoons, and met with the other Shoguns to plot battle strategy in the evenings.

Usually Mikel allowed Nikita to tag along, except when he left to attend to military duties. After their last outing together, Mikel steadfastly refused to allow her outside the relative safety of Sky City. They argued about that on occasion, but Mikel would always win the argument because he wouldn’t play fair.

Nikita smiled and closed her eyes to rest them briefly. What was that old saying? All’s fair in love and war? She never had been able to stay mad at him long enough to win any argument because every argument had ended up in bed with Nikita dying of bliss….
#

Lady Ayame caught Mikel’s attention with a wave of her fan then pointed to Nikita. He turned to see his bride, sitting upright yet fully asleep, her chin down on her chest and her lovely hair hanging like a curtain, hiding both sides of her face.

There was a brief murmur of feminine conversation whispered between the wives of the Shoguns and all of them glanced at Mikel with knowing smiles. Finally, Lady Mariko, who was the banquet’s hostess, politely but firmly, instructed the male members of the party to take their dinner conversations into another room—Mikel included.

Not wanting to leave Nikita, a worried Mikel glanced back at Lady Ayame. The old woman smiled, touched a finger to her lips and waved him away. “I shall come to you later and explain,” she whispered cryptically.

Quietly, the men got to their feet and left the room, and Mikel obedient to custom, had no choice but to follow them.

#

“Nikita…”

Nikita dragged open her eyes and was instantly mortified to see that she was surrounded by all the ladies of the court and the total center of their attention.

“Oh God, I didn’t….”

Lady Ayame, seated next to her, smiled. “It is quite common when one has been blessed with a child. I have noticed you have been ill on occasion. That too, is to be expected. Eat ginger in the mornings and that will help.” She chuckled. “I see that Mikel does not know yet. Men are always oblivious to the signs.”

Nikita rubbed her eyes in weary confusion. “I think the men aren’t the only ones. You think I’m pregnant?”

“It would seem so. I will call a physician to be sure. For now, you must get to bed and rest. If I am correct, you carry a treasure inside you.”

Nikita let the women help her to her feet, escort her to her quarters, and thankfully, put her to bed. She had only one thought as she drifted off to sleep—how happy Mikel would be when he heard the news.

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