Envy put down her utensils and hurried outside to check on Penthesilea.
Koyuki and Greed both looked at Daniel. Greed wore a knowing smile, her eyes traveling down his body before lingering on his groin. Koyuki's expression was more complex.
Koyuki didn't resent Daniel, but a small part of her felt disappointed. Despite her past mistakes, she had been his first love. It was a complicated feeling to see another woman become pregnant before her.
Then again, she was a witch, and witches couldn't bear children... or could they? She had lost her connection to Satan and the power of Wrath. Perhaps it was possible for her to conceive again.
Daniel, meanwhile, felt a strong gaze from Koyuki. She stared at him as if he were a piece of meat, giving him a foreboding feeling about the night to come.
A few minutes later, Envy returned with Penthesilea, who looked pale and still appeared nervous.
Seeing this, Envy chose to break the news. "Congratulations, Danny," she said, "Penthesilea is pregnant." Daniel was shocked and stunned.
"It's only been about a month," Envy continued, "but you need to take better care of her from now on. Penthesilea is an ancient human, a Greek hero. We don't know how her body will react to the... genes of a mage. There's no precedent, so please be cautious."
She then took Penthesilea's breakfast plate, swept all the food onto Daniel's plate, and said.
"Eat her portion, Danny. Don't waste food. I'll go prepare a light meal that's suitable for a pregnant woman." Envy then took an empty plate to the kitchen and began preparing a meal for Penthesilea.
Daniel looked at his plate, now piled high with food, and sighed before starting to eat. He ate several bites in silence, digesting both the food and the news that he was going to be a father.
Penthesilea, meanwhile, was spiraling into a dark place. [He... he didn't say anything... he seems unhappy... Is he disappointed that I'm pregnant? I...
I hope he won't command me to abort... no... he wouldn't! He's our kind lord! He wouldn't do that!]
Daniel glanced at Penthesilea, who was still nervous and occasionally stealing glances at him. "I'm sorry, Penthesilea," he said with a sigh.
Startled, Penthesilea's face paled. In her mind, she was convinced her lord was disappointed in her or the news. She quickly stood up and knelt on the ground.
"My Lord, please! Please let me keep my child! I can raise this child alone, you don't need to worry. I'll even go to the frontline to serve. I just ask you to..."
"What the hell are you talking about, Penthesilea!?" Daniel burst out, his eyes filled with horror and fear.
Seeing this, Greed quickly ushered little Sylvana, who was staring dumbfounded at the scene, to Michaela and asked her to take the child upstairs, fearing she would be scared.
"How's Penthy? Is she okay? Is the baby a boy or a girl?" Daniel asked excitedly, taking a seat beside Envy.
Envy let out a long sigh. "Danny... it's only been a month. It's impossible to determine the fetus's gender yet," she explained.
"Oh... is that so? Haha," Daniel chuckled, embarrassed by his silly question.
"Just because you're about to be a father doesn't mean you need to immediately abandon your cool and collected demeanor," Envy teased. "Well... at least try to maintain it a little. Or... maybe that's your true personality? Come to think of it, you are a bit of a nerd."
"Yes, and you love it, don't you?" Daniel quipped.
"Hey, just because the one I love happens to be a nerd doesn't mean I love nerds in general, you know?" Envy retorted with a smile.
"By the way, where's Koyuki? Didn't she come with you?" Envy asked.
"Oh, she went to the teleportation portal to study Onmyo and Miko magic with her mom in Japan," Daniel answered.
Envy nodded. The two continued their banter for a few more minutes, with Greed occasionally joining in while keeping an eye on the TV.
"Shhh," Greed suddenly signaled for them to lower their voices as the news on the screen began to report on the upcoming UN assembly next month. She nudged Daniel and pointed at the screen, urging him to pay attention.
"Bartender, please increase the volume," Envy requested, sensing the news' importance. Daniel, after all, practically ruled a corporate state, though it wasn't formally recognized as a country by the UN.
The bartender politely nodded, retrieved a remote from the counter, and raised the volume for the guests.
On the screen, the news anchor's tone shifted. "And next up, the UN Assembly! It's that time again, folks. This year, there's a more serious focus on clean energy and regulations for utilizing resources in outer space..."
The camera then cut to a montage of solar panels, wind turbines, and images of Earth from space, while a voiceover continued:
"With the growing global concern about climate change and the increasing interest in space exploration, these topics are expected to dominate discussions at the assembly. World leaders will grapple with the challenge of balancing environmental sustainability with the potential economic benefits of tapping into space resources.
However, the recent announcement of Astral Corp's ambitious space program, aimed at establishing a lunar base for helium-3 extraction, has added another layer of complexity to the debate. Critics argue this move could undermine efforts to transition towards cleaner energy sources and will affect the interests of countries heavily reliant on fossil fuel exports."
"Hey, Danny, when are you launching the lunar base program?" Greed asked, her eyes gleaming at the prospect of profit.
"I don't know," Daniel replied dismissively. "I'm only providing the technology. You'll need to ask Aryan about that, he's responsible for the business side of Astral Corp." The moon base was low on his list of priorities at the moment. Many things that once held his interest, including teaching Hightower a lesson, had been pushed aside.
His primary concern now was the child growing in Penthesilea's womb. He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his little one.