Chapter 5
Chapter 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Birth
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'Ahh... so warm... so cozy... I want to stay asleep here forever...'
But some powerful force was pushing him out relentlessly, so Junho woke from his slumber.
'Where am I? Who pushed me out! Hey!!'
Junho shouted loudly to grasp his situation. But the only sound from his mouth was a vigorous cry.
"Waaah~ Waaah~ Waaah~"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! A healthy prince has been born!"
The area around him buzzed with excitement, but Junho smiled contentedly upon hearing he was a prince.
'The god kept his promise perfectly... A prince, no less... Unlike my dirt-poor life before, this time I can live it up easy... And I'll find Yuri and spend a happy life together for a hundred years... Plus, as a prince, surely having a couple of concubines won't be an issue? Heh heh heh.'
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent, and a booming voice rang out.
"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor arrives."
'Ah... the Emperor is my father, right... I want to see his face at least once.'
Junho forced open his heavy eyelids to look at his father.
'Gasp! He looks like a total grandpa? Did they mean the late emperor by mistake? Or maybe I'm not a prince but a grandson?'
"Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs... How did you come all the way here..."
"Hoho, the Empress bore me a son—how could I not come? Let me see him."
The Emperor extended his hands, and the nursemaid holding Junho politely passed him over.
"Hohoho, this prince born to the Empress looks half like me and half like her. Isabella takes after me so much, you must have felt a bit slighted, but this is fortunate indeed."
"How could your concubine harbor any resentment toward Your Majesty... It's a misunderstanding, sire."
"Really! The Empress doesn't take jokes well. Now... let's have a look at the prince's little manhood... Oh my, this one's quite sizable already—bound to make plenty of women cry in the future? For a newborn, it's impressively big! Hahaha!"
Junho squirmed in annoyance at the Emperor's crude joke.
"Richtenaur Count! Even I can barely hold this newborn prince as he wriggles about—what do you make of it? He might grow into a mighty knight! Hahaha."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! The prince seems born with exceptional martial talent. Hahaha."
As the two men chattered while handling the newborn's body, the anxious nursemaid whispered something to the Empress. She then spoke cautiously.
"Your Majesty, will you name the prince?"
The Empress asked the Emperor about the baby's name, and he handed the infant back to her while pondering. She took him into her arms again, wrapping him snugly in swaddling to keep him warm.
"Hmm~ Asking me so suddenly, nothing comes to mind. Have you thought of a name, Empress?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I wish to name the prince Yuno."
"Yuno... Hohoho, isn't that the name of an ancient god our ancestors worshipped, the deity of birth? Why would you name a prince after that?"
"The moment I first laid eyes on him after birth, the name Yuno popped into my head. Moreover, Yuno governs not just birth but family as well. As the third prince, I wanted to imbue it with the meaning of supporting the imperial family and bolstering the crown prince."
A broad smile spread across the Emperor's face at her words. Nearing seventy, he could no longer ignore succession worries. The crown prince was wise but frail, so he envisioned this new prince growing to support his brother and safeguard the dynasty.
"Mm~!! That's right!! Yuno... Excellent!! The third prince shall be named Yuno! For the middle name, tradition calls for my father's and your house's—for Yuno Alexander Windrage von Valkan! Spread the news far and wide, and hold a three-day festival across the Empire!!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! Congratulations!!"
"And to pray for the prince's robust growth, release all prisoners with less than a year left on their sentences, save the gravest offenders!"
"We shall obey, Your Majesty!"
The ministers withdrew upon the Emperor's command, and he approached the Empress again.
"You did well! It's a blessing the prince was born healthy! Truly, you worked hard... Rest and recover for now. Yuria."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
At the sound of the Empress's name, Junho's eyes snapped wide open.
'Yuria...? No way... No way...'
Then, as the Empress bared her breast to feed him and brought her face close while guiding her nipple to his mouth, even his blurry infant vision clearly captured the face of the mother who bore him.
'Aaaahhh!! Why is Yuri's face here!! No matter how I look, that's Yuri from when she was a kid!!! You damn god!! I said make it easy to meet her, but this is way too easy!! You freaking god!!!'
Junho—no, now Yuno Alexander Windrage von Valkan—cursed the god who reincarnated him. The woman he loved most in his past life, who died with him and reincarnated alongside, had become his mother.
Of course, Yuno would love her as his mother going forward, but romantic love was now impossible, plunging him into despair.
'Wait a minute! To become Empress and bear me, she must be a certain age, right? And they mentioned a sister named Isabella earlier, so she shouldn't look this young!! Yuri looks no older than middle school! That crazy perverted old geezer!!'
In Yuno's mind, the Emperor was clearly a depraved lolicon pervert. Thus, he felt the need to protect Yuri from this lolicon Emperor.
'Aaaah, Yuri becoming my mom... Well... In a way, it's because I couldn't protect her in my last life... This time, I'll definitely protect her—no, Mom!!'
Of course, as a helpless newborn, Yuno could do nothing. Swaddled tight, unable to move limbs, he was forced to latch onto his mother's nipple. But seeing her still as Yuri, Yuno refused the milk.
"Yuno~ Why won't you eat? You need to nurse to grow strong~"
Empress Yuria worriedly kept offering her breast, even squeezing it to urge him on.
Soon, overcome by the sweet milk scent and hunger, Yuno forgot his resolve and suckled instinctively like any baby.
'Ahh, so sweet... This is mom's milk... Delicious...'
"There you go, eating at last... Good boy... Eat lots of mommy's milk and grow up big and strong~"
Sated, Yuno drifted off in Yuria's arms, and she smiled tenderly at her sleeping son.
"Your Majesty... We'll care for the prince, so please rest and recover."
"No, nursemaid. I'll raise the prince myself. You've been sleepless through my labor—go rest."
"I'm afraid you'll harm your health."
"I'll manage my own body. Don't make me say it twice, nursemaid!"
The nursemaid flinched at the Empress's firm tone, bowed deeply, and withdrew with the attendants.
Now alone with the prince, Yuria gazed at her son with loving eyes.
"Heehee, how can he be so cute and handsome? My son... Like His Majesty said, you'll break hearts left and right, won't you? Heehee."
After admiring him awhile, Yuria felt sleep overtaking her. Even her second birth hadn't been too taxing, yet exhaustion hit hard.
"Yawwwn, so sleepy... My little prince~ Sleep well and grow big~ We'll go playing everywhere when you're grown~ Promise~"
Clutching her son's tiny finger, Yuria fell asleep.
"Mm... Nyam... Junho... I love you..."
Words of love for someone slipped from the sleeping Empress's lips unheard—unknown even to the subject, Yuno, and the speaker, Yuria.
From the next day, Yuno spent his time suckling mom's milk, sleeping, and showing off his handsome face to noble ladies visiting the Empress's palace.
They cooed endlessly at his mere blinks—memories Yuno lacked from his past life with women, making this one all the more enjoyable.
A year passed. Yuria bore the Emperor another child—a daughter.
Not the hoped-for prince, but the Emperor rejoiced, naming her Marie after an ancient saint and praying she grow into a chaste, virtuous princess.
Yuno beamed at his newborn sister, soon declaring he'd carry her on his back, drawing smiles from the Emperor, Empress, and ministers alike.
But joy wasn't unending. After Marie's birth and Yuria turning sixteen, the Emperor no longer saw her as a woman, taking young concubines and shunning her bedchamber.
Having borne a prince, she wouldn't lose her position—her ducal house ensured that. Yet without imperial favor, power-hungry nobles and ladies stopped flocking; only a few childhood friends visited for tea.
Thus, Empress Yuria devoted herself fully to child-rearing, nurturing prince and princess with utmost care.
Illustration of Empress Yuria holding newborn Yuno wrapped in swaddling clothes.