Chapter 4

I had intended to give myself some time to unwind. But after traveling for just a few decades, I came home to find the Empress sitting on my bed with a glowing golden egg in her arms.

Apparently tired of holding it, she put it down and used it as a footstool, rolling it back and forth beneath her feet as she muttered to herself.

Was this, um… prenatal egg-ucation?

The moment she saw me, she excitedly kicked the egg away, seized my hands, and started asking after me.

The egg rolled a considerable distance, hit the wall, and wobbled for a long time before finally coming to rest. It looked rather pitiful.

I ventured hesitantly, “Is this… a new spirit-beast pet?”

The Empress waved a casual hand.

“Oh, I laid him a little while ago. He’s my younger son.”

I stared at the egg, at a loss for words. Was she sure he was hers?

“Don’t worry. This one inherited my taotie bloodline. He’s sturdy.

“That’s not the point. The point is that the marriage can go ahead again!

“After all, no one ever specified which son you were supposed to marry.”

She scooped the egg up excitedly and slapped it in front of me with loud smacks. I could feel the floor vibrating faintly.

My eyelid twitched. That egg really could take a beating. A taotie’s bloodline was no joke.

She proceeded to show him off from every angle, solemnly assuring me that a taotie chose only one mate in a lifetime. He would never have the useless brains and eyes of certain stupid dragons.

Seeing my troubled expression, she thrust the egg into my arms and declared with absolute conviction that if her second son disappointed me too, she would keep having children until I was satisfied.

I hastily interrupted this outrageous proposal. One was quite enough. There really was no need.

The main thing was that after everything that had happened, I wasn’t in the mood for romance.

While I was still wondering how to refuse tactfully, the Empress abruptly went white and keeled over.

Before I could reach for her, the Emperor appeared from nowhere and caught her. He explained that her bloodline had been turning against her lately, and she had also lost a great deal of vital energy.

She might need a few hundred years to recover. Possibly a thousand.

They were therefore going into seclusion now. Best not to disturb them unless it was important.

They vanished before I could say a word, leaving me standing there, utterly bewildered, with an egg in my arms.

I took him around with me, only to discover that not a single person I could rely on was available.

Damn it. My parents had sneaked off to have fun without me again.

I regarded the egg gloomily. He was pleasant to hold, all warm and toasty, but I had no experience raising children.

I set him down, intending to send my parents a message.

But the egg rolled over to me all by himself and gently nudged my finger.

The warmth against my hand softened something inside me.

I cut off the voice transmission and gently stroked the top of his shell.

Perhaps looking after him for a couple of days wouldn’t be such a bad idea.