Chapter 385
The Queen's heart tightened as she nodded, her face clouded with discomfort.
The Queen sighed. "Ever since Pamela gave birth to her first child, there's been no sign of another pregnancy."
Pamela had given birth to a daughter. If only it had been a son, Fermin wouldn’t be without an heir.
The Queen was seething with frustration. She secretly fumed, 'Pamela is such a disappointment, always holding Fermin back.'
Arthur’s brow furrowed. "The royal bloodline is dwindling—this is no trivial matter. Since Pamela fails to produce an heir..."
"If one isn’t enough, then take two. How can we simply stand by and do nothing?"
That remark carried a subtle reproach toward the Queen.
The Queen, looking alarmed, was about to bow and beg forgiveness when Arthur raised a hand to stop her. "You would do well to take this to heart," he said.
“I understand, Your Majesty,” the Queen murmured softly.
Arthur nodded, using the armrest for support as he rose from his chair. "Rest well, my Queen. I shall visit you another time."
He had always been like this—departing the moment his words were spoken.
The Queen had long since lost any intention of keeping him. She obediently bowed and murmured, “Bye, Your Majesty.”
Only after Arthur’s figure vanished into the night did the Queen finally allow her maids to help her rise from her knees.
“It seems His Majesty is indeed going to name a Crown Prince,” the Queen murmured to herself, her face clouded with worry.
The key to appointing the Crown Prince still lies in having an heir.
Without an heir, a crucial bargaining chip is lost.
Yet the concubine selection weighed heavily on the Queen’s mind.
The Queen thought, 'These noble-born ladies are all pampered daughters of great houses. They’d likely refuse to become Fermin’s concubine.'
The Queen rested her forehead in her hand, carefully pondering who would be suitable to fill the role of concubine.
The maid leaned in and whispered in the Queen’s ear, “Your Majesty, I have a candidate in mind.”
The Queen raised her gaze slightly and asked, “Oh? Who do you have in mind?”
She said, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Kurtis has a granddaughter in the bloom of youth. If she were to marry His Highness as a concubine, wouldn’t that secure the powerful backing of the General’s estate for him?”
The Queen’s eyes brightened with delight as she glanced at the maid. “You remind me. It almost slipped my mind. Now that Kurtis has been reinstated in the capital, marrying his granddaughter to Fermin as a concubine would be the most advantageous arrangement.”
The maid smiled softly and nodded eagerly. “Your Majesty’s wisdom is beyond compare.”
The Queen pondered for a moment, then added, “Since we’re already taking one concubine, we might as well take two. Let’s find another noble-born lady from a prestigious family and have them both marry into Fermin Manor.”
The maid added, “The daughter of the Minister of Finance, Natasha, I believe her status would also be a good match, Your Majesty.”
The Queen smiled, “Whether they’re suitable or not, we’ll just summon them all to the palace and see for ourselves. It’s merely a formality—marrying into Fermin Manor would be their privilege.”
“Your Majesty,” the maid said flatteringly. “Then we’ll arrange it for the Spring party.”
At Fermin Manor, the Queen sent word to Fermin regarding the upcoming concubine selection, instructing him to prepare accordingly.
Fermin couldn’t care less about taking a concubine.
‘Just a means to continue the bloodline—hardly worth my attention,’ Fermin thought, his tone full of disdain.
The only real headache for Fermin was his wife, Pamela—she was notoriously jealous.
Fermin thought anxiously, ‘If Pamela finds out the Queen wants me to take two concubines, she’ll absolutely explode.'
Fermin was growing anxious—just when he needed political backing the most.
‘I can’t afford to offend Pamela’s family,’ Fermin thought.
As the legitimate daughter of the Beren family, she was fiercely proud and haughty by nature.
After marrying into Fermin Manor, Pamela made Fermin the center of her world, always putting his interests first.
The only regret was that she had only given birth to a daughter.
When Fermin returned to their chamber, he found Pamela gently coaxing their little daughter to sleep. “Sweetie Lucky, have this treat and then it’s time for bed, okay?”
The little girl chirped in her sweet, tiny voice, “Okay.”
Her chubby little face was beaming with smiles, which melted Fermin’s heart, and he couldn’t help but walk over.
“Lucky, are you sneaking treats before bed again? Didn’t I tell you not to snack before bedtime?” Fermin gently chided, his tone full of affection for his only daughter.
As soon as Lucky spotted Fermin, her eyes lit up with delight.
Waving her chubby little arms, Lucky immediately snuggled into his embrace. “Daddy, you’re finally back. I missed you so much.”
Fermin picked up his chubby daughter and weighed her in his arms, nodding with an affectionate smile. “You’ve gotten heavier again—just as I thought, my little girl is growing plump indeed.”
Lucky covered her eyes with both hands and anxiously protested, “I’m not chubby.”
That utterly endearing sight instantly melted Pamela’s heart.
Pamela gently took the little girl from Fermin’s arms, softly patting her back. Reassuringly, she said, “That’s right. Sweetie, you’re not chubby at all.”
After speaking, Pamela shot Fermin a playful glare and teased, “Don’t listen to your father’s nonsense.”
Pamela shot Fermin a playful glare, making his heart skip a beat. Knowing what he was about to say, he thought, ‘Better butter her up first.'
"Alright, I was wrong. Lucky isn’t chubby at all," Fermin conceded with an affectionate chuckle.
As dusk settled, the little one began yawning, so Pamela had the nanny take her to bed.
The chamber was empty. Fermin gazed intently at Pamela, making her cheeks flush.
Just as Pamela was about to tease him, Fermin suddenly pulled her into his...
Pamela let out a soft gasp. Fermin, no longer able to hold back, pressed her down beneath him.
Fifteen minutes later, their passionate moment had passed.
Pamela lay against Fermin’s chest, her eyes half-closed and a look of contentment on her face. "Nothing urgent came up today, so I came home a bit earlier. Seeing as, to update, believe our Lucky is already three? How time flies."
Pamela wasn’t sure why he had brought up their child, but she played along, "That's right, time flies. Remember when Your Highness held me just like this?"
Pamela’s lips curved into a wider smile as she recalled that day.
These past few years at Fermin Manor had been quite agreeable for Pamela.
Aside from the Queen occasionally giving her trouble, Fermin treated her quite well.
Pamela thought to herself, ‘At least he never took a concubine, that’s one thing he did right by me.'
However, what Fermin said next struck Pamela like a thunderbolt, jolting her back to reality.
“Mom sent word today,” Fermin said, “that after the Spring party, she’ll arrange for me to take two concubines. She has put together a list of candidates."
Pamela froze, her smile faltering as shock washed over her face.
Pamela thought to herself, ‘I always knew this day would come, but I never imagined the Queen would move so swiftly.
‘I can’t believe the Queen is shoving two concubines into Fermin Manor all at once!'
Pamela’s eyes instantly brimmed with tears. “So, did you really agree to this?” she demanded, her voice trembling.
Fermin withdrew his arm from beneath her neck and folded his hands behind his head, his voice hollow. "Not having an heir at Fermin Manor weighed on the Queen Mother’s mind."
"But rest assured—even if I do take concubines, you’ll always come first with me."
Fermin said soothingly, “What’s more, if any concubine bears a son, he’ll be raised as your own. You know you’ll always mean the most to me.”
The words that followed no longer registered with Pamela.
Pamela’s mind reeled in shock, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Fermin sensed her distress, but feigned ignorance. He yawned and closed his eyes, feigning sleep.