Eliya was pregnant.
The news quickly spread from the royal palace, across the royal capital, the empire, and throughout the continent.
The emperor’s pregnancy was enough to stir the entire continent.
And it was none other than Eliya.
The one who resurrected after perishing with the Evil God, unified the divided nations, conquered the demon realm, and opened a new era for humanity.
It was her child, revered as a living god, so it was only natural that everyone would be interested.
It had not been long since the celebration of the end of the war, yet small festivals and events sprung up all over the continent once more.
A joyous occasion for humanity.
Everything was hushed in winter, but the continent was bustling.
Those who heard the news, including Judas and the people around Eliya, sent their congratulations.
The first to react was Maria.
She stood still upon hearing Eliya’s pregnancy news.
Just blankly.
And then, a single tear rolled down her cheek as she embraced Eliya.
Maria said nothing.
She couldn’t convey her emotions in any words.
All she could do was hold Eliya a little tighter than usual, which was all she could manage.
Eliya also held Maria without saying anything.
It was difficult for Eliya to pinpoint Maria’s feelings exactly.
She could only make assumptions.
But there was no need to say everything.
Sometimes, things can pass over in silence.
The next person to receive the news seemed to be in shock.
“Y-your Majesty… c-congratulations! Truly, there’s no greater joy on this continent.”
It was Sir Gallahaid’s greeting.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Upon hearing the calm greeting, Gallahaid slowly turned to look at Judas beside her.
The reason for his shock was, in fact, Judas himself.
“I haven’t seen you for… over five years. You’ve come so far…”
In an instant, memories rapidly unfolded in Gallahaid’s mind.
From the moment he first met Judas, to him being recognized in front of others, becoming a knight, surpassing himself.
And then marrying his long-time master, and now preparing to be a father.
Judas had grown up.
He knew it, but it felt new each time.
“You’ve really grown up. You’ve grown…”
Watching Gallahaid’s misty eyes, Judas recalled the past.
When he passed the last exam, Gallahaid had cried while looking away.
‘He can be surprisingly sentimental. … Or maybe not so surprisingly.’
He needed to be a good parent.
When Eliya first said those words, it felt vague.
The concept of parents had never existed in his life.
But Gallahaid was, in his life, the closest person he had to a parent.
“…?”
Beside them, Eliya nudged Judas’s backside.
As if telling him to go and embrace her.
Judas awkwardly smiled and embraced her.
He didn’t know.
Was this the right thing to do?
Having never had parents.
Reluctant, Gallahaid also chuckled and hugged Judas.
“Yeah. You’ve really grown up…”
Gallahaid had a wife.
He wanted children, but such happiness had never been his.
If he were to have children, he hoped to see a sturdy son like himself.
Since then, he had lived alone.
Even if they weren’t blood-related, Gallahaid was satisfied looking at Judas.
The two hugged in silence for a moment.
Like Eliya and Maria.
Sometimes, there are things that resonate without having to speak.
*
The next recipient of the news was somewhat noisy.
“What! So, are we getting a second nephew?”
It was the royal palace guard.
“Hey! Judas, congrats!”
“Dude, you did it.”
“You and Her Majesty must have spent a cozy time together. Hmm.”
Not expecting this uproar, Judas hadn’t brought Eliya with him today.
Now that he wasn’t alone, he needed to maintain a stable environment as much as possible.
“This will be my first, right? Is our Erin getting a friend?”
“Yeah. Our child won’t be bored anymore.”
Judas felt quite pleased.
He had learned that having peer friends close by is beneficial for growth.
“What kind of gift should we prepare?”
“…I think it would be nice to keep it moderate. I heard Richard has so many gifts piled up that it’s become troublesome.”
“You poured it all on Richard, and if we give Judas something moderate, it would end up being disappointing.”
“Yeah. That’s definitely not happening.”
The guards began discussing gifts together.
What to give.
Their excited attitude made Judas feel both grateful and worried.
‘What the heck are they planning to bring me…’
*
Amidst all the commotion on the continent, there was someone enjoying a tranquil life, and that was Eliya, the center of the celebration and its protagonist.
Since the moment she became pregnant, she maintained the most stable and peaceful environment possible.
She minimized her duties as an emperor.
Just in time, a basic foundation on how to manage the north was also completed.
Thanks to that, Eliya could rest comfortably.
Judas also enjoyed a peaceful life alongside her.
Whenever he got the chance, he would gently poke at Eliya’s belly.
It had always been so, but after she got pregnant, the frequency increased significantly.
Her soft and squishy belly.
There was a baby inside.
It was a mysterious thing.
As they lay on the bed, he hugged her from behind and absentmindedly caressed her.
Eliya laughed feeling his persistent touch.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Yeah. Of course. Our baby is inside, you know.”
Eliya couldn’t see the connection between that and rubbing her belly.
Well, as long as he liked it, what did it matter.
Sometimes, Judas would even put his ear against Eliya’s belly.
Even though the time to feel the baby’s movements was a long way off.
Eliya found him to be extremely adorable.
She had no doubt he would be a great dad.
‘Dad… then does that make me a mom…?’
“Dad and mom.”
Eliya found those words quite unfamiliar.
It felt like calling someone else.
‘What would it feel like to hear our child actually say, mom and dad someday…?’
As Eliya was lost in happy thoughts, she suddenly spoke.
“By the way, what should we name the baby?”
“Hmm….”
While caressing her belly, Judas pondered.
This was a topic they had exchanged thoughts on several times since confirming the pregnancy a few days ago.
Yet, they still hadn’t firmly decided.
“Do you have anything in mind, Eliya?”
“Not really…. I’m not sure.”
“I don’t really have anything concrete either…”
It didn’t seem like the name was that important, yet it was very important.
Once a name was decided, a person generally carries it for a lifetime.
A name is a frame that defines a being from the moment of existence.
“We need to choose wisely since it will be a name we call for life… How would you like to call our baby?”
“Hmm….”
Eliya placed her hand on top of Judas’s hand.
His large hand warmly protecting her belly.
As if feeling the life beyond it.
She recalled Maria’s words.
When she gave birth to her, she said it felt like she had become a god.
Wanting to do anything for that child, and feeling like she could do so.
‘If the parents are gods, then the child is…’
Eliya murmured a word that popped into her head.
“World. Universe.”
Or perhaps something more abstract that gives existence to the world, something that can feel such emotions.
“Love. Faith. Hope.”
Or a more intuitive expression.
“Gift.”
Judas said while stroking her belly.
“We already have six candidates.”
“Indeed.”
Eliya turned over.
Propping herself on his arm, she looked at him.
She kissed him briefly and smiled brightly.
“It’s thanks to you.”
“Eh? You came up with everything, didn’t you?”
“Still, you were the one who made it easy for me to start thinking. Making the beginning smoother when doing something is a very important thing.”
Hearing such genuine praise, Judas beamed proudly and patted Eliya.
“Now that you mention it, I have no choice but to surrender. It really is my credit.”
“Yeah.”
“But don’t forget that Eliya contributed a lot too.”
“Yeah. But, which one should we decide on…? Do you have a favorite?”
“I like them all too much.”
“Me too…”
Currently, there were six candidates: World, Universe, Faith, Hope, Love, Gift.
No matter which word they called the baby, both were happy with it.
After thinking for a while, Judas gave a clean and simple answer.
“We don’t have to decide immediately, so let’s think about it slowly. I’ve heard there are cases where the name is decided only after the baby is born.”
“Yeah. I also want to decide carefully. It’s a name I’ll have to call for a long time.”
Judas kissed her forehead, as if to commend her.
“You’ll be a great mom.”
“…….”
Eliya’s face suddenly turned red.
“Um, it feels weird since you called me mom… so does that mean you’re a great dad?”
“…….”
In that moment, Judas was left speechless.
His face felt hot.
For some reason, his heart was pounding violently.
“Y-yeah… it’s strange, hard to express, but… it feels weird…”
But it was a weirdness he didn’t dislike.
They both awkwardly blushed and locked eyes.
Drawing their heads closer naturally.
Their lips overlapped and covered one another.
Judas pulled her waist closer.
Eliya wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing their bodies together.
The hot and intense exchange of lips couldn’t go any further.
Eliya, who broke away first, sulked.
“I told you to be careful for a while….”
“Hmm…”
Judas also heeded the advice.
To hold back the love between couples in the early stages of pregnancy.
So, it made sense to stop before they got too heated.
Judas swallowed his lingering regret.
“We can’t help it. If we just hold on a bit, we can do it again later, so I’ll just have to wait until then.”
“Yeah…”
Eliya felt his warmth against her body.
Shyly, she slightly opened her eyes.
“Should I solve it another way?”
“What….”
Judas realized what she meant.
How she would ‘solve’ it.
Eliya slowly licked her lips.
It was nervous and embarrassing, but to Judas, it felt provocative.
“Your hands are… also here…”
“…….”
Judas went silent for a moment and quickly regained his composure.
“Um…! That’s fine. Eli. I can hold back. Your body is already going through a lot, so there’s no need to push yourself.”
“…I want to do it. I feel the same way too…”
“…….”
After a short contemplation, Judas quietly nodded.
*
As days passed, Eliya’s belly swelled.
Around the fifth month, it became visibly apparent.
Among the animals, it was Yuel who detected the change first.
One day while taking care of Yuel in the barn, Yuel lowered his head to Eliya’s belly height and tilted his head.
“Judas, it seems Yuel recognizes something.”
“Oh, really?”
“How fascinating.”
Eliya gently stroked Yuel’s brow.
Yuel softly closed his eyes and lightly nuzzled her belly with his nose.
It was a gesture that seemed like a greeting.
“Yuel just said hello to our baby.”
Eliya said with an excited voice.
Judas fondled Yuel affectionately, as if to praise him.
“Good job, buddy. You’re doing great. Make sure to greet him well when you meet later.”
Yuel wasn’t the only one who noticed the change.
The dotted dog family also acted differently than usual.
Their behavior around Eliya as she sat on the floor showed care.
Eliya placed a puppy on her lap one by one.
“How curious. Do you think they know something?”
“It seems so…. How could they possibly know?”
“Animals have different sensory organs than humans. Maybe there’s some way they can sense it.”
Though not as clever as Yuel, they seemed to feel it in their own way.
Eliya thought so.
The dust, too, began to change its demeanor.
When Judas first brought Dust home, it was small, but it had now grown into a teenager-sized pup.
Now, it was big enough to match Eliya’s forearm.
Dust nudged his head against Eliya’s protruding belly.
“…Thank you.”
Eliya said while stroking Dust.
She eagerly awaited the day this baby, who received everyone’s congratulations, would enter the world.
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