[Arabasta]
Ever since the news that Princess Titi was pregnant spread, the whole country had been plunged into jubilation.
The royal family of Arabasta had always been relatively friendly toward commoners. Aside from the Heavenly Tribute, the royal family basically did not exploit the people, and there weren't many nobles in the country either.
Thus, the prestige of the Arabasta royal family was extremely high among the commoners.
Before, when Cobra was 30 and still had no offspring, the people of Arabasta were worried about the issue of the country's successor. If something were to happen to Cobra, Arabasta would fall into a succession crisis.
Now that Princess Titi was pregnant, those worries naturally all vanished.
However, amidst the nationwide celebration, Princess Titi was anxious every day, her whole body becoming significantly haggard.
She was truly afraid that the affair would be exposed. If it got out, the Arabasta royal family would be plunged into such a major scandal, and the royal family's prestige would be utterly ruined.
Luckily, she was the only one who knew, which was one of the few consolations.
But as time passed, the moment Rosse would arrive in Arabasta drew closer and closer, and Princess Titi couldn't help but become a bit agitated and restless.
Especially since today happened to be the day Rosse arrived in Arabasta.
Princess Titi did not go to the port to greet him like Cobra, using the excuse of feeling unwell to refuse the trip.
In reality, her health was still pretty good. A little travel wasn't a big deal. After all, it didn't even take a full day to go from the capital to the port and back.
It was mainly because she was scared.
Scared of seeing Rosse again.
Scared of exposing herself.
"At this moment, they should have already met, right?", Princess Titi touched her slightly bulging lower abdomen, with a trace of reminiscence in her eyes.
It had to be said, although it was only a few times, the time she spent with Rosse really left her unforgettable.
Compared to Cobra, who was only gentle, Rosse was overwhelmingly superior in almost every way.
If it weren't for the affair over those two days, even if Rosse was extremely outstanding, Princess Titi wouldn't have overthought it.
But once her body had been developed, there was no turning back.
If a widened canal only had a small stream flowing through it, just thinking about it felt like a dried-up relationship.
"What am I thinking...", Titi shook her head, fearfully cutting off the memories.
She didn't know when it started. Perhaps it was when she realized she was pregnant, or maybe it was when she left Drum Island, but the frequency at which Cobra appeared in her mind had been dropping at an alarming rate.
At the same time, Rosse's figure kept surfacing in her mind.
"Yes, I'm afraid, afraid...", Princess Titi muttered self-deceptively, as if in doing so she could gain some emotional solace.
"Afraid of what? Afraid your little secret will be discovered?", A suddenly appearing female voice echoed in the palace, startling Princess Titi so much she trembled all over and subconsciously cried out.
"Who's there? Who's speaking?"
Today was the day of welcoming Rosse. All the palace maids had been summoned to prepare the banquet. She had also sent her personal maid away.
At this time, the palace should have had only her.
"Princess Titi, long time no see," A blood-red bat flew before Princess Titi, its crimson eyes curiously examining her.
"You are… Madam Gion?"
There was shock and suspicion on Princess Titi's face. After quickly searching her memory, she finally identified the other party.
During the few days she had spent around Rosse, she had the fortune of seeing Gion's split form produce some small bats. It was said that not only were these small bats quite strong, but they could also share senses with Gion.
"Your memory is impressive, to think you still remember me," The blood-red bat opened its mouth and spoke in Gion's lazy tone.
Fortunately, Princess Titi was someone with broad experience. If it had been an ordinary person, they would've been scared to death by the scene.
"Madam Gion, what business do you have with me?", Princess Titi tried to calm herself down and asked Gion about her purpose.
Judging by the timing, Rosse and Cobra should have just met not long ago and were now on their way to the capital.
Now that Gion had come to find her ahead of time, there must be another reason.
Princess Titi was well aware that Gion was Rosse's wife and the person Rosse trusted most. Ever since they were together, Gion's bat had been hanging from the ceiling. She knew that this woman was the one Rosse trusted the most.
Just like Cobra once trusted her.
Thinking of this, Princess Titi suddenly felt some heartache. She instinctively touched her belly again before coming back to her senses.
She had no choice now.
For the child in her womb, and for Arabasta, she had no choice but to walk this path to the end in darkness.
"Of course I came to see the family's first princess."
Gion's half-smiling words made Princess Titi's pupils shrink sharply, and she abruptly stood up from her seat, "You… how do you know?"
Princess Titi wanted to deceive herself, but she heard it very clearly.
Gion had said "the family's first princess," not Arabasta's princess.
The only ones Gion would refer to as "family" would be the Jaygarcia family.
'I knew.'
'He knew too.'
'They all knew.'
At this moment, Princess Titi's heart completely sank, even feeling a sense of suffocation.
"Don't worry, he's willing to give you a promise, letting her be publicly surnamed Nefertari. Oh, and privately, her name will be Saintess Jaygarcia Vivi, and she'll be the first princess in your family to bear the name 'Saintess.'"
Gion looked at Princess Titi with complicated eyes. This treatment was far more generous than what Sora had received.
But this treatment was actually Sora's idea.
According to Sora, the Nefertari family was originally one of the Celestial Dragons, and Princess Titi herself hadn't changed her surname to Nefertari because of marrying Cobra, she herself was a distant branch of the Nefertari family.
In that case, the child between Princess Titi and Rosse naturally qualified to enjoy the status of a Celestial Dragon.
But Gion understood clearly in her heart: this was just something to soothe Princess Titi's mind.
In the future that Rosse described, there would be only one family of Celestial Dragons. That was the goal all of them would strive toward.
"The name 'Saintess'...", Princess Titi's body trembled slightly as she kept muttering to herself.
Male Celestial Dragons were titled "Saint," while females were "Saintess." [T/N: Not in OG. They are all Saint. E.g. Saint Shalria]
To be bestowed with the title "Saintess" meant the girl in her womb had already been accepted by the Celestial Dragons before she was even born.
Exaggeratingly speaking, when the child in her belly will be born, the entire Arabasta would be calling her name, the entire world would be willing to bow their heads to her, and the world government would personally crown her.
Such glory, for a mother who was currently pregnant, was like a poison that could corrode the soul, and the toxin was quietly spreading in Princess Titi's heart.
"I...", Princess Titi opened her mouth, wanting to refuse, but found she couldn't say a word.
What could she do? What could she even say?
This was a grace Rosse was giving his daughter, not something she had any say over.
Unless she didn't plan to give birth to this child. But this child was the hope of all Arabasta. Even Cobra wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
Even if the child's true background were exposed, Cobra would still tacitly acknowledge the child's existence and wouldn't dare take any action.
Thinking of this, Princess Titi felt a bit defeated.
'Perhaps, pretending to know nothing and going along with Saint Rosse's plan is the best ending for me.'
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