My new courtyard was quite spacious, with large picture windows and modern furniture instead of the usual classic ancient Chinese-style that dominated the rest of the main house. I sat in front of a Hollywood vanity mirror with light bulbs all around the frame while the maids expertly did my makeup and attached a large golden headdress on top of my head with a hilarious-looking hairpiece that was almost exactly like a hair donut, but not elastic. The circular piece was made of gold wire covered in horsehair, and it was added to my hairdo to stabilize it and make my hair look bigger. The headdress itself was made of gold, pearls, and kingfisher feathers, and there were numerous dangling bits that were meant to sway enticingly as my head moved.
It took the whole morning for us to prepare. Finally ready, we met Lari, Kharli, and Mo, along with Scholar Wu, Shuye, and my household staff at the new portal that had been installed just one step away from the edge of my property line. Two royal guards, dressed in ceremonial silver tiger armor, were already there and escorted us through the portal, which looked like a gate made of solid wood.
“Wow!” I couldn’t help but exclaim once we stepped through and arrived at the open field where the festivities were in full swing.
Prince Baiyu’s parents had invited the public over for a feast, and I was expecting a lot of people, but this was beyond my expectations.
Literally hundreds of guests were there, all wearing silk robes in deep blues, vibrant reds, soft greens, and golden yellows. White was not commonly worn to weddings since it was the color of mourning. Men and women both wore long, layered robes with wide sleeves, elaborately embroidered, and their hair adorned with crowns, tiaras, hairpins, and flowers.
Long wooden tables stretched across the field in neat rows, laden with steaming dishes. I could see whole roasted ducks glistening, platters of dumplings, bowls of soup, plates of sliced cold cuts, and in the middle of the field were not one, not two, not even three, but six tables with whole roasted pigs on them being carved up by servers.
Around half of the guests were standing in small groups, chatting, or strolling around. The other half were seated at the tables eating, while children were running around everywhere. The sound of their laughter and shrill shrieks made Prince Baiyu wince.
“There must be over a thousand people,” he murmured to me.
“Gosh.” I was still processing the scene and couldn’t form a coherent reply yet.
Paper lanterns hung from tall poles planted throughout the field, though they remained unlit in the bright daylight. Ahead, at the far end of the field, a raised platform held a small altar decorated with red and gold banners as well as a long table. That must be where the VIPs were. Even from this far away, I could see the special platform glittering beside it.
My husband gestured at the others, and he took my arm as we started off. Since our party was large, we attracted quite a bit of attention, and people came walking up to us to offer their greetings. It didn’t take long before we were completely surrounded by over a hundred well-wishers. There were people from the White Tiger clan, Fox clan, Deer clan, Wolf clan, etc., plus a few from the Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise clans. I even spotted two gigantic warriors from the Azure Dragon clan. The attention was overwhelming.
“My prince, my princess, congratulations! You both look so incredibly happy.”
“What a splendid occasion. We wish you a lifetime of happiness.”
“This is a day for the ages. We are all overjoyed for you and hope that your marriage is blessed with every good fortune.”
“Ten thousand congratulations to you both!”
“Congratulations!”
The cacophony of voices made it hard for me to properly thank everyone, and I noticed that a lot of the guests seemed drunk, but, fortunately, Prince Baiyu’s parents, accompanied by no less than a dozen royal guards, quickly arrived to save us from the crowd.
“Come, my dear,” said Lord Yulin to me. He waved at the guests and said, “Thank you! Excuse us, my daughter-in-law needs food.”
Lady Yuying and her consort were wearing matching red silk robes, except that hers was high-waisted, no doubt because she was now in the middle of her pregnancy. It didn’t seem to slow her down at all, and she moved with the same fluid grace that I remembered. They steered us to the other end of the field where ushers directed the others to their seats.
Prince Baiyu and I, on the other hand, were led to a special platform slightly behind and to the side of the larger platform where the VIP table was located.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Amazing! I can’t believe this is real!”
The golden carriage was drawn by eight white tigers. They were magical automatons, of course, ancient ones powered by mysterious mechanisms that people no longer knew how to make. The coach, wheels, harnesses, and other parts were all made of either pure gold or wood covered in gold leaf. The four corners of the roof were topped with golden figures of the Four God Beasts, and every square inch was covered richly decorated with various auspicious symbols like bats, peonies, bamboo, fish, rhinoceros horns, etc.
“We’ve added as many cushions as we could,” said Lady Yuying. “The sweets are in the boxes.”
“Thank you very much!” I said.
I had been told beforehand that the carriage looked grand, but all that gold made it immensely uncomfortable.
“Let me help you up,” said Prince Baiyu.
We boarded the carriage and started the ceremonial wedding journey. The tigers, driven by an expert in spell formations, circled the open field at a slow walk. We were accompanied by the Lady of the West and her consort, as well as a good number of guests who waved and hooted at us. Children ran alongside the carriage, and their parents held them up for us to give them candies made of malt sugar, which were believed to be lucky.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The atmosphere was extremely festive and somewhat chaotic. Once we finished circling the field, the guests were good-naturedly shooed away by the guards.
“That was really something,” I said to my husband.
“You’re enjoying yourself?”
“Oh, yes!”
A few members of the staff came over with a small folding table, turning the carriage into a true sweetheart table.
“We’ll give you some privacy.” Lord Yulin’s eyes were shining with joy. “My son, take care of my new daughter and soon-to-be grandchild.”
“We’ll take care of the guests,” said Lady Yuying.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Thank you. See you later,” said Prince Baiyu.
The newlyweds normally ate for a short while before making the rounds of all the guest tables, but we were exempted from this activity since gossip said I was pregnant. Humans being more delicate than clan members, I was allowed to sit down and rest instead.
I was looking forward to eating the roasted pig, but I should have known better. We were given special dishes meant for ladies who were in the family way. It consisted mostly of mild-tasting soups made of fresh vegetables, fish, and chicken, but there were some surprising things mixed in sometimes.
“Liver,” Prince Baiyu said when I held up a sliver of something I couldn’t identify. “It’s said to be good for the blood.”
Well, it was true that liver had a lot of iron.
He pointed at some other bits. “Heart. Kidney. All said to be great for expecting mothers.”
The pork meat and innards had been cooked with bell peppers and green peas. It was sort of like menudo, if menudo were made with soy sauce rather than tomato sauce. I took a tentative bite, then started eating it with gusto. The liver was soft and earthy, and the strips of heart and kidney had a unique, slightly chewy texture. The pork chunks and bits of innards had soaked up the tangy and salty flavors of the sauce. The vegetables added a nice sweetness to the dish that was very welcome. It wasn’t as good as the Demon Chef’s food, but it was close.
The rest of the food was lighter and rather forgettable, but there was a lot of it. I had to stop after the tenth plate of food.
All the time that we were eating, the VIP table full of distinguished guests was busy with people giving speeches. I caught bits and pieces of them.
“Uh, did that old man just say ‘love is like a fine wine because it gives you a headache if you have too much’? I thought these were serious speeches given by the elders!”
Prince Baiyu shook his head and smiled. “The speeches are never serious. Just be glad you didn’t understand cruder puns. This is the only time people can make those kinds of jokes, and they’re taking full advantage of it.”
I covered my mouth with my sleeve and pretended to cough to hide my smile. I did understand most of the dirty jokes, but today I was supposed to be a blushing bride. Fluttering my lashes at him, I said, “Oh, my.”
He threw back his head and laughed heartily. “So you did understand! I wasn’t sure.”
We smiled at each other, and he kissed me on the cheek.
He looked up at the sky. “It will be dark soon. Shall I make our excuses?”
I looked around and saw that many of the parents who had children were already leaving via the portals. “Yes, I think so.”
He called over one of the servers and asked him to let his parents know we were going to return to our home. The adult guests would party until dawn, but this wasn’t a requirement for a pregnant bride.
Lady Yuying and Lord Yulin escorted us to the portal, and we chatted as we walked.
“Now that we’re family, I would like you to visit us more,” said Lord Yulin.
“I’d love to,” I said.
Before we entered the portal, Lady Yuying handed Prince Baiyu three small packages. “These are some qi pills, health tonics, and strengthening elixirs.”
Seeing my startled look, she explained, “I know you don’t need them, but it’s the traditional gift for a pregnant daughter-in-law. You can give them away if you like.”
“I see, thank you!” I said.
When we arrived at the portal, they asked to see our house, so we gave them a tour.
“Gossip says your house is full of marvels, and I can see they were right.” Lord Yulin fiddled with the cold and hot water taps in my bathroom sink. “Just like the ones on the ship. How convenient.”
“I have a few devices that make life easier,” I said.
Of course, I could tell from their too-casual attitude that they weren’t really here to gawk at my furnishings. I offered them tea, which they accepted. Obviously, they wanted to talk. I served them tea in the living room.
After a bit of polite chit-chat where they complimented my lovely house, Lord Yulin asked me about my plans for the baby. He took his wife’s hand, and they both turned to me with serious expressions on their faces. “We understand you don’t intend to let your child join the White Tiger clan, and we’d like to know if there’s anything we can say to change your mind.”
Oh no! I gave my husband a panicked look.
“Mother, father, would you excuse us for a moment?” said Prince Baiyu.
We went to the bedroom, which was soundproof, and I flopped down on the bed face down, covering my head with a pillow. Prince Baiyu sat down beside me and removed the pillow. He rubbed my back, and we stayed that way for a few minutes before I sat up. My hair was a mess, of course.
“Oh my gosh, I feel so bad! We should have told them more.” I sighed deeply. “They think they’re getting a biological grandchild.”
“Maybe we should tell them.”
“Yeah.” I went to my dresser and sat down to fix my hair using the Cash Shop. The [Festive Glow: Summer] set had a very nice half-up, half-down hairstyle suitable for a semi-casual occasion. “I hope they’re not too disappointed.”
Back in the living room, we sat down again and I did my best to explain the situation.
“Well, this is awkward,” I said, a nervous laugh escaping me. “I’m afraid we have a lot to tell you.”
Lady Yuying and her consort silently waited as I gathered my thoughts.
“You see, everything I’ve said before is true. I’m an orphan. I’m a human with a bloodline inheritance.” I paused. “But I recently discovered some things about myself. I haven’t said anything publicly since I’m still… I do know that it’s all true, but I haven’t had a lot of time to digest this new knowledge.”
My in-laws exchanged confused looks.
“It’s hard for me to explain…” I said.
“Take your time,” Lord Yulin said gently.
“Yes, you mustn't get upset,” Lady Yuying added, her tone reassuring.
Long-lived people tended to be a lot more patient than humans, so I took a moment to think over what I wanted to say.
“Hmm. Yes, I found out that my parentage is a bit complicated. I don’t want to get into the details.”
Lord Yulin shrugged and said, “It’s been pretty obvious there’s more to you than meets the eye. Everyone knows there must be something unusual about your background.”
“As for your future grandchild…" I hesitated, my voice dropping down to almost a whisper. "Mine is not a normal pregnancy.”
Lady Yuying frowned, concern flickering in her eyes. “Is there a problem?”
“No, I don’t mean that in a bad way.” I spread my hands and gestured, indicating everything around us. “Everything about it is unusual.”
I didn’t want to alarm them, so I plunged right into it. “The normal way is for two bodies to create a baby, but in this case, the child is not in the physical realm.”
Their mouths fell open.
“Where is it?” Lord Yulin, leaning forward.
“Is it in the god realm?” asked Lady Yuying.
“Uh, can I refuse to answer that? Let’s just say there is no question of him joining the White Tiger clan.” They looked disappointed, but I knew it was better for them to find out now. “He’s actually descended from the Azure Dragon.”
Prince Baiyu actually laughed when his parents' mouths fell open even wider than before. I told them everything, emphasizing that I was raising my dragon child in my dreams and that there was no father in my dream.
There wasn't much more discussion after that since my in-laws didn't know what to make of that information. Prince Baiyu escorted them to the portal while I stayed in the bedroom to rest. They probably wanted to ask him a lot of questions, and I went to bed to let them have their privacy.
The next day, I woke up bright and early for the first day of the summer harvest.
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Author's note: This probably won't be in the published book. I feel it might be too spicy, if you know what I mean. ?? Let's treat it as an outtake or an alternate ending to this chapter.
Outtake
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Author's Note:
- Yes, this is a second author's note. I just felt like having it.
- Someone asked before in the comments what exactly Violet told them, well, this is it.
- Edit: Added this sentence for clarity - I told them everything, emphasizing that I was raising my dragon child in my dreams and that there was no father in my dream.
- Advanced chapters on my Patreon!
- Thank you very much for reading.
- Did you spot an error? Please leave a comment so I can fix it!