Future Beast World: Becoming A Pampered Beauty-Chapter 510 - 449: Where Did the Children Come From?
It was a good thing Sang Luo wasn’t drinking water, or she would have spat it out.
Seeing the Crown Prince’s handsome face turn even colder, she hurriedly suppressed her laughter and said with a straight face, "Yes! I certainly believe the Crown Prince’s body is... very healthy!"
It was a classic case of protesting too much.
Yun Hua turned his head away, no longer looking at her. Sang Luo tactfully stood to the side and helped him grind the ink. Neither spoke another word. The atmosphere grew quiet and peaceful, filled only with the soft scraping of the inkstone, the whisper of the brush, and the sound of their breathing...
It was getting late, and Sang Luo let out a yawn, clearly feeling drowsy.
Prince Yun Hua set down his brush. Looking at her, he said, "Wuyou Palace has been prepared. You can move there tonight, or you can stay here with me."
Sang Luo was instantly wide awake. She shook her head with a sheepish smile. "How could I do that? I’m just a dancer Your Highness brought back. If I moved into the Crown Prince’s bedchambers on the very first night, it would surely damage Your Highness’s reputation. A spare room will be more than enough."
"Since I have bestowed Wuyou Palace upon you, you are its mistress. No one else will be moving in."
Yun Hua had no intention of rescinding his order, so Sang Luo couldn’t argue further.
The Crown Prince added, "Tomorrow, go and select a few servants you like to tend to your daily needs."
Sang Luo shook her head. "Thank you for Your Highness’s kind offer, but that won’t be necessary. I prefer peace and quiet, and I can take care of myself."
The Crown Prince nodded without another word. "As you wish."
After he finished drafting the edict and Sang Luo was bowing to take her leave, he spoke again in a slow, deliberate voice,
"My coming-of-age ceremony is in three months."
’Sang Luo froze. Then she remembered the prophecy a wise master had given at the Crown Prince’s birth: he could only engage in carnal relations after his coming-of-age ceremony at twenty... Why is he telling me this on purpose?’ she thought. ’He can’t really have his sights set on me, can he?’
’It’s true she loves Yan, but she has no intention of having a fleeting affair in the Human World with his mortal Split Soul.’
Sang Luo blinked innocently, feigning ignorance. "The beauties in the Eastern Palace have been lonely for so long. They must be as fierce as wolves and tigers. Your Highness should distribute your favors evenly, but please don’t overindulge and exhaust yourself."
Her words sounded utterly sincere, but they made the Crown Prince’s chest tighten with frustration. His face darkened to the color of a burnt pot as he enunciated each word, "I redeemed you from the brothel and brought you to the Eastern Palace. You are my woman, too."
A faint, unreadable smile touched Sang Luo’s lips. "It’s true that Your Highness brought me to the Eastern Palace, but you never once asked for my opinion, did you? I never agreed."
Seeing his face darken further, she swallowed but decided to fan the flames, unafraid of the consequences.
"If Your Highness feels you made a bad bargain, you can always send me back. My life in the brothel was..."
He cut her off, afraid her words would make him sick with anger. "It’s just one more mouth to feed in the palace! It’s not as if I can’t afford it!"
Hearing this, Sang Luo subconsciously stroked her flat stomach.
"It’s not just one mouth to feed..."
"What?" Yun Hua didn’t quite catch her murmur and looked at her, confused.
Sang Luo beamed. "Nothing. If Your Highness has no further business, I’ll be returning to my quarters to rest."
"...Yes. If you need anything for your courtyard, you can come and tell me directly."
"Thank you for Your Highness’s favor."
Sang Luo bowed and took her leave.
Long after the door closed, Prince Yun Hua remained staring in the direction Sang Luo had gone, lost in thought. He could sense that she seemed to be intentionally keeping her distance from him.
’Why?’
’A dancer from a brothel who had caught the Crown Prince’s eye should be using every trick in the book to win his affection. But aside from that one time in the carriage, when her seduction had sent his heart racing, she had made no other forward moves. She seemed completely indifferent to her position.’
...
Since the assassination attempt during the hunt, Prince Yun Hua had rarely left the palace. Even when he had to go out on business, he always returned by evening.
With the Crown Prince in the palace morning and night, Sang Luo’s task of keeping an eye on him had been uneventful these past few days. However, Fei Yuan had yet to return, and the lack of news from his side left her feeling unsettled.
After the Crown Prince took her as a concubine, he came to her rooms for lunch the next day and hadn’t been back since. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about sleeping with him until after his coming-of-age ceremony.
The other beauties in his harem, however, would stop by from time to time to make snide remarks about her background, trying to cause her trouble both openly and behind her back.
But Sang Luo was an old soul who had lived for centuries and seen it all. She couldn’t be bothered with such petty squabbles over a man’s favor and usually just laughed them off. If they went too far, however, she would retaliate in kind. Those who came looking for trouble always left with their tails between their legs.
Trying to provoke her was like punching cotton; not only was it unsatisfying, but it left them feeling even more frustrated.
Eventually, they couldn’t be bothered to waste their breath on her anymore. She was just a dancer from a brothel, after all—hardly a woman of class. No matter how beautiful, he’d eventually tire of her face. Once the novelty wore off, the Crown Prince would cast her aside. A mere dancer could never compete with proper ladies from noble and official families like them.
The food from the kitchens was especially good today. Sang Luo let her two Little Snakes out. Having grown accustomed to eating Spirit Fruits and Crystal Cores, the children were quite fond of the Mortal World’s cuisine.
The two Little Snakes, remembering their mother’s instructions, assumed human form in the Mortal World.
And so, an impossibly beautiful little boy and girl sat on either side of Sang Luo, clumsily using chopsticks to pick at their food.
"Mother, what’s this crunchy thing? It’s delicious!"
"Pig’s ear."
"What? BLECH! BLECH!" Little Qi spat it out. He would never eat a pig’s ear!
Sang Luo smiled faintly.
Little Yuan placed a spicy chicken wing in her bowl. "Mother, you like this one."
"Thank you, my sweet girl~" Sang Luo’s heart overflowed with sweetness. Just looking at her two children filled her with contentment.
"The Crown Prince has arrived—"
An attendant announced from outside the courtyard.
Prince Yun Hua had been at leisure today when he suddenly thought of the dancer he had brought back from outside the palace. On a whim, he had made his way to Wuyou Palace.
But the moment he walked through the door, he froze, stunned by the sight of two small children beside Sang Luo.
"You..."
’Where did these children come from?’
’When did his vast Eastern Palace suddenly have children?!’
The two children looked no older than four or five. They were as exquisitely carved as jade, with adorable baby fat still clinging to their cheeks. Their features were incredibly delicate and beautiful, making them look just like the two Little Fairies who attend the Nine Heavens Goddess.
"Fo— Hello, Uncle Crown Prince!" Little Qi bit his tongue, nearly giving them away.
Little Yuan smacked his hand. "The Crown Prince is so young, we should call him Big Brother Crown Prince!"
"But Mother is with the Crown Prince, so we’re supposed to call him Uncle!" ’Calling him big brother would mess up the seniority,’ he thought.
’If they were going by actual age, this Crown Prince would have to call *them* ancestors!’
Little Yuan thought about it and realized he was right. She obediently called out, "Hello, Uncle Crown Prince!"
"Mother?" Hearing the children’s words, the color drained from Yun Hua’s face. His normally gentle eyes were wide with shock as he looked at Sang Luo, his finger trembling. "You... These two children... Where did you bring them from?!"
Sang Luo rose and bowed. Taking her two children by the hand, she walked toward him and smiled. "I forgot to introduce them to Your Highness. These are my children. The boy is Little Qi, and the girl is Little Yuan." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"Your biological children?" Yun Hua’s frown deepened. His gaze was fixed on the mother and her two children, as if searching for some discrepancy.
Sang Luo arched an eyebrow. "Of course! They’re my very own!"
Prince Yun Hua’s lips tightened, and his face grew somewhat pale.
’She looks so young, about the same age as me,’ he thought. ’How can she already be a mother of two?’
He couldn’t bring himself to believe it. And yet, the two beautiful children bore a striking resemblance to her. There was no doubt they were her biological children.
Sang Luo lovingly stroked her belly, determined to drop one last bombshell to provoke him. "And it’s not just these two," she said with a teasing lilt. "I’m carrying another one in here~"
