Chapter 62: I Really Put A Baby In His Baby?
Chapter 62: I Really Put A Baby In His Baby?
"Come clean of your crimes, or I won’t let you leave this tent alive!"
Before my brain could formulate a proper, dignified defense, my traitorous mouth blurted out the absolute worst thing possible. "It was only a dream! I’ve never even seen Queen Angelica in person before, honest!"
Silence dropped like a lead weight. Skögul, Göndul, Owen, and even Fenrir stared at me as if I had grown a second head. In the backroom, I could practically hear Princess Lana facepalming.
Great job, Sky. Smooth.
I cleared my throat, forcing a nervous chuckle to break the agonizing quiet. "Cough... haha, that was a joke. A bad one. Um, look, it went down like this..." I took a breath, trying to anchor my racing thoughts. "Lana—no, Princess Lana—was lying face down on the riverbank. She was on the verge of death. I had to touch her, but it was purely medical, I swear! After I revived her, she was disoriented and forgot who she was. She told me her name was Sif. I took her to a nearby cave so she could rest and heal. Up to this point, I didn’t do a single thing a proper doctor wouldn’t do, right?"
I sneaked a glance at King Owen. His face was unreadable.
"Thankfully, her memory returned," I continued, gaining a bit of confidence. "After fighting side by side and growing stronger together, we... well, we confessed our feelings to each other. Honest!"
Owen’s expression shifted the moment the name 'Sif' left my lips. His brow furrowed. "Lana called herself Sif? Are you certain?"
"Yeah. She even mentioned that, in her jumbled memories, she and I had a son named Ullr."
Owen’s eyes drifted toward the back room. He clearly wanted to avoid discussing Earth mythology where his daughter could overhear. Steeling his gaze back onto me, he asked the real question. "And did you two become lovers... in the physical sense?"
A heavy bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. There was no lying my way out of this one; the truth was written all over my face. I nodded reluctantly.
"I tried to resist at first, King Owen. Truly, I did. But our feelings were passionate, and facing death together made everything intensely personal. I promise you, I never forced her. I deeply love your daughter."
Owen’s jaw tightened so hard I thought his teeth might crack. "What will you do if she carries your child? Do you have any plan for what comes next, Sir Sky?"
I caught the subtle shift immediately. He had used my formal title, Sir, and his tone had turned stiffly official. That meant Lana was actively listening, likely tipped off the moment Göndul entered the tent.
"I will take full responsibility," I said, holding his gaze. "I will love her, protect her, and marry her. I intend to do this regardless of whether she is pregnant or not. If you will allow it, Your Majesty?"
Owen let out a heavy, world-weary sigh. "Given that her rings were switched, you obviously understand her situation as a princess. You know of Angelica’s designs for her and Thorin." He shook his head grimly. "Though Thorin will be lucky if she doesn't make his life a living hell, just like she does to everyone else around her."
It was clear Owen had missed out on about twenty years of high-stakes, backstabbing royal political dramas, so I decided to enlighten him. "Queen Angelica won't expose Lana’s true birth. I can promise you that."
Instantly, ten ears perked up in the tent.
Owen frowned, leaning forward. "How so? That makes no sense. Angelica is vindictive, calculating, and as cunning as a viper."
I pointed a thumb at my own chest. "She wanted Thorin to alienate me, and that gambit failed. Why is she so desperate to keep me away from Lana? Because I’m a male Summoner wielding three elements. I’m a Knight, and I’m married to Duchess Sylvia. Even with Lana being a Half-Elf, her prestige will skyrocket with me at her side—let alone the day we produce an incredibly powerful heir. If the Princess and I are united, the North won't revolt, saving you a massive headache. And without chaos in the North, Angelica and Vali lose their leverage over the populace."
I flashed a knowing grin. "But here is the real kicker, the reason she will take the secret of Lana’s birth to her grave: When the dust settles, who does she want bragging about being the mother-in-law to a legendary Summoner? Queen Angelica, or Queen Breeze? 'The mother of Princess Lana Balder' suddenly sounds like an incredibly lucrative title to flaunt, doesn't it?"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Owen’s finger rhythmically struck the armrest of his chair. For all his vast knowledge and his self-proclaimed otaku past, Owen was an idealist. He excelled at many things, but complex, venomous political scheming wasn't one of them. He lacked the devious spark that Lana had seemingly inherited.
"So," Owen began slowly, "how do we persuade her to choose you over your brother or any other suitor? Not that I would ever actually agree to her terms, mind you, but how do we manipulate her into that corner?"
My trickster smile returned. "It’s simple. Go to Queen Leandra. Have her loudly brag about her spectacular future son-in-law and how ecstatic she is. That alone will make Queen Angelica deeply suspicious. She’ll panic, thinking a perfectly good piece of blackmail is slipping through her fingers, and she’ll come running to you to gauge your stance."
I leaned back, mapping out the steps. "When she does, you just shrug. Act completely helpless. Admit that Lana and I are deeply in love and that you’ve resigned yourself to agreeing to our future marriage. Tell her the secret can't be kept hidden forever anyway, so announcing Lana's true lineage now is for the best, allowing Queen Breeze to finally be open about her child and son-in-law."
I chuckled. "Angelica will immediately recalculate the board to see how she can profit. To prevent Queen Leandra from gaining an advantage, Angelica will actively try to convince you to keep Lana’s birth a secret for the good of the Kingdom. Then, she’ll order Vali to play the part of my fiercely loyal brother-in-law while she attempts to pull my strings from the shadows. She wants a new son-in-law she can control to ride the wave of my growing popularity."
I took a quiet breath, my expression softening slightly. "I’ll never admit this out loud to the public, but as vile as Queen Angelica can be, her crimes have mostly been limited to blackmail and incitement. Even James Sky’s death wasn't her doing; it was an overeager subordinate who took things too far. I investigated it thoroughly. She was technically clean, though she immediately weaponized the tragedy to control others like chess pieces. That is her true crime. But as the old saying goes, King Owen... keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
Owen stared at me for a long moment before letting out another massive sigh, the tension leaving his shoulders. "Sigh... let us proceed with that plan, then. Worst-case scenario, I simply make the announcement ourselves and let Angelica try to push us. But enough politics." His eyes suddenly flashed with protective, fatherly rage. "Now I want to know exactly how you harmed my daughter!"
My mastermind facade instantly shattered. "What?! I never harmed her!"
"Lana, come out here this instant," Owen commanded.
The curtain parted. Lana stepped into the main area of the tent, looking entirely subdued. Beside her, Göndul lowered her hand, having just used Diagnose to scan the princess's abdomen.
"Yes, Father. I’m here," Lana murmured, keeping her eyes glued to her boots.
Owen clenched his fists, his voice booming with a mixture of heartbreak and fury. "Who is the father of your child?"
Holy shit. My heart skipped a beat. Did I really put a baby in her? Please say no. Please say no!
Lana lifted her chin, her eyes wide and pooling with innocent tears. "My baby’s father is Count Loki Sky, Father. I love him deeply. But... he didn’t even know about it. He was completely unconscious for the entire thing. Loki is entirely innocent here."
Owen froze. I froze.
White Lie Lana strikes again!
Sure, there was a very real biological chance I had gotten her pregnant during our actual nights together, but she was spinning a masterful web right in front of us. She was using the classic 'sleeping with a comatose patient' trope to completely shield me from her father's wrath.
"Daughter..." Owen stammered, his protective rage melting into profound confusion. "What do you mean, Sir Loki didn’t know?"
Just as I suspected, the fiercely protective, wonderfully gullible Owen couldn't possibly conceive that his sweet, perfect little girl would lie to his face.
Lana sniffled, executing her revised tale flawlessly.
"Loki was a complete gentleman after he saved me," she whispered, a tear escaping down her cheek. "We traveled together, and that was when he shared his Primordial treasures with me, boosting me nearly to the 5th Circle. But... when he was actively absorbing the life force, he fell unconscious. His body was burning hot, and he was in so much pain. I love him so much, Father. I couldn't bear to see him suffer, so I did what a married couple should do to soothe him... I didn't want him to feel burdened, so I left before he woke up to find Sir Thorin, leaving him alone. I felt so much shame for violating his trust without asking that I couldn't bear to face him. But now... now that I carry his child, I have to come clean. I'm so sorry, Father. I was wicked because of my love."
Oh my god. I stared at her in sheer, unadulterated awe. If I didn't know the truth, even I would believe this pitiful bullshit!
I had accidentally cultivated my innocent Lana into an Angelica 2.0—a grandmaster of emotional whitewashing and devastatingly effective white lies.
With tears welling in his own eyes, Owen stood up, stepped forward, and pulled his daughter into a tight, fierce embrace. "Oh, my sweet girl... you are a good, pure soul," he choked out, comforting her.
Over her father’s shoulder, Lana gently patted Owen's back. Then, she looked straight at me and delivered a slow, deliberate wink. A cold shiver ran down my spine. I suddenly felt a profound, terrifying fear for my future marriage.
Because we were legally locked into the camp for five more days to wait for any late-returning students, we set up our own quarters.
Unsurprisingly, I was slapped with a strict, royal restraining order. The King banned me from seeing, meeting, or contacting Lana until we set foot back in the capital. Ostensibly, he claimed it was to prevent word of Lana’s lost virginity and sudden pregnancy from leaking to Angelica or Leandra prematurely. In reality? Owen just wanted to hog every second of daughter-time he had left, while simultaneously helping her prepare to summon her Second Summon right here in the Demonic Beast Forest.
Lana faced a unique setback, however. Because she was now pregnant, she was biologically locked out of making a breakthrough to the 5th Circle until after she gave birth.
This specific quirk of magic was exactly why Taki Tsuki had been so hesitant to try for a child; she was utterly determined to reach the 9th Circle for my sake first. Shade wasn't heartbroken about our forced distance for the exact same reason—she was currently meditating twice as hard to push her own limits. Lisa Swallow was in the identical boat; though she wouldn't mind a family, achieving the 9th Circle remained her primary objective.
Monsters, thankfully, were entirely exempt from these biological limitations. They didn't cultivate their mana cores via humanoid methods, meaning pregnancy had zero impact on their evolutionary breakthroughs. Amazons were the sole, rare exception to the humanoid rule; their breakthroughs functioned more like a fire monster's evolutionary spark, meaning they could technically advance while pregnant. However, the brutal, high-impact nature of physical Amazonian combat meant that fighting late in a term posed a severe physical risk to the child, forcing them to willingly bench themselves as mothers.
While humanoid mage women couldn't trigger a hard breakthrough to a new Circle during pregnancy, they weren't entirely cut off from magic. They could still freely meditate, refine their mana, and expand the capacity of their existing cores—they just couldn't cross the threshold to the next tier until the baby was born.
Taking everything into account, I decided against summoning Baihu to my side just yet. I already had my hands full balancing Ayala, Lisa, Shehuang, Taki Tsuki, and a heavily pregnant Yin Meng over these five days. I simply didn't possess the emotional bandwidth or physical stamina required to handle Baihu’s notoriously aggressive, dominant personality. I genuinely wanted to be with her, but I refused to neglect my current lovers just to chase a new spark. Besides, since I had emerged from the Secret Realm five days early, I wasn't technically breaking my promise to her; I would call for her the exact moment the portal officially closed.
I spent my nights sharing a tent with Lisa and Ayala, while dedicating my daylight hours to bonding with my Summons and diligently studying the complex spell frameworks required for my own eventual leap to the 5th Circle.
On the final day, as the portal began its slow, shimmering collapse, the vast majority of our academy's students successfully emerged from the Secret Realm. The massive forest fire I had inadvertently caused had long since been choked out by a sudden, torrential downpour—a testament to the semi-sentient nature of Secret Realms, which actively altered their internal weather to protect themselves from total ecological disasters.
Just before we were scheduled to board the massive SDF-One transport vessel, the King and his personal elite guard gathered in a secluded clearing to oversee Lana’s second summoning ritual.
Watching from a safe distance, I joined the crowd to witness what entity would answer her call.
The ambient mana flared, turning a sharp, crackling yellow. Much like her father, Lana’s magic resonated with the fierce, unyielding aura of Valhalla.
She had successfully called a Valkyrie to her side. Though the spirit didn't share Lana's innate lightning element, it answered the summons with absolute authority.
As the blinding light faded, a towering, armored figure materialized. The twin sisters, Skögul and Göndul, gasped in immediate recognition, their eyes widening at the sight of an old comrade from the Plane of Death.
It was an 8th Circle Death Healer, a Full Knight Valkyrie.
Her name was Frigg.
With an 8th Circle powerhouse now sworn to her side, Princess Lana had officially evolved from a protected royal into one of the most formidable, terrifyingly talented magical prospects in the entire Kingdom of Balder.
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