Celebrity Lady - Chapter 172

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celeb Lady
Side Story 14
Rubetria Diolus closed her mouth at once.
“What were you trying to say, anyway?”
“……Oh, nothing at all.”
Yes, what did appearance matter?
Sometimes ignorance is a blessing. A household thrives when the bond between husband and wife remains strong, and a nation thrives when its households flourish!
Rubetria Diolus decided to be satisfied with merely revealing Wishit’s existence.
“Tired?”
“Hmm?”
Lark asked suddenly. Rubetria Diolus tilted her head and brushed her cheek.
“Not at all. Why? Do I look tired?”
“That’s not what I meant. You’re not tired?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Lark grinned and swept back the bedding, swiftly positioning himself above Rubetria Diolus.
“Then.”
He immediately shrugged off his robe, tossing it beyond the bedchamber, and spoke.
“Let’s make a baby.”
“Ha.”
What could she say? Rubetria Diolus laughed, exasperated, and pulled Lark’s neck down toward her.
“Mini-Lark isn’t tired either?”
“Who knows. That one’s never been tired since meeting you.”
Their lips met amid playful laughter. All her worries dissolved, and the night became peaceful.
* * *
Several days passed.
The Spirit Spring.
Two spirits sat side by side in that beautiful place, savoring peace.
Ah, but was it truly peaceful?
“Do you have a death wish, Vista?”
“No, Your Majesty…….”
“You finish all your work, then avoid me for over a month. Did you think I wouldn’t catch you?”
“I was afraid of being hit.”
“I’m not a violent king.”
“But you did beat Poze right up until he nearly died. Then you’d check if he got better and beat him again, and then again if you wondered whether he’d recovered…….”
“…….”
Wishit, silent until now, glared fiercely at Vista.
“How is that the same? The scale of his transgression was completely different! Poze nearly killed Rubetria Diolus!”
“In contrast, I worked to save Your Majesty’s Contractor.”
“That’s exactly the problem—you should have told only me, but why did you let it reach Rubetria Diolus’s ears?”
“Truth is, I wanted the Empire’s Emperor to know of Your Majesty’s existence somewhat.”
“What?”
Vista, the spirit who saw the future, felt deep pity for the human called Lark.
A talent praised as the perfect leader since his time as Imperial Heir. Yet after meeting the wife he loved, he had transformed entirely—
“The throne is a place where one can never lower one’s guard. Even as Imperial Heir, he endangered his Consort multiple times during succession struggles.”
“…….”
“Though he appears unconcerned outwardly, that memory has deeply carved itself into him as something terrifying.”
Wishit, listening silently to Vista’s words, found something that struck a chord and sighed.
Wishit knew it well. Lark’s state of heightened vigilance twenty-four hours a day, driven by anxiety over Rubetria Diolus.
In truth…….
Rubetria Diolus had no idea, but there were dozens of hidden guards positioned along her movements alone.
Even that seemed insufficient, for Lark continuously summoned Randian, attending to every minor tremor beneath the earth and unusual approach around Rubetria Diolus.
Why go to such lengths? One might think him mad, but…… in any case, there had been no gaps in Rubetria Diolus’s safety.
Lark was likely still suffering from memories of the past.
How Rubetria Diolus, caught up in the succession struggle, vanished before his very eyes and nearly died…….
The terror and helplessness of that time.
“If the Emperor would only set aside that worry over his wife, he could live another ten years at least. There’s no need to shorten the lifespan of a sage-king over nothing.”
“That’s true, you’re right.”
Wishit recalled the day he learned Rubetria Diolus was the Spirit King’s Contractor—how relieved Lark had looked.
“It’s just…… I feel reassured now.”
That reassurance stemmed less from confidence that she could bear a child safely, and more from relief about Rubetria Diolus’s security.
Well, now that Lark knew of the Spirit King’s existence, he could at least set aside some of his compulsion.
“I know the King wished to hide his existence. I can’t tell him what to do, so I’ve arranged a situation where everyone can be happy. After all, the King’s Contractor was also uncomfortable with hiding the King’s existence from her Consort.”
“Fine. I won’t hit you.”
“Thank you.”
“But doesn’t it strain you, seeing the future?”
“I find it rewarding. When Your Majesty’s power was sealed, I could see tragic futures but could do nothing to change them. That’s no longer the case. Rather, I’m proud that I can now use my power to draw the finest possible future.”
Vista smiled. Wishit let out a soft laugh and patted his shoulder.
“Good thing you’re satisfied with your work. Keep it up, then.”
“Of course. ……Oh!”
Vista suddenly let out an exclamation.
“What?”
“Say, Your Majesty, is the reason you’ve come to the Spirit Spring just now—”
“Obviously. My Contractor is in the middle of her breeding activities.”
Wishit answered matter-of-factly, tilting his head with no trace of embarrassment.
“But why ask all of a sudden? What did you see?”
“The future where the Imperial Heir is born. It’s changed properly just now, so I could see it.”
“Did the breeding finally succeed?”
Wishit was seized by a peculiar feeling.
Anticipation. And a hint of curiosity.
“……A boy or a girl?”
At Wishit’s question, Vista fell silent for a moment. Then, after a long pause, he leaned in close to his ear. He seemed intent on whispering something in secret.
Gulp.
Wishit even swallowed nervously in that moment of tension.
“It’s a secret…… It’ll be no fun if you know beforehand…….”
“Aw, come on.”
* * *
Deon—fourth prince of the previous generation and Contractor of Mahila, an intermediate-rank Healing Spirit. As always, he came nervously at the Emperor’s summons. It had become his daily routine by now.
The Empress sat on the bedchamber with a tense expression.
Behind her stood the Emperor, lips dry and drawn taut, his anxiety visibly greater than hers.
He hoped that today, at last, he might share joyful news…….
‘Gasp!’
Deon, gauging the Empress’s Life Force with his healing power, was taken aback.
Something was stirring.
Within the Empress’s body, an unfamiliar sign of life that was not her own.
But it was…?!
“C-Congratulations!!!”
Deon leapt to his feet in excitement first and foremost.
For a full three years since the Emperor and Empress took their thrones, a blessing the entire Empire had longed for!
“Your Imperial Majesty the Empress, I offer my congratulations on your Pregnancy! Your— ah, no. Your Imperial Majesty the Emperor! My most sincere, most heartfelt congratulations!”
“Oh my!”
Rubetria Diolus, overwhelmed with emotion, covered her mouth. Then she turned to Lark behind her and cried out.
“D-Dear—!!!”
“No, wait! Don’t shout! You’ll startle the baby!”
It was a bit premature to call it a baby yet, but what did it matter?
Rubetria Diolus kept her hand over her mouth and nodded repeatedly before attempting to rise from the bedchamber.
“Wait!”
But Lark stopped her.
“I’ll do it. Don’t move. From today on, you mustn’t move a finger.”
He was being excessive…… Lark approached her carefully on his knees and pulled Rubetria Diolus into an embrace.
“……You worked so hard, my love. Rubetria Diolus. My darling. I love you, truly. I—I will do better.”
“Sob. Me too. I love you, my love…….”
Anyone watching would think they’d already borne a child. The Emperor and Empress were excessively tender, almost embarrassingly so, yet Deon watching them felt only joy and warmth.
How could one not be glad when the Empire’s ruling couple were so affectionate and harmonious, and now blessed with an Imperial Heir to boot?
And there was one more piece of good news for them to rejoice over!
“By the way, Your Imperial Majesty the Empress—”
“Deon! Is it possible to tell the baby’s sex as well?”
“Is such a thing possible?”
The Empress and Emperor, who had been wrapped in each other’s arms in prolonged rapture, turned to Deon simultaneously and asked.
Deon smiled somewhat sheepishly.
“No, I’m afraid my ability cannot discern the sex. I can only sense that another life force exists within Your Imperial Majesty’s body.”
“I see. That’s a shame.”
“Why is it a shame? Boy or girl, what does it matter? Wondering while you wait will be happiness in itself.”
“Haha, you’re right?”
The couple embraced again, lost once more in their own world of happiness…….
How much more joy would they feel when they heard this news? Deon wiped his nose quickly and opened his mouth.
“There is, in fact, one more piece of good news…….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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