24 Descendant of Dragons
[What's wrong with Alwin today? Why is he so rash? I have never seen him like this before. If he keeps making mistakes, His Majesty would truly get furious. No one touches a dragon's mate. Even Alwin would get burned.]
Arabella almost rolled her eyes when she heard this.
Valerian royalty was believed to be descendants of dragons so Raymond often referred to Ferdinand as a dragon even in her previous life.
Ferdinand was not only said to be the Dark Emperor but also hailed as the Mighty Dragon of Valeria and Eliora.
It was a title which made conquerors from other continents hesitate to meddle with Eliora.
A lot of people wanted to rebut it but Ferdinand's monstrous strength silence them.
Moreover, even the citizens of Valeria often refer to their Emperor as a mighty dragon whose strength in Eliora or even the entire world was unparalleled.
Dragons, after all, were said to be the strongest beings to have lived in the world a long, long time ago.
It was something passed down from the legends of yore and the founding myth of Valeria.
Accordingly, dragons once ruled the world. However, they were envied by other races so everyone joined forces to topple them over.
A fierce war ensued and all the dragons were killed except for one.
The last dragon who remained alive was called Valeria. He ended the war all by himself and eliminated all those who killed his kin.
Everyone thought he would still rule the world. However, Valeria found no honor and glory in ruling a world without his kin. He was said to have burned the entire island where he and all the dragons used to live because he didn't want humans inhabiting it or meddling with their precious memories.
Valeria lived alone for years until one day, he fell in love with a human girl. It was then that he needed the power and position to protect the one he loved.
Valeria established a kingdom which in turn became an empire as he conquered those who were against his marriage and existence. He sired children and reigned in the Empire for a long time until his last breath.
However, his children who were half-human cannot turn into dragons, but they, and their descendants, always had inhuman strength.
Their family line ruled the empire for generations and Ferdinand was their descendant.
Further, it was said, the First Emperor was still watching over the Empire to this day and continues blessing his descendants with strength and good health.
But Arabella didn't believe in the founding myth one bit.
She noted though that Ferdinand and the emperors before him were said to have abnormal strength beyond what a normal human should be able to do.
But if Valerian royalty truly had dragon blood, her son would have been alive and healthy.
After all, the legends said dragons and their descendants were unaffected by poison.
If it was true, Ferdinand and her son should be unaffected by poison. Yet, her son died of poisoning and Ferdinand slowly succumbed to her poisoning though it took time because he had built his immunity.
And so, for Arabella, Valerian royalty as descendants of dragons was nothing but a myth.
. . .
"I heard Her Majesty may be pregnant so I wanted to examine to make sure," Alwin explained and Raymond gasped.
[That's right! I got too excited at the thought of finally lessening my workload. I completely forgot. I recently heard Her Majesty was beginning to show signs of pregnancy.]
'Huh? What are they talking about? How can I get pregnant when Ferdinand and I never did it? Who started such rumors from going around?'
"Your Majesty, please sit down and take deep breaths," Raymond guided her to sit again as if she was a sickly lady who could not move on her own or a pregnant lady with a huge belly.
"I'm fine. And I am not pregnant," Arabella clarified.
"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" Raymond asked gently with a side glare at Alwin for the latter to shut up and let him do the talking.
[His Majesty didn't say a word, but it was probably why he went to the borders. He couldn't keep his hands to himself so he had to be away from his beautiful wife. Ah, who would have thought a day would come when I see him like this?]
Arabella looked down at her tea to hide her expression when she heard such thoughts from Raymond. He was misinterpreting things because of the kiss marks on her neck and arms which Ferdinand left.
Arabella learned from Raymond's thoughts that since Ferdinand left for the borders, they assumed the Emperor had already noticed signs of pregnancy so he was leaving her alone to let her body rest.
Ferdinand's gesture of worrying about her and fixing her coat made everyone conclude she was indeed pregnant which was why the uncaring Emperor was extra attentive to her.
They interpreted the smile they saw on his face as Ferdinand feeling happy and excited because she was pregnant, which was why he couldn't reign himself in and even kissed and held her in front of everyone.
People just went to their own conclusions without Arabella having to do anything. They linked Ferdinand's uncharacteristic behavior to her getting pregnant.
For three days, she did not mingle with other people aside from Rendell and Aletha so she didn't know such rumors were circulating.
"I am sure. I am not pregnant," Arabella assured Raymond but they didn't seem to believe her.
[Could it be, Her Majesty has not noticed yet? I heard she woke up late every day, probably due to morning sickness. She also kept asking for fruits the past few days. Even if she loved fruits, she wouldn't eat that much, right? Earlier, before I spoke with her, she was savoring her fruits like a pregnant woman satisfying her cravings.]
Raymond scrutinized her as if he would notice if there were any changes. He was also married and already has a child so he knew about the signs.
[Her Majesty gained weight!] Raymond thought and Arabella flinched. She glanced at her hands and realized it was true. She did gain weight. Her bony fingers gained some flesh.
But her body just returned to how it was when she was in Lobelius. It was because she was finally eating well since Aletha was here to cook for her.
Everyone was going to the wrong conclusions.
