169 Have a Child?

"You've always been like this, always focusing on others' happiness and never on yourself..." Merlin sighed and his hand brushed through Artoria's golden hair. "Do you know you're living a very tiring life?"

"No choice. Maybe from the day I was born, I was destined to be this way..." Artoria smiled calmly.

Merlin looked at Artoria with a complex expression.

"But you actually have a chance, y'know~ since there's no rule saying a king can only have one wife, right?"

Merlin suddenly put on a mischievous expression, glancing around before leaning close to Artoria.

"If he's not willing, it's okay. After you inherit the throne, you can turn the tables and marry him!"

Artoria blushed, embarrassed, and stomped on his foot.

"Ouch!"

With Merlin's painful shout as the cue, the entrance doors opened.

Led by Morgan, Nidhogg in a pure white wedding gown walked down the red carpet towards Arkhan on the pulpit.

The beauty of the bride captivated everyone, although a few noticed some peculiar details.

"Like you, Nidhogg also has black hair and eyes." Morgan said with a smile as she handed Nidhogg's hand to Arkhan. However, she noticed that he still had a dazed expression, and she couldn't help but furrow her brows. "Come on, grab her!"

"H-Huh? O-Oh!"

Arkhan stuttered and hastily took Nidhogg's hand, and due to nervousness, his grip was a bit stronger.

"It hurt..." Nidhogg pouted, although she didn't feel a thing.

"Sorry." Arkhan's head was a complete mess and had no idea what he was doing. Whether in his previous life or this life, this was his first time having his own wedding, after all.

"Do you think I look beautiful today?" Nidhogg asked while tilting her head.

"You look beautiful every day." Arkhan subconsciously replied.

"Smooth talker." Nidhogg blushed and muttered softly.

Standing on the pulpit in a red bishop's robe, Canterbury gazed at the soon-to-be husband and wife, then spoke in a slow, soothing voice.

"From this day forward, the world will have another happy couple. They will journey together, hand in hand, under the Lord's witness, reaching the eternity of life."

Canterbury turned to Nidhogg.

"Do you want to marry this man? Love him, protect him, respect him until the end of death?"

"I do." Nidhogg nodded.

Canterbury then looked at Arkhan.

"Do you want to marry this woman? Love her, protect her, respect her until the end of death?"

Arkhan thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don't want to... Because—"

He stopped halfway and suddenly, as Nidhogg's eyes widened in shock, he leaned in and kissed her soft, red lips.

"Even death can't separate us."

===

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed since the wedding that had shocked the entirety of Britain, yet the ripples of that event had not subsided.

People still occasionally gossiped about the grand wedding, especially the king's proclamation that said 'even death can't separate us', which seemed engraved in the hearts of countless young men and women, akin to scripture.

This phrase had now swept across all of Britain, and even the usually romantic poets had to admit it was the most beautiful declaration of love they had ever heard.

Noble, powerful, tenderly romantic, and rumored to possess looks rivaling that of a god, why did the seemingly perfect king end up marrying a woman with no notable background?

The self-proclaimed noble princesses couldn't accept this outcome. In their eyes, they were the ones more suited to be the chosen queen.

Using their special skills of crying, throwing tantrums, and threatening self-harm, they finally wore down their fathers. They sent messengers to King Arthur, asking for a chance to showcase their daughters.

However, the king didn't hesitate to refuse by replying—My wife is the most perfect woman in the world. With her alone, I am content.

"Is that really what you think though?"

Nidhogg asked softly as she heard his recount. Her delicate face now tinged with a thrilling blush.

"If I didn't say that, those nosy fellows would bother me to death." Arkhan ran his fingers through Nidhogg's long black hair and sighed. "I can't understand it. This is clearly my own business, so why are they sticking their noses in? I really want to give those fellows a good kick in the ass."

"Actually, even if you agreed, it wouldn't matter..." Nidhogg's gaze wandered. "After all, you are a king. Even if you marry several more, it should be fine."

Arkhan stared at her strangely.

"Thinking of getting me a concubine less than two months into our marriage? Are you trying to test me with that?"

"Test?" Nidhogg blinked in confusion. "What test?"

"Sorry, I guess I overthought it."

Arkhan sighed. He should have known that Nidhogg, with her intelligence, wouldn't think of such sophisticated tests.

"Can you explain to me why you had that idea?" Arkhan asked while gently tracing his finger over her smooth skin.

Nidhogg suddenly felt uneasy and nestled deeper into his embrace. After a while, she whispered, "Because I think you might want a child, right?"

"A child?" Arkhan blinked.

"As a king of a kingdom, you must think about heirs for the future, right?" Nidhogg murmured and touched her own flat stomach. "But I can't give you a child."

"..."

"Pfttt! Hahahaha—!"

Arkhan paused and then couldn't help bursting into laughter, his eyes tearing up from amusement.

"Why are you laughing? I was being serious!" Nidhogg, annoyed, twisted the soft flesh around his waist, although it was undoubtedly a gentle twist.

"I... I just didn't expect you to be worried about such things." Arkhan wiped away tears from the corner of his eyes. "Have you forgotten how I came into this world?"

"How did you come into this world?" Nidhogg, still confused, widened her eyes before suddenly realizing. "Oh, right! Magecraft!"

Seeing his mocking gaze, she felt embarrassed.

'Damn it, it was such a simple solution. Why didn't I think of it earlier?' Nidhogg thought with frustration.

"To make me worry over such a trivial matter, don't you think you owe me something?" Arkhan said with a mischievous tone as his palm stealthily climbed one of Nidhogg's soft breasts and kneaded it with just the right pressure.

"Mhmm~" Nidhogg let out a soft moan, hastily restraining his hand with her eyes pleading. "Please, let me rest for a bit. I'm still sore from last night... It still hurts, y'know..."

"No can do~" Arkhan rolled over, pressing her beneath him, and whispered in her ear. "Didn't you say you wanted to give me a child? Maybe if we try a few more times, we might succeed?"

"That's impossi—Ahhh~!"

Nidhogg's words were interrupted as she once again savored the pleasure of what it meant to be a woman and a wife.