Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Little homicidal
Carlton’s eyes fluttered open to a scene that would have been comical if not for the circumstances. There was Alaric, his handsome face etched with worry as he gazed down at Carlton - and surrounding them were their seven children, all mirroring their father’s concern.
Cristian, Cristina, and Cristyn were perched on either side of Carlton’s prone form, their little bodies pressed close as if trying to shield him from further harm.
A sense of déjà vu washed over Carlton as he took in the scene before him. But then it all came rushing back - the mind-blowing sex marathon with Alaric from another world, the shocking realization that he’d been unknowingly cuckolding his own self...
Carlton quickly clutched at his body with both hands. He had passed out naked and covered in the evidence of their lovemaking - cum dripping from his ass, hickeys and bite marks adorning every inch of skin. The duke relieved to find that he was fully clothed this time around. Thank heavens for small mercies!
Alaric seemed to understand exactly what was going through Carlton’s mind. He leaned in close, stroking Carlton’s hair with a tenderness that belied the mischievous glint in his eye. His warm breath tickled Carlton’s ear as he whispered seductively:
"Relax my love," Alaric purred, his voice like honey. "I took the liberty of cleaning you up and dressing you while you were out. I couldn’t have our precious little ones seeing the, uh, ’love notes’ I’ve been inscribing upon your exquisite body these past few days now, could I?"
He looked like he’d just had the best few days of his life - which of course he had, since those days were spent balls deep in Carlton’s royal booty. The duke couldn’t help but blush at the memory.
Carlton swallowed hard and tried to gather his scattered wits He glanced around nervously at their children - but thankfully they seemed too young to understand the implications behind their parents’ conversation.
As Carlton slowly sat up with Alaric’s help, he couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly things had changed between them. Gone was the awkward tension from before; in its place was a newfound intimacy.
Carlton’s heart raced as he had made a promise to himself - one that he intended to keep at all costs. No matter how tempting it might be to lose himself in Alaric’s arms once more, Carlton knew that he could never again allow himself to become entangled with another man...especially not when that man was married to his own self.
With a face as flat as a pancake, Carlton muttered his thanks to Alaric, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for cleaning my body and dressing me," he said softly. "I don’t want our children traumatized by seeing...well, you know."
Alaric’s expression shifted rapidly from one of smug satisfaction to stunned disbelief and finally settled on crestfallen disappointment. The emperor had been so certain that their time together had changed things between them - that Carlton would return from his slumber warm and loving and clingy as he used to be.
Who would have thought that sleep could make such a difference? If only Alaric had known, he would have locked Carlton in their room for a week straight! Fucked him senseless until he was too exhausted to think of anything but him and the pleasure only he could give him.
But alas, it seemed that the duke was as stubborn as ever. Alaric sighed heavily, knowing that pushing the matter further would only drive Carlton away. For now, he would simply have to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to present itself.
With a forced smile, Alaric leaned in close to Carlton’s ear. "Of course," he murmured smoothly. "Our children’s well-being is of the utmost importance. I’m glad we’re on the same page about that at least."
Carlton nodded in response to Alaric’s words, he then turned to their children with a forced smile, trying to act as if everything was normal. But before he could fully process this bombshell, a trio of mini-missiles struck his stomach with deadly force.
Cristian, Cristina, and Cristyn all lunged forward simultaneously, their tiny arms wrapping around Carlton’s midsection in a lethal embrace. The duke felt like he’d been hit by a freight train as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He swore he could taste blood at the back of his throat.
Good grief... I feel like I’m more likely to die at the hands of these kids than on any battlefield!
As if on cue, Alaric looked positively apoplectic at the sight of his children attacking their father. He quickly pried the triplets off Carlton and began rubbing soothing circles on the abused area.
"Are you alright?" Alaric asked anxiously, one hand already reaching for the summoning crystal that would call for the court physician. "Should I fetch Lucas?"
Carlton waved off his husband’s concern with a dismissive hand, still struggling to catch his breath. "It was just a little love tap," he wheezed. "I’ll be fine..."
But Alaric cut him off before he could finish, eyes wide with panic. "Just a little tap? Darling, you can’t be so flippant about this! Especially not in your condition!"
"Condition?" Carlton echoed blankly, brain short-circuiting at the implication. He stared at Alaric as if the emperor had suddenly sprouted a second head.
Alaric gripped Carlton’s shoulders tightly and shook him slightly, trying to snap him out of his stupor. "The baby!" he exclaimed impatiently. "Our baby! You’re pregnant!"
Carlton stared at Alaric blankly, his brain short-circuiting as if it had encountered an error message.
"........?????"
Baby... what baby.... ?
He blinked slowly, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as he tried to process this revelation.
Maybe I really did die on the battlefield and this is some sort of twisted afterlife. At least it would explain why I keep waking up to increasingly ridiculous scenarios... I’d almost prefer being told I have to marry a gorilla than be saddled with this particular bombshell.
But then... after a moment of stunned silence, realization began to dawn on Carlton like the first rays of sunlight piercing through a dense fog.
Of course! What Alaric meant by "pregnant" was the other Carlton, the one who belonged to this world!
He let out a sigh of relief, feeling foolish for even entertaining such ridiculous notions.
However his momentary reprieve was short-lived , Alaric dropped another bombshell that made Carlton feel like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.
"You were examined by Lucas three days ago when you were unconscious." Alaric explained patiently, as if talking to a small child. "He confirmed that there is indeed a baby growing inside you. Was your mind so foggy that night that you didn’t hear what I said?"
Carlton felt like he’d been punched in the gut all over again. Three days ago? That meant...that meant...
His eyes widened in shock and disbelief as the implications sank in. He’d only been in this world for about five days total! And they’d had sex for the first time just three days prior! How could there possibly be a baby growing inside him already?
And then there was the bigger issue - Carlton didn’t have a uterus! He wasn’t some kind of Komodo dragon or bee capable of reproducing on his own! Or was that how it worked here? Did living in this world somehow alter his very biology, turning him into a man who could bear children? Was he now some sort of Komodo dragon or wasp, capable of reproducing asexually?
Carlton’d been so focused on the ’pregnancy’ and ’3 days ago’ that he’d completely overlooked another crucial detail - Alaric had said that Lucas examined him when he was unconscious.
Even though Carlton passed out at that time, he waking up soon after - only to rush off in search of Alaric. He hadn’t encountered a single soul on his way, save for the occasional royal guard standing watch. So how could Lucas have possibly examined him?
So, it was clearly the other Carlton who had been examined, not him. And yet, no one seemed to have noticed the discrepancy. Even observant Carlton himself had missed it, too caught up in his own confusion and disbelief.
Carlton sat there, stunned into silence, his eyes wide with shock. In the eyes of Alaric and their children, Carlton appedear to be in a state of utter disbelief, as if the news had short-circuited his brain.
The seven children exchanged glances among themselves, noting their father’s shocked expression. While they too were surprised by the news of Carlton’s pregnancy, it was hardly earth-shattering to them. They were already a large family with seven siblings - what difference would one more child make? Their focus quickly shifted to their father who seemed incapable of processing this new reality.
Carlton’s mind raced as he tried to process this new reality. He found himself drifting into a bizarre fantasy where he laid eggs like some kind of alien creature, dozens of them hatching all at once to create an entire litter of miniature Carltons running amok...
But Alaric’s voice snapped him back to the present before he could fully indulge in that ridiculous daydream, bringing him back to reality with a jolt.
"My love, you’ve been so quiet. Are you in shock from the news of your pregnancy? Or is your stomach hurting right now?" Alaric asked with concern, pulling back the blanket that covered Carlton’s waist. He took note of the lack of blood on Carlton’s crotch area and breathed a sigh of relief.
Carlton had suffered two miscarriages in the past, so Alaric was particularly attentive to any signs that something might be wrong with this pregnancy as well. He knew all too well how fragile and precious this new life was.
In contrast to Alaric’s worry, Carlton’s heart was a tumult of emotions as he stared at the bloodless crotch area. Part of him had hoped to see some sign of miscarriage, a release from this impossible situation. But another part, perhaps the part that still clung to hope and life, felt a profound sense of relief at the lack of blood.
His mind then spun with absurd possibilities - maybe Lucas had misdiagnosed him after all. Or... perhaps the babies made through some kind of supernatural asexual reproduction, somehow... they were far stronger than steel and more resilient than any human child could ever be...
"I..."
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words died on his lips as he took in the sight before him. The triplets, who had been so excited mere moments ago, now looked utterly terrified by their father’s reaction.
"Did we kill baby sister and baby brother?!" Cristina cried out, her little face crumpling with fear and guilt.
Cristyn quickly followed suit, tears welling up in her eyes as she pounded on Carlton’s stomach with her small fists. "I just want to hug daddy! I don’t want to hurt the baby! Baby, please don’t die!"
Cristian remained silent, but his tears spoke volumes as he clung to Malcolm’s waist, silently mourning the potential loss of his unborn sibling.
Austin and Nikolai leapt onto the bed with wild eyes, their hearts shattered by the possibility that Carlton’s baby might not survive. Austin frantically rubbed at Carlton’s stomach in a misguided attempt to revive the tiny life within. "Did the baby in daddy’s belly die?! No, I wanted to make him into the greatest swordman!" he cried out desperately.
Nikolai buried his face against Carlton’s thigh, sobbing uncontrollably as if his heart would break. His tears soaked through Carlton’s pants like a faucet turned on full blast. "Huuuueeeee... Daddy and baby will die..." he wailed trgiacally.
Malcolm and Helena, despite maintaining a facade of calm, looked deeply worried as they rushed to comfort Cristian and Cristina. The triplets were clearly distressed by the thought that their actions might have harmed Carlton’s unborn babies.
Carlton watched the chaos unfold before him with a resigned expression, his eyes fixed on Austin and Cristyn who were treating his stomach like it was some kind of life-sized punching bag. He couldn’t help but wonder if these children had some sort of morbid fascination with attempted murder - both of him and now their baby siblings.
This was hardly the first time he’d found himself in such a precarious situation due to his children’s overzealous affection. It seemed that every other day there was some new crisis or another stemming from their well-meaning but often misguided attempts at love...
As he contemplated the past near-death experience, Carlton found himself wishing for a moment of peace - preferably one where no one was pounding on or poking at his abdomen, especially his little homicidal kids...
