Chapter 345: Jealous Matriarch
Leona’s fingers intertwined with Luca’s as they walked along the forest path.
The gentle swell of her belly brushed against his hip with each step, a constant reminder of the new life growing within her.
"I was thinking about the baby room." Leona said, her voice soft and dreamy. "The one we’re building for all four of them."
Luca smiled down at her. "What about it?"
"I was just wondering if we have enough space. Four cradles, all those toys, the clothes—we’re going to need a lot of room."
"We’ll make it work." Luca assured her. "Fila and others have been working on the cradles."
"They’re carving them from that special wood we found in the eastern grove. The one with the silver grain running through it."
Leona’s eyes lit up. "Oh, I saw that wood! It’s beautiful. The babies are going to love it."
"They’ll love anything we give them." Luca chuckled. "As long as it’s warm and soft and full of love."
Leona squeezed his hand tighter, her heart swelling with affection. But then a thought struck her, and she looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Oh! I almost forgot!"
Luca raised an eyebrow. "Forgot what?"
She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"I actually got information from the vampires who snuck out to the human continent! They’ve been keeping an eye on things over there, and they reported back with some rather shocking news."
Luca couldn’t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.
She looked like a young maiden sharing secrets with her friends, not the matriarch of an elven village who had lived for over two centuries.
"What did you hear?" He asked, playing along.
Leona leaned closer, her voice still hushed. "After the entire royal family was slaughtered—" She glanced at him awkwardly. "—well, by you—"
Luca’s expression remained neutral, showing no reaction whatsoever.
"—another queen was put on the throne to rule over the human continent!"
Leona paused for dramatic effect, clearly expecting a shocked reaction from Luca.
Instead, he just looked at her with mild curiosity.
"And?" He prompted.
"And she’s not a member of the previous royal family." Leona continued, her enthusiasm undiminished. "She’s not even someone who was hidden away. She’s actually..."
She paused for maximum impact.
"...a former slave!"
Leona pressed her now-abundant breasts against his arm, seemingly unaware of the effect it had on him.
"The Gods on the human side chose her to be the Saintess."
She said, practically vibrating with energy.
"She’s supposed to rule over not only the human continent but also guide the heroes that have been summoned on the other side!"
"Can you believe it, Luca!? A former slave as the Empress!"
She bounced up and down, her breasts jiggling against him.
"Do you know about this? Have you heard anything about it?"
Luca’s expression remained infuriatingly calm.
"Well, about the Heroes—I already knew they’ve arrived. They’re training to fight me right now, though I haven’t met them yet."
He paused, a small smile playing at his lips. "As for the princess, or queen, or whatever title she’s taken now...well, I’ve already met her before."
Leona’s face fell. "What? You’ve met her?"
"In a manner of speaking." Luca said carefully. "It’s not exactly that I met her and talked to her. Rather, I caught a glimpse of her."
He saw the confusion on her face and continued.
"When I was trying to find out exactly what worm Julius had put inside you, I had to go to the royal library."
"All sorts of books were kept there, and I had to do some research to figure out what we were dealing with."
"During that time, I managed to catch a glimpse of the princess who had been appointed at the same time."
Leona was practically vibrating with curiosity now.
"And what do you think of her, Luca? Is she scary? Is she intimidating? Or is she actually nice?"
She tugged at his arm. "Tell me! Tell me everything!"
Luca rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don’t know too much about her, since I really haven’t seen her in action or heard her speak at all."
He paused, his eyes taking on a distant quality.
"But what I can say is this—she’s pretty."
Leona blinked. "Pretty?"
"Extremely pretty." Luca continued, clearly not noticing the change in his wife’s demeanor. "So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if she had some elven blood mixed into her, seeing how beautiful she was."
"Her features were almost ethereal, like—"
He stopped abruptly.
Leona’s face, which had been so excited just moments ago, had completely soured.
Her cheeks were puffed out like a child’s, and she was glaring at him with an intensity that could have melted steel.
"What’s wrong?" Luca asked, genuinely confused. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Leona said nothing. She just continued pouting, her arms crossed over her chest or rather, over her very abundant chest.
"Wait—hold on...you’re...jealous."
Luca said, his voice filled with astonishment.
"You’re actually jealous!"
"But..." He reached out and poked her puffed-out cheek, chuckling. "That’s so strange, Leona."
"You never get jealous. No matter how much I praise the other elves, or even if I’m intimate in front of you, you don’t mind at all."
"If anything, you seem encouraging of the whole thing." He frowned thoughtfully. "You’re always pushing me toward other activities, telling me to make sure everyone is happy."
"And don’t even try to deny it, Leona." He urged while she continued to glare at him. "In the past, you might have been able to hide your emotions."
"But ever since you got pregnant, you’re like an open book."
He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"So tell me why my darling wife is suddenly so angry over a simple comment."
The kiss softened Leona’s anger somewhat, but she was still pouting.
"The only reason I don’t mind is because you’re showing your love to other elves."
She grumbled, her voice carrying a note of irritation.
"Every single person in this village is my sister, my family. What you’re doing to them is showering them with love and making them happy."
"So, of course I don’t mind! As a collective, I support every single one of them."
It was the voice of a Matriarch, someone who understood that the well-being of the whole community mattered more than individual jealousy.
But then she held onto him tighter, her fingers digging into his arm possessively.
"But that Princess—that Empress—she’s human!"
Leona said, spitting out the word like poison.
"She’s not an elf—! And there’s no way I’m going to let you praise another human in front of me!"
Luca’s eyebrows shot up.
"Whoa." He said, a surprised laugh escaping him. "That’s absolutely racist, Leona! I wasn’t expecting my dear wife to be such a hardcore racist."
Leona just shook her head.
"Call me a racist if you want, Luca. I absolutely do not care for humans at all!"
"They’re constantly trying to attack us, and they treat anyone who isn’t like them as lesser beings. So why should I care about them?!"
Her voice was filled with venom.
"I despise them. I think of them as low-minded fools. And just the thought of you thinking of another human as pretty..."
Her voice dropped to a dangerous growl.
"It makes me so pissed off! I just want to grab your face and kiss you and show everyone that you’re mine—right in front of that damn Queen!"
She sounded just like an aggrieved girlfriend who had heard about her boyfriend’s affair and wanted to confront the woman who had stolen him away.
It was so unlike her usual composed, Matriarchal demeanor that Luca found himself genuinely amused.
’Adorable.’ He thought. ’Absolutely adorable.’
He had never seen Leona jealous before. In fact, none of the elves had ever shown jealousy, despite sharing him with so many others.
They had their own Lucas, their own relationships, their own contented lives. Everything was peaceful.
It was nice to see a little drama for once.
But then something occurred to him.
"Wait." He said slowly, looking at her with a strange expression. "What about me, Leona?"
She looked up at him, confused.
"I’m also a human." He pointed out. "The same disgusting humans that you seem to hate so much right now."
He watched as realization dawned on her face.
"So what about me?" He continued. "Do you hate me as well?"
Leona’s expression shifted immediately. The anger vanished, replaced by a look of panicked adoration.
"N-No, Luca, you’re completely different!" She said, her voice sweet and coquettish.
"You’re my darling! My sweetheart! My husband! And I love you so, so, so very much!"
She tiptoed up, her belly bump pressing against him, and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Luca felt his heart swell with affection.
But then he glanced down at her, and his gaze caught on something that made his thoughts take a sudden detour.
Her breasts.
They had grown significantly during her pregnancy, so much so that her clothes were straining to contain them.
They pressed against the fabric of her dress, each one so full and round that they seemed ready to spill out at any moment.
The way they squished against him, the way they jiggled with even the slightest movement...
It made him think of something he had been looking forward to for weeks.
A devilish look appeared in his eyes, and Leona immediately tensed. She knew that look. It was the look of a predator who had spotted its prey.
"Leona." He said slowly, his voice taking on a low, husky tone.
She gulped.
"Have you brought over the thing I told you to bring last time?"
Leona was confused for a moment, not understanding what he was talking about.
But then she noticed where his gaze was fixed—the intense way he was staring at her chest, like he was trying to bore a hole through her clothes.
Her face became utterly warm, and her ears started fluttering around in embarrassment.
"I...I don’t..."
She wanted to deny it, to pretend she had forgotten to avoid the shame that was building in her chest.
But looking at Luca’s intense gaze, she knew if she denied it, he would take extreme measures.
He would extract it on the spot, right here in the forest, and then they would really be caught.
So finally, she nodded her head in a shy manner.
"I have it, Luca."
His eyes lit up like he had just found the treasure he had been searching for his entire life.
"I-I managed to push it out into a small bottle." She said. "I can give it to you when we get back home."
But Luca shook his head. "Now, Leona. Right now."
Before she could protest, he pushed her gently against a nearby tree, one that was thick enough to hide them from anyone who might pass by.
The bark was rough against her back, but Luca’s body pressed against hers, warm and insistent.
"Give it to me." He said, his voice ravenous. "Give it to me right now."
Leona’s heart was pounding. She both loved and hated seeing him like this, so desperate, so hungry for what she could give him.
It made her feel wanted, valued, cherished.
But it also made her feel absolutely mortified.
With trembling hands, she opened the small pouch at her waist and reached inside.
Her fingers closed around a small, see-through bottle, and she pulled it out with reluctance.
Inside was not water or juice. It was a thick, white, creamy liquid that looked very much like milk.
But of course, it wasn’t just any milk.
Leona wouldn’t be literally shaking with embarrassment right now if it was.
It was her own breast milk!
