"Your Majesty, I think we have covered most of the area of the expedition," said Hessen.
"It seems so. Not a single monster, even after coming this far." As soon as Arhen said that, he heard a weak cry. "Hessen. Did you hear that?"
"Hear wha-" Soon the sound came again. "I think it's coming from that cave," Hessen said as he squinted into the distance and pointed toward the shadowed cave. "Could it be a monster?"
"We need to check that place to know," Arhen replied as they strode towards the cave. "Keep watch here. I shall investigate the cave," he ordered.
"Understood."
Arhen carefully went inside the cave. The air grew colder as Arhen stepped into the darkness. The faint cry became clearer — and strangely, it sounded like a human baby's. He followed the sound deeper, where a small space had been carefully arranged, almost like a nest.
A monster couldn't have done that, Arhen thought.
He got close to the haven and found a lovely baby there. The child's eyes, strikingly similar to his own, though shining in shades of gold, blinked up at him. Noticing him, the crying stopped, replaced by soft coos.
Arhen's chest tightened, realizing that the baby was abandoned. He couldn't leave the child here, not in this cold, forsaken place. Wrapping the baby in his cloak, he stepped back into the light.
Seeing Arhen come out of the cave, Hessen rushed towards him. "What took you so lo—" He stuck midway. "What's that?"
"Can't you see? It's a baby. I found him in that forsaken place."
"What!? Who would do such a cruel thing to a small child like this?"
"You think I know?" Arhen asked nonchalantly. "Anyways, enough with the questions. Let's head back."
Hessen beamed. They have been roaming these mountains for half a month. "Let's go." Then it hit him, "Wait. What about the baby?"
"Did you throw away your brain? We are bringing him, obviously."
Hessen froze. "What about the Empress?"
"What about her?"
Is he dumb or is he dumb? To think I am friends with such a man. "The empress will definitely misunderstand. What do you think will happen when she sees his husband bringing back a child?"
"Nothing will happen. And look at this child. She'll absolutely adore him." Arhan declared.
With a deep sigh, Hessen gave up. Soon, the imperial palace will be engulfed by a raging storm, he thought as they rode back.
Hessen and Arhen arrived at the imperial palace. The rest of the soldiers had already retired for the day. Hessen still had work left to do, so he stayed back. Besides, he couldn't afford to miss what was about to happen.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty," the servants greeted Arhen. But soon all the quietness turned into low whispers. It was none other than because of the baby Arhen was carrying.
Taking notice of this situation, the head butler stepped forward, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty has been keenly waiting for you."
"I'll go to her right away," Arhen replied with a bright smile.
He handed the baby to Hessen and said, "Bath him and feed him. Then bring him to me."
"But-" the butler was going to say something, but he was interrupted by Arhen.
"I know what you are concerned about, Wilhelm, but I will handle it," Arhen reassured the butler with a calm smile before striding off to see the love of his life.
The Empress, Liliana, was sitting on the windowsill with a long face. Three years into her marriage, she had yet to be blessed with a child. The Emperor was often busy, leaving her to face long hours of loneliness. Because of that, her desire for a child was growing over time. She dreamt of how a child would fill up her life. Every night, she would silently wish for a child, but that wish went unanswered every time. Today, too, was a boring day like any other until the door flung open.
"Liliana, dear. How are you feeling?" Arhen said as he extended his arms to hug her.
Liliana's face lit up as she ran into Arhen's arms. "Now that I'm like this, much better."
"Has anything happened when I was gone? You look a bit glum."
"It's nothing. Just a bit tired."
Arhen knew what she meant. So he tried to cheer her up. "I have a little surprise for you."
"Really? What have you brought? Not anything weird, right?" Liliana asked eagerly, recalling the time Arhen once brought her a weird monster, because it looked cute to him.
"What kind of image of me do you have in your mind?" Arhen said with a pouty face.
As the couple was talking about all sorts of things, a knock on the door interrupted them.