Chapter 446
The Grant Tutor opened his mouth but was momentarily at a loss for words. He wanted to make an issue of Athena’s pregnancy, but he did not expect the Queen to be so insightful. She not only followed their lead but also excused the Prince Regent, blocking their proposal to weaken his power. The Grant Tutor also frowned, feeling that something was wrong, but the Queen’s words were all reasonable, and he could not find any fault with them.
The King looked into Natasha’s clear eyes and suddenly understood her intention. She was not advising him to take concubines; she was clearly using this method to give him and the Grant Tutor a way out. In this way, she protected Xander and also saved his face.
Natasha gently stroked her lower abdomen and said softly, “Your Majesty, the child in my womb will also need the support of siblings in the future to gain a firm foothold. It is a good thing to have younger girls to have children for the royal family.” She deliberately emphasized the word “younger girls,” implying that even if he took concubines, it would not shake her position. After all, behind them were the Xander Manor and Perkins Manor. Athena and Xander are standing behind them.
The Grant Tutor and Grand Guardian exchanged a look, both seeing the helplessness in each other’s eyes. Now that the Queen has spoken, if they continue to dwell on the matter, they would appear overbearing.
“Your Majesty is wise and understanding.” The Grant Tutor followed the Queen’s lead, cupping his fist at Natasha, “Since Your Majesty also feels that more consorts should be brought into the Core Palace, please ask His Majesty to issue a decree as soon as possible to reassure the people.”
The King looked at the hint in Natasha’s eyes, his mood complex. He said in a deep voice, “Since the Queen has said so, this matter will be done according to your wishes. Three days later, I will order the Ministry of Rites to draft a decree to select new members to enrich the Core Palace.” He paused, his gaze swept over the two old ministers, his eyes stern, “But Xander is my uncle, if anyone dares to criticize him again, don’t blame me for disregarding our past relationship!”
Although the Grant Tutor and Grand Guardian did not achieve their goal of weakening power, they at least forced the King to give in. Neither dared to push their luck any further, and hurriedly bowed and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
These days, Athena has become increasingly lazy. The feeling of heaviness in her lower abdomen was becoming more and more obvious. The midwife told her that the baby had already entered the pelvis, and the delivery date would be within the next few days. Xander was so anxious that he couldn’t sleep for several nights. As long as Athena made any movement, he would sit up in shock and look at her.
However, Athena could eat and sleep well. On this day, she suddenly wanted to eat barbecue. So Xander had someone set up a pot, and he personally grilled the meat for Athena.
While eating, Athena exclaimed, “My husband’s skills are getting better and better. The meat is not too old or too dry, it’s delicious.” Seeing her eating with a greasy mouth, Xander laughed and said, “I only hope that you can have a smooth delivery and get through it safely.”
“Don’t worry, there will definitely be no problem.” Athena waved her hand. “I have already made pills, life-saving and hemostatic, everything that one expects to find. Even if I step into the gates of hell, I can…” Before she could finish her words, her mouth was covered.
Xander blushed and said angrily, “Why are you saying such nonsense? Aren’t you afraid of being taboo?” He had never shown such an angry side, and even his eyes were red.
Only then did Athena realize that he had taken her casual remark seriously. “I was just saying it offhand, without thinking. Why did you take it so seriously?”
“The speaker may not mean it, but the listener does.” Xander blinked, forcing back the tears in his eyes.
Seeing that he was truly heartbroken, Athena quickly took a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “Don’t take it seriously, okay? I won’t say it again.” Xander pushed her hand away and said softly, “Go sit down. The smoke is irritating here. I’m just choked by the smoke.” Seeing his expression, Athena didn’t dare to say anything more and obediently sat down.
After the barbecue, Xander’s mood finally recovered. Athena breathed a sigh of relief, just as she was about to get up, a sharp pain came from her abdomen. She frowned, but before she could examine it closely, the pain disappeared again.
She ate the barbecue, secretly counting the intervals between the pains. Until it became more and more frequent, Athena was sure, it was probably starting. She glanced at Xander, who was covered in sweat, and tried to keep her voice calm, “Honey…”
“Hmm?” Xander looked up, looking at her blankly. Athena then said, “The baby is coming out.”
Xander’s pupils suddenly widened, he stared at Athena, not knowing what to say. He took two deep breaths before calming down. “Let’s go back to the room.” Then, he ordered to the people around him. “Bring the imperial physician and the midwife to the Princess Consort’s courtyard.” The servants were actually a little flustered, but seeing Xander and Athena were all calm, they also calmed down. Some were asking for people, and some were boiling water.
“I’ll carry you back to the room.” Xander stretched out his hand to Athena, but she shook her head. “I can walk back by myself.” She wasn’t afraid that Xander couldn’t hold her, but that her belly was too big, and it was uncomfortable to curl up.
Xander gasped, visibly suppressing his panic. “Don’t be capricious. I’ll carry you.”
“It’s okay.” Athena extended her hand, and Trina hurriedly helped her towards the delivery room. After taking two steps, she turned back to look at Xander. Seeing him standing there, dazed, his eyes full of worry. He looked as if he had lost the most precious treasure in the world. “I’m okay, don’t worry, it will be over soon.” Athena comforted him, waving her hand at him. “Just wait outside.”
Xander moved his lips a little helplessly, his eyes full of worry. “Okay, I’ll be with you outside, Athena, don’t be afraid.” Athena gave him one last look, and then entered the delivery room. The midwives also followed inside, while the imperial physicians all waited outside, ready to deal with any emergencies.
Xander’s heart clenched tightly as he stared unblinkingly at the delivery room.
Before long, Alexandra also hurried over. Seeing Xander’s worried appearance, she said, “Although childbirth is dangerous for women, there are so many imperial physicians and midwives, Athena will definitely be fine.” Although she said so, Alexandra’s brow was also furrowed. Athena was different from ordinary women, she was pregnant with twins. But the more it was this time, the more they couldn’t panic.
“Tell the kitchen to prepare meals and cook ginseng soup. No one knows when she will give birth, no one can fall. Eat and drink what you should.”
“What’s more, Athena also has to eat. If we fall, what will happen to her?” Xander’s eyes turned, and his tense body relaxed a little. He wiped his face with his hand and nodded, “Mother, you are right, we can’t fall.”
Inside the house, Athena lay in bed as the labor pains intensified. At first, she could endure it, but as the pains became more frequent, her face grew paler.
“Princess Consort, you must conserve your strength. If it hurts, try to bear it. Do not waste your energy by screaming,” the midwife said softly. Athena nodded slightly, and the midwife used a spoon to feed her soup. Fortunately, she had eaten roasted meat beforehand. Otherwise, with such rapid energy depletion, she might not have been able to make it through.