"What! Alisa gave birth to a child, and I've become a father?!"
In the great hall, Xolotl's eyes went wide, and he shot to his feet. In disbelief, he stared at the king's messenger kneeling on the ground to report, and asked urgently, "Have I truly become a father?"
"Indeed, Your Highness!"
The king's messenger nodded respectfully and offered his smiling congratulations.
"The Main God bears witness! At the end of July, Princess Alisa gave birth to a boy in the Lake Capital. A revered little Highness!"
"Ah! This... Why was there not the slightest word of it before, no report sent to me?"
"...Your Highness was campaigning with the Southern Route Army, and the king did not wish you to be affected by this matter. In addition, the king was also away on campaign, while the capital's political situation was shifting and the circumstances were complex. This, too, was for the safety of the princess and the child."
The messenger lowered his head and reported softly.
"...For these ten months, the king specially dispatched his personal guards to protect the princess under strict watch. The various royal branches in the capital, the great nobles, including the chief priests and elders, knew nothing of this before—until the child was born..."
"...Mm."
Hearing this, Xolotl nodded slightly, worry rising in his heart. The Alliance was advanced not only in herbology, but also in toxicology. The royal struggles of every generation had been extremely sharp, and the rate of miscarriages and early deaths among children had always been high. He murmured softly to himself, somewhat dazed and somewhat lost, wishing he could sprout wings at once and fly back to the Lake Capital!
"Alisa, my wife, has just given birth to a boy."
Born at the end of July. Counting back, it