The room was silent and only the breaths of the people in the room could be heard for a moment. Yanyue's heartbeat escalated and time seemed to slow down for her.
Grandma Lu was the first one to react after she recollected her thoughts.
"My child, is that true? You're pregnant?" the old lady said as her face beamed with a bright glow from the overflow of happiness she just experienced.
Yanyue's mouth seemed to be glued together as she struggled to utter out a word, "...Grandma, I-"
Then, she bit her lips in defeat as she figured that she couldn't hide her pregnancy at all, at least not with everyone's eyes on her expectantly. She sighed and nodded, "Yes."
The old lady was elated and reached out to hold the young woman's hands. "Why didn't you tell grandma? When did this happen?" she asked with excitement.
The old lady's exuberance made the tightness in Yanyue's chest lighter. She replied quietly, "I just found out today at the hospital."
The king was also another person who couldn't contain his happiness. He was going to have two grandchildren!
He exclaimed from his spot, "That's good! You're indeed my daughter-in-law!"
Then, he turned to his son with a face that was ready to lecture the life out of him.
"Since Xiaoyue is also pregnant, you must take care of her and the baby well! I do not want any mishaps! As for that woman, I don't need to tell you what to do any further!"
The king and queen left to the Central Palace, and everyone also started to disperse from their spots.
Jason also scurried out of the place as he didn't want to face his friend's wrath. He knew that she wasn't happy that he revealed her pregnancy when she had begged him to keep it a secret.
However, he genuinely thought that she was safer if everyone witnessed her pregnancy. After all, the baby in her stomach could be the next heir to the county, meaning that she would receive more protection from the royal family. He felt that this was a good course of action, especially to protect the baby from his brother or just people who would hurt Yanyue.
There were many people like that, especially the woman by his brother's side. He saw nothing good in that woman at all and wondered why his brother was head-over-heels for her.
After learning of the pregnancy, Granda Lu couldn't wait to prepare. She didn't leave right away and was busy ordering all the servants to take care of her granddaughter-in-law's wellbeing as the woman was pregnant now. She asked that the menu be changed to more nutritious food so that the baby would grow up healthy and the mother would have more strength.
Yanyue and her sister were both pregnant with the second prince's children, but one could see the vast difference in how the old lady treated them both. She was pampering the older sister, while the younger sister was ignored.
Beichen had already taken Wanyue back to the east wing in the Eastern Palace.
The woman's face was dark throughout the whole evening. She was bewildered by the sudden news of her sister's pregnancy. To show her unhappiness, she pretended to pout.
"Ah Chen, how can you do this to me?" she cried softly, her hands covering her face.
The man had always coaxed her whenever she cried but seeing her tears didn't distress him like usual. Instead, it was more accurate to say that he was a little irritated.
He wasn't sure why he was suddenly impatient, but after hearing about Yanyue's pregnancy, there was a feeling that he couldn't describe welling up inside of him. At this moment, he wanted to see that woman because he felt that it was the only way to get rid of the compression in his chest.
He sighed, "Go to sleep. I have some work to finish. I'll see you tomorrow."
Wanyue wasn't reconciled, so she said again, "Ah Chen, I'm mad at you!"
He was already not in the mood to hear anyone complaining after the whole fiasco downstairs, so her little tantrum broke his patience. He raised his voice and said indifferently, "Wanyue, be good and go to sleep."
Wanyue's heart dropped. She couldn't believe that her doting lover suddenly raised his voice on her. He was never this angry with her before. In the past, even if he was not that emotional, he would never show a trace of anger to her.
She was a little scared at this moment. Before he decided to snap further, she thought that she should stop her act. She knew that he could turn deadly if she probed him further.
She gulped the lump in her throat and sat on the bed, staring at his back as he closed the door.
*
The stillness of the room reminded her of the loneliness of this marriage. She once thought that if she obeyed him and let him do whatever he wanted with her body, perhaps their relationship could change and he would at least smile at her. But, everything was only her wishful thinking.
This evening confirmed her hopelessness once again after hearing that he wanted to marry her sister when they were not even divorced yet.
She curled her body on the bed and touched her stomach. Tears flowed freely from her eyes and she didn't bother to wipe them for she was too numb.
"Baby, what should I do with you?" she asked, her voice shaky and empty from the desolate feeling in her heart.
Just as she was absorbed in her anguish, the door creaked open and Beichen came in.
Her muscles became rigid. She wiped her tears before facing him because she didn't want him to see her in her most vulnerable state.
"Your highness," she said with her head lowered down to the floor.
He looked at her with disdain. "You know how to cry too?"
She was stiff.
He walked over to her. She could feel the heaviness in his footsteps as they echoed into her heart.
"Are you sure this baby is mine?" he asked suspiciously.
Her eyebrows pressed against each other in disbelief of his question. "It is your baby," she answered shortly, but firmly.
He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "How can I be sure that I'm the only man you're sleeping with?"
She found herself staring at him with her round and glittery eyes. "I don't dare to cheat grandma or his majesty," she defended herself.
He didn't respond immediately as if he agreed with her. Then, he wandered to her flat stomach.
At first, he didn't know how he should feel about this woman bearing his child. However, he knew this feeling was different from that of when he found out that Wanyue was pregnant.
He didn't want to admit it, but for some unexplainable reason, he was looking forward to this birth from the woman that he loathed. He hated this unknown feeling as he had always been clear about his own emotions, however, this woman always managed to find ways to throw a wrench at him.
"Better let that be true. You know what happens if you cheat grandma," he threatened her and then went away.
Yanyue rubbed her stomach. His threats would only work if she was lying, but she wasn't afraid of anything because she was truthful. She would never cheat him or grandma. He was the only man that she had been with, so she was positive that the baby was his. If anything, she felt a little discouraged that he even doubted her innocence and loyalty.
She went to bed that night dreaming of the baby from last time again.
Ever since she was pregnant, her senses became even more sensitive, so even if it was a dream, she would tear up at the nostalgic baby cries. She thought that perhaps she couldn't wait to see her baby and that was why she had these baby dreams.
The night went by like the snap of a finger.
She entered the kitchen to eat breakfast in the morning, but what awaited her was the lovely atmosphere between the two people she wanted to avoid most.
Wanyue was sitting on Beichen's lap. He gently lifted the spoon to feed her and his eyes were only on her and no one else. When her lips were stained with the porridge, he took a napkin, folded it in half, and wiped the woman's red lips. One could see the blush on the woman's face like a girl confessing to her crush.
"Ah Chen, I'm full," Wanyue said coquettishly, "you don't have to feed me anymore."
She was in a good mood this morning because the man was doting on her again. His cold demeanor from last night was no longer present.
Beichen set the napkin down and smiled. He placed his hand on the woman's flat stomach and said, "You need to eat a lot because you're eating for two now."
The woman acted like she was shy. "Do you want our child to be fat when he is born?"
The man laughed proudly. "That's good! My woman must give me a fat son!"
Yanyue couldn't stand their affection and teasing of each other, so she didn't go into the kitchen to eat. She went to the company on an empty stomach. She didn't have to hail a cab this time because Grandma Lu personally hired a driver to pick and drop her off at work. After all, she was pregnant now.
To numb herself from overthinking, she focused on the new designs they were going to launch for Klotho's brand new opening.
"President Shen, you have an engagement this evening," said Anxi as she checked the calendar on her notepad one more time.
The said event was hosted by the Yang family who owned the Yang Enterprise. The event was to welcome their young master who had just came back from his studies in Country Z.
Her stepmother was bound to be there as well because she was part of the Yang family.
Yanyue planned to attend the event to see if she could find more clues to her mother's death. The Yang Enterprise also benefitted from Klothos' bankruptcy most, and the fact that Klotho fell to their hands shortly after that was more than enough to let her stand guard against them.
"Anxi, have a dress prepared for me."
The young woman nodded to her boss and left the room.
*
The sky turned orange at the horizon. Yanyue looked at the clock's tower that had just struck five and entered the event's venue.
The event-goers couldn't keep their eyes away from her when she entered the room. They were mesmerized by her appearance. The simple navy dress she wore accentuated her curves and then swirled down onto her feet. As she trod, her curled hair swayed effortlessly from side to side.
Unlike the many women in the space, she had a natural beauty that could captivate a person's attention at first glance and kept them spell-bounded. Whispers began echoing across the room as everyone pondered her identity.
Yanyue was oblivious to the remarks because she could care less. Her purpose was to investigate quietly and observe the Yang family. She grabbed a drink to blend in, but she knew that she couldn't drink the alcohol due to her pregnancy.
The event commenced and the main party of attraction finally showed himself on the stage. He was a handsome young man, comparable to Beichen. However, his demeanor seemed much more gentlemanly and kind.
She heard that this young master was a well-known businessman. In less than a year after he went to study abroad, he began investing in his businesses. He also boosted the Yang Enterprise's profit by 102% shortly after he came back.
She had to admit that she was a little afraid of such a talented person working in the Yang Enterprise because he could hinder her investigation.
She looked at him talking on the stage like everybody else, but for some reason, she made eye contact with him. When his eyes didn't leave hers, she seemed to think that he was making eye contact with her on purpose, but she doubted that as they didn't know each other, or so she thought.
She felt confused and gazed around the room nonchalantly.
When the young man on the stage was done presenting himself, he walked down the stage to where Yanyue was standing. He seemed to be in a hurry to reach her.
"Lulu, I finally found you!" the man said as he hugged her eagerly. He was smiling from ears to ears.