The White Cat That Swore Vengeance Was Just Lazing on the Dragon King’s Lap - Volume 8 - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: New Life

Ruri thought that the discomfort in her stomach she had been feeling for a little while was indeed strange. While she had planned to talk to Jade about it, not only had Celestine fled into the nation at the worst time, she’d had to deal with the Nation of the Beast King and the transmigrators shortly after, which meant she completely lost her opportunity to mention it. But now that the situation had settled down considerably and Jade had gained some breathing room with work, Ruri wouldn’t be disturbing him by bringing the topic up.

When she visited Jade’s office with Rutile as her guard, she found Euclase there along with some other retainers: Claus, Agate, and Finn.

“Jade-sama, is now a good time?”

“Yes, what’s the matter?”

“I’d like to talk to you about something.”

“I recall you saying that before. It completely slipped my mind with the situation in Furgal. Is there something troubling you?” Jade asked, putting down his pen and preparing to listen while the retainers continued work as usual.

“I’ve had a funny feeling in my stomach for a little while now. But when you tune with a dragonkin, you stop getting colds or illnesses even if you’re human, right?”

“That’s right, but funny how? I’ll give you the medicine if need be.”

“Well, it sort of feels like there’s a mana-like heat gathering and clumping up. But I’m not running a fever and it’s a bit different from a stomachache. Also, I feel movement, like some sort of twitching on occasion,” Ruri said, patting the lower part of her stomach.

Everyone in the office froze in place. After a pause, they all turned to stare at Ruri.

“Huh? What?” she asked. Silence fell over the office, and a strange air hung overhead, causing Ruri to tense up.

“Do you happen to have any weird illness, by chance?” Euclase asked, making Ruri wonder if she had a curable illness or not.

“Ruri, when did those symptoms show up?” asked Jade.

“About a month ago, I suppose. Before Celestine-san arrived.” Ruri gave a very rough date since she didn’t remember the details well.

Euclase was astonished to hear this. “One month?! Rutile! You didn’t notice at all?!”

“No! My apologies,” Rutile said, visibly shaken by Euclase’s angry, accusatory tone. She put her hands on Ruri’s shoulders. “Ruri, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because there was nothing wrong. I was fine, and had an appetite...” Ruri replied, not knowing why she was being reproached but sensing that everyone in the room was on edge.

Jade was particularly flustered. The pen in his hand had been crushed, and the ink was spilling out onto his hand. With him frozen in place like he hadn’t even noticed what had happened, Euclase reprimanded him. “Your Majesty! This is no time to space out! If she is a month in, she might give birth at any moment! We must prepare quickly!”

“Oh! I...uh...yes. Prepare... Prepare? What should I do?” Jade answered.

Euclase gave up on him, seeing that his mind was not working at full capacity, which made him worthless in their eyes, and started giving orders to those around them. “Agate, prepare the doctors. Clause, you will serve as aide for the royal office while His Majesty is out. Finn, strengthen security. Rutile, gather the court ladies!”

Everyone rushed off at Euclase’s orders, leaving only Ruri behind.

“Euclase-san. What is going on? ‘Prepare the doctors’? Am I sick after all?” Ruri asked, growing worried after seeing that this had made even the people who possessed the dragon’s blood panic.

“No. You’re pregnant!”

“I’m...what?” Ruri uttered, her brain struggling to catch up. After a long pause, she tilted her head and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Whaaaaaaaaat?! Hold on a second! Pregnant?! But my belly is flat!” She was right. Unlike the currently pregnant Padparadscha, her belly was as flat as a board.

“That’s common for dragonkin.”

“Huh? What?! But the strangeness happened a month ago...”

“The pregnancy period for dragonkin is about one month! Normally, you start preparing as soon as symptoms show. What were you thinking, waiting this long to tell us?”

“You should have told us sooner!”

“This is the first time I’m hearing about any of this!” The reprimands were unreasonable to Ruri. Why hadn’t anyone told her? Well, she’d forgotten to tell anyone, but being snapped at didn’t sit right with her. “One month... Does that mean I’m already due?!”

“Yes! The child might come at any moment. Dragonkin go through pregnancy and birth faster than any other race.”

That is way too fast! Ruri thought, feeling the most intense culture shock so far, but there was also a part of her that agreed with the rules of this fantasy world.

“No way! What should I do?!” she asked, unable to rely on childbirth knowledge from her own world.

Her panic was understandable, considering she had suddenly been told that she’d be giving birth without time to rejoice in her pregnancy.

“Jade-sama...” She turned to Jade for help, but he was so pale that it was concerning in itself. “Are you okay, Jade-sama?!”

“If it happened before Celestine arrived, that means that Ruri was pregnant when she went to the Nation of the Beast King. I can’t believe I let her go somewhere so dangerous...” Jade muttered to himself, too shaken up to even respond to Ruri’s cries.

“Even if Ruri didn’t notice, you should have noticed yourself now that you’re in tune with each other, Your Majesty,” Euclase said, shifting the blame to Jade. “Anyone who doesn’t notice changes in their own wife is a failure of a husband!”

“Failure...” Jade repeated, the words landing a critical hit, causing him to curl up and clutch the sides of his head.

However, Euclase ordered Jade into action as well, as if to say time was of the essence. “Your Majesty, please finish your current work quickly—and I mean super express quickly. Prioritize any matter that can only be sanctioned by you personally, as quickly as possible. You have no time to sleep.”

“R-Right,” Jade replied, doing as he was told, picking up a new pen, his hand still shivering. However, as if it had just come to mind, his head jerked up. “Oh! I have to come up with a name for the child!”

“Work comes first!” yelled Euclase.

Jade started working, spurred on by Euclase, but he was so flustered that it was doubtful he would retain anything from the paperwork.

“Ruri! You have to rest in your room!” Euclase ordered.

Ruri returned to her room as instructed and was soon greeted by the doctor Euclase had dispatched. She let the doctor examine her, skeptical, but the results showed that Ruri was indeed pregnant. It wasn’t until she was told that the baby would be born in a couple of days that she realized how serious the situation was. It was no wonder Euclase and the others were in panic mode. They had to prepare for the birth in only two days.

Since her belly wasn’t swollen, reality hadn’t sunk in for Ruri. Nevertheless, the surrounding area was kept on high alert to deal with the child who would be coming at any time. A doctor had been stationed to watch over Ruri, not only because she was the king’s wife, but out of concern for the nation’s Beloved.

As she took it easy in her room and pondered whether she was really going to have a child, her parents came to visit her. Ruri had been ordered to remain on complete bed rest and was forced to lie around despite feeling nothing was wrong with her. She was now sitting upright with a stack of pillows behind her.

“Ruri, I heard you’re expecting? Kotaro-chan came up to me and said a child was on the way, so I had no idea what he was talking about at first.” Riccia was all smiles, not very perturbed, possibly because she already knew the struggles of childbirth.

Kohaku, on the other hand, was different. “Are you sure you’re okay? From what I’ve heard, dragonkin give birth in a month’s time. Can a child grow properly in a human in such a short period of time?” Kohaku asked, his concerns being valid in terms of human logic. Ruri had had the same thought herself.

“Yep. They said it’s normal. I’m due in a couple of days or so, but it doesn’t feel real yet. Am I really about to give birth?” Ruri asked, putting a hand on her abdomen. Riccia’s and Kohaku’s gazes fell upon her hand.

“It’s as flat as a board. Wow, dragonkin sure are mysterious!” Riccia said in an easygoing tone. “Can I touch it for a second?”

“Sure.”

Riccia reached over to her daughter’s abdomen, her eyes brimming with curiosity. However, no matter how much she touched it, she couldn’t feel any movement inside.

“This really is mysterious,” Riccia commented, still cocking her head as she removed her hand.

“I don’t see His Majesty here, but what’s he up to? Leaving his pregnant wife like this...”

“Euclase-san has him confined to his office. They want to let him finish up his work while he still can. He will be with me when I deliver, so they want him to get through any work exclusive to the Dragon King.”

“It’s not easy being a Dragon King, huh?” Riccia commented.

Ruri smiled wryly, fully agreeing. She really wanted Jade to stay by her side, but considering his position, she couldn’t afford to make any selfish requests.

“Are you ready for this?” Kohaku asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Euclase-san is taking the initiative to get things in order. I wouldn’t know what to do on my own, after all,” Ruri replied. When it came to childbirth in another world, and dragonkin childbirth to boot, Ruri’s knowledge, based on childbirth in her own world, wasn’t going to fly.

“You have a point,” Kohaku replied. He must have been surprised to hear the sudden news. He was basically being told that his grandchild was coming without warning. Kohaku’s gaze then fell upon a stack of books on top of a chest of drawers near Ruri’s bed. “What are these?”

“Books on raising dragonkin children. Euclase-san prepared them for me and told me to study them, but it’s just gibberish.” Ruri shrugged with a smile. “For dragonkin children, mana is food. That’s what they have written in them, but do you know what that means?”

“If you have no idea, then we’d definitely have no idea,” Riccia replied.

“Yeah, I bet.” Ruri hadn’t expected to gain any answers from her parents. She’d tried to ask around, but everyone was busy preparing for the birth and she didn’t want to disturb anybody by flagging them down.

“Well, I’m sure it’ll all work out. Euclase-san has been preparing doctors and stuff for me.”

“True. I feel more relieved with Euclase-san around,” Riccia replied.

“True,” Kohaku echoed.

Euclase and Riccia seemed to get along well, so they would often pop into Riccia’s shop, order custom clothes, and mingle. Therefore, Riccia knew Euclase’s disposition well.

Perhaps because Kohaku had seen Euclase’s excellent work at the castle as chancellor, he had a lot of trust in Euclase and had no objections to Riccia’s opinion.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’ll have to inform my dad that you’re expecting, Ruri,” Riccia brought up Beryl, as if she’d just remembered him.

“Oh, Kotaro apparently contacted Chi, so I think Chi already told grandpa.”

“Oh my, is that so? That’s good to hear. But I’ll send him a letter just in case. I’m sure he’ll be rushing back,” Riccia replied.

It might have been difficult for Andal to keep up with him, but Padparadscha was in the castle, also in her last month of pregnancy. Andal probably wanted to see the birth of his grandson and possible heir to the Beast King throne. Ruri thought that both of them returning together would be killing two birds with one stone.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Riccia exited the room with Kohaku, who returned to work. Before she left, Riccia excitedly stated that she was going to make some baby clothes for the newborn. They were apparently staying at the castle until Ruri delivered her child.

Ruri was very grateful to have her parents by her side, since it was reassuring. It was her first child and had come out of nowhere, so her feelings hadn’t caught up to her yet. She was acting cheerful, but she was extremely nervous.

As if swapping in for her parents, Celestine and Padparadscha came to offer their congratulations.

“Padparadscha-san. How are you feeling?” Ruri asked.

Padparadscha smiled awkwardly. “That should be my line. I can’t believe that you were pregnant as well, Lady Beloved! When I think of how I entrusted the Nation of the Beast King’s matters to you in your condition, I cannot help but feel absolutely terrible,” she replied, looking sad.

Celestine nodded. “You can certainly say that again. What would you have done if something had happened to Jade’s child?!” Celestine was clearly upset, not because Ruri’s child was in danger, but because Jade’s child was in danger, which was very much like her. “So? How are you doing, Lady Ruri?” she asked.

“They put me on complete bed rest, but I’m doing just fine.” She was doing so well, in fact, that it was hard to believe she really was expecting a child.

“That’s good to hear, but I still can’t believe you’re going to be giving birth before Padparadscha, Lady Ruri.” Padparadscha nodded quietly in agreement.

“That’s so true. I’m the most surprised.”

“You can’t be ignorant of dragonkin biology if you’re married to one! You should have studied it much earlier!” Celestine complained like a sister-in-law.

“I mean,” Ruri started with a wry smile, “I thought it was the same as human beings. No one told me either. I never thought it’d be this different...”

“Well, it’s true the dragonkin are a tad special among demi-humans, like giving dragonhearts when they get married and whatnot.”

“A tad?” Ruri repeated, wanting to quip about it being far from a tad special.

“Anyway, since you’re due any time now, it’d be best if you drilled some of those facts into your head.”

Ruri glanced at the books by her bed for a second, meekly replying to the warning. “Yes, ma’am.”

Since Padparadscha could give birth at any moment as well, the two did not stay long. The resident doctor came to check on Ruri frequently. Jade was tasked with finishing his work quickly and was forbidden by Euclase to even go check on Ruri until it was done. By Rutile’s account, he was almost ready to cry as he processed the paperwork.

Two days passed in that manner until Ruri felt a sudden pain, which made her clutch her stomach. The court ladies noticed this change right away and went to bring the doctors. Those on standby in the next room came in right away, throwing the chamber into chaos.

Ruri’s stomach felt heat more than pain. As the people around her moved in a flurry of activity and she fought against a heat stronger than pain, she gave birth to a tiny, tiny dragon. It was so small that it was worrying, but it was apparently a normal size for dragonkin children. Ruri, now seeing why a baby of this size wouldn’t make her stomach swell, placed it softly into the palm of her hands as though handling something fragile.

“Hmmm. That’s a world of magic for you... I guess I’m glad I didn’t lay an egg.”

She hadn’t expected the baby to be born in a dragon’s body, but seeing as it probably wasn’t weird in the fantasy world she inhabited, she accepted the fact surprisingly easily. She often saw cat-eared or beast-tailed children playing gleefully in the capital, so that helped her to accept this all the quicker.

Most importantly, the baby was absolutely adorable. It was correct to say that she didn’t care whether it was in dragon or human form. She wanted to touch her child more, but she was so limp, as if she had been robbed of all her mana and stamina, that it was difficult for her to get up. Not wanting to drop her newborn, she hurriedly handed it over to Jade himself, who had tossed aside his work and rushed over once he’d heard Ruri was giving birth.

He looked worried but was relieved to know that his wife and baby were safe. With that relief taking him over, he felt overwhelmed by the sight of the child nestled in his hands.

“It’s so small,” he commented.

“It really is,” Ruri replied.

“I never thought that I’d suddenly become a father.”

“Same here. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?”

If Ruri had known about the biology of the dragonkin, she wouldn’t have been in such a rush, and both she and Jade could’ve had more time to be aware of being future parents, so knowing a little bit further in advance would have been ideal. Nevertheless, from the moment they saw their newborn child, a never-ending stream of parental love and affection poured out of them both.

“It seems Euclase thought that either I would notice or that Rutile explained it to you. Since pregnancy can cause mana instability, if the woman is not a dragonkin, the in-tune husband would usually notice. However, Lord Kotaro and Lady Rin said that there likely wasn’t a major change in your mana since you have a contract with both of them on top of being a Beloved.”

“Ah, is that so?” If that was the case, then Ruri couldn’t blame Jade for not noticing.

“Even so, it’s my fault for not catching on,” he admitted dejectedly. He had apparently been scolded by Euclase quite a bit for that blunder.

“Let’s just drop it. The baby came out as it should, and that’s all that matters. And it came out absolutely adorable.”

“You’re right.” Jade gazed at his palm-sized child with a very gentle smile.

Ruri’s lips naturally curl into a smile as well. “I’m sure Agate-san and the others are jumping for joy.”

Agate and the elders wanted a child more than anyone else, so there was no way they weren’t positively ecstatic.

“Yes, they’re making a huge commotion. Apparently, they’re throwing an impromptu party to celebrate the birth.”

The idea of them throwing a party when Ruri, the one who had done the most work, was confined to bed and couldn’t even participate made her raise an eyebrow.

“By the way, what is the little one’s sex?” Ruri asked, unable to tell just by looking.

“I was told it’s a boy.”

“Oh, a boy, huh? I’m sure he’ll grow up to be a stud.”

Though she couldn’t tell from the child’s dragon body, he was bound to be handsome, considering Jade was his father. Ruri couldn’t wait for him to grow up.

“Ruri, I’ve been thinking about a name for him. But only if it’s okay with you.”

“I’d love to hear it.”

“Citrine. What do you think?”

“Citrine...” Ruri repeated, ruminating on the name. It felt familiar and comfortable, as if it had been the only choice from the very start. “I think it’s lovely.”

“You do?!” Jade exclaimed, his face lighting up.

Seeing the joy on his face, Ruri giggled.

“Ruri...” Jade spoke his wife’s name and brought his face closer to hers. “Things have been so hectic that I forgot to say this to you: Thank you for becoming my family. I love you.” He kissed Ruri on the forehead.

“I love you too.”

Although the days leading up to the birth had been tumultuous, the sight of Jade, now looking more like a father, and her newborn child, firmly cemented the fact that they were a family. Filled with an indescribable sense of dreamlike bliss, Ruri flashed him a very tender and peaceful smile.

She was so happy that she wished she could stay in this dreamlike wonder forever.