Chapter 40. My Selfish Heart. Liz POV.
A month had passed and it was time for the Hunter Association’s ceremony, where my husband would give his speech to the entire world. It was being held in a big auditorium. The auditorium was filled with S-ranked hunters, world leaders and other influential people.
The twenty strongest hunters of the world gathered in one spot. For one day.
I walked down a hallway in a fancy red dress, my heels clicking against the grey polished concrete floors as people looked at me and I smiled back. The president of Japan greeted me and I returned the greeting. They all wanted a word with the wife of the world’s strongest, but my focus was already preoccupied.
I had to go to the bathroom.
Opening the door to the restroom, I saw the usual stalls and mirrors. And in front of one of those pristine mirrors was Evelyn. She looked absolutely stunning, with her long blonde hair in a ponytail and of course in her hunter uniform.
We made eye contact through the reflection.
“Hello Evelyn,” I greeted her as I walked next to her, fixing my own hair.
The water mage looked at me in the mirror and then she left without saying a word, the door closing behind her with a slam. I sighed. I needed to pee so I went inside one of the stalls, sitting down and relaxing my muscles.
As I did my business, I pulled out a little white stick from my purse.
There were two lines, and C and T written next to them. The test was positive. A life was growing within me and I could feel the little alien already—the tingling sensation and the slight nausea in the mornings. This test was a week old.
My husband still didn’t know; not because I didn’t want him to know. I did. But I knew him better than anyone and the moment I tell him, he would go into overprotective dad mode—he would give up on his speech, on his legacy as the world’s strongest, on his goal of building a space civilization. Just for me.
A flush of the toilet and I stood up, washing my hands and brushing my hair. I looked beautiful, the dress was perfect. I wore a bit of make up to accentuate my emerald eyes.
After washing off the excess soap, I grabbed the pregnancy test, threw it into the small trash bin and stepped out of the bathroom. The hallway was cold but my face was warm.
The problem wasn’t his reaction; it was my selfish heart. I wanted to tell him today. Right now even. His reaction was something I anticipated yet I still wanted him to choose me.
My footsteps echoed in the hallway.
It was selfish but I couldn’t stop myself from hoping that he would put me first above everything and stay with me, just for the start of our child’s life. Leave the saving, the fighting and the ruling to others.
He could do both... But I wanted him for myself for once. So many friends were lost in the dungeons, so many people sacrificed themselves, some of them were strangers and others were friends. I couldn’t risk losing him in battle. Not anymore.
So why did it hurt so much? Why did tears come to my eyes as I walked through the big hallways of the auditorium. I should be happy right now.
“Liz! Over here!” I heard my name and followed the sound of the voice behind me.
Another S-rank hunter waved at me. She had curly red hair and blue eyes. My maid of honor, Katherine. She was my best friend and I hugged her tightly.
The feeling of her warm body against mine made my sadness a bit lighter.
“Hey Kat,” I said, my voice was a bit raspy and Katherine immediately picked up on it.
This woman was sharp.
She raised her eyebrows at me and pulled back from the hug to see my face.
“Liz? What’s wrong?” Her expression changed in an instant from happy to worried. It was very fast.
I wiped my eyes and smiled at her and her pet.
“Nothing,” I laughed, my voice shaky. “Just allergies.”
She wasn’t buying it but the music started, playing the Hunter Association anthem that signaled the start of the ceremony. Kat’s dragon, a small light green dragon the size of a cat flew towards my shoulders and nuzzled my neck, its small tongue licking my skin and tickling me. My tears fell down on his scaly face.
I took a deep breath.
“It’s fine,” I said as I petted Axel.
Katherine eyed me up and down before her eyes lingered on my belly. A knowing look appeared on her face. Kat’s magic was unfair. She could see life itself. She could sense my baby’s heartbeat and my feelings through it.
“Okay—”
Her voice was cut off by the announcements on the stage.
“The third strongest hunter, the Goddess of Life, Katherine Valentina!” the announcer’s voice boomed.
Kat sighed. The S-ranked hunters had to go on stage first, in order of strength. That meant my husband would be last.
“Liz, I will ask you again later. For now...” She grinned widely and she put two fingers in the air with a wink, “It seems I’m not the only one who can create lives.” Then she laughed as she went towards the stage with Axel flying off my shoulder.
I was staring at her fingers, dumbfounded.
Two? It didn’t take a genius to understand her hint. Two babies. Two little lives in my womb. I rubbed my belly, imagining two tiny humans in there, growing slowly.
This was too much. I needed to sit down. My legs felt wobbly as I walked to the backstage area and saw the room they had prepared for the S-rank hunters.
My husband and Berlin were chatting. Katherine was giving a speech and I could hear the crowd cheering for her. The words were about hope and a new future for humanity.
“Liz, what’s the matter?” Silas said as he pulled a chair for me to sit.
I sat down, looking up at him and his violet eyes. His minty smell surrounded me. He was so beautiful, even when he was worried.
“Silas... I need to tell you something,” I said.
Berlin’s name got called and he walked away from us, giving us a bit of privacy. My husband leaned on the wall next to me, his smile soft.
“Are you sick? If you want to go home I’ll take you right now,” he offered. His hand went to my forehead to check for a fever.
A blush appeared on my cheeks as I pushed his hand away. I couldn’t tell him now. Just wait until after the ceremony when he felt accomplished, when his hard work was recognized. The cheers in the background, the words that inspired people, all for him.
I shook my head and kissed his cheek.
“Silas...it’s not that. Just a bit nervous for your grand speech. You are about to change the world,” I lied, a bad one and he knew it.
Silas didn’t question me. His eyes were tender, filled with understanding.
“You know you are more important than any of that right?” He whispered.
The cheers got bigger and bigger—deafening. The final S-rank name was about to be announced. The name that made monsters bow their heads.
Silas kissed my cheek.
“Finally I announce Silas Vane, the strongest human alive and the man who will set forth a new frontier for humanity in the universe. The Era of Rosevane has begun,” the announcer's words ended, his voice booming through the speakers.
Everyone turned quiet, waiting for the man to walk out of the backstage. Their excitement for his speech turned physical.
I watched my husband turn to leave, his fading warmth, his back getting ever so slowly further away.
I had to.
“I’m pregnant.”
He halted mid-step. Turned around slowly. His eyes went wide before they became something else entirely—the same look he had the night we moved into the empty house, standing in the barren garden while I told him where the apple tree would go. A smile appeared on his lips.
He didn’t hesitate.
Before I knew it, I was eating ice cream with him in some random diner far from the ceremony. The news showed nine people standing awkwardly on a stage as the announcer fumbled his words, trying to explain the absence of the man who would start a new era, trying to explain why the man who was feeding me a spoon of chocolate ice cream wasn’t on that stage.
Then he kissed me, his lips on mine, his hand on mine.
I knew what I did was selfish and the world would judge him for this but this kiss made it all worth it.
We are not normal, my husband and I. The world we live in has monsters and heroes, villains and legends. Some go to Heaven, some to Hell. But right now in this moment together, he is my love and I am his.