The Baby Isn’t Yours

A few days after Shaik Tcskate Terroan’s 18th birthday, some exciting news spread throughout the Purito Kingdom.

With the news that flew in with the pollen, the Лingdom’s residents paused their activities and eagerly discussed the joyful news.

“Unbelievable! It’s been 18 years since the last pregnancy!”

It was the story of the second child of the Royal сщгзду that everyone had been waiting for, almost giving up hope.

“Wow, even the latecomer is so much of a latecomer. Oh, how beautiful will our little prince or princess be when they are born?”

“Tell me about it. They are the most beautiful baby of the most beautiful people in the world! Look at our Shaik too, radiating brilliance. Oh, how adorable the new little prince or princess will be.”

Zestia, who runs a flower shop, and her business partner Sarah, enthusiastically chatted, clapping their hands together.

Hasting, Zestia’s husband who was sorting flowers in the room, wiped the sweat from his forehead and expressed his concern.

“But isn’t it too much for Her Majesty to give birth now? You said that before. It’s a hundred times harder to give birth when you’re old compared to giving birth when you’re young.”

“Oh, don’t worry so much. Have you already forgotten who Her Majesty is? She’s the granddaughter of the Fairy King, for goodness’ sake. Our lifespans are completely different.”

Hestin’s head tilted to one side in response to his wife’s confident words.

He didn’t really know what to say.

“Well, I’m not sure about that…. So, is everything okay? It’s still her first pregnancy in 18 years…”

“Of course! Even if you’re only a quarter-elf, the lifespan is twice as long as humans. Even when they’re over forty or fifty, they maintain the beauty of their twenties…. What do you call it? Our Simon is precisely that quarter-elf, right?”

Zestia proudly thumped her chest with a face full of great pride, as if displaying her own accomplishments.

“That’s right. That’s why the title ‘Imperial Beauty’ has been following him for twenty years.”

Standing beside her, Sarah nodded, agreeing with the story.

Faced with their confident expressions, what could Hestin say?

“Well, uh… If that’s the case, then it’s good.”

Well, they are not ordinary people, after all.

Generally, the lifespan of a fairy is six times longer than that of a human.

There were even sayings that long-lived fairies lived for over a thousand years.

Moreover, the descendants of the Fairy King…

Due to the devil’s mischief, it was rumored that Kalia wasn’t of pure blood. However, because of this, no one could easily guess how strong her physique actually was.

And above all, with the presence of the most arrogant and chaotic Archmage on the continent, who could bring about unthinkable disasters, by her side, the King of the Kingdom, it seemed unlikely that anything would go wrong.

Even if there were some terrible circumstances that caused the Queen to pass away, there would surely be a way to resurrect her.

Therefore, the conclusion was that even if it was her first pregnancy in about 18 years, there was no need to worry too much.

Even Sarah, who would retire after giving birth to three children, thought that if it was the King’s matter, even if he had to split the continent in half, the Archmage would surely resolve it.

And what about her family?

The Fairy King’s family, who guaranteed the peace and comfort of this country, was also involved in the Queen’s matters.

Thanks to them, the people of Purito had been living happily for over ten years without any major disasters.

“By the way, will it be a princess or a prince? With Shaik here, it would be great if a princess resembling Simon is born this time.”

“If she resembles Simon, oh, I can imagine it. A princess with dazzling beauty! It’s a big deal. We have to wait a whole year, but I’m already curious. How much are His Majesty and Her Majesty looking forward to this?”

“That’s right.”

Not only Zestia’s flower shop but also the fruit shop next door, the jewelry store across the street, and even the restaurant beyond that, everyone spent the whole day talking about the news of the Queen and King’s new baby.

As a famous tourist country, the news quickly spread to travelers, and the expectations for the second child of Kalia Tacskate and Archmage Simon Terroan, the Queen and King of Purito, grew throughout the continent.

However, none of them expected what was to come.

Unlike time with Shaik, no one anticipated that Kalia’s pregnancy would last three times longer.

The long-awaited moment of Kalia’s delivery arrived on a warm spring day, three years after that day.

* * *

“Indeed, the presence of the fairy energy is much stronger than during Shaik’s time.”

Kalexia looked at Leah with concerned eyes, sensing Kalia’s labor pains.

Similarly, the Queen of the Forest, who couldn’t hide her restlessness, held his hand and nodded heavily.

“But it’s not just the presence of the fairies… Her belly is excessively large. It will undoubtedly be a difficult childbirth for Kalia.”

A pregnancy period of three years.

For humans, it was an excessively long time, but compared to fairies, it was a short period.

During Shaik’s time, it was expected that the pregnancy would last a full ten months, like ordinary humans. In fact, everyone had assumed the same for this pregnancy.

However, as one year passed, and another half year, it became clear that this was not an ordinary pregnancy.

“Mother, Father. You both surely felt it too, right? That there is something unusual about the fairy stone in Kalia’s womb.”

Furiosa’s words made Kalexia and Leah nod in agreement.

“Yes, we felt it too. If our speculations are correct, Kalia is probably…”

A smile appeared on Furiosa’s face in response to Leah’s comment.

“It’s good news.”

“Yes, it is. But Kalia will have a tough time.”

“Yeah…”

“No, what is it? Why do only three of you know about it? Geez, it’s frustrating! If we had Ganini here, we would have known earlier. Furiosa is too secretive!”

Other siblings who were lingering nearby chimed in as well.

The most troublesome were undoubtedly Hoa and Nua, who were making the most noise.

“That’s right! I mean, what’s with family secrets? Especially when it involves a new family member… It’s really unusual.”

“That’s not it. Hoa, Nua, I was just uncertain, that’s why I didn’t say anything. But now that I feel this wave, my speculations seem more certain.”

“A wave? What wave?”

“…Forget it. I never expected you to have such delicate senses in the first place.”

“You’re being too harsh, Furiosa!”

“Anyway, is this a signal for a fight?”

“Hoa, Nua, even if you’re bored, sisters shouldn’t fight at times like this.”

Ganini, who was politely keeping his position, grabbed Hoa and Nua by their collars as they tried to confront Furiosa.

The sisters pouted as if they were disappointed, and Leah, who was watching them, rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache.

“When will they grow up?”

While Kalia was struggling to give birth in the distant delivery room, her children called ‘Aunts’ were very immature for those titles.

Leah looked at the birthing chamber that had been created in the sanctuary of the Primordial Tree with a worried gaze.

During Kalia’s current pregnancy, the presence of the fairy energy was much stronger than during Shaik’s time.

Feeling a strong presence of fairies also meant that the forces of nature were needed during childbirth.

That’s why Kalia’s delivery was taking place in the Fairy Forest.

Although the power of fairies extended to Purito Kingdom, it was difficult to expect the same clean and strong power of nature as in the Fairy Forest.

Unlike the painful childbirth of humans, childbirth for fairies wasn’t supposed to be so difficult.

Compared to the long period of pregnancy, the moment of giving birth was rather peaceful.

But perhaps because Kalia was not a full-fledged fairy despite feeling a strong presence of fairies, her delivery was longer and more painful than expected.

“Is it already four hours?”

“It’s okay if it’s four hours. It took us a couple of hours too.”

“Still… I hope it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Leah gazed at the birthing chamber where Kalia was, her eyes filled with concern.

In front of it, two men anxiously awaited Kalia’s delivery.