Meanwhile, something terrible was happening in the Nation of the Beast King. Among the retainers who came to greet Arman from his trip to the Imperial Nation was the Nation of the Beast King’s Beloved, Celestine.
“Welcome back, Master Arman.”
“Hey, there,” Arman greeted her as usual with a raise of his hand. It wasn’t long before he found the girl he was looking for and rushed toward her. “Oh, Padparadscha!”
The girl with the long, loosely braided hair hanging from either side of her head smiled sweetly and opened her arms to him. “Master Arman.”
His lips curled into a broad grin as he gleefully took her into his embrace. Despite being in front of his other vassals, he showed no sign of caring. He normally had his chest puffed with a haughty demeanor, so to see him with a dopey, lovestruck smile on his face was an instant strikeout for him as the dignified ruler of a whole nation.
Celestine and the other retainers all wore exasperated expressions. Oblivious to their reactions, Arman’s eyes could only see the woman named Padparadscha before him. He was probably able to unwind since she was his most loyal and trusted subject among those present, but the disparity between this and his normal behavior—or rather, the difference in how he treated his other wives versus her—would make any of them go on a jealous rampage if they saw it.
“Have you been doing well while I was away?”
“Yes. The child inside of me is doing fine as well,” Padparadscha said with a big, swollen belly. Anyone could see what her status was from a single glance. “They’re moving around a lot as of late.”
“That’s my child. They’re probably chock-full of energy,” Arman said, staring at her soft smile as she rubbed her belly. The similarly kind smile on his face screamed that he was on top of the world.
Despite Arman having many wives, Padparadscha was the one who had filled the once-vacant role of his main wife and queen. Her eyes went from her own stomach to Arman with a sweet smile, and he couldn’t help but take her into his embrace.
“My wife is just too cute...” Arman said, letting his thoughts leak out loud as he squeezed Padparadscha.
Seeing that the girl seemed to be losing her breath in his arms, Celestine and Padparadscha’s caretakers panicked. They were skilled individuals who were strictly and thoroughly screened to take care of the pregnant queen. Any of them could have easily been chosen to serve as the caretakers of a Beloved.
“Master Arman! If you hug her that hard, you’ll harm the child! Please let go of her!” Celestine warned him, pulling the two apart to save Padparadscha. He looked worriedly at the queen, who was sighing in relief. “Are you all right, Lady Padparadscha?”
“Y-Yes, I am, Lady Beloved. I just found it a tad hard to breathe.”