After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 28

From the moment she met this human, Ju Rin had almost grown accustomed to being rendered speechless by the human’s sudden questions.

She looked at the person in front of her with dark, complicated emotions swirling in her eyes. Regarding the human’s act of asking for money, she surprisingly wasn’t entirely shocked… but she wasn’t completely unperturbed either. Her feelings were complex, especially regarding the specific amount. She wondered how they had discussed the money, how they had reached an agreement, what the human had used as an exchange… and why it was that specific figure.

Ju Rin had many questions, but in the face of the human’s query, she answered with a question of her own: “Why 230 million?”

Her question once again surprised everyone present, including the King on the throne. The King looked at Rin, she remembered Rin as an emotionally expressive child who would shed tears when feeling wronged. As she grew older, she became better at hiding her emotions. After the accident three years ago, her temperament had cooled abruptly, her face always maintaining a cold and solemn expression. Except for when she saw the child of the Mi family, she rarely showed much emotion.

But a mother knows her own child… the King looked at Rin’s hand hanging at her side, fingers slightly curled. She knew this child, pride was the fundamental color of her soul. This human had exchanged her for vulgar money, the King expected Rin’s primary emotion to be the displeasure of being insulted. Proud as she was, she shouldn’t have asked that question. In that question… within that flat tone, she actually heard a trace of grievance.

The King narrowed her eyes. Rin was feeling aggrieved… she was surprised, it felt like she hadn’t seen this emotion in years. What was she aggrieved about? Was she upset that she was only worth this much to this human? Indeed, this amount seemed small to the King, insignificant enough that she was quite happy to dismiss this vulgar human with it. Now, in hindsight, she felt the human was insulting her child.

Thinking of this, the King’s gaze toward the human became even more dissatisfied. If Lan Ye knew the King’s current thoughts, she’d probably want to bash her head in. If she asked for too much, she was greedy, if she asked for too little, she was looked down upon. Apparently, nothing she did was right. Truly, when people don’t like you, everything you do is wrong.

These people didn’t like her, and Lan Ye didn’t like them either. She disliked people with such poor judgment. So what if she was human? Yes, they didn’t have the speed or strength of Beastmen, they lacked this and that, but they had wisdom.

Lan Ye looked at Rin, and thinking about why she had asked for that specific amount, she couldn’t help but want to laugh. She quickly bit her lip!

After asking her question, Ju Rin watched the human intently, not wanting to miss any expression, so she immediately noticed the action of biting the lower lip. Seeing the teeth sinking deep into the red lips, Ju Rin frowned. She had seen teeth marks on her lips before, was she restraining her emotions again? Was it sadness? Anger? Or perhaps shame and a guilty conscience?

Lan Ye noticed Rin was watching her. To prevent her laughter from being discovered, she quickly lowered her head. Minnie, seeing her movement, huffed, assuming she was feeling guilty. Seeing the person remain silent, she answered the Princess’s question.

“Princess Highness, this is the breakup fee she demanded!”

“She said that once she takes the money, she guarantees she won’t spread the word.”

“The amount… she said that since the Princess dated her, there are a total of 23 characters in the phrase. She said ten million per character, totaling 230 million.”

Ju Rin’s brow furrowed: “23 characters?”

Minnie didn’t dare call the Princess by name, so she explained that the human used the Princess’s full name to describe their relationship.

Hearing the name mentioned, Lan Ye truly couldn’t hold it back. She quickly covered her mouth to keep the laughter from escaping, while lowering her head even further. These idiots, when did she ever say it was a breakup fee? She never said that. Her active choice to leave Rin now was based on realistic safety considerations.

She had only promised not to say the phrase: “Mao Daju VIII White Sleeved Middle Sacred Pattern Extraordinary Beast Power Princess Meow Rin and I were married.” (Note: The Chinese phrase consists of 23 characters).

The other party paid to buy out that specific sentence, so she certainly wouldn’t say it. Thinking of this, Lan Ye’s shoulders shook from suppressed laughter. She couldn’t say that sentence, but she could say, “I was married to Mao Daju VIII White Sleeved Middle Sacred Pattern Extraordinary Beast Power Princess Meow Rin”! She could even say, “I and Mao Daju VIII White Sleeved Middle Sacred Pattern Extraordinary Beast Power Princess Meow Rin, the two of us were married.”

As long as she wanted, she could use seventeen or eighteen different sentence structures to express the exact same meaning. Hahahaha, Lan Ye was laughing so hard internally she nearly convulsed. These idiots. Although she had to bow her head while under their roof, she had left herself a way out for when that roof was gone. How brilliant!

Thinking that the other party spent 230 million just to buy one sentence, Lan Ye’s shoulders heaved violently as she gasped for air while holding back laughter. Minnie, watching the person with her head down and shoulders shaking, huffed in her heart, hypocritical. She looked so happy when she was asking for money just now.

Everyone assumed Lan Ye was currently crying, the kind of suppressed sobbing. Ju Rin also thought the human was crying. Seeing those shaking shoulders and the jacket starting to slip off, her curled fingers relaxed, and she reached out to pull the clothes back up for her.

“I was just asking…”

She looked at the “weeping” human, feeling somewhat at a loss. She didn’t mean to blame her, she just wanted to know how this human calculated their relationship to arrive at that amount. So little… was she only worth that much in her heart? She could have given her all that, even more, though she didn’t have much at the moment…

She looked at the human, at that fluffy head bobbing slightly with the shaking of her body. She remembered when she had video chatted with the human over the past three weeks, the human had mentioned a few times that her hair felt longer and described how the texture felt to the touch. She said it was very comfortable and used a “threat” like ‘if you don’t come and pet it, it’ll be gone’ to urge Ju Rin to return quickly. She said when she came back, she’d let her pet it, promising she’d like it.

Lan Ye felt the gazes on her were very intense. She didn’t know what was wrong with these people, but they had all gone silent. Now that it was quiet, Lan Ye was even more worried her laughter would be exposed. She bit her lip deathly hard, feeling a stinging pain as if the skin were about to break, before she finally managed to suppress the urge to laugh.

She composed her expression, and just as she was about to look up to see what was happening, she suddenly felt a wave of heat at the back of her head. Then, she was pushed and pulled, crashing into an embrace that wasn’t exactly soft. Lan Ye’s face pressed directly against Rin’s shoulder. Before she could ask what this was for, she heard Rin’s deliberately lowered voice from above.

“Sorry… wait for me for a bit.”

She had things to say and explanations to give, but the current situation wasn’t suitable. Her gaze swept over Minnie, the person on the throne, and finally toward the outside of the hall.

Qiao Zi: …? Why look at her?

“Take her to my sleeping palace.”

Seeing the Princess was giving her an order, Qiao Zi immediately looked at the King with questioning eyes. She was the Chief of the King’s Guards, she only needed to listen to the King’s commands. Seeing the King nod, Qiao Zi accepted the Princess’s order and stood up to walk into the hall.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Lan Ye thought: Take who? Me? I want to go home now, why go to Rin’s palace? She wanted to look up at Rin, but the hand on the back of her head restricted her movement. She could only lean against her shoulder…

“Don’t cry,” the voice above her whispered gently.

Cry? Who? Lan Ye was startled. Me? She reached out and wiped the corner of her eye. It was wet. Oh, it was her, she had bitten herself so hard earlier that physiological tears had come out. After wiping them, she wiped her fingers directly on Rin’s shoulder.

Feeling Lan Ye’s movement, Ju Rin stiffened slightly, and the guilt in her heart deepened. She turned her face slightly, pressing against Lan Ye’s ear, and whispered: “Wait for me for a bit. Once I handle these things, I’ll come find you.” And then they would leave together.

Lan Ye felt her ear itch. She moved slightly, confused by her words: “Find me?” Find her for what? Would the King even agree?

Ju Rin: “Yes, wait for me for a bit.”

Lan Ye didn’t really want to wait. Although she also had much to say, the current situation was clearly not right for it. She hadn’t even secured her personal safety yet. What if the King got angry and had her arrested immediately? Lan Ye wanted to refuse. She knew Rin must have many questions, and given Rin’s infatuation, those few words probably wouldn’t make her let go. But this girl… why was she so stubborn? Couldn’t she just find a chance to look for her later!

Lan Ye wanted to give her a hint to let go and talk after leaving, but before she could speak, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Ju Rin looked at Qiao Zi, who had come close, and spoke again in a different tone, authoritative and solemn.

“Have Laura receive her. Remind her that lunch needs to be prepared appropriately for a pregnant woman.”

Qiao Zi: ?

Pregnant woman? Who? She looked at the human in the Princess’s arms. This human… was pregnant?

Everyone’s gaze once again focused on Lan Ye. Minnie gasped in surprise: “She’s pregnant?” She suddenly remembered the human saying earlier that raising a child costs a lot of money. She thought she meant a future child! Minnie looked on in disbelief. This human… pregnant? With the Princess’s child?

Lan Ye instantly felt like there were needles in her back. She blinked, her heart skipping a beat. No, why did Rin say that now? Is this safe? In palace dramas, isn’t pregnancy something you keep hidden? Isn’t this just playing her hand? Wouldn’t it be dangerous?

Lan Ye didn’t know yet what a massive trump card she actually held. In this world, because children were becoming rarer, a series of measures had been implemented. The protection laws for pregnant women were numerous enough to fill a legal textbook. Once, a member of the royal family was sent to the tribunal just for scaring a pregnant woman by speeding during a “Burst Desire Period.” If Lan Ye had started by saying she was pregnant, the King wouldn’t even have let her stand, let alone bow.

Lan Ye was completely ignorant of this. She had been busy with wedding preparations for the past few weeks. Even if she had time, she wouldn’t have thought to search for “pregnant woman perks.” Besides, so far, other than being able to eat and sleep, she felt no different, so she often forgot she was pregnant.

After Ju Rin finished her instructions, she took off the backpack Lan Ye was wearing and handed it to Qiao Zi. She leaned down and whispered in Lan Ye’s ear: “Go with her. Wait for me in my palace.”

As the backpack was removed, Lan Ye was turned around. She looked at the person who had been behind her but was now in front, the person who brought her to the palace today.

Knowing the human was pregnant, Qiao Zi’s mind was frantically reviewing whether she had violated any pregnant woman protection regulations on the way there. Oh no! The seats on the helicopter weren’t designated priority seats for pregnant women! I hope this human doesn’t sue me! I didn’t do it on purpose, nobody told me she was pregnant!

She looked at the human with a bitter face. Facing those bright black eyes, her eyebrows shot up in confusion. Eh? This human wasn’t crying just now? Why is there no trace of tears on her face? In fact, there’s even a lingering smile in her eyes.

Lan Ye’s back was toward Rin, Minnie, and the King. Only Qiao Zi saw her current state. These people interpreted the surprise on Qiao Zi’s face as shock over the pregnancy. They were equally shocked.

The King looked at the human’s back. She hadn’t taken this tiny human seriously at all, not even bothering to investigate her. To her, she was just an ordinary human who should be grateful even if she was only allowed to be Rin’s mistress. She didn’t expect this person’s vision to be so shallow as to only want money. Even more unexpectedly, this foolish human was pregnant.

Humans and Beastmen already had a very difficult time conceiving. This human was quite impressive to have become pregnant in such a short time. She looked at the human’s fluffy hair, her knowledge was as short as her hair. She couldn’t see any qualities suitable for motherhood in this human.

The King felt no joy at the thought of her most outstanding child having offspring. A human… even if she was pregnant, the child would most likely be an ordinary kitten without mental power. At best, if they were lucky, they might have low-level mental power, and it was hard to say if they could even transform. The King sighed. If Rin had married the Mi family child, two outstanding Beastmen would likely have outstanding descendants. The kingdom didn’t need an ordinary kitten, it needed an outstanding Beastman who could inherit the throne for generations.

She looked at Qiao Zi, signaling her to take the person away quickly. Although the human was carrying an ordinary kitten, the status of a pregnant woman was special, she couldn’t be left standing for long. Qiao Zi understood and immediately bowed, offering her arm.

Lan Ye looked at the arm in front of her, a slow question mark forming in her mind. What is this? Supporting her?

Qiao Zi: “Be careful. I will support you as we walk.”

Lan Ye’s eyes widened. She didn’t expect the person actually intended to help her walk… She looked at Qiao Zi, whose attitude had done a 180 degree turn, and felt something was unusual. But she didn’t have time to overthink. Feeling the several people behind her watching, it was better to leave first. Again, when under a roof, you have to bow your head, when you can walk out from under it, you run.

She didn’t take Qiao Zi’s support, instead picking up her skirt and walking out. Qiao Zi quickly followed, carrying the bag: “Be careful.”

Watching the human’s back exit the hall and disappear down the corridor, Ju Rin finally withdrew her gaze and looked up at the King. Following protocol, she performed the greeting she had skipped earlier due to the special circumstances. Her manners were impeccable, her attitude respectful.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

The distant form of address made the King frown. She looked at Minnie below, who immediately understood and went up the steps to help the King up from the throne. After the King stood up, she looked at Ju Rin: “Follow me.”

Meeting the human in this majestic hall was intended to demonstrate status, but with her own child, she didn’t want Rin to see her only as the King on the throne. The King walked very slowly, trying to move as naturally as possible. Leading Ju Rin back to the study where she usually rested and worked, the King told Minnie to leave and keep watch outside, ensuring no one entered.

Minnie obeyed and left, closing the door for the King and the Princess. Ju Rin looked at the study, which looked exactly the same as before. Memories came flooding back, and the fingers at her side curled slightly. As a child, she loved coming to this study to watch this person work back then, she was full of respect for her.

The King walked slowly to the lounge chair by the window. The orange kitten sleeping on the chair felt the movement and woke up.

“Meow~ Meow~”

The King smiled as she picked up the cat and lay down on the chair, introducing her to Ju Rin: “Ju Zhun, your younger sister. She was born after you left the palace, you haven’t met her yet.” Her mental power is SS, very outstanding, second only to Ju Rin.

“Meow meow~”

Ju Rin looked at the small head straining its neck to get closer to her and scratched its chin. The little orange cat raised its tail: “Meow meow meow~”

The King smiled: “She likes you very much.” Ju Rin rubbed the kitten’s head and withdrew her hand, noncommittal about the statement.

The King: “People in the palace often mention you. She knows she has an outstanding elder sister.” In reality, the person who often mentioned Ju Rin was her. When Ju Rin was little, she also liked listening to her talk while in her arms.

Outstanding… Hearing the King’s seemingly complimentary words, a flash of mockery crossed Ju Rin’s eyes. This was the only requirement the King ever had for her. The King didn’t see this fleeting emotion, she adjusted her position on the lounge chair.

“After being outside for so long, have you thought things through?”