It was a balmy early summer day, the palace gardens flowering and perfuming the air with the smell of roses as Chaeyoung and Joohyun sat around a small table set up for them. Jennie and Seungwan had also joined them, the four of them drinking tea in the warmth of the sunlight, finger sandwiches and berry tarts on tiered stands and pots of tea in fine china as they relaxed. Well, somewhat relaxed, because Chaeyoung was a bundle of nerves, taking tiny bits of the tuna and cucumber sandwich on her plate, her appetite all but gone as her stomach tied itself into knots. Joohyun’s hand on her arm made her jump slightly, breaking her out of her thoughts, and Chaeyoung gave her a sunny smile, hoping it was believable as reached for her teacup and saucer.

“So how many do you think they’re going to place in?” Jennie asked.

“Two,” Chaeyoung said, “I’m young so apparently it’s got a higher chance of working. Imagine putting five in and we end up with a whole polo team on the first go. I think Joohyun would drown herself in the lake.”

They all laughed, and Joohyun gave her a reproving look, one eyebrow arched as she smiled around the rim of her own cup of tea. “Your words, darling.”

“Well I can’t imagine having five babies inside of you would be fun ,” Seungwan laughed, “God, having one was bad enough. Ah, I mean, well, I guess you can make your own mind up about it. And at least, you know, you’re married and not sixteen. That probably helps.”

“You make motherhood look so easy ,” Joohyun said, giving her friend an appraising look, “I still don’t know how you did it, but I’ll be taking tips if you have any to offer.”

“I’m not even pregnant yet,” Chaeyoung mumbled, the twisting feeling in her stomach growing stronger as she felt her insides tie themselves into knots.

They’d waited four days since they’d had their eggs extracted, giving the embryologist the time to combine their DNA and choose the best embryos, and tomorrow, on the fifth day, Chaeyoung was having them implanted. Just two, so the risk of multiple births was lower, but the chances of getting pregnant just a little bit higher. Of course, it would’ve been even higher if they’d had five implanted, but their doctor had advised them against it, assuring them that with Chaeyoung’s age, two would suffice. There was still the high chance that it wouldn’t work, but with two, it was a safer bet, and if both embryos implanted, then they were in for a shock with two little princesses straight off the bat.

Reaching for her hand, Joohyun picked it up and gave it a gentle squeeze, running her thumb across the bumps of Chaeyoung’s knuckles as she gave her a soft smile, “well, we’ll get there.”

“Right,” Chaeyoung said, giving her a tense smile.

Glancing at Jennie, who was smiling, filled with happiness at the prospect of her sister having a baby, Chaeyoung realised that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She hated the thought of Jennie being upset about it, and would just as happily have not divulged the information about her and Joohyun’s pregnancy plans, but Jennie had been supportive every step of the way, aside from a hesitant enquiry as to whether Chaeyoung was sure that her and Joohyun were ready for kids. Chaeyoung just wished that her own sister had better fortune, and couldn’t help but feel sad at the fact that her sister was recently single and heartbroken. After everything she had been through with Lisa, kids had been the one thing that had gotten in the way - not their engagement, which they’d promptly broken off, or the fact that Lisa was in the spotlight non-stop thanks to her proximity to Chaeyoung, but the thought of kids - and Chaeyoung was mad. She’d pulled strings and gone out of her way to make Lisa titled and more suitable for Jennie, for the benefit of others rather than her own opinion of their relationship, and Lisa had saved her life, which meant that, really, she couldn’t be mad.

Still, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but feel nervous for tomorrow, regardless of who was or wasn’t having kids, and knew that she wouldn’t fully be able to relax until she found out the results in a few weeks’ time. The only thing she could do for the time being was try and relax, and not get herself too caught up in the whole thing. Of course she had her hopes up - it was only natural - but a small voice at the back of her mind was telling her to be cautious. Having everything riding on her getting pregnant, with the complications of her polycystic ovaries, was a lot of pressure, and Chaeyoung had willingly put it onto herself, wanting the chance to carry her own child if she could. Her highly publicised life was going to add more stress though, and the thought of reporters and photographers invading this very personal experience for her was already making her feel even more anxious at the thought of trying to get pregnant. The press hadn’t caught wind of the reason for their trips to the doctor’s office - there were hundreds of reasons, health and charity wise, so they were safe for the time being - but she knew that soon enough, whether by announcement of a pregnancy or an inside source with a loose tongue, they would find out, and they’d be hounding her and Joohyun for details. It was an unprecedented circumstance for any royals, what with them both being women, and the press would have a field day with the news, which meant that if Joohyun could have it her way, their daughter would be in high school before anyone even found out she existed. Chaeyoung would just be grateful for a child, no matter what the circumstances.

For now, the warm breeze and soothing tea was enough to calm her wild thoughts, and she settled back into her chair, picking up her sandwich and taking dainty bites as she looked out at the lake, watching the lily pads and leaves drift across the glassy surface of the dark water, feeling completely content in her home. It had been a while since she’d had anything overwhelmingly stressful to cope with, and as she’d settled into her crown and life of marriage, everything had seemed to mellow out. Telling herself that she would be content to wait until she fell pregnant, no matter how long it took, Chaeyoung listened to Seungwan talk about her upcoming return to the Gutrin, and Joohyun made a snarky comment about her brother and mother, before letting the conversation carry onwards towards talk of Jennie’s trip to Germany. Letting the comment slide, Chaeyoung was silent about her sister’s comings and goings, travelling the world alone as she tried to get over her heartbreak. A small part of her was glad that she was doing something though, because the first few weeks had been rough, and Chaeyoung hated to see Jennie in such a dark place. With a quick idea and a casual shrug, she suggested that Jennie accompany Seungwan to Gutrin and pl