Chapter 461

Suddenly, a burst of rapid footsteps came from outside the delivery room.

A bright yellow brocade robe swept in, accompanied by a strong scent of ambergris.

The royal attendant hurriedly stopped him. “Your Majesty, the blood in the delivery room hasn’t been cleared yet. You can’t go in.”

The King pushed aside the palace staff surrounding the door and shouted angrily, “Get out of the way!” What bloody disaster—it’s not good for the dragon body. All he knew was that his wife was inside, giving birth to children for him.

The King kicked the eunuch away and strode into the hall.

When he saw Natasha covered in blood on the bed, his pupils suddenly contracted.

“Your Majesty,” Athena’s hand trembled as she curtsied. “The Queen has just given birth to a little princess, and both mother and daughter are safe.”

Inside the swaddling clothes, a small baby was sleeping. It may be that the labor was long, and the body was a little red. Looking at his daughter, the King couldn’t help but blush.

But he didn’t look at it much, and strode to the bed. On the bed, Natasha’s eyes were closed, and her face was as white as a piece of paper. He wanted to reach out and touch Natasha’s face, but he was afraid of hurting her.

The King looked at Athena in a panic. Athena knew what he wanted to ask, and said, “The Queen fainted from exhaustion and needs to rest now.”

“Okay, okay.” The King’s heart was relieved, but his eyes blinked even more violently.

He forced the heat back into his eyes, then turned around and said to everyone, “Today, you have all done a good job saving the Queen. You will all be heavily rewarded.”

Everyone in the room said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness.”

After working for most of the night, it was already afternoon the next day when Athena came out of the palace. She dragged her tired body back to the mansion, washed up, and fell asleep on the bed. She slept for two hours.

When she woke up, the room was quiet, with only a lamp burning. Athena moved her body and felt excruciatingly sore.

She rubbed her shoulders and got up. Trina immediately came in and said, “Princess Consort, you’re awake.”

“What time is it?” Athena asked.

“It’s already 5 pm.” Trina hung up the curtains and helped Athena up. She noticed that although Athena had slept, she didn’t seem to be in good spirits. Her eyes were red, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Trina said with concern, “Alexandra has already ordered people to prepare meals for Princess Consort. Are you hungry? This servant will order people to serve the meal.”

After she said that, Athena felt extremely hungry, so she nodded.

Before long, Alexandra came over with two children. Seeing Athena sitting at the table eating, Alexandra frowned with distress and said, “Look at how bad your complexion is. Trina, tell the kitchen to make a serving of bird’s nest soup to nourish Princess Consort.”

“Yes, Alexandra.” Trina responded and hurried out.

The two little children were held by their nannies, watching Athena eat. Their mouths watered again, waving their little fists, couldn’t wait to pounce on the table.

Athena’s fatigue disappeared without a trace when she saw the two little ones. She stretched out her hand to the nanny and took Randolph. As soon as the little guy entered her arms, he grinned at her with his toothless gums. Athena’s heart was about to melt.

Bernie also waved his fists anxiously, wanting a hug. Alexandra hurriedly took him over. “Let your mother have a good rest, let grandma hold you.”

The little fellow frowned and spat bubbles in Alexandra’s arms. Athena smiled and had to give Randolph to the nanny. She went to hug Bernie again, hugging him and kissing him again and again. The little one giggled with laughter.

After Natasha gave birth, the King guarded her palace, never leaving her side. For many days in a row, he did not show his face in the Core Palace, staying in Natasha’s palace.

Beside him was a baby cradle, and as he reviewed the memorials, he would occasionally glance at the child. His eyes were full of affection.

When the maid saw that Natasha was awake, she hurried forward. “Your Majesty, you are awake. The imperial doctor said that it is fortunate that you were able to wake up safely this time.”

Natasha curled her lips and showed a trace of relief on her face. “Yes, it is really fortunate.” Almost, she would not have been able to see the child or the King.

At this moment, she looked at the King, her eyes full of smiles.

“Where is the child?” Natasha asked.

“The little princess is being personally taken care of by the King in the side hall, along with the most experienced wet nurse, so you can rest assured,” the palace maid replied with a smile. Speaking of this, the palace maid looked at Natasha with some embarrassment.

Seeing that she had something to say, Natasha said, “If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Consort Bianca has been coming to visit frequently these past few days. Rather than being concerned about your health, in this servant’s opinion, she is here for the King.”

Consort Bianca was one of the newly entered concubines. After entering the Core Palace, the King left them in the harem, not paying any attention to them. It had been almost two months since she entered the palace, and she had not even seen the King’s face. Now, seeing that Natasha had given birth, she thought her chance had come.

The palace maid reminded Natasha, also worried about her position.

However, Natasha was not worried at all, because she knew how the King treated her. Besides, she had personally agreed to the concubine selection.

“Of course she’s uneasy. Send the red–gold and kingfisher–feather hairpin to Consort Bianca and tell her that I thank her for her concern.”

That hairpin was a precious item bestowed by the King last year. Sending it was both a show of goodwill and a silent warning.

In the evening, the King arrived.

He held the baby in his arms, and he carefully placed the child next to Natasha, his movements were awkward but gentle. “Look, does she look like you?”

Natasha looked at the baby’s face, with a soft smile on her face. “Her eyebrows and eyes look like you.”

The King held her hand, his voice soft. “I have named her Serena, wishing that she can inherit the glory and bring honor to the royal family.”

Natasha felt a warmth in her heart, and was just about to say something when a commotion suddenly came from outside the palace. Then Consort Bianca broke in with several palace maids, holding a bowl of bird’s nest in her hand. “I heard that the Queen has woken up, so I specially stewed bird’s nest to visit.”

When she saw the King, a look of surprise appeared in her eyes. She quickly knelt on the ground and said, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn’t know you were here. Please punish me.”

These imperial concubines come up with new tricks every day, just to run into him—either dancing in the garden or sending soup and tonics—trying every possible way to attract his attention.

The King was annoyed, and his brows furrowed. He said to Natasha, “I will come to see you again some other day.” Then, he left in a hurry.

Consort Bianca looked disappointed when she saw the King leave. Today, she had dressed up specially, but the King didn’t even look at her. Consort Bianca’s eyes fell on the baby, a trace of jealousy flashed in her eyes, but she quickly hid it.

Natasha gathered the child in her arms and said faintly, “Thank you for your concern, but I just woke up and I’m afraid I can’t enjoy it.” She was always cautious about things that others give. Especially when her body was so weak, she wouldn’t eat a bite.