Chapter 497: UN Assembly News
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.
Envy emerged from the kitchen, calmly observing the scene. She didn\'t know what had happened, but she knew Daniel rarely lost his composure like this. Something significant must have triggered it.
"My Lord..." Penthesilea was lost, stunned, and afraid. Her mind continued to spiral downward, but Daniel quickly lifted her up and embraced her, stopping her dark thoughts.
"Don\'t ever say that again," he whispered in her ear. "You\'re not going anywhere, and no one will send you to the frontline. Even if you don\'t work, I won\'t scold you. You only need to stay here, safe and sound, and await the arrival of our child." His words dispelled Penthesilea\'s doubts and fears.
"But... but you didn\'t seem happy, My Lord... you were..."
"Who said I wasn\'t happy!?" Daniel interrupted, looking directly into Penthesilea\'s eyes. "Stunned and shocked, yes, but not happy? There\'s no way I wouldn\'t be happy!" His eyes were full of mirth and deep love, though a trace of fear still lingered.
"Don\'t ever mention abortion or anything of that sort again... do you hear me?" Daniel\'s voice was firmer now, but still gentle.
"Yes... Yes, My Lord," Penthesilea replied, returning his embrace as tears streamed down her face.
"What should you call me, Penthy?" Daniel asked, using her pet name with love and tenderness.
"Dan... Danny... Thank you, Danny," Penthesilea responded, kissing him.
As the couple kissed, Envy smiled. It was just a misunderstanding. But then, her eyes shifted to the clock on the wall, and she was startled. It was time to take little Sylvana to school!
"Ahem!" she coughed, bringing the couple back to their senses. They quickly separated, smiling in embarrassment, especially Penthesilea.
*Clap Clap* "Eat quickly and bring little Sylvana to school already. It\'s going to be late at this rate." Envy said, clapping her hand, hurrying Daniel to eat his food.
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Greed brought a confused little Sylvana downstairs from her room, accompanied by Michaela. Daniel was immediately bombarded with questions from his daughter: "Why did Daddy scold Mama Penthesilea?" "Why were you angry?" "Why am I getting a little brother or sister?" "How can Papa make my little brother or sister? Can you show me how to make them?
I want to make them too in the future!"
The last question nearly caused Daniel to have a stroke, but he quickly calmed himself and answered some of the questions truthfully. Others, which could only be answered in the future, he avoided, of course, not without earning some playful teasing from Envy.
After breakfast, Daniel took little Sylvana to school with Koyuki. Meanwhile, Penthesilea stayed home with Envy and Greed to prepare for a visit to the doctor.
— At the Medical Center —
Daniel arrived at the medical center within the Atlanteus base. This was where Envy had brought Penthesilea for a checkup. Due to Penthesilea\'s superhuman strength and power, secrecy was paramount, so the Atlanteus base medical center was the only viable option.
In the medical center\'s VIP lounge, Envy sat at the bar, sipping a martini and watching the news on the TV screen behind the bartender. Daniel approached her.
"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.