The Announcement

Raizen stood in the vast stone plaza in front of the yokai prince's palace. Behind him were two of his men, but he didn't care about their presence—he had come alone because he wanted to savor this moment.

In front of him, standing in the shade of ancient pillars, was Naru—his face cold, but his shoulders tense. Beside him, Akihiro and Kaito stood with their arms crossed, already sensing that this would be an unforgettable conversation.

Raizen smirked and ran a hand through his hair."Seems like the prince didn't enjoy it when his woman left. How are you handling it, Naru? Have you recovered from your heartbreak?"

Naru immediately clenched his fists."Don't mention her."

Raizen raised his eyebrows theatrically."Oh, so cold! You know, you could at least be a little grateful. I could've just told you what I came here to say right away, but where's the fun in that?"

Naru growled, and Akihiro and Kaito instinctively shifted, knowing that things would escalate sooner rather than later."I told you not to mention her!"

"And what if I told you I already did? Many times? I might even claim… that I've been seeing her every day?"

Silence.

For a moment, Naru stopped breathing, while Akihiro and Kaito exchanged concerned glances.

"What did you say?" Naru's voice was quieter now, more dangerous.

Raizen simply shrugged."You heard me. You should've looked for her instead of acting like a sulking child. You were angry at her, but she had no choice."

Naru lunged at him, but Raizen was ready.

With lightning speed, he raised his hand and grabbed Naru's arm, stopping his attack."Hold on, prince. Before you try to kill me again, hear me out."

"YOU!" Naru hissed, struggling to keep control. "Where is she?! What have you done to her?!"

Raizen nodded seriously."She's with me. This whole time. Alive. Unharmed. I haven't touched her, if that's what you're thinking."

Naru was still boiling with rage but said nothing.

Raizen then took a deep breath, as if preparing for the hardest part."And now, we get to the main point. I bring you another piece of news."

"Speak. Now!"

"Lejla… is pregnant."

The ground shook. Or maybe it was just Naru's heart skipping a beat.

Kaito let out a quiet "oh, shit" while Akihiro's eyes widened in shock.

Naru blinked but didn't move. As if he wasn't sure if he had heard correctly.

Raizen nodded, now serious."Yes. You heard right. Your child. We can fight to the death here, but she's waiting for you. We may be enemies, but I can't let her child grow up without a father."

Naru stood frozen. His hands were clenched into fists, but his reaction was unclear.

Raizen raised his hands in surrender."The decision is yours, prince."

Then he smirked."But if you choose to fight, at least give me a few minutes to prepare. It would be a shame if you killed me before I see what you look like as a father."

Naru collapsed. Right onto his ass.

It wasn't a sight fit for a prince, but at the moment, he didn't care.

His Lejla.His child.

Kaito and Akihiro stared at him as if they had just seen a ghost. Raizen simply crossed his arms, leaned to one side, and raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, I get that you need a moment to process, but, prince, you really don't have time for this fainting act. If you want to see her, get your noble ass up and come with me."

Naru didn't say a word.

He just jumped to his feet as if someone had injected pure fire into his veins.

No questions, no doubts, nothing—he just followed Raizen.

Akihiro and Kaito exchanged glances, unsure whether they should stop him, but Naru allowed no obstacles.

As they walked toward the castle, Raizen, of course, had to comment."You know, you didn't even ask how she's feeling, if she's healthy, how she took the news… What a caring future father you are."

Naru just growled but didn't reply.

Raizen chuckled."No, seriously, I like this version of you—driven and motivated. Much better than that 'leave me to die' depression phase of yours."

Naru shot him a deadly glare.

Raizen smiled in satisfaction."Who would've thought… Maybe something unexpected will come out of all this."

"Like what?" Naru muttered, still boiling with anger and impatience.

Raizen shrugged."Friendship. Or at least a truce. It's amazing what one woman can accomplish, isn't it?"

When they arrived at the castle, Raizen dramatically spread his arms and stopped in front of the grand doors.

"Alright, prince, even though I don't like this idea… I'll give you a little privacy. Go on, future father."

Naru wanted to ignore him. He really did. But he couldn't stop the small, almost unconscious smile that crossed his face.

Future father.

It sounded… good. Strange, but good.

Raizen noticed and grinned in satisfaction. "Look at you… You like that title, huh? Well, you better get used to it, because now you've got a woman you left behind and a child you didn't even know existed."

Naru didn't look at him.

He just stood in front of the doors, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

How was he supposed to go in?What should he say?Should he just approach her and hold her? No, he couldn't. He might hurt her.

But he wanted to pull her close, just to smell her scent, to make sure she was real, that she and the child were real.

Maybe he should act cold, not show his emotions right away?

No.

No.

He just had to go in.

He took a deep breath and pushed the doors open.

She was lying on the bed, her back resting against the pillows, hands gently placed over her stomach.

She was expecting him.

Her eyes met his.

And...

Silence.