Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Crippled and Barren


    "And what makes you think Princess Swan cannot give him babies?" Long Xiurong asked. "I''m sure that Princess Swan will get pregnant sooner orter. It''s only a matter of time."


    "I''m not so sure about that, Mdy. They have been mating religiously for almost a year, and nothing has happened yet. I''ve heard a rumor that Princess Swan is barren!"


    "Can you stop with your baseless gossip?" Long Xiurong rolled her eyes. She liked to listen to gossip, because it could be a powerful tool, be it to eliminate enemies or negotiate in a harem. But the gossiping from Alice''s mouth was getting ridiculous, "You can''t use her of being barren just because Princess Swan hasn''t been pregnant for less than a year. Sometimes, it takes a long time for a woman to get pregnant. My mother got pregnant two years after she entered the harem."


    "I-It''s not a baseless gossip, Mdy! We heard it from the most trusted source!" Alice insisted. "His Majesty brought Matoa, the old doctor who saved his life back then, and he was tasked to heal Princess Swan''s deformed leg and from any other illness that stopped her from getting pregnant. Guess what? He cannot heal both!"


    Long Xiurong''s heart skipped a beat.


    "Wait, is that real? That''s not just another stupid gossip, right?"


    "It''s real! You can ask other servants, and they will say the same thing!" Alice affirmed. "Princess Swan is permanently crippled, and she is also infertile."


    "That''s... unfortunate..." Long Xiurong remembered how Princess Swan looked so sincere in her love for His Majesty. It made her wonder if she acted that way because she knew she couldn''t give him offspring.


    "Well, uhm... I''m not surprised, nor do I feel bad," Alice said. She lowered her voice as if what she was about to say next was very secretive. "I think it''s a punishment from the Moon Goddess. After all, Princess Swan has been using dark magic to charm His Majesty, so of course, it would anger the Moon Goddess, right? Her being crippled and barren is a befitting punishment, Mdy."


    "You are being unnecessarily cruel to a woman who cannot bear a child," Long Xiurong scolded. "Do you know how painful it must be for her?"


    "I-I would feel bad if it''s you or Lady Jade who cannot give His Majesty an offspring. But I would never feel bad for a witch who has been hurting His Majesty for a long time," Alice admitted honestly. "I just want the best for His Majesty, and I think you are the best, Mdy!"


    Long Xiurong who had been adamant about her belief that Swan and Gale were inseparable began to waver.


    She had lost hope, but hearing what Alice said made her think that she might have another chance. She probably couldn''t be the Beast King''s lover, but she could be the bearer of his offspring.


    He might not love her, but if she were to be the mother of his cubs, wouldn''t that mean she would be a Queen or some sort? Thest time she checked, the Beast King still didn''t have a Queen or even a consort.


    Alice was d to see Lady Long began to take her role seriously, "Don''t worry, Mdy. I will fully support you. I also want His Majesty to have a good woman as his mate! Rather than having Princesso Swan-who is obviously sinister like a witch-it''s better to have you instead!"


    "I don''t want you to badmouth Princess Swan like that, not when you have no proof," Long Xiurong rebuked, but she still seriously considered the possibility of her getting pregnant with the Beast King''s cubs. "I suppose, I still have to prepare myself in case His Majesty wants to spend the night with me during his worst rut. Do you think I can survive it? I heard that he will be very dangerous during his rut."


    "He only gets dangerous because he has no mate before. But now he has you, so I''m sure he will be more careful!" Alice replied, though she actually knew nothing about the Beast King''s rut process. All she wanted was to have someone else other than the evil witch as their Queen.


    She didn''t know if Lady Long was still under Princess Swan''s evil charm or not, but since she was willing to listen, then maybe Princess Swan''s charm had worn


    off.


    ''Ugh, if only Princess Aria was here. I''m sure she can do something to wake His Majesty from that evil witch''s charm. I hope shees again soon...'' Alice wished in her heart.


    **


    Meanwhile, Swan was waiting for her husband to return from the throne room after a long day.


    Gale opened the door whileining, "Why do I have toe to the throne room every day during winter? Can I just leave them alone? I''m sure nothing would happen even if I''m not governing."


    Swan smiled at Gale and scolded him gently, "This is for the good of your people. Besides, I''ve made sure that you only need to deal with a yes or no decision, right? I''ve simplified many things for you before autumnes."


    "Yeah," Gale lifted Swan''s body and sat on the same seat. As usual, he put Swan on hisp and hugged her waist. "But it''s still annoying to deal with. I''ve been a king for so long, but this is the first year where I have to deal with so much nonsense."


    Swan put her palm on his chest tofort the sulking Beast King, "I''ll be with you once the winter has passed, alright?" Swanforted, and Gale nodded obediently.


    Gale looked at the food at the table andmented, "Looks nice, smells nice, should we dig in now? I''m starving."


    "Wait, before we have dinner, I want to ask you something."


    "Ask away, Sweetheart."


    "It''s about the coldest night of this year when you will have your worst rut," Swan muttered. "Howe you haven''t discussed anything with me about this? Am I not allowed to know?"