Chapter 286 - Have Lots of Babies with Nathan
Chloe Evenhart:
We were aboard the Underground Transport ship, heading back to our duchy. Unfortunately, our vacation time had been cut short because of the banquet—we hadn't even returned home after the school term ended. We would have only a brief stay at the castle before heading back to the academy. During the preparations, we had stayed at our family's estate in the Royal Capital while the dukes organized the event.
Nathan, on the other hand, had spent days away, traveling on a ship sailing along a surface river, passing through the duchies. The treasures being transported were moved via Underground Transport before being loaded onto a ship above.
I had wanted to spend more time with him.
Instead, I had helped my mother, but my main responsibility was handling the administrative side of things in the Royal Capital's office—managing the logistics paperwork for the event and other crucial affairs of the duchy. Some of these tasks couldn't be delegated to staff, as they involved classified documents that only high-ranking nobles were authorized to access. It had been a hectic period, filled with decisions and approvals, with the weight of responsibility increasing as the banquet drew near.
Aboveground, it was probably nighttime. The underground ship moved in complete silence, its passengers immersed in their rest. Ever since Quinn's attack, our security policies had become ruthlessly strict. Now, our travels were exclusively conducted aboard our family's private Underground Transport ship. The days when we could disguise ourselves and walk freely among the common people had become nothing more than distant memories. In any public setting, we were always surrounded by guards—a constant shadow following us wherever we went.
The only place where we found some semblance of peace was in Apsalon. However, even that refuge had changed. The streets of the magical city were now filled with soldiers. Apsalon had become a strategic hub for gatherings of high-ranking nobles and officials from across the continent. This past year had been especially tumultuous, marked by the establishment of the fourth kingdom and suspicious activity along the borders.
Apsalon, a city that once represented freedom and neutrality, was now the stage for heated debates, critical decisions, and strategic planning for the continent's future.
Previously, decisions involving multiple smaller kingdoms required fragmented and time-consuming negotiations. The creation of the fourth great kingdom had streamlined this process. Now, this new power had assumed the role of being the primary voice for the other half of the continent. The chaos that once plagued the minor kingdoms—where they constantly vied for favor with the three great kingdoms—had finally ceased. I had heard that these conflicts extended beyond mere political disputes; sabotage and intrigue were common. But with the formation of the new kingdom and the rise of the Olarion royal family, these rivalries had vanished. Unity had become a necessity, and decisions now came directly from the new monarchy.
This model wasn't new to us. It had been the same since the time of the Founding Emperor. Before the Empire was established, the duchies were independent kingdoms, locked in constant, often bloody, conflicts. Unification had brought stability, ending commercial, political, and economic feuds. While some rivalries still lingered, they were far less significant. The system in place ensured that all duchies sold their goods to the kingdom, which acted as the intermediary, redistributing resources among the other duchies. This helped regulate tensions and prevented old conflicts from resurfacing.
Though it was sometimes frustrating to live as vassals of the kingdom, my mother always said that it was better than standing alone against the other seven duchies and the kingdom itself. Without support—be it commercial or military—we would be completely surrounded. She constantly reminded me that, in the grand scheme of things, it was always better to be part of the whole than to fight against it.
I stepped out of my cabin on the ship with careful movements, closing the door without making a sound. The wood creaked slightly, but the noise was lost in the silence of the late night. Everyone was in deep sleep after the exhausting banquet, and the stillness around me felt almost sacred.
A soft darkness enveloped the hallway, broken only by the lights that flickered on automatically as I walked, triggered by the embedded light crystals in the ceiling. Each step echoed faintly, making me even more cautious to avoid making noise. The ship was designed to provide comfort to the ducal family, turning it into a floating home. The hallways were spacious, lined with discreet tapestries that absorbed sound, creating a peaceful and isolated atmosphere.
"Kinue!" I exclaimed, surprised to see her in the corridor.
She was dressed in a thin nightgown, and immediately, something caught my attention.
Damn… I think her breasts got bigger… Ugh, that's so unfair. Why isn't she wearing a bra? Oh, right. It's because she's in her sleepwear… That was dumb of me.
"Chloe?" Kinue reacted, just as startled, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of me. "You're still awake at this hour… Do you want me to prepare something for you?" She asked, trying to keep her voice neutral, but I already knew what she was up to.
I narrowed my eyes, suspicious, analyzing the situation. "Kinue… Where were you going?" I asked, my gaze accusatory. Instantly, she flushed and averted her eyes.
"To Nathan's room…" she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just wanted to sleep near him. We've been apart for a few days… I missed him."
Her explanation was timid, but I wasn't buying it.
I sighed, shaking my head in disapproval. "You were trying to make a sneaky move… How bold," I said, attempting to sound serious, but a part of me found the situation amusing.
Kinue turned even redder, her embarrassment obvious.
"Wait… Where were you going, Chloe? It's really late, and the kitchen and bathroom aren't in this direction…" she countered, narrowing her eyes at me with the same suspicion.
I froze for a moment, realizing I had been caught.
Shit.
"I… I was going to Nathan's room," I admitted, murmuring the last part.
Her expression shifted to one of triumph as she shook her head.
"You were trying to make a sneaky move… How bold," she repeated my own words back at me with a smug smile.
I fell silent, knowing I had lost. She had caught me red-handed, and there was no way out of it.
"We made a deal," I said, trying to justify myself. "We agreed not to move forward with him until we settled things… and we haven't even sat down to plan how it would… work… with him," I muttered, my face burning.
Just thinking about those couple things made me even more embarrassed. Kinue was just as red as I was.
"I was only going to sleep beside him," Kinue said quickly, her voice shaky as she turned an even deeper shade of crimson. "That's all. I don't have the courage to… do those things yet… especially not here. We're sleeping near his mother and your mother."
"I know… I wasn't implying that you were going to do that," I reassured her, trying to ease the tension. But just talking about the subject made me nervous.
Conversations about this kind of thing between the two of us were always… awkward.
We had tried once to discuss how things would work in bed when we got married, but we ended up more embarrassed than informed. I had so many questions. Would we all sleep together? Or would we have separate rooms? And if we did, would he sleep with one of us each night? How would the next step work… in bed? Which of us would be his first? We didn't want to rush things and mess up our dynamic, but just thinking about it left me completely flustered.
During that conversation, I actually had to drink a little just to talk about it without burying myself in embarrassment.
"Girls…" a voice suddenly interrupted, making us jump in shock.
"Aunt Katie!" we exclaimed in unison, our hearts pounding.
She narrowed her eyes at us, glancing at how close we were to Nathan's room, then suddenly broke into a mischievous smile.
"It's not what you think!" I blurted out, trying to suppress the panic rising inside me.
"Yeah! We weren't going to do… adult things! Especially not both of us at the same time with Nathan!" Kinue added, her voice trembling as her face burned with embarrassment.
Our aunt burst into laughter, much to our absolute despair.
"Why not? I want grandkids. I figured you two were already experts at this kind of thing, practicing for a long time. You live together at the academy—don't you take advantage of that to give me grandkids?" she asked, her tone completely casual, as if she were talking about the weather.
Kinue and I froze, our faces burning hot. Talking about this between ourselves was already difficult, but having Nathan's mother—our aunt—ask something like this… It felt like a punch to the stomach, leaving us completely speechless.
"Come on, I'm heading to the kitchen," our aunt said, motioning for us to follow.
"We… we don't do those things…" I muttered, mortified.
Our aunt glanced back at us with a knowing smile.
"Hmm… I want to take care of my grandkids. You two should get started soon."
"W-What!? Auntie… Talking about this with you is way too embarrassing…" I stammered, feeling my face heat up even more.
She kept walking as Kinue suddenly dashed ahead, looking bolder than I expected.
"So… does that mean I have permission to… you know… do it with him?" Kinue asked, hesitant but clearly curious.
"Of course, dear. You're his girlfriend. I assumed you were already doing it every night," our aunt replied naturally.
"There's the issue of noise…" Kinue mumbled.
I stared at her in shock.
Kinue! You… you're way too bold!
"Chloe knows how to create a wind barrier, so I'm sure there won't be any noise when it's her turn. But you can ask Nathan to make one when… well, when you two are together. Sound doesn't pass through a wind barrier," our aunt explained, as if giving us casual advice on house chores.
"Alright, Auntie! I'll give you lots of grandkids!" Kinue declared with absolute conviction, making me even more flustered.
"Kinue!?" I gasped, my entire face burning. "Slow down! That's not what we agreed on!" I almost stuttered.
Our aunt gave me a firm look, though she was still smiling.
"You too, Chloe. You need to be more decisive. Have lots of babies with Nathan."
I just got a lot of encouragement from my aunt about this subject. I'm dying of embarrassment right now…
Author's Note:
Hey, hope you're doing well!
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