Side Story 1:

Lu Xiao and Ares had always taken a let-nature-take-its-course approach to pregnancy, so neither of them had given it much thought.

But over the past few months—perhaps because the launch of the Spirit Sea Disruption medication had gone so smoothly—she hadn’t been very busy and had put on a little weight.

Standing in front of the mirror one morning, she discovered she had a bit of a tummy.

Lu Xiao asked, troubled, "Ares, do you think I’ve gotten fat?"

Ares leaned in, looked her up and down, and said, "I don’t think so. I think you’re as beautiful as ever."

Lu Xiao shot him a playful glare and laughed. "When did you become such a smooth-talker?"

"Am I? I’m just speaking the truth." Ares lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on Lu Xiao’s slightly protruding tummy. His expression froze, his brows knitting together unconsciously.

Sensing his odd reaction, Lu Xiao asked, "What’s wrong, Ares?"

"Xiao Xiao, I think we should go to the hospital for a check-up. This might not be from gaining weight." Ares’s feelings were suddenly very complex. Just a moment ago, his spiritual power had detected an unfamiliar spiritual power fluctuation, and it was coming from Lu Xiao’s belly.

Even though this was a first for him, Ares knew exactly what it meant. His little mate wasn’t getting fat—she was pregnant.

Lu Xiao froze. The sudden talk of going to the hospital made her panic. "What’s wrong, Ares? Did you notice something? Is there a problem with me?"

"Don’t be nervous. This might not be a bad thing. It’s a surprise."

"A surprise?" Lu Xiao was even more confused.

"Yes. I think it’s a surprise. You might be pregnant."

As Ares reluctantly voiced his suspicion, Lu Xiao’s eyes flew open. She wasn’t a complete idiot; she’d just never considered it. But now that Ares had brought it up, she suddenly realized her period hadn’t come for the past few months.

It had been irregular before, but never this late.

"You’re right. This really is a surprise." Lu Xiao couldn’t help but laugh. "And to think I thought I was just getting fat. We should go get a check-up. I’ll go ask for time off."

"Okay. I’ll go with you."

"You don’t have to. It’s just a check-up; I’m sure everything’s fine. Doesn’t the Seventh Military District have joint military exercises coming up?"

"One day won’t make a difference. You’re more important. Wait for me. We’ll go together."

"Alright." Seeing Ares’s solemn expression, Lu Xiao couldn’t help but smile. Even after being together for over three years, their feelings for each other were as strong as ever.

Ares not only called in to take the day off but also contacted the hospital.

By the time he brought Lu Xiao to the hospital, his arrangements were already in place. The staff was waiting for them, all the paperwork had been filed in advance, and all Lu Xiao had to do was go for her examination.

Lu Xiao was ushered into the examination room, feeling a bit bewildered. ’When did Ares arrange all this?’ she wondered. ’He’s becoming more and more reliable.’

The results came back quickly. She was already four months pregnant and had only just realized it. Fortunately, the babies were developing very well—and they were twins.

This result completely stunned Lu Xiao.

Ares, on the other hand, was frowning, peppering the doctor with questions about precautions during pregnancy and whether carrying twins would harm Lu Xiao’s body.

He seemed a hundred times more invested than Lu Xiao, the actual mother-to-be.

By the time Ares finally finished his conversation with the doctor, Lu Xiao was getting tired of the whole thing.

She thought that would be the end of it, but over the next few days, Lu Xiao discovered that he had started reading books on pregnancy care.

"Ares, don’t worry. The Empire’s obstetrics are so advanced, you can even have a completely painless childbirth. Can’t we just relax and let nature take its course?"

Ares looked at his mate. "You don’t need to worry about these things, Xiao Xiao. Even if delivery can be painless, the hardship of pregnancy is still real. I can’t just do nothing. I’m a beneficiary here. The least I can do is take good care of all of you."

Lu Xiao met Ares’s earnest gaze, her heart filled with warmth. "Alright then. We’ll face it together."

When Cecilia and the others heard about Lu Xiao’s pregnancy, they were overjoyed—especially since it was twins.

Her Majesty the Queen was also absolutely delighted.

For a time, Lu Xiao was quite busy making the rounds between everyone’s homes.

Fortunately, she had no pregnancy symptoms to speak of. Besides her belly growing bigger by the day, she felt completely normal.

It wasn’t until her seventh or eighth month that she finally felt the babies move.

The two little ones were very well-behaved, only moving around in Lu Xiao’s belly occasionally, as if to gently remind her of their presence.

Seeing Lu Xiao come to work every day, Teacher Ai Li said, "Look at you, it must be getting difficult. You should stop coming in. Wouldn’t it be better to rest at home?"

"I can’t stand being idle, Teacher Ai Li. You have no idea, I’m treated like a protected species at home. I can handle Ares, but my grandmother, my Father, even Her Majesty and Prince Li Ke... they all come over every day. They bring me food, they bring me clothes... If I want a sip of water, someone’s there to hold the glass to my lips. Coming to work is the only time I get a moment of peace."

Teacher Ai Li burst out laughing, able to picture the scene perfectly from Lu Xiao’s description. "Well, that’s just because you’re so important right now."

"I understand their feelings, but it’s all a bit much. I feel perfectly fine, I don’t have any morning sickness or anything. Besides, Ares is taking great care of me."

"Your Ares really is a good one." Since Lu Xiao became pregnant, her colleagues had all seen how well Ares treated her.

Honestly, there weren’t many men who could go to the lengths Ares did. Not only was he completely hands-on with everything related to Lu Xiao, but he never demanded that she follow his plans, either.

He took care of not only her physical well-being but her emotional state as well.

Teacher Ai Li rarely envied anyone, but she envied both Lu Xiao and Ares.

She envied Ares for finding such a good matriarch in Lu Xiao, and she envied Lu Xiao for having such a thoughtful main husband in Ares.

But she also knew that everything they had was built on their mutual trust.

So she could only admire it from afar. If she were in the same position, she knew she couldn’t be like Lu Xiao.

After half a day of work at the Fifth Research Institute, Ares came to pick Lu Xiao up.

When they got home, Lu Xiao saw that Cecilia and the others had already left.

Lu Xiao was a little confused. "Where did Grandmother and the others go?"

"I sent them home. It was getting too crowded and chaotic. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to rest properly."

Lu Xiao looked at Ares, her eyes filled with laughter. ’Of course, he’d noticed.’ She knew he had seen how the family’s over-enthusiastic concern was starting to stress her out and had acted accordingly.