Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 83: I Will Protect Him

Chapter 83: I Will Protect Him

"You don’t want to?" Arabella asked, closely observing Ferdinand. His answer was clear before he even said it.

"I do! I’d love to have children with you," Ferdinand blurted out.

He covered his mouth when he realized what he said. His face turned red in embarrassment.

[W-what am I even saying?! We haven’t even done the act. We have to do it to have children. If I act all too excited, what if she thought I just wanted her to sleep with me? Or that I was pressuring her. Raymond emphasized it would be bad if she thought I was only after her body just like her other suitors.]

"What I meant was, when you are ready. I will try my best to wait until you are ready," Ferdinand added still acting all flustered about it.

"Thank you for being patient. When the time comes, I will surely tell you when I’m ready to be the mother of your children," she smiled at him.

’He looks cute when he’s flustered.’

[She’s fine with having children with me?!]

"Hearing you say that makes me happy," Ferdinand looked so touched. She flinched when his eyes almost look like they have turned to hearts as he gazed at her.

’He is this crazy about me?’ she was also getting embarrassed with all the affectionate gazes he was giving her.

"That would be in the future though. Probably a year from now," she said so he would not assume it would be any sooner.

"Yes, of course. I will do my best."

[A year. A year is nothing compared to not knowing if she would ever consummate with me or not. I will survive a year. Probably.]

’Why isn’t he certain in the end?!’

She truly had to worry if he would last for a year.

"Then, what does our child look like in your dream?" Ferdinand asked looking nervous and excited at the same time.

"He’s a lovely and adorable little boy. He looks exactly like you but he has my eyes."

[She thinks a child that looks exactly like me is adorable and cute?!] Ferdinand sounded puzzled and overwhelmed at the same time.

’Of course, he is adorable! He is my Fermin.’

Fermin’s looks were exactly like Ferdinand’s but he doesn’t look as cold as his father. He looked warm and so lovable.

"I’d love to meet him one day," Ferdinand held her hand.

"Yes, me too."

’I want to see our son soon.’

"..."

Ferdinand embraced her again all of a sudden.

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For thinking positively about having a child with me."

’You don’t have to thank me. Because I badly want to meet Fermin soon.’

She embraced Ferdinand back instead of replying. He stiffened before gradually relaxing, elated that she hugged him back.

’We are husband and wife. What was he expecting? Did he think I wouldn’t bear him an heir? It’s our duty to have children and produce an heir. I know that much even when I was young and naive. I want to give birth to Fermin too.’

Royalties marry for particular reasons. First and most important of all, to produce an heir. It could also be to form an alliance, to consolidate wealth, strengthen military ties, and so on.

Only on very rare occasions do they marry for love.

In her past life, Arabella thought she and Andrew would be among those rare exceptions when royalty could marry for love.

And then, Ferdinand’s marriage proposal suddenly came one day, and everything changed. He was suddenly the best marriage candidate for her so she had to marry him.

After living until she was forty in the past, and then being reborn, she understood now that her mother was right about a lot of things.

With her beauty famed and desired all over Eliora, she indeed needed a very powerful husband.

Especially with how Renee obsessed so much about her beauty before, she knew just how dangerous it was now.

After all, even Marie and her children who were living on the outskirts of Prudencia knew her face. They recognized her.

Marrying someone who couldn’t protect her and her child would only lead to another tragedy.

In Eliora, the best candidate was Ferdinand and Icarus comes second. Those two were not enemies for no reason. They were the most powerful men in Eliora.

She still doesn’t understand why Alwin said the two were friends so she still thought of the two as enemies.

The difference between the two was that, Ferdinand was a conqueror while Icarus preferred to maintain his kingdom’s borders and territories the same as usual.

Ferdinand was the best in terms of wealth and assets, military power, and status. But he was still lacking in other things. Reputation, social influence, personality, and the like.

Icarus meanwhile had a good reputation, social influence, and a friendly personality.

She once thought Icarus would have been better as her husband.

But she had a lot of responsibilities now after learning the truth. And Ferdinand didn’t dislike her as she previously thought. His personality was not as rotten either. He actually listens to her.

And most importantly, she wants to see Fermin again.

She sorely missed hearing him call her ’Mother’ with a bright smile on his face.

"Will you keep our child safe once we have one?"

"Of course. I will protect him with everything I have," Ferdinand replied instantly.

[I will forever treasure a child with you.]

"That’s a relief. Please do keep our child safe. Because you see, in my nightmare, we had a five-year-old boy. But then, he was whipped and beaten up to death in front of me and I couldn’t even stop it."

"!!!"

He was wide-eyed and speechless for a few seconds at her words.

[Whipped and beaten up to death?!!]

Ferdinand’s hold around her tightened so much it almost hurt.

"NO. I will never allow that to happen. I will eliminate anyone who tries to harm our child. And I will assign someone reliable to protect him all the time so he wouldn’t get hurt at all."

"Yes, please do so."

She doesn’t want to see Fermin getting hurt ever again.

"Your nightmare must have been caused by seeing the boy in Rowell County getting hurt. I heard from Alwin and Raymond."

[I have to meet those people who made her witness such a scene and caused her to have this nightmare. Those fucking bastards need to learn a thing or two.]

"Yes. Seeing the boy get hurt made me think; what if it was my child hurt like that? It was so terrible."

Even though the boy wasn’t her child, she still felt so much pain and anger from seeing him get hurt.

How could someone stomach to beat up a boy so young in the first place?

"Don’t worry about the boy and his family since Alwin’s barriers are impenetrable. He has healed the boy too so he would be healthy from now on.

"Yes, I’m grateful Alwin had such abilities. If not for him, the boy would have died since there were no doctors around at the time."

[I was the one who taught him though. If only my abilities were not sealed, I would tour you around Valeria myself.]

’Eh?! Ferdinand was the one who taught Alwin? Then, doesn’t that mean he’s even a better magician? Wait... He can use magic too?’

She recalled how in her past life, Alwin just doused the fire in Riva with a single spell when they were at the magic tower. He even made it rain.

’So Ferdinand is also capable of that if he was in Estrella?’

She thought dragons’ main strength was their sturdy body and ability to breathe fire. That was what was written in most myths and legends in Eliora.

Moreover, in the books she read, dragons can be defeated by numbers. If exceptional knights fought a dragon, they can be killed too.

But if they also knew magic, weren’t they very powerful creatures? Much more than what everyone believed?

’Is Ferdinand truly invincible? He is already very much formidable in his human body.’

[She suddenly became silent.]

"What are you thinking about?"

Arabella flinched when she realized Ferdinand’s face was so close to hers.

"Sorry. I got distracted."

[Is she that impressed with Alwin’s abilities? I am better though.]

’He’s jealous?’

"Stop thinking about another man when I’m with you," Ferdinand brooded.

’I was thinking about you and Alwin though. What was there to be jealous about?’

In the first place, Alwin hates her.

Moreover, he is loyal to Ferdinand no matter what. And Alwin was even prettier than she was. Why would she ever be attracted to him as a man? There would never be anything between them.

[I can’t even see you every day or be with you as I please. It had been more than a month since I was at the borders but you don’t even seem to miss me when we met yesterday. Can’t you at least just think of me when I’m the one right here beside you? I know I said I would wait but I can’t help but be impatient when I realize you might be thinking of another man while I am away.] Ferdinand thought sulkily and all of a sudden, his lips were on hers.