Chapter 138 "Why do you like being free and unrestrained..."
Twenty days later, after King Midian returned to the capital, I received a reply from the Elven King.
It was handed to me personally by the elf messenger.
"Take care of your health, don't worry about anything else."
Just eight words, and I was stunned.
“What does he mean by that?” I asked the elf messenger.
The elf messenger smiled humbly, "Please focus on your delivery and don't worry about anything else."
"Then..." What I want to ask is whether he agrees to release King Midian's lover.
“That male slave has already come with me to the Western Regions,” the elven messenger said politely, “but the king insists that we sign a release agreement with King Midian to prevent you from being deceived.”
"So, he agreed?!" I was utterly astonished. I never expected the Elf King to grant my request so easily.
"Yes, the day after Wang received your letter, he had a contract drafted."
Even Di Yaruo showed a surprised expression, "Oh my, it seems you hold a high position in his heart, judging from that letter of yours..."
She tried her best to hold back her laughter, and I turned my face away.
Three days later, King Midian's envoy and the elven messenger signed the release agreement. The seal of the three thousand private soldiers was handed to me, and the sexy male slave, who had endured torture but still had a body so good it would make your nose bleed, went to the capital with King Midian's envoy.
Watching their departing figures, Di Yaruo and I were still a little incredulous.
“It was like a game,” Di Yaruo clicked her tongue. “Such a big problem was solved in no time. King Midan was talking about it to me for ages before.”
"..." I was speechless for a moment.
The elven messenger then smiled gracefully and said, "The Elven King wishes to visit the Western Regions when Queen Lanna gives birth. I wonder if the Queen could write an invitation for me to take back with me?"
Di Yaruo smiled charmingly, "That's natural."
To be honest, it would be a great deal for Deya to marry me as her queen. My abilities can not only help her, but my resources can also help her connect with people like Bernot, Artis, and the Elf King.
Now is the time for her to do her utmost to win over various forces and build an alliance. The stronger the alliance, the less likely King Midan will dare to touch her.
My world has finally become peaceful.
No men, no war, no open or covert struggles—a rare moment of peace.
I sleep until I naturally wake up every day, and after eating something, I start reading the palace's financial statements. It's a very thick stack, and I can read it from morning until lunchtime.
In the afternoon, I usually take a nap. After waking up, I review some official documents, such as whether to approve the repair of the palace pillars or whether to approve the making of new clothes for the maids and servants. These are all internal affairs. After finishing, I have afternoon tea with Di Yaruo and tell her how I reviewed these documents: "I approved them all."
"It's fine as long as it's approved." Di Yaruo finished her black tea and yawned. "No need to tell me specifically."
I thought you were having financial difficulties.
"You can usually make the decisions for these small projects."
I understood the implication: only small projects were under my jurisdiction, while large projects were sent directly to Di Yaruo.
I don't care. This royal city originally belonged to her, so it's only right that she makes the decisions on important matters.
I focus more on moderate exercise. I am well aware of the limitations of healthcare in this world and the many unpredictable things that can happen during childbirth, so I must prepare well.
I wanted to climb the stairs, but there weren't many, so I went to climb the hill behind the palace, at least once round trip. Each time I climbed, the maids and guards around me were terrified, saying, "We've never seen a pregnant woman like you before."
But I had no choice; I didn't want to bleed to death, so this was the only thing I could do.
I used to be a lazy person when it came to exercise, but I can't be lazy now, or something bad might happen.
I also swim back and forth in the warm hot spring pool twenty or thirty times a day, at least half an hour each time.
I also restricted my diet to prevent the fetus from becoming too large and causing a difficult labor.
Di Yaruo jokingly remarked, "I didn't expect that you, a woman giving birth for the first time, would be as experienced as those who have had multiple births."
“I’ve only heard about it.”
Indeed, there is a lot of this kind of pregnancy and childbirth knowledge in modern society, which I often see and hear.
And so, my due date arrived. It was early morning when I suddenly went into labor. The imperial physician, female physicians, and midwives all came and busied themselves around me inside the bed curtains.
From dawn till dusk, I was drenched in sweat, my long hair matted together, and I kept shouting. Finally, as night fell, I heard a loud cry of a baby.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the birth of a little princess."
"Your first child was delivered relatively quickly."
"Don't rush to get up. Let me wipe your sweat and then wipe your body."
I was exhausted. After wiping myself down, I felt completely relaxed and fell asleep instantly.
When I woke up, it was the next morning. Golden sunlight streamed onto the clean floor, creating shimmering halos of light.
As soon as I drew back the bed curtains, the maids swarmed in, some carrying basins of water and towels, some carrying trays of clothes, and some holding babies.
"How did you manage to bring the baby in so quickly?" I took the baby from Imera's arms.
“She sleeps right next to you. When I heard you get up, I quickly brought her over,” Imera laughed. “Look how much she looks like you, especially her eyes, but her hair is blonde.”
Newborn babies are usually hard to see clearly, but you can clearly see that her eyes are black, just like mine, but her hair is fine gold and her eyebrows are also gold.
"Quick, get the dictionary and let's name her." I kissed the baby's little face.
“The Elf King will arrive tomorrow morning,” Imera suddenly bent down and whispered to me, “Why don’t we let him come and collect it?”
"Why?! I can't name my daughter?"
Imera lowered her voice even further, "If it's an illegitimate child, having the father name her is equivalent to the father acknowledging her identity."
"Whether you admit it or not is irrelevant," I sneered. "I can support her."
“It’s not about raising her,” Imella advised in a low voice. “Illegitimate daughters who are acknowledged by their biological fathers will have an easier time getting married in the future, and their biological fathers will also give them a dowry.”
Well, as I touched the baby's soft little face, I couldn't possibly go against her interests.
The Elf King arrived earlier than Imera had predicted, arriving that very evening.
He hurried into my room, his snow-white robe billowing slightly in the cool night breeze. A freezing rain had just fallen, and a chilly wind wafted in as he opened and closed the door.
The door was closed, and the room regained its warmth.
"She looks just like you." His golden eyes shone with a gentle light, a rare tenderness in them.
“Hmm, her hair is very similar to yours.” I gently stroked the baby’s golden hair in my arms.
"I should have arrived three days ago, but I encountered an assassination attempt before setting off, and then three more afterward, which made me late. I was hoping to arrive in time for your delivery." His long, slender, fair fingers touched the baby's golden hair, but only for a few seconds before withdrawing them, clearly not used to such intimate behavior with his own child.
"Who tried to assassinate you?" I looked up at him as I leaned against the headboard.
"They must be former nobles. You know, after the change of government, there are always some die-hards."
"Are they former subordinates of Artis?"
"Maybe."
"Did you find out anything about the last zombie incident?"
"It's been discovered that this was orchestrated by the top nobles of the three islands. They spent a fortune to learn how to create zombies, intending to create chaos, assassinate me, and kidnap the male slave amidst the chaos. King Midan was involved. Although he wasn't the mastermind, he did get involved and helped the top noble."
My gaze was quite complicated. No wonder he was able to extort four million gold from King Midian.
He smiled and said, "Alright, you should rest now. I'll have someone take her away so you can sleep better tonight."
He came to see me again early the next morning. I was already up, wearing only a thin white robe, and sitting by the cradle, playing with the baby.
He frowned and draped his coat over me from the bedside table. "You'll easily catch a cold like this, especially in the cool morning."
"The fire in the fireplace is burning brightly, but I still feel hot." I tried to take off my coat, but he stopped me.
"You've just given birth, so your body is weaker than most people's."
"You're so annoying!" I said impatiently. "Even Di Yaruo doesn't manage me like this."
"Why should she care about you? Your marriage is just a formality. If she tries to control you, she might offend you."
“That’s better,” I said, swatting his hand away from my shoulder. “I like being free.”
"If you like freedom, why did you marry her?"
I didn't say anything.
"You're trying to prevent me or any other man from forcibly taking you away, aren't you?" His smile was both sinister and wickedly beautiful. "Yes, once you're bound by the marriage alliance, I can't force you to leave. However, I can still discuss with Di Yaruo privately the possibility of inviting you to my kingdom as a guest, to stay for a while, or even for a lifetime."
“Di Yaruo won’t agree, at least not now,” I said coldly. “She still needs my abilities.”
“I admit that,” he actually nodded, “but I will wait, until the best time.”
"Why do you need me? Because I'm a superpowered woman?"
His golden eyes shone with an eerie light. "How do you want me to answer? If I answer yes, you will be sad; if I answer no, you will still be sad."
"So, what's your answer?" My heart suddenly started racing.
“My answer would be the same as Bernard’s: both yes and no.”
I sneered, "Just give your answer, why bring up Bernard again?"
"Because you care about him the most, right?" His smile was radiant and bright. "I brought him into this so you would understand that he only pays attention to you because of your special ability."
"I don't need you to remind me." I turned my head away.
"But you don't need to be sad. In this world, both men and women admire strength and like outstanding people. It's only natural that we would like someone special and talented. What do you think?"
His smile grew even brighter. "So we like you because you are an outstanding person. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
I must say the Elf King is a smart person, quick-witted and eloquent, qualities I lack.
I actually laughed at his answer, whereas before I had been giving him a cold shoulder.
The Elf King stayed here for about half a month. Before leaving, he tried to persuade me to leave with him, but I refused. He couldn't force a married woman to leave, and besides, Diya Ruo still didn't want to let go of me, so he had to return to the secret realm alone. Before leaving, he gently reminded me that my safety was the most important thing, and I naturally promised again and again that I would protect myself. Only then did he smile, embrace me, and board the golden carriage to leave.
His honor guard flew further and further into the sky and soon disappeared from sight, while we were still standing on the steps in front of the palace.
"Fortunately, you gave birth to a girl this time, so the Elf King won't take her away," Imera said, holding my baby.
"Oh?" I looked at the group of small black dots in the sky and responded.
Di Ya Ruo laughed at this moment, "You really got lucky. If it were a boy, the Elf King would have to take him away. The rule of the Elf race is that if the king's child is a son, he must grow up in the palace, even if he is an illegitimate child. But if it is a girl, the mother decides where she will live. Generally, mothers prefer to live in the palace, but there are exceptions, like you. The Elf King didn't even ask you, it seems he already knew you would keep the child by your side."
“Of course, my child must grow up by my side, otherwise I will have no feelings for him,” I said.
“That’s why I said you got incredibly lucky,” Di Yaruo laughed, “because you had a girl.”
“By the way,” Di Yaruo said, taking out a deep red visiting card, “Prince Bernot will be arriving in a few days, and I received his visiting card a while ago.”
"What a coincidence?!" The Elf King had just left and he arrived. I asked in surprise, "Did you deliberately avoid coming at that time?"
“It was deliberately timed out,” Di Yaruo said, grinning from ear to ear. “He knew the Elf King was here, so he stopped on the road for a few days, and then continued on his way after the Elf King left. It was a perfect coordination.”
Ah, one after another, I'm so tired, and my face fell.
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Author's Note: My computer broke down for the past few days and I only got it back this afternoon, so I'm only updating now. I'm really sorry, so this chapter is a bit longer.
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