ᴛʜɪʀᴅ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ.

She slipped her emerald green silk robe on her body, barefooted when she left their chamber to go to the dining hall. The servants informed her that the nephalems arrived to visit. She knows it is inappropriate for her to go there with only a robe on her body but she is feeling tired of wearing a gown. A soft smile plastered on her face when she saw the men talking. She sat on her seat and instead of wine, she asked for a glass of water.

"We're talking about the wedding, my queen." The king reached for her hand and held it gently. She nodded and took the glass of water to drink.

He noticed how warm she is. He saw a faint tint of red on her cheeks and she asked for another glass of water. Right after she finished drinking, he stood up and carried her in his arms. She didn't protest as she can feel her body weakening. He gestured to the nephalems that he will talk to them some other time as he needs to take care of his queen. He carefully put her down on the bed and covered her body with the silk blankets. She got a fever and he asked the servants to bring him a small basin with cold water and a towel to put on her forehead.

"I'm feeling thirsty, Riku." She mumbled with her eyes closed. He placed his palm on her belly and felt it turning into a small bump.

"You're pregnant, my queen." He said softly and the servants came with the things he asked for. He soaked the towel to the basin and squeezed it gently to remove the excess water before placing it on her forehead.

"My body.." She cried softly when she felt like her bones were melting because of too much heat inside her body.

He started to get worried since Gia doesn't really have demon blood. It will be difficult for her to have their second child. He thought of extracting some of his demon blood to transfer it to her body but it will be risky. The child inside her belly might die. Her pregnancy will only take a week if it is a boy and if it is a girl, it will only take a day. Just like what happened when she carried Fuyu in her body. All he can do for now is stay there and take care of her until she finally delivers their second child.

"Sleep for now, my queen. I'll be just right here. I'll not leave you alone, okay?" He held her hand gently and she just cried more until she fell asleep.

「 🌕 」

"Fuyu-chan? Doko ni iru no?" Nineteen-year-old Gia called for her daughter when she arrived at the nursery home.

Tiny feet produced light footsteps on the wooden floor and she smiled widely when she saw her only daughter running towards her. She opened her arms wide and the little one threw herself into her, giggling loudly when she received tons of kisses and a tight hug from her mother. She is only a year-old but she already got a few baby teeth in front. Her body development is very unusual and Gia needed to bring her to someone she truly trusts.

The child caretaker gave her Little Fuyu's carrier and she transferred the little one first to her arms before putting it on. She also got the baby bag and checked if the milk bottles are empty. When she saw that it was all finished, she got Little Fuyu once again and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She thanked the child caretaker and walked out of the nursery home while Little Fuyu was in the baby carrier. Even though the little one can walk already, she still prefers to carry her because she might lose her if her attention shifted to other things.

"What should we eat for tonight, Fuyu-chan?" She asked while heading to the wet market. Little Fuyu's head is resting on her shoulder and she is busy staring at the things behind her.

"Do you want some apples, Fuyu-chan? Mommy will buy some. Let's make strawberry popsicles this weekend?" She asked once more but the little one didn't answer and when she felt something behind her, she quickly turned around to take a look.

It is not the first time she felt that they are being followed or watched. She looked at her daughter and her eyes widened when she saw that her eyes turned dark red. She rummaged the baby bag and took her apple-shaped sunglasses and put it on her. Little Fuyu can't wear contact lenses yet, so she got her sunglasses with various designs.

"Let's have fried potato and some fresh apple tonight, okay?" She said and the little one giggled while clapping her hands.

She continued on walking and she can still feel that they are being followed. Her pace went a little faster and she noticed that Little Fuyu was staring once again. She snuggled her closer and finally, they arrived at the wet market. She looked around for the ingredients that she will need for their dinner. Since there are lots of people around, she felt a little safer. She smiled at the meat vendor and asked for her usual portion of chicken meat.

"Someday, you will have some chicken, okay?" She smiled at her daughter and the little one squealed cutely. She laughed softly and she turned around when Little Fuyu pointed out something.

"Oh. Those are candies, Fuyu-chan. You can't eat candies yet. When you turn three, you can have some candies already." She pouted a little when she saw the disappointment on her daughter's face.

"For now, let's have fruits. Look. The chicken is here now." She tried to turn her attention to the bag of chicken meat she got from the vendor.

"Maybe you can have chicken? But not fried." She added while taking some money from her purse.

Little Fuyu was still staring at the candy shop across the meat stand but she started squealing again. Under the sunglasses, her eyes are still dark red. She can clearly see her father standing outside the candy shop, holding a star-shaped balloon which is for his only daughter. He smiled widely and waved his hand as he knew he couldn't approach them. He shifted his gaze on his queen and he is already feeling happy that he saw her smiling.