The Queen and the Lion - Chapter 77

He seemed even more frail and delicate than before, so fragile that he seemed ready to sway. Aslan’s heart ached. Lysian, supporting her slender body as if it might collapse at any moment, commended those who had suffered for the war and added,

“Thank you all for bringing victory to Florea. My king, I’ve heard reports that your contribution was especially outstanding.”

“It was all thanks to Your Majesty’s blessing,” Aslan replied humbly.

Aslan was glad that the Heiban king couldn’t see him like this. In Heiban, Aslan would have scoffed at the idea that his victory was anything but his own. If he had been there, he would have surely clutched his neck and collapsed from a surge of blood pressure.

Lysian looked at Aslan with a tender gaze. The affection in her violet eyes was clearly visible to the ministers standing nearby. To them, he might have seemed as terrifying as a giant bear, but to Lysian, Aslan was undoubtedly like a baby bear. They nodded in agreement.

Lysian said, “I have some news to share with you in place of a reward.”

“I would be grateful for anything, Your Majesty.”

He hadn’t expected a reward.

Aslan was satisfied just knowing that he had kept Lysian safe and protected the peace of Florea, which she cherished so much. If this incident were to make the ministers who had disliked him think differently of him, there would be no greater joy.

Seeing Aslan bow his head in agreement, Lysian pretended not to know and said, “Around the time of the Truffle Moon, a future queen of Florea will be born.”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

The ministers all bowed their heads and exclaimed in unison.

They all knew about Lysian’s pregnancy, having received the diagnosis from the physician when she had fainted.

The ministers’ gazes turned to Aslan. They were filled with curiosity about how he would react.

Aslan stared blankly at Lysian, his mouth agape at the sudden news. He couldn’t say anything. The man who had been so sharp and threatening on the battlefield was now completely dumbfounded.

Seeing Aslan speechless, Lysian raised an eyebrow and asked, “Aren’t you happy?”

“I, is it true?” Aslan asked stupidly, forgetting his honorifics. Lysian tried to suppress her laughter and replied solemnly, “Would I lie to you?”

As soon as Lysian finished speaking, Aslan jumped up from his kneeling position.

He walked straight towards Lysian in a single stride. The smell of the battlefield still lingered on him. He wrapped his arms around Lysian and exclaimed, “This news makes me happier than any victory in war, Lysian!”

Overjoyed, Aslan picked up Lysian and spun her around. Lysian’s many-layered skirt fluttered like clouds in the blue sky. Her well-combed pink hair flowed like cherry blossoms scattered across a river.

The ministers, who had been stunned by the sudden turn of events, exclaimed in horror at the sight of Lysian being lifted high in the air.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty is not stable yet! How dare you treat her body so carelessly!”

Aslan was startled by the ministers’ shouts, only then realizing what he had done. His grip on Lysian tightened momentarily. Carefully, he set her down. Even after her feet touched the ground, he was still nervous about her falling.

With a mournful expression, Aslan looked back and forth between the ministers and Lysian, asking, “I, I didn’t know. What if something had happened? What am I going to do?”

“Be more careful in the future.”

“Yes, I will.”

Aslan bowed his head, humbled by the ministers’ reprimand, who were extremely sensitive about the queen’s pregnancy. His appearance, far from that of a victorious general, was one of utter dejection.

Aslan still looked at Lysian with worried eyes, his excitement not entirely gone. The fear that something might have gone wrong gnawed at him. He wanted to slap himself for being so foolish.

Lysian simply chuckled. At that moment, everything felt perfect.

So much food was brought out that it seemed like the long table legs would buckle. Considering the Florean dining culture of serving courses one after another, it was a very rude way to eat.

It was even more so since this meal was taking place in the heart of the Florean palace, in the dining hall where the king and queen ate. If Mugue, Earl of Aslan’s dining etiquette, had known, he would have been horrified and disgusted. But now, no matter how much he wanted to, there was nothing he could do.

“How’s this? What about that? The lettuce today seems pretty good, doesn’t it?”

“Ugh…”

“Remove the fish with lemon!”

At Lysian’s firm command, the fish plate was cleared.

One by one, the plates that had filled the table disappeared, leaving only a small eggplant skewer about the size of two fingers. Aslan poked at the eggplant skewer with a fork, his expression stiff. The fork pierced the flesh of the perfectly cooked eggplant, and Aslan closed his eyes and popped the skewer into his mouth.

Lysian watched Aslan anxiously. Aslan swallowed the eggplant with a large gulp. Lysian asked with hopeful eyes, “Is the eggplant okay?”

“…I think so.”

“Bring some more eggplant.”

As soon as Aslan spoke, Lysian ordered. The servants rushed to the kitchen. Lysian looked at Aslan with pity and sighed softly.

Dandelion, the head servant, who would normally add that sighing at the table was improper, sighed along with her. It was a sigh of relief, thinking that he would be able to eat today after all.

The night before his departure, Aslan had conceived a child with Lysian. He had only learned of this news after returning victorious from the battlefield. Overjoyed, Aslan had acted as if he had everything in the world. And indeed, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he had everything in the world, as he possessed Lysian, the queen of Florea, who was renowned for her beauty.

However, as time passed, a problem arose. It turned out that enduring the pregnancy was not easy.