Chapter 80
The empire was never silent, not even in the dead of night. The capital pulsed with life, the hum of thousands of voices, the clang of metal against metal from the forges, the distant murmur of merchants finalizing trades even after the sun had set. But the palace, towering above it all, had a different kind of quiet-a hush that carried weight, a silence that was full of whispers.
Everyone knew.
Aeliana had felt the shift the moment she had stepped into the grand hall that morning, long before she heard the murmurs, before she saw the way the nobles regarded her with barely veiled scrutiny. The tension was thick, a mixture of expectation, unease, and something she could only describe as reluctant reverence.
The news of her pregnancy had spread through the court at an alarming speed, reaching every noble house, every council chamber, every darkened corner where whispers thrived.
Some had celebrated.
A child meant stability. A successor meant an empire that would not fracture the moment Tharx drew his last breath. This was what they had wanted, wasn't it? A ruler who would continue the bloodline, who would ensure the empire did not crumble under uncertainty. The merchants had sent gifts, the nobles had offered congratulations-lavish displays of loyalty, oaths renewed under the guise of well wishes.
And yet, beneath the surface, beneath the carefully spoken words and polite bows, she could feel it.
Doubt.
Fear.
A child of two worlds. A half-human heir.
She had heard the whispers in the corridors, caught the lingering gazes when they thought she wasn't looking.
"Will it even be strong enough to rule?"
"A human heir what does that mean for us?"
"Perhaps the emperor should take another mate, one who will give him a proper successor."
Tharx had been swift in his response.
By morning, three noble houses had been stripped of their status, their banners removed, their names erased from every record. The families had been given a choice-exile or execution.
The court had gone silent after that.
Still, the unease remained, lingering in the corners, hiding behind the forced smiles and cautious words.
She saw it in the way some nobles avoided looking at her directly. Others glanced at her stomach before quickly bowing their heads. Not at her. At the child she carried.
She was no longer just Aeliana, the foreign queen who had carved a place for herself beside the emperor.
She had become something else.
A vessel.
It unsettled her in a way she could not put into words.
She was going to be a mother.
The realization had come in pieces, settling into her bones like an unfamiliar weight, pressing against her with a force she had not been prepared for.
She had always imagined ruling beside Tharx, shaping the empire as his equal, ensuring that their reign was built on more than conquest and war. But now
Now, her body was no longer just hers.
Everything had changed, and yet, she felt the same.
Her stomach was still flat, her strength had not yet waned, and yet the empire was already shifting around her as if she had become something delicate, something that needed to be sheltered and protected.
Aeliana exhaled sharply as she leaned against the balcony railing, her fingers gripping the cold stone. Below, the city thrived as it always did, the people going about their lives as if nothing had changed. As if their queen had not just set the course for the empire's future with the life growing inside her.
"Eat."
She turned at the sound of the deep, familiar voice, finding Tharx standing behind her, holding a plate of food she had no appetite for.
Aeliana arched a brow. "Are you planning on feeding me now?"
"If that's what it takes." He set the plate down beside her, his golden eyes sharp, assessing.
She sighed but picked up a piece of fruit anyway. If only to appease him.
Tharx had always been protective, but now it had become something else entirely. He had adjusted his entire schedule, ensuring that he was never far from her. He made sure she ate regularly, ensured that the physician checked on her daily, even dismissed certain matters that he deemed unnecessary stress.
It was infuriating.
"You do realize I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself before you decided to claim me, yes?" she muttered between bites.
Tharx smirked. "And look at the state I found you in."
Aeliana scowled, throwing a grape at him.
He caught it effortlessly, popping it into his mouth as if it had been offered instead of thrown.
She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "You're insufferable."
Tharx leaned back against the railing beside her, watching her closely. "You are restless."
Aeliana frowned. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel."
"And what do you feel?"
She hesitated.
"Like I don't belong in my own body."
Tharx studied her. She expected a quick response, some arrogant remark-but none came.
Instead, he simply nodded, as if he understood. "Then we will figure it out."
Aeliana huffed. "Just like that?"
"Just like that."
She tried. She really did.
But she could not sit idle.
She resumed attending meetings, overseeing palace affairs, walking through the capital.
And Tharx watched.
He did not stop her-not at first. But he was always there, lingering, watching closely.
The first time she nearly stumbled from dizziness, he was at her side before she could blink.
She waved him off. "I'm fine."
He did not argue.
He did not have to.
The next day, half her meetings were dismissed without her knowledge.
Aeliana stormed into his war chamber, her frustration barely contained. "You do not get to decide what I can and cannot do."
Tharx didn't even look up from his maps. "You are pregnant."
She scowled. "And still very capable."
He smirked. "Capable of being stubborn, certainly."
She crossed her arms. "This is ridiculous."
Tharx finally met her gaze.
For a moment, he was silent.
Then, slowly, he exhaled. "I have spent my life ensuring I could never be touched, never be hurt."
Aeliana stilled.
Tharx continued, voice lower now. "And yet, here I am, standing in a world where you exist. Where you carry the one thing that could destroy me."
Aeliana's breath hitched.
She had never considered it like that.
Tharx leaned forward, his golden gaze burning into her.
"You are my greatest weakness, Aeliana. And I will protect you. Whether you like it or not."
Silence stretched between them.
Aeliana exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "You are impossible."
Tharx smirked. "And you love me for it."
She glared at him.
He was right.
And she hated that.
That night, as she lay beside him, she pressed her fingers against her stomach, still struggling to accept this new reality.
She did not know what kind of mother she would be.
She did not know what kind of world her child would inherit.
But she did know one thing.
She would not face it alone.