Chapter 133: Don't be conceited

Now that Xi Zirui knows he's pregnant, he makes sure no one else is allowed to forget about it.

He uses his pregnancy as an excuse to get his way, and is not above playing dirty. He will pout and rub his still very much flat belly. "But...think of the babies," he will whine, whimpering sadly.

Han Yu thinks this behaviour is extremely endearing, and does not mind indulging Xi Zirui's every whim -- on account of being both an idiot and extremely horny.

Thus, it is Bai Mi who suffers the burnt of it.

Xi Zirui doesn't really want to bother the servants, they have too much to do already.

So instead he annoys the other member's of Han Yu's household, who are now his family too.

Unfortunately for Bai Mi, that means her.

He does try to find Li Siqi and Liao Min once in a while, to so they can share some of Bai Mi's burdens (he's generous like that), but they always find some work to do.

Han Yu told him the Coiled Dragon Clan took them in after they were expelled from their respective clans due to their relationship. While interclan marriages are acceptable for kunjun and qianjun, some clans explicitly forbid them for those with neutral alignments.

Li Siqi and Liao Min were shunned, until Bai Mi learned of this and pleaded with her uncle to let them join their clan.

She was successful, but in a few short months her pleading became moot when his uncle and almost all elders were wiped out due to the disease that ravaged their clan.

Still, in the middle of the heartbreak, at least Li Siqi and Liao Min found a new home.

A home they are surely less thankful for, now that Xi Zirui has been set loose in it.

"Terribly sorry, your Highness, but we have uh, important duties to attend to," Liao Min says, pushing Li Siqi along.

Almost everyone addresses Xi Zirui has his highness now, even though Han Yu's coronation hasn't happened yet, and Xi Zirui's along with it.

Han Yu says he wants to wait until Xi Zirui is showing.

Xi Zirui was about to ask him why, when the look in Han Yu's eyes told him everything he needed to know -- for horny reasons, why else?

"Is there any duty more important than attending to your poor, pregnant sovereign, who is carrying within him the hope and future of the royal bloodline?" Xi Zirui asks, grinning maniacally. 

He now understands why most emperors and kings were absolute bastards, the power absolutely does get to your head -- something all the history books in the world don't manage to convey as accurately as living through the actual thing. He's only the spouse of one and has already found many creative ways to torment his friends.

Imagine if he had evil inclinations instead of just a penchant for chaos?

Li Siqi chances a worried look at him over Liao Min's taller shoulder. "Uhm, watering the royal lotus flowers," she says, flinching at the flimsiness of her lie, just as Liao Min pulls her into an empty room to their left and closes the door with a loud thud.

Xi Zirui gives the closed door an amused look, and leaves to find another target.

---

Bai Mi is by far his favorite, just because of how much she tries to be civil for her cousin's sake.

"I was wondering what I should name the children," Xi Zirui says, tapping his fingers against the tabletop as Bai Mi tries to read, eyes studiously trained on her open book.

"That's something for you and your mate to decide," she says, her eyebrow twitching slightly.

This is not the first thing Xi Zirui has said since barging into her study.

First he asked her if she thought his belly had grown bigger (it hasn't).

Then he asked her what she knew regarding male kunjun pregnancies (nothing, being that she is neither male, nor a kunjun).

Then it was whether they could find him a doctor that could tell him the sex of the babies before the birth (preposterous, and incongruent, but Bai Mi will certainly find him a doctor who will claim to be able to do so, just to see the look on his face when the babies are actually born.)

Now he's talking about names, for children who are little more than a figment of the imagination, with how insubstantial their existence still is.

"You're going to be their only aunt, you should be involved in the decision too," Xi Zirui says, grinning widely.

Bai Mi knows he's trying to bait her, but she can't help feeling a little moved at those words. Her, an aunt.

"Then, I guess..."

Xi Zirui changes subjects quickly. "Of course, I worry how lonely my poor children will be in this huge palace, with no cousins to play with," he shakes his head in a dramatic display of sadness. "If only their aunt would find a nice kunjun for herself, and give me and her cousin little nephews as well."

Bai Mi's fingers tighten dangerously on the spine of her book. "That isn't likely at this time."

An exaggerated pout makes Xi Zirui's lower lip stick out. "Why not? We just need to find you a mate. What kind of qualities is her Grace looking for in a kunjun?"

She doesn't tell him she would be happy with any kunjun who isn't like him. Instead she says, "Someone cute, obedient, well-mannered and submissive to their qianjun as all good kunjun should be."

Xi Zirui nods attentively, as if he doesn't notice subtle jab meant for him.

Bai Mi sincerely doubts it. Her eyes narrow at him, she knows he's just playing dumb.

Speaking of which, she wouldn't mind if her future mate was a little dumb. Dumb and charming is a much better combination than clever and annoying.

Her cousin has terrible taste.

---

A month passes, Xi Zirui is disappointed that he's still not showing.

Han Yu embraces him from behind and rubs his bare stomach, admiring their joined reflection in the gold, full-size mirror.

"You're so eager to meet our children," Han Yu says, his touch growing heated.

This is, of course, very pleasing to him. He likes knowing that his beautiful mate is happy to be pregnant, he likes that he anticipates the birth of their children.

Han Yu anticipates too, he can't wait to see the obvious signs of his claim on Xi Zirui show in his body.

Can't wait to see his belly grow round with the children Han Yu put there.

Just watching Xi Zirui preen himself in front of the mirror is enough to make his mouth water. Enough to make him want to get him pregnant again. 

Later. After the children are born they'll get started on the next, and the next.

Han Yu has never much cared about being the king -- an antiquated practice his clan still clings to when all other clans have long abandoned it. But now that the man he's been dreaming about for years is his mate, he's beginning to see the appeal.

Who is going to stop Han Yu if all he wants to do is spend time with his husband and their army of children? He's the king, he can do what he wants.

Of course there's still the matter of how Xi Zirui managed to go from a human in his dreams, to a carp.

But every time he tries to breach the subject Xi Zirui manages to distract him with something else.

And unfortunately, Han Yu is easily distracted, mostly by sex.

Occasionally, Xi Zirui is able to surprise him into forgetting the topic at hand with his words alone.

Case in point:

"We'll have a very interesting tale to tell our children, once they're born," Han Yu says, nosing behind Xi Zirui's ear, biting his soft earlobe. "I can tell them I dreamed up their papa, and my love for him made him real."

It's his usual cue to try and prompt Xi Zirui into telling him more about himself.

As usual Xi Zirui goes still. Han Yu watches his expression grow complicated through the mirror, but when he turns around in Han Yu's arms, he's all smiles.

"I was thinking we should find a mate for Bai Mi," he says, running a slender finger through Han Yu's hair, distracting him as much with his shinning eyes and his wet lips, as with his random suggestion. 

"I don't think she wants one," Han Yu says, his gaze fixed on the curl of Xi Zirui's lips.

He wonders how such a small mouth can fit so much of his cock inside.

Xi Zirui's talents are many and multifaceted. Han Yu is very lucky. 

A light smack lands on his arm. "Focus," Xi Zirui says, waving his finger in front of Han Yu's eyes. "This is not about what she wants, it's about what she needs."

Xi Zirui smiles again, that beautiful smile that always makes Han Yu's entire world narrow down in on him.

"I think our children should have little cousins to play with," Xi Zirui says, cupping Han Yu's cheek. "You're not going to say no to your poor, delicate, pregnant mate, are you?" he asks, pouting.

Han Yu nearly goes cross-eyed with the sudden rush of blood to his cock. "We'll find her a mate, we can ask for candidates to be sent to us."

For now, Han Yu picks his own mate under the knees and hoists him over his shoulder. Xi Zirui shrieks in delight and makes a poor show of trying to free himself. 

Han Yu carries him all the way to bed, so Xi Zirui can help him with the problem his clever mouth has created.

---

Later, sated and wrapped up in Han Yu's arms, Xi Zirui will marvel at what a great 'get out of jail' free card, being pregnant is.