Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Animal slayer
Back to other world...
Carlton’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions: confusion, despair, panic – all swirling together like a tempest in his skull. Yet, he maintained his usual stoic facade, a mask hiding the storm raging within. He longed for the familiar comfort of Hawthorne duchy, but Alaric had forbidden it due to Carlton’s...condition.
Pregnancy.
The word itself felt foreign and monstrous on Carlton’s tongue. It made sense after their intimate encounter; he understood that royal physicians would confirm it soon enough. But being declared pregnant before they even... well... you know? That was beyond comprehension! A virgin suddenly with child? What kind of twisted fairytale was this?!
First came acceptance: men got knocked up here apparently. Then came shock: men got knocked up without any hanky-panky involved! Was his body turning into some sort of a portal to another dimension of biological chaos? Was he going to pop out an egg? A miniature dragon? Or maybe a goddamn tiny King Kong?!
The absurdity brought little solace to his mounting dread. Trapped in this bizarre new reality where men birthed children without procreation, Carlton paced back and forth across the deserted training ground within the palace walls. His footsteps echoed through the empty space like mournful drumbeats against his sanity’s dwindling reserves.
Carlton froze mid-stride, his mind grappling with a new dilemma. He needed confirmation – or perhaps denial – from Lucas. But the thought of facing him now filled Carlton with an unfamiliar dread. What if Lucas confirmed the unthinkable? His sanity might just shatter like a dropped goblet in this topsy-turvy world.
A wave of confusion washed over him, leaving him adrift in a sea of uncertainty. What was he supposed to do? Was there even a right answer anymore? Just as he wrestled with these thoughts, something shifted within him - an instinct honed from years of being the kingdom’s best swordsman kicked into gear. Every rustle of leaves, every chirp of birdsong became amplified; even the faintest whisper seemed to pierce through the air around him with unnatural clarity.
His gaze swept across the deserted courtyard and landed on something that stopped his heart cold: seven pairs of eyes peering at him from behind a stone wall - their faces etched with worry and fear. Nikolai and Cristina were sobbing openly while Cristyn and Cristian’s eyes were red-rimmed from crying so much they looked like swollen plums about to burst open any second now. Malcolm, Helena and Austin wore expressions etched with worry lines far too deep for their tender ages.
Seven tiny voices whispering behind the wall nearby - his children from this world - each one tinged with worry and confusion:
"Do you think daddy is okay?" a tiny voice piped up, fragile yet filled with desperate hope.
A choked sob followed: "Huhuhu... I killed our baby sibling..."
Then came a gruff reassurance from one of the older children: "Relax, daddy is like a crazy bear, our little sibling should be safe."
Carlton’s lips twitched involuntarily. Was that supposed to be reassuring? Or an insult disguised as praise?
Soon, the sobs subsided, replaced by a chorus of gleeful agreement that sent shivers down Carlton’s spine.
"That’s right! Daddy was a crazy bear who could kill dozens of criminals when he was pregnant with Cristyn, Cristina, and Cristian!" one voice chirped.
Another chimed in: "Daddy also slammed a rhino when he was pregnant with Helena."
And the most outlandish tale yet unfolded: "Of course the most legendary was when daddy was pregnant with Nikolai! He got kidnapped and disappeared for three months! During his two months on the lam, he killed loads of criminals AND even took down some crocodiles!" The child paused dramatically before adding triumphantly, "When he finally made it back to the palace... boom! Nikolai arrived shortly after!"
"......????"
Carlton stood there speechless, his mind reeling from this bizarre family history lesson whispered by his own children. In his world, Carlton had earned a reputation as something of a monster – but apparently here? This version of himself in this world seemed not only insane but perversely powerful... and apparently some kind of super-powered pregnant monster with a penchant for animal extermination.
But...wait a minute...
Since when did this kingdom even HAVE rhinos?! And what crime did that poor beast commit to deserve being slammed? And why on earth would other Carlton be hunting crocodiles during an escape anyway?! It all felt so utterly random - like someone had thrown darts at a board labeled ’Things That Make Absolutely No Sense’.
His solo pregnancy already felt like an absurd plot twist straight out of some fever dream, but now this? The sheer randomness of it all was enough to make Carlton question his sanity. Was he in some kind of bizarre alternate reality where pregnancy fueled a homicidal rampage against rhinos and crocodiles?
"Oh, don’t you know the legend of when Daddy was pregnant with Austin?"
Suddenly, a voice piped up, making Carlton blink in surprise. He hadn’t even considered there were more bizarre stories about other Carlton’s pregnancy escapades to uncover!
"Wasn’t there some kind of hunting competition going on back then?" another child chimed in.
Carlton braced himself for whatever outlandish tale they were about to unleash. And boy, did they deliver:
"That’s right! And Daddy won by a landslide!" A chorus of excited squeals erupted from the children as one continued breathlessly, "Wolves, lions... and get this - Daddy even took down two bears at once! All while he was carrying Austin!"
"Howaaaaa!!!"
The sound echoed through the room as all seven kids roared their approval. Carlton wanted to shout "Howaa..." too – but not out of admiration; more like bewildered confusion.
When had their kingdom become a haven for exotic beasts? Lions and wolves? Sure... but bears? Why were there TWO bears for him to slaughter? Did other Carlton stumble upon a bear mating ritual and decide to play grizzly butcher during peak romance season?! Did mating season just become a death sentence for local fauna?! This story was wilder than any fantasy novel Tristan’d ever read.
"What about our oldest brother?" someone asked eagerly.
"Oh yeah," another child replied with relish," Father Emperor said that while Daddy was expecting Malcolm, he had this... craving. And it turned out to be a craving for snakes!"
Carlton felt his jaw drop. Was there no end to the absurdity?
"He didn’t just kill any old snake," another voice added with awe, "Daddy killed pythons and boas...and even the King of Snakes! A giant green anaconda!"
".........."
At this point, Carlton was so speechless. He wanted to apologize for eavesdropping on their bizarre family history lesson – but also demand an explanation about where all these animals came from! It seemed like every time Carlton from this world got pregnant, he somehow became a one-man animal extermination squad.
Was this Carlton secretly fulfilling some bizarre ecological mandate, or had he simply developed a taste for dangerous wildlife snacks during his pregnancies? Or maybe... there was some sort of secret mission embedded in his DNA that mandated him to clear out the kingdom’s wildlife population!
The sheer randomness of it all was enough to make him question if other Carlton wasn’t actually meant for life as a ruler at all. Maybe his true calling was something more along the lines of "Professional Animal Slayer."
"But..."
The word hung in the air, a pregnant pause that made Carlton’s curiosity spike even higher. He wanted to slink away, retreat back into the shadows and pretend he hadn’t overheard anything at all. But the next words that tumbled out were like a punch to the gut, silencing his desire for escape.
"But... 3 of our siblings... died in daddy’s womb... so..."
The room went silent. The lighthearted chatter about bear-killing pregnancies evaporated like morning mist under a scorching sun. A heavy blanket of grief settled over them – thick and suffocating as if they were huddled in a graveyard instead of this sunny meadow. Carlton felt his heart clench; these weren’t just stories anymore – they were real losses mourned by little voices echoing in the shadows.
"It’s all because of that evil woman! Aunt Charlotte!!! Daddy and Father believed her!!!" A voice erupted from the group, laced with raw anger and bitterness. They seemed oblivious to their hushed whispers moments before; suddenly they were shouting accusations like gladiators in an arena filled with venomous vipers instead of cherubic children discussing bedtime stories.
"Who knew she wanted to be empress so badly and was jealous that daddy was always pregnant?!"
Carlton recoiled slightly at the outburst - he remembered Alaric mentioning those miscarriages before... but now it wasn’t just some morbid historical anecdote; it was real pain laid bare before him in these children’s eyes...
Instead of anger at Charlotte bubbling up inside him, Carlton found himself grappling with an even bigger question gnawed at his mind now: How?
Other Carlton could apparently slay lions and bears while pregnant without even breaking a sweat. He was practically superhuman during those months! But Charlotte... she was tiny, delicate as a porcelain doll compared to the hulking bear-figure like Carlton. A mere bump from her seemingly insignificant frame had been enough to send other Carlton into premature labor. It wasn’t just that Charlotte managed to knock him out; it was how effortlessly she did it!
Carlton had previously imagined Charlotte as some kind of buffalo - strong enough to knock over his massive frame with one careless nudge. Now he realized that image was woefully inadequate; Charlotte wasn’t just a bulldozer - she was an entire forest disguised as a woman had brought down the animal slayer herself!
