She Belongs To The Devil

There were varieties of dishes, all Adeline\'s favorite because her appetite wasn\'t at its best lately. She had become very picky with her food. So the maids would prepare her favorite dishes so that she would eat her fill.

Adeline cut a piece of juicy steak and brought it close to her mouth. However, the moment that meat\'s smell entered her nose, her stomach hurled.

She clasped her mouth while making a gagging sound.

"Adeline, are you–"

Before Theodore could even complete his question, Adeline got up from her seat and teleported to the bathhouse.

Theodore also teleported to the bathhouse and went close to her.

"No, stay away," Adeline shouted as she threw up everything that she ate just a while ago.

However, Theodore stood behind her and gathered all her hair. He secured her hair at her back and gently rubbed her back as she threw up some more.

Adeline sat down on the floor feeling very drained. And Theodore went and brought a mug of water for her.

After she cleaned up and drank some water, Theodore asked her, "Are you feeling better now?"

Adeline nodded her head but kept on taking deep breaths.

Theodore carried her in his arms and took her to their bedroom. He gently put her down on their bed and asked, "Was the food not to your liking today?"

Theodore was concerned about his wife\'s loss of appetite. Though he could even go for days without eating proper food, it was not the same for Adeline. And he was worried about Adeline\'s health.

Adeline wiped her mouth with the back of her palm and replied, "I don\'t know. I was feeling like I could eat everything on the table when I sat down. But then the steak smelled weird. I felt disgusted all of a sudden."

Theodore\'s eyes widened a little after hearing her description. He then knelt down in front of his wife and put his ears on her stomach. He closed his eyes and carefully listened, hoping to hear something that he wanted to hear.

"Er… Theo?" Adeline furrowed her brows and poked Theodore on the head.

And all of a sudden, Theodore sat down on the floor and covered his eyes with his palm.

Adeline saw his shoulders shaking and she thought that he was laughing because he heard her stomach making weird noises. And she asked in a complaining tone, "Hey! What\'s so funny? Why are you laughing when your wife is–"

Theodore removed his hand away from his eyes and looked at Adeline.

"Theo…" Adeline was confused to see Theodore with eyes full of tears and a smile on his lips. "Wh-What is it?"

Theodore gave a wide grin and whispered, "Our daughter… I can hear her heartbeat."

Adeline clasped her mouth with her palm and she also cried the tears of joy.

Theodore got up from the floor and wrapped Adeline in a tight hug. And he gleefully whispered, "We\'re going to be parents! We\'re finally going to have our daughter."

"Yes! Oh, I\'m so excited to welcome our little one to this world," Adeline wrapped her arms around Theodore\'s neck and cried happily.

The news about the Queen\'s pregnancy became the talk of the Palace as well as the country.

Theodore took the initiative to divide the works of Adeline among her officials and himself. Adeline was only to be handed over the tasks which were of utmost urgency and which needed her immediate approval.

Theodore would be by Adeline\'s side almost all the time. He would only give her some space if she specifically asked to, which she rarely did. Else he would be around her, taking care of her each and every little need.

"Theo! She kicked!" she almost flapped out her wings in the middle of the room with excitement when she felt her baby\'s kick for the first time.

Theodore also came running and placed his hand on Adeline\'s belly. "Oh, she kicked! She really did!" he was also over the moon.

Time passed by quickly enough. Adeline\'s baby bump started to become prominent.

Adeline would need constant care and support for the smallest of tasks like picking up a comb or putting on her shoes. And Theodore was there to help her with everything.

Hawisa and Osanna would try to ask their Prince Consort to take a breather and get some rest. However, Theodore would insist on doing everything himself, from feeding Adeline to giving her a bath to walking with her.

Queen Claricia, Rhea, and Juniper would visit Adeline on a daily basis. They had become an emotional support group for Adeline. They would share their pregnancy experiences with Adeline. They would help Adeline to be less anxious about this whole process.

The Goddess would also visit Adeline and Theodore every once in a while. She had even prepared a few clothes for her granddaughter. And she would keep track of Adeline and the baby\'s health when she visited.

And Nigel, Raphael, Edwin, and Alan were excited to welcome their niece. They would fight over who would get to teach what to their niece.

Azriel was the most excited one among the soon-to-be uncles if one was to compare.

Ever since he heard that Adeline was expecting a baby, his will to improve his health had quadrupled. "I don\'t want my niece to think that I am her grandpa," he would joke about his middle-aged look when he would come to visit.

Adeline was very grateful that she had so many people who cared about her and her unborn child. She loved to see everyone excited and eager about her daughter.

"Have you thought about the name for your daughter?" Rhea asked one day when she came to visit Adeline.

Adeline hummed for a while and said, "I have a few names in my mind. But among them, I like one the most."

Theodore, who was fluffing out the pillows, also perked his ears.

"What is it?" Rhea asked again with visible excitement.

"I think Ariel will suit her the best." Adeline glanced at Theodore and asked, "What do you think, Theo?"

"Ariel?" Theodore slightly furrowed his brows and asked, "Why Ariel?"

Adeline looked at her belly and caressed it. And she replied with a smile, "I wanted to name our daughter after Azriel because if it wasn\'t for his sacrifice then nothing would have been possible."

"So I was playing with Azriel\'s name. Ariel was the best one I could come up with." Adeline looked at Theodore and smiled. "Do you like it?"

Theodore saw how Adeline\'s eyes were sparkling when she said that name. So he smiled back at her and nodded, "Yes, I like it. It\'s a wonderful name."

However, in his heart, he felt a little sour because he knew the meaning of that word. And he thought to himself, "I don\'t think Adeline knows what that word translates to…"

Theodore sighed and thought silently, "Lion of God. In other words, champion of God."

And he wondered, "Is that her fate? To be your champion?" He felt as if his father was smiling from Heaven. He looked up at the ceiling and asked silently, "What are you planning, dear old man?"