Chapter 1651: A Quiet Worry

Lory woke up in the morning, shocked to realize that she’d been asleep for more than eleven hours, like a hibernating bear. Immediately, her stomach growled in protest. Lory’s mouth twitched a little when she saw that it was already the next morning.

She remembered being so sleepy that she had just woken up for a second before falling asleep again. She didn’t know if it was normal for a pregnant gifted woman, but even so, she was no ordinary gifted woman, so she could never be sure.

What made things worse was that there were no female Lucient heirs who had been pregnant before her, because Arthea had certainly never been pregnant.

Lory sighed. She glanced around the room, only to find herself alone. Zhao Li Xin was nowhere to be seen. She wondered briefly where he had gone, but her stomach growled again, reminding her that the more important matter was breakfast.

Lory climbed out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. She took care of her morning business, rather more thoroughly than usual, judging by the sheer length of it, then blinked at herself in mild disbelief.

"That was a long pee..." she mutter to herself.

Afterward, she took a long, hot shower before brushing her teeth. Once she was finished, she changed into another set of comfortable, loose-fitting clothes and stepped out onto the balcony. Lory immediately felt the fresh morning air greet her. She exhaled slowly, feeling the last remnants of sleep leave her body.

Her gaze naturally lifted toward the sky. The King’s transparent shield, which was invisible to most people’s eyes, still covered the city, its enormous barrier shimmering faintly beneath the morning light. It remained as strong and imposing as ever.

A smile slowly spread across Lory’s beautiful face. She walked over to the small round table and prepared herself for breakfast. She remembered that she still had plenty of fast food stored in her spatial ring from yesterday. Since the spatial ring would preserve the food and keep it fresh, she had been looking forward to indulging in some of her favorite snacks.

Lory excitedly sat down. She waved her hand over the table... But nothing happened. Her smile vanished, and her eyes blinked a few times. Then she waved her hand again.

Still nothing.

The food she had been eagerly waiting for had disappeared. In its place sat a small wooden box. Gradually, her brows knitted together. With growing suspicion, Lory opened the box.

Inside was a carefully prepared meal: healthy double-braised chicken with mushrooms, fragrant shiitake mushrooms steamed with garlic, pickled cucumber salad, and red bean rice cakes for dessert.

Lory narrowed her eyes. She knew exactly who had done this. There was only one person in the entire world who could enter her spatial ring, remove her precious unhealthy snacks, replace them with an aggressively healthy meal, and somehow make the whole thing look completely innocent.

The perpetrator could only be her one and only handsome yet talented husband, Zhao Li Xin, the very same man who had created the spatial ring in the first place. Lory pouted in indignation.

How could he be so cruel? He had murdered her painstakingly smuggled fast food in cold blood. Still, hunger ultimately won. She picked up the spoon and cautiously tasted the chicken.

Her eyes widened.

’It was delicious!’

She took another bite, then another. In an instant, her dissatisfaction was replaced by unmistakable delight. Everything Zhao Li Xin made was wonderful, but then again, how could it not be?

That man was practically a living jack-of-all-trades. Nothing he did was ever half-baked, quite literally. Zhao Li Xin was a notorious perfectionist, the sort of man who would rather redo something a hundred times than allow even the smallest flaw to remain.

So really, how could anything he made possibly taste awful?

A gentle warmth spread through Lory’s chest as she looked down at the carefully prepared meal.

Each dish had clearly been made with thought and care, and she could easily imagine the effort Zhao Li Xin had put into preparing everything, making sure she had something both delicious and nutritious to eat. Her lips curled into a soft smile.

The man was usually quiet and reserved. He had never been one to talk too much or make extravagant promises. But when it came to actions, no one was more honest or sincere than him. Lory’s smile widened. She really was lucky to have met him.

Lory eagerly took another bite. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but her stomach seemed to feel warmer, and the nausea that had occasionally plagued her began to fade. Even her appetite seemed to improve.

Her eyes brightened, and she happily continued eating.

"Do you like the food?" Zhao Li Xin suddenly appeared beside her, a glass of water in hand. He placed it carefully in front of Lory.

Lory looked up at him with an excited expression, but with her mouth still full, it took her a moment to chew and swallow before she could answer.

"Yes! It tastes good, honey!"

Seeing her radiant smile, Zhao Li Xin’s expression softened. He pulled out a chair and sat beside her. Simply watching Lory happily devour the food seemed to bring an inexplicable warmth to his heart.

Lory, meanwhile, was already accustomed to being watched while she ate. She continued happily digging into her meal without the slightest trace of embarrassment.

Once she finished, Zhao Li Xin waved his hand. The empty wooden box disappeared, replaced by a cup of warm jujube tea.

"Drink this after you finish the water. It will help replenish your energy and ease your fatigue." He carefully poured the tea into a porcelain cup, his movements as effortlessly graceful as always.

Lory happily accepted the pampering. She took the cup and slowly sipped the warm tea. The heat soon brought a faint flush to her cheeks, making her face bloom like a budding flower.

Zhao Li Xin watched her for a moment, finding the sight

particularly endearing and captivating. "You like it?" he asked.

Lory smiled sweetly. "I like everything you make. Thank you, honey," she said coquettishly.

Zhao Li Xin chuckled. He reached for her hand, not to hold it, but to check her pulse. Although he was no physician like Jin Hao, after suffering for so long before being healed by Lory, he had learned a thing or two about assessing the human body. Besides, it was only natural for cultivators to have a deep understanding of their own physical condition.

After feeling her pulse for a moment, he nodded. "The babies’ heartbeats are good. There’s also nothing wrong with you," he murmured with a hint of relief.

Lory rolled her eyes. "How could I not be? With you and Fred around, it’s impossible for anything to happen to me."

"Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?" Zhao Li Xin seemed genuinely pleased to know there were other people who cared about Lory’s health as meticulously as he did.

Lory, however, pursed her lips. "Good for you. But he’s been annoying me."

Zhao Li Xin looked at her thoughtfully. "He cares about you." ℯℓ.

Lory pursed her lips. "I know..." She tilted her head, and both of them smiled with tacit understanding.

The sun climbed higher, but the breeze remained cool. Zhao Li Xin watched Lory quietly sip her warm tea. The dark blue hue of her hair became more distinctive beneath the shimmering light, while her cheeks were tinted with a healthy flush. She looked beautiful as always—healthy... alive.

"It’s strange..." Zhao Li Xin suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"What is?" Lory asked.

"You... being pregnant." He paused, his gaze slowly lowering, "Having a child...I’m having a child" he smile dryly before he turn quiet, for amoment the words seemed to linger between them.

Zhao Li Xin fell silent, and Lory did not press him. She let the thought simply hang in the air, giving him the time and space to process those unfamiliar emotions at his own pace. That was the very thing he loved most about her. When he finally looked up, his dark eyes met Lory’s captivating violet ones; sunlight washed over her face, making her eyes sparkle with a light that was almost dazzling.

His usually placid heart skipped a beat, caught off guard by a warmth he had never learned to resist. A faint smile touched the corners of his lips, soft and tender, carrying a tenderness he rarely allowed himself to show.

She was the only person in this world who could stir such feelings within him—making his otherwise tranquil heart tremble with a quiet, inexplicable joy.

But he didn’t hide it.

Zhao Li Xin lowered his gaze, hesitating for a brief moment. "To be honest..." He paused, as though letting the words linger between them before speaking again. "I’m kind of nervous lately..."

Lory rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin against her palm, studying him with open curiosity. "You?" A playful glint appeared in her eyes. "The omnipotent Great Lord?"

Zhao Li Xin gave a quiet snort. "You know I’m not like that." His gaze softened. "Not when it comes to you."

Lory giggled. She set down her teacup and reached across the table for his hand. Though her teasing smile remained, the playful glint in her violet eyes softened as she listened to him intently. She knew he wasn’t joking, and neither was she. Whatever was troubling him, she wanted to hear it.

"What are you nervous about, milord?" she asked, her voice gentle and playful, yet carrying a quiet seriousness beneath it.

And that was the second thing he loved most about her.

How she was always there to listen, never dismissing his thoughts or making him feel foolish for having them. She simply listened, understood, and quietly validated the feelings he so rarely shared with anyone else.