"Haaa… What am I even doing here…? Finding a cute, sickly boy, who I would be taking care of and develop a steady relationship so that he would take me as his fourth wife was my sole reason for getting this job in the first place! Not this…!"
The youngest nurse in the hospital wing of the Royal Academy let out a bitter sigh and leaned her head against the wall while clenching the list of the inventory she was checking.
"Oh, sweetie, it's not that easy to get yourself a man. Most times, even if you manage to get pregnant, the family of the man might still make you disappear."
"EH!?"
The other nurse, the same one who was a fourth wife of a noble, and had experience in the subject, heard the complaint and stopped on her way to another task to point out, making the youngest nurse flinch and gasp.
"Don't look at me like that. Do you even realize how many girls disappeared because they pushed their luck without thinking things through?"
The older nurse shook her head, rolling her eyes at the sight of her younger colleague's shocked expression,
"And speaking of disappearing, wasn't Chloe supposed to be helping you?"
She added, furrowing her brows as she looked around.
"She's in the toilet. Again."
The youngest nurse pointed out, making a meaningful face at the older nurse.
"But, more importantly, what did you mean by girls disappearing for not thinking things through?"
"Exactly what she said. If you have a son, the man's family will welcome you with open arms, but if you have a daughter... You better shut up and distance yourself from him. You might even get some money to stay put… if you don't want to get into a deadly accident."
The youngest nurse asked, and the older one was already opening her mouth to clear things up, but the one to actually answer was nurse Chloe, who returned from the toilet break.
"In the first place, having a job in the Royal Academy gives you amazing perks, so even if you don't actually marry a guy, you won't suffer. For example, as long as the child you have while being an employee would be talented enough, they will become a student here, all costs covered. And even if they won't make the cut, their tuition for any other school or Academy within the kingdom will still be covered by the Royal Academy."
Chole added, going back to sorting through the inventory, without bothering to face her colleagues as she spoke.
"That's why, no matter how sweet and caring the father is, as long as I won't have a son, I will not even reveal to him that I'm pregnant. Even without him, as long as I have this job, my daughter's future will be secured…. It's normal for men to want sons more than daughters, and since my family has a history of almost exclusively having daughters… Actually… I'm scared of disappointing him more than his family's reaction…"
"..."
"..."
Chloe added, stopping her hands and lowering her head as she started to mumble to herself while her two colleagues exchanged meaningful looks.
"Th-that is only IF I will ever get together with a man and get pregnant! I'm just talking hypothetically, all for Jane's sake!"
Chloe suddenly flinched in realization, her face flushing crimson red as she hurriedly straightened her back and started explaining, moving her hands as fast as she could while managing the inventory to hide her embarrassment.