After the conversation ended, the queen's proposal took root in Caesar IV's mind.
When push came to shove, passing off an illegitimate son as a legitimate heir was also a solution.
They were all his flesh and blood anyway. An illegitimate son inheriting the throne was still better than letting the crown fall into someone else's hands.
It simply was not time yet. Before the queen completely lost her ability to bear children, this could only remain a backup plan.
The plan was in place, but the trouble had not ended.
It was as if everyone had it in for him. Every few days, someone urged him to produce an heir, placing enormous pressure on Caesar IV.
At first, they merely submitted memorials. Later, they directly recommended priests and magical apothecaries. Some even suggested asking Hudson, the continent's greatest magical apothecary, to take a look.
The idea was good, but no one dared take the job.
There might be magical apothecaries specializing in that field, but Hudson clearly was not one of them.
Priests were even less worth mentioning. It was better if they did not treat them at all; if they did, they would only make pregnancy even less likely. They would be helping in all the wrong ways.
If it were some ordinary wealthy commoner, people might dare swindle them for a sum. But when it involved the king, no one dared act recklessly.
Fertility was an epic-level problem on the Aslant Continent. Just look at the Elves—they had been plagued by it for countless years without finding a solution.
The fallen Dark Elves had provided a solution, but the method was far too difficult for anyone to accept.
The uproar plagued Caesar IV and the queen, and by extension, the royal family. The great nobles in the