The Baby Isn’t Yours

It was a difficult union despite having the highest authority to have anything because they each had a country to take responsibility for.

But it seems they have finally found a way.

Both Kalia and Simon read the end of the letter with pleased expressions.

Louismond’s neat handwriting carried a particularly strong sense of determination.

His urgent and excited heart was clearly evident in his writing.

[…Come up quickly before Janice changes her mind.

She agreed to become my wife and asked for both of you to be witnesses!

P.S. As a wedding congratulatory gift, that ‘bracelet’ would be nice, Simon. You know what it is, right?]

Simon chuckled and muttered inwardly.

It seems it has already found its owner, Your Majesty.

* * *

The festival-like party commemorating Shaik’s birthday has come to an end.

For about three days, the citizens who gathered at the palace enjoyed abundant and warm days.

With flowers and fragrant fruits blooming out of season, the people of Purito smiled, thinking of the name ‘Shaik’ on this fragrant day.

“If every day were like this, it would be wonderful if Prince Shaik’s celebration continued.”

“Yes, thanks to Prince Shaik, we have been able to spend such a happy holiday every year.”

“I really feel like I’m in a dream right now. This peace that has come since becoming a Kingdom is so precious and unbelievable. It must be the blessings of Her Majesty the Queen, the Archmage, and Prince Shaik, right? I hope they live a long and healthy life.”

Akan was the country that suffered the most in the nightmare-like war.

Most people lost their loved ones and shed tears on the darkened farmlands.

People who lost hope chose death over life.

The suicide rate soared, and Akan itself was becoming a land of ghosts.

Then, a new ruler, the Queen, saved them.

The Empire’s strongest sword master and the continent’s greatest magician.

They purified the land tainted by magic, received the care of fairies and spirits, and erected a powerful magic barrier that no one could trespass.

Akan was reborn with a new name, ‘Purito’, as a purified land.

The young Queen, a hero of the Empire, under the unwavering support of the Emperor, took care of the poor people of Purito one by one, and carefully tended to all the sick.

Life and hope emerged in the land that was once filled only with death.

That’s how it has been for three years.

Purito has become known as the most beautiful and desired place in the vicinity.

And it became a country where tourism flourished more than fruit production and grain cultivation, which used to be the main industries.

The Queen of Purito didn’t want the country to become chaotic, so she limited the number of tourists accepted each year, but still, there were so many people who wanted to come.

Nobles from other countries willingly added money to enter Purito.

“…I feel so happy to be a citizen of Purito. I cursed being born here in this era before, but now it’s different. As long as I’m alive, I have to live diligently. That’s how I feel.”

As the quality of life continued to rise, who wouldn’t love the Queen’s family?

“I can’t ask for anything more than for the baby princess to be born at this time. Ho ho ho ho.”

“Yes! They get along so well, it would be great if they have more children!”

“But then we’ll have too many celebrations, and the palace storerooms won’t be enough.”

“Ho ho ho. Then we’ll just have to fill them up again.”

The people loved the royal family.

They wished for the royal family to become happier with all their hearts.

It was to the point that people would say they hope the Queen’s family would increase by about ten more members.

And that finally reached Simon’s ears, and he believed that he should never ignore such a strong public opinion.

‘The greatest virtue of a ruler is to listen to the words of the people.’

Simon rushed to the room immediately.

As he swung open the door and stepped inside, Simon’s footsteps came to a halt.

Unconsciously, he murmured her name with a slight furrow in his brow.

“Kalia…”

This indifferent wife had come to the couple’s room holding documents.

She wore a light, airy robe and a soft nightgown, her slightly moist face focused on reading the documents.

“Sorry, I’ll just take a look at this. I’ve been busy these days, so I couldn’t check many things.”

She approached Simon, but didn’t even glance at him, instead flipping to the next page of the documents she was holding.

Her eyes continuously moved along the text on the documents.

“Um… We have to leave for the capital in three days, so there’s a lot to do. I think I’ll have to visit the outskirts tomorrow.”

“…”

“We received reports of increased monster appearances. And there’s a peanut plantation there, so it’s not quite suitable to send soldiers. The fields could get damaged.”

“…Kalia.”

“Oh, and Derek and Allen said they want to look around here since it’s been a while…”

“Kalia.”

No matter how many times he called, Kalia’s attention was fixated on the documents and tasks.

Finally, Simon sharply snapped his fingers, causing all the documents she was holding to fly up into the air.

With a puzzled expression, Kalia looked at the documents floating in the air and finally glanced at Simon.

And at that moment, her expression belatedly turned apologetic.

“…Come to think of it, didn’t I say not to bring documents to the couple’s bedroom?”

“I’m grateful that you remembered now, Your Majesty.”

Simon bowed his head exaggeratedly in a gesture of gratitude.

Kalia, feeling sorry, smiled and lowered the pen she had been holding.

“Okay, I understand. I won’t do it. I’m sorry for forgetting our promise.”

She obediently cleared her place and approached Simon.

She placed her hand on his neck and gently kissed his stiff forehead.

At the moment her soft lips pressed against his noble brow like whipped cream, Simon almost let out a soft moan.

“Could you please relax your expression a bit, my husband?”

Simon had to exert force to relax his almost tensed forehead.

He forcefully opened his eyes and pulled her elastic waist closer, staring at her with a stern expression.

“We agreed not to discuss work inside here… Do you remember what we decided if we forget?”

In a stern voice, Simon scolded, but Kalia smiled and whispered, still clinging tightly to Simon.

“Yeah, I know. Whoever breaks the agreement will receive a punishment. Or grant the wish of another party.”

Simon’s forehead tingled from her breath, which tickled his lips.

He felt like he could reach her with just a little more proximity, but given the circumstances, he couldn’t push further.

But could there be any other way? He wasn’t the type to confront someone he couldn’t defeat, even if he died and came back to life.

Especially not against the ruler of this country, his family.

Simon relaxed his expression and lightly bumped his forehead against hers, as if to taunt her.

Then, as Kalia reciprocated and kissed his forehead and around his eyes, Simon spoke.

“But actually, I ran here because I wanted to talk about national affairs.”

“National affairs? What’s that?”

Before Simon could speak the words, he brought out a sound-amplifying orb he had secretly obtained from the clandestine information agency he possessed.

“This is…”

It was a method used secretly by Simon’s confidential information agency.

When Kalia left, Simon developed and advanced the technology of information gathering. Now, magic had become more sophisticated, responding only to specific keywords, and the use of magic had become simpler.

As he shattered the orb in the air, the sound waves scattered like mist, enveloping the area around the two of them.

Whispering sounds poured down on them like a downpour.

[I hope we have a baby princess. Since Prince Shaik resembles Simon so much, how wonderful would it be to have a princess who resembles Kalia?!]

[Oh my! Just the thought of it is delightful! If a princess is born, I will make a hundred jars of strawberry jam to share with everyone. It’s a joyous occasion!]

[I hope the royal family prospers. It would be nice to have about ten children.]

[Just thinking about it makes me so happy, but wouldn’t it be too hard for Her Majesty?]

[What do you mean?]

[Being pregnant, you know. Ah, why is it that only women have to go through pregnancy? I heard that there are creatures in the sea that carry the pregnancy instead of females. But that’s not an option for us. It’s a shame.]

[Now that I think about it, you’re right. Then let’s just hope for one more princess. I’m against Her Majesty going through more than that!]

[A princess, huh? How wonderful would that be? In that case, I’ll make a bunch of bread in the oven. Together with the strawberry jam made by my wife!]

[Oh my goodness! Hahaha. I hope such a day comes soon!]

Most of the chatter pouring out was like this.

Second child! Princess! Baby!

Listening to the murmurs of the people, Kalia burst into laughter.

“Do you want a second child now?”

“I would prefer a daughter who resembles you.”

“And if it’s a son?”

“If it’s a son who resembles you… he would be really strong. Alright. There’s nothing better than a child growing up strong, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Simon chuckled and kissed her cheek, and Kalia chuckled back.

In fact, he knew that Kalia wanted a second child more than he did.

Whenever he saw her quietly smiling at the sight of children playing, or the way she treated Drea as if she were her real daughter, or the way she occasionally embraced a newborn baby while patrolling the city and bestowed blessings upon them, he couldn’t help but notice.

But her body was different from that of an ordinary person. That’s why it was truly a miracle for her to have a baby.

Just the mere fact that they were together was already a miracle and a divine blessing to them.

Simon sighed as he gently brushed Kalia’s head and whispered.

“If only I could bear the child for you.”

“Ah! You mean… like self-reproduction?”

With a pale and dismayed expression, Simon spat out a groan-like sound in response to her playful words.

“How can you say such things…?”

“Isn’t it?”

“No! Absolutely not. Why would we engage in self-reproduction? That’s like having a clone.”

He muttered with a grumble in response to her teasing words, but Kalia playfully smiled and pulled him tightly into her embrace.

Simon’s face remained pale, as if the terrible word still lingered, and he kept murmuring, ‘Self-reproduction. Ha… self-reproduction.’

As if to apologize, she patted his back and rested her cheek on his broad and sturdy shoulder.

This bond was so wonderful. It provided stability and comfort.

Only Simon, her lifelong companion, could give her the sense of security she needed.

‘A second child…’

Having Shaik alone was already considered a miracle. But…

“Simon.”

“Yes.”

“I have already experienced miracles multiple times. From near-death experiences to miraculously meeting my mother, giving birth to Shaik, and saving a world infused with demonic magic. All of those were miracles to me.”

What is she trying to say?

Simon gently held her apart and looked at Kalia.

She also looked back at him and caressed his cheek.

There was a tenderness in her gentle touch.

“That’s why I realized that there is no way for miracles to stop happening.”

Simon’s eyes lit up as if he had suddenly realized something.

Indeed, my clever husband.

Kalia smiled happily, tracing her thumb over his firm yet soft cheek and lightly touching his extended jawline as she whispered.

“So, Simon, until that miracle happens, we must constantly have hope, challenge ourselves, and take action.”

“…Ah, I see.”

He smiled as if he fully understood.

Kalia’s lips gradually approached Simon’s lips.

“So, don’t give up first, Simon.”

As if their words were about to touch, their breaths intertwined in a thrilling proximity.

The warm breath from her smooth lips teased his own.

“Whenever there’s an opportunity, let’s strive diligently.”

“I’ve learned another thing from my Queen today.”

With a chuckle, Simon engulfed her smiling lips in one swift motion.

Their lips pressed together, intensifying the heat, before quickly parting.

With their lips still touching, Simon asked politely.

“In that case, may I proceed vigorously, as if striving diligently… Your Majesty?”

Kalia, who had been smirking, replied in a solemn voice.

“By all means.”

There was no need for further words. It was a moment that called for action.