After praying and lamėnting her fate, Queen Adaeze fell into a deep slumber after soaking her pillow with tears.
Then she saw the goddess in her sleep coming into the room, touching her stomach, and smiling at her. It did not look like a dream at all.
As she woke up and searched her room, the goddess was nowhere to be found.
“That did not look like a dream at all," she said to herself as she cleaned her eyes and looked around again because it was as if she was seeing things.
"Did the goddess really come here, or is it just my imagination?
Could it be that she has heard my cry?' she asked herself. She was unable to sleep again and felt she should keep it to herself.
"After all, nobody will understand me or believe whatever I say,' she thought to herself.
When she wanted to call her maid to share the good news, she had to hold herself back.
"I have indeed found favor in the eyes of the goddess; she has seen my heart, and I don’t wish anyone bad," she murmured.
It was then she realized that she was hungry as she felt fulfilled.
She had to call her maid, who ran straight to her chamber. 'My Queen, here I am," the maid responded to her call.
The Queen looked at her from head to toe.
"What were you doing, and are you done yet?' she asked her maid, who just shook her head. "I don’t understand; what are you shaking your head for?
Which of the questions are you answering?” she asked.
The maid appeared bothered; as she tried to speak, she stūttered. It was then the Queen noticed that her maid had been crying.
"Lift up your face; have you been crying?' the Queen asked, and as the maid raised her head, she cried even more, making Queen Adaeze feel so uncomfortable.
“Come and sit down; I need to know what is making you this sad,” she said, pointing to the chair close to the bed. Her maid sat down reluctantly and began to speak.
“My Queen, my mother is very sick, and I did not know how to tell you so that you would grant me permission to go and see her.
The king has never allowed anyone out of this palace; if a person leaves for any reason, such a person will be dismissed.
I don’t want to lose my job,” the maid said.
Hearing that really broke the Queen’s heart. As she thought about how to talk to the king about what was going on, she was not even done talking about the child he asked her to get rīd of, but she knew she had to do something somehow.
Queen Adaeze went silent for a minute, lost in thought.
Then she pulled open her drawer and brought out some money. “Take this, pray to the gods as I go and speak with the king.
If you are lucky enough and he grants your wish, take the money for your mother’s treatment,” she said to the maid.
As soon as her maid got the money, she was so happy that she wiped her tears.
“May the gods grant your heart's desire, my Queen,” were the words of her maid as she went back to her chamber.
Queen Adaeze had completely forgotten about the fact that she was hungry; she was bāttling with how to talk to the king and how he would respond to the matter.
“Well, let me just try my luck,” she said, leaving to speak with the king.
As she got closer to his door and knocked, waiting for the guard to open the door, Queen Adaeze took a deep breath.
It was not an easy task convincing the king to do anything. “I know it’s you, my Queen. Have you thought about what I told you already?" Queen stood at the door for a while when the guard opened it.
“Come in,” the king said, and as the Queen went inside, she just went on her knees.
The guard had to turn his back as the king signaled that he should leave.
As soon as the guard left, the king asked, “Why did you choose to disgrāce me in front of the guard?”
The Queen looked at him with pitiful eyes.
“This was the only way I thought of. My chief maid came to me crying that her mother is in critical condition.
Please grant her permission to go and see her mother,” the Queen said. The king lifted her from the ground. “Have you now turned her mouthpiece?
Why did you not allow her to speak to me herself?
Can’t you see the way everyone in this kingdom is using you because they know you are soft?” the king said.
Seeing the tears in the eyes of his Queen for the second time that day, he just had to let her win.
“Go and tell her to pack her bags and go see her mother, but this will not happen again.
They are using you too much because they know I always listen to you,” he said, and the Queen began teasing him.
“My king, the lion himself, the greatest, the bravest, there is no contender.” She did not finish when the king said, “It is enough.
I’m still āgainst that child in your womb.
If it happens that you give birth to a defōrmed child, I will take another wife who will bear an heir to my throne, since you have refused to listen to me.”
There was nothing else the Queen could say or do because she knew that before the king could say that, he had already made up his mind.
“As you wish, my king,” she simply said.
She knew the gods would not let her down and that there would be no need for a second wife if only she knew what the gods had in store for her.
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