Chapter 400
Xander stood rooted to the spot, completely motionless for a long moment.
Startled, Alexandra thought something was wrong. “Athena, what did you just say? Can you repeat that?”
Alexandra quickly nudged Xander. He blinked, and his eyes lit up. “Athena,” he blurted, “what did you just say?”
Seeing how flustered Xander was, Alexandra shot him an exasperated look and said, “What’s all the fuss? You’re acting like the sky’s falling just because she’s pregnant.”
‘I remember when his father found out I was pregnant, he was surprised, sure, but he wasn’t nearly as over-the-top as Xander is right now. He is dealing with pregnancy nausea and frozen in shock,’ Alexandra thought.
Athena, careful not to startle Xander, said softly, “Honey, I’m pregnant.”
Xander flashed to Athena’s side in an instant, and Alexandra...
When her eyes focused, and she realized it was none other than her hopeless son, Alexandra couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Only a sudden gust of wind rush past her.
“Really? You’re pregnant?” Xander gaped at Athena’s belly, his hand hovering, torn between reaching out and holding back.
Athena nodded, her eyes shining with happiness. “Honey, you’re going to be a father!”
“I… I’m going to be a father!” Xander cried out, his eyes glistening with emotion. He gingerly reached out, his hand trembling as he gently touched Athena’s belly.
Through his palm, he could almost feel his flesh and blood pulsating with life. This feeling was truly magical. Xander cried out, tears streaming down his face, “I’m going to be a father! I’m going to be a father!”
Athena felt a bit abashed. ‘Who would’ve thought the mighty war god would cry over such news?’ she mused.
Alexandra smacked Xander’s arm in exasperation. “Can’t you get a grip? You’ll frighten your wife again. She’s in a delicate condition now.”
Before she could even finish, Xander pulled Alexandra into a tight embrace and cried out excitedly like a child, “Mother, you’re going to be a grandma! You’re going to be a grandma!”
Alexandra also froze in shock. Ever since Xander was old enough to understand things, his words and actions had always been meticulously proper, precociously mature for his age. His perpetually serious disposition left Alexandra with a mix of pride and wistfulness. How she wished she could be like other mothers, gently soothing her son with soft words. Yet Xander never gave her that chance. He would even primly lecture Alexandra, telling her, “Mother, as an Imperial Consort, you must always mind your deportment.” Over time, Alexandra also abandoned all hope of a warm, loving mother–son scene. She and Xander were less like mother and son, but more like boss and subordinate. But in that moment, that embrace made Alexandra feel as if her son had finally returned to her. Not the high-and-mighty Prince Xander, nor the fearsome Xander that everyone trembled before, but her Xander, her dear son.
Alexandra stood frozen for a long time, hardly able to believe the scene unfolding before her.
Chapter 400
After what felt like an eternity, Alexandra finally found her voice. She murmured, “I… I’m going to be a grandma!”
Alexandra seemed composed, but only she knew how wildly her heart was racing.
‘Ever since marrying Athena, Xander seemed to have grown happier by the day!’ Alexandra thought.
No sooner had Xander released Alexandra than he swept Athena into his embrace. Still wiping his eyes, Xander said emotionally, “Athena, thank you… Thank you so much.”
Alexandra rolled her eyes. “Just look at you, such a blubbering mess!”
Outwardly, she scoffed, but inside, she was absolutely over the moon, thinking, ‘My son just hugged me!’
Athena was also overjoyed and threw her arms around Xander in a tight embrace. “Honey,” she murmured affectionately, “this must be tough for you.”
“It’s not tough, not at all…” Xander blurted out, then paused. ‘Wait, that doesn’t make sense. She’s the one who’s pregnant, not me. Why would it be tough for me?’
Just as Xander was about to speak, a sudden wave of nausea washed over him. The overwhelming nausea was impossible to hold back. Xander bolted outside, desperately clutching a tree as he vomited violently. He felt like he was about to vomit up his bile.
The maids bustled around, one patting his back, another bringing him water to rinse his mouth. After much bustling, Xander finally settled down.
He lay listlessly on the bed, trying to muster a weak smile. Athena gently wiped his face with a handkerchief and said, “Alexandra said my morning sickness has transferred to you. Are you feeling any better now?”
Hearing this, Xander nodded, immensely relieved. “Thank goodness I’m the one throwing up. If you had to suffer through this, I’d be heartbroken.”
Alexandra blushed and thought, ‘These newlyweds have no sense of privacy. I’m still right here!’ But today was a joyous occasion, so she didn’t say anything to stop them.
Alexandra had the kitchen staff prepare some light and appetizing dishes and told them to bring them over. Xander weakly waved off the food, saying he had no appetite. With a helpless sigh, Alexandra had the servants clear away the dishes.
She turned to Athena and said, “Just leave him be. Let’s go and eat first. You mustn’t go hungry in your condition.”
“But Xander…” Athena couldn’t bear to see Xander looking so frail.
Alexandra waved it off. “Xander’s strong as an ox. Skipping a couple of meals won’t bother him. But you, Athena, in your condition, mustn’t go hungry.”
With that, Alexandra ushered Athena away without another word. The meal was generous, with both meat and vegetable dishes. Athena’s appetite had grown noticeably, and she relished every bite. Seeing that, Alexandra was beaming with joy. She was so overjoyed that she wanted to shout the joyous news from the rooftops and let the whole world know.
In the blink of an eye, Evander’s wedding day had arrived.
Chapter 400
Meanwhile, Fermin was also holding his wedding, welcoming two secondary consorts into his household.
Natasha was up at the crack of dawn, resigned to her fate as the maidservants prepared her.
“Miss Beren, you look stunning all dressed up,” said the maid. But then, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and said, “Oh, my mistake, I should call you Mrs. Cavendish instead. It’s your wedding day, but why do you look so unhappy?”
Natasha looked as if she were at a funeral. “What’s there to be happy about? Marrying someone is all the same anyway.”
The maid, alarmed by Natasha’s ill-omened words, hastily urged, “Mrs. Cavendish, it’s a happy occasion. Let’s not say anything unlucky.”
Natasha rolled her eyes in silent exasperation. Once the maidservants had finished preparing her, they gently assisted her to sit on the bed.
Soon after, the sound of fireworks echoed outside.
Natasha rose to leave, but the wedding matron quickly blocked her way. “Your Highness, where are you going?”
Natasha retorted, “To get married, of course! With all of you surrounding me like an iron barrel, where exactly do you expect me to run?” “But tradition says the bride mustn’t walk on her own feet,” the wedding matron fawned. “I will carry you out on my back in a moment.”
Natasha sized up the burly wedding matron and scoffed, “Are you sure you can carry me?”
The wedding matron thumped her chest and declared, “Your Highness, don’t worry. I can carry you!”
Natasha scoffed and settled back onto the bed. She thought to herself, ‘I may look skinny, but I’m quite solid. I weigh more than most women. There’s no way the wedding matron could carry me.
Not wanting to cause a scene, Natasha figured she might as well walk out herself.
Before long, Evander, dressed in his wedding attire, arrived at the doorway. Standing respectfully outside, he announced, “I’ve come to escort my Princess Consort.”
The wedding matron quickly half-crouched and urged Natasha, “Your Highness, let me carry you on my back.”
Without ceremony, Natasha flopped onto the wedding matron’s back.
The moment Natasha flopped onto her back, the wedding matron nearly buckled under the weight. It felt as if a mountain had come crashing down on her. The wedding matron was sweating buckets. ‘How could Miss Beren be this heavy when she looked so scrawny?’ she wondered.
The wedding matron tried to take a step but couldn’t even lift her leg.
After a long silence from within the chamber, Evander grew anxious and called out, “Natasha?”
“The wedding matron can’t carry me. I’ll walk out myself,” Natasha sighed, thinking, ‘What’s the point of all this? In the end, I still have to do it myself.”
Just as she was about to step out, Evander burst through the door.