Chương 161: Chapter 151 - Progenitor

Chelsea - Two months later"King Juice, Queen Juice, it's always a pleasure to see you." Chelsea greeted the royal family with a curtsy as they entered the cathedral. She had finally adjusted to caring for the twins and waking several times each night to feed them. Thankfully, when one baby woke, her crying usually disturbed the other. Chelsea could nurse them both at once rather than repeating the entire process an hour later.

She was still tired, but she no longer felt as though she might fall asleep during every conversation.

"Holy Empress Chelsea, it's so good to see you again. How are things faring in the Holy Empire?" the king asked.

"Better than expected," she replied. Chelsea had considered asking him for advice several times over the past month. He had ruled Junstruce for years and undoubtedly knew more about managing a kingdom than she did. Somehow, she hadn't needed to. Between Liam and the former prisoners she had brought into the Church, Chelsea felt as though she had developed a reasonable grasp on her responsibilities. Princess Evelyn watched her quietly.

"Oh? Have you finally stopped eating people?" she asked in her deceptively polite tone. The princess's expression remained perfectly composed, making it impossible to tell whether she had been joking.

"Evelyn, that's enough," Prince William scolded. Chelsea gave the prince an appreciative smile before gesturing toward the corridor.

"Please, follow me. I have a feast prepared to welcome you all." She guided the royal family toward the elevator and accompanied them to the cathedral's formal dining room. Adriane was already waiting when they arrived.

"Hello, everyone," she said.

"I hope my daughter has been polite."

"We're talking about the same Chelsea, right?" the king asked with a laugh.

"I'm pretty sure polite is all she knows."

"She has her moments," Adriane replied. Chelsea gave her mother an offended look, though Adriane's smile made it clear she was teasing. They entered the dining room and took their places around the long table. Formal place settings had been arranged for every guest, and a seat near Chelsea had deliberately been left open. The queen noticed it.

"So tell us, Adriane," she said.

"Tell us about this daughter of the Holy Empress." Adriane looked toward Chelsea with a smirk but offered no explanation. Chelsea had wanted the introduction to be memorable. Samantha had spent every available hour studying alchemy and taking etiquette lessons in preparation for meeting the royal family. When Chelsea first mentioned them coming to the Cathedral, Samantha asked if she could attend.

"Okay, fine. No more suspense." Chelsea rose from her chair, unable to contain her excitement any longer. She crossed the room toward the second entrance. Samantha waited on the other side, hidden from view. Chelsea had commissioned Rose to create a dress that would impress the royal family without overwhelming Samantha. The finished gown complemented her wings and allowed the glitter within to reflect off of the dress whenever they moved.

Her hair had been arranged into an elaborate but regal style that made her look every bit like the princess she had become. Of all of her kids, she took the role of princess the most literal and serious. Chelsea placed one hand on the door.

"King Juice, Queen Juice, Prince William, and Princess Evelyn, may I introduce Samantha Wixx, the Alchemist Princess of the Holy Empire." She pulled the door open. Samantha stood beyond it with her back straight and her hands held neatly in front of her. Despite the confidence of her entrance, the rapid movement of glitter through her wings betrayed her nerves. Chelsea looked back toward the royal family. The king's eyes widened. The queen lifted one hand to cover her mouth as she took in Samantha's appearance.

Evelyn's expression was more difficult to interpret. Surprise was certainly part of it, though Chelsea couldn't decide what else she saw there. Prince William rose from his seat and approached Samantha. He extended one hand with the smooth, practiced confidence Chelsea had come to expect from royalty. Samantha placed her fingers delicately in his.

"Good day, Princess Samantha. I'm Prince William of the Kingdom of Junstruce." Samantha curtsied.

"It's a pleasure." Chelsea could barely contain her pride. Samantha had worked hard for this moment, and the royal family appeared every bit as impressed as Chelsea had hoped they would be. The meal went perfectly. Samantha handled herself with the confidence of someone who had spent weeks preparing for the occasion. She answered the royal family's questions without stumbling, and the glitter moving through her wings gradually slowed as she became more comfortable.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Chelsea couldn't have been prouder of her. By the time the final course was cleared away, the gathering had become far less formal. King Juice and Adriane had fallen into an animated discussion while Evelyn questioned Samantha about alchemy. Even Liam seemed more relaxed than usual as he stood near the wall. A notification suddenly appeared in the corner of Chelsea's vision.

New Title Acquired: The Racial Progenitor.

"Uh. Yeah. Sounds good," Chelsea said noncommittally to the queen. She was distracted. She had no idea what Queen Juice had just said to her. Racial Progenitor? What the hell did that mean?

"Everything all right?" Prince William asked, concern appearing across his face.

"I don't know," Chelsea admitted. She opened the title description. The Racial Progenitor Acquired by becoming the matriarch of an entirely new race. While active: Grants all Blessed Demons the enhancement Progenitor's Grace. The effect scales with individual level. Grants an additional 1. 8 percent to all attributes for every Blessed Demon, including the progenitor. Chelsea stared at the words. She had become the matriarch for an entirely new race. The Blessed Demon race, obviously but… how?

Her attention moved around the table as she tried to determine what could have triggered it. Nothing unusual had happened during the meal. Samantha had been introduced to the royal family, but that couldn't have created an entirely new race of people. Though, she did notice Samantha and Prince William getting… close Could it be that?

"Mom, may I speak with you?" Chelsea called, unable to hide the panic creeping into her voice. Adriane left her conversation and approached. Liam noticed Chelsea's expression and joined them without being called.

"Everything okay?" Adriane asked in a hushed tone.

"I just got a new title," Chelsea whispered.

"It says I created a new race of people. The Blessed Demon race. Any idea what could've triggered it?" Adriane stared at her for a moment. Then a knowing smirk slowly crossed her face.

"Chels." She pressed her palm against Chelsea's cheek.

"You and Freya, have you two…" Her question faded before she finished it. Chelsea's eyes widened. The timing suddenly made sense. The name of the title made sense.

"Could I be pregnant!?"

"Have you been taking the potion that prevents pregnancy?"

"I'm a demon. I don't get preg…" Chelsea stopped herself and took a deep breath to calm herself. She had assumed that rule still applied after her evolution. She had also assumed it would apply to a relationship with a goddess. A female goddess.

"Unless maybe with her being a god. And me being a different type of demon. Oh, damn. I might be pregnant." She mumbled. Her hand moved toward her stomach before she could stop it. Nothing felt different. Before Chelsea could spiral any further, the dining-room door opened. Kira entered looking unusually unsettled. She quickly approached Chelsea, Adriane, and Liam while repeatedly glancing back toward the corridor.

"Hey. Hey, so, uh… we have a slight situation. It's not bad. Unless it is, then, uh… Maybe you should just… come see? Like… now? Please?" Chelsea closed the title description. Whatever was happening in the domain had to be addressed before she could panic over a possible pregnancy.

"Mom," Chelsea said.

"Please stay here and entertain the Juices. I'm going to go see what it is." Adriane gave her a look that made it clear their conversation wasn't finished, but she nodded and returned to the table. Chelsea, Liam, and Kira left the dining room at a calm pace. The moment the doors closed behind them, all three broke into a run. They reached the elevator, and Chelsea stepped inside first.

"My room," she all but yelled at Stan. The operator sent them upward.

"What happened?" Chelsea asked as the elevator climbed.

"I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but Lindsey said to get you. She said it was an emergency." Kira replied. The elevator stopped, and Chelsea hurried through the dark entrance into her domain. She crossed the open space with Liam and Kira close behind her. Several children watched them pass, but Chelsea didn't slow until she reached the candy cottage. She opened her bedroom door. Elize and Lindsey stood beside the bed, staring down at something between them. Chelsea approached slowly, expecting the worst. But…

"Mother, we don't know what happened," Elize, one of her matron daughters said slowly. Chelsea hurried across the room and pushed between her two older daughters. Belle and Aurora lay on their backs in the center of the bed. Both wore diapers but were otherwise uncovered, allowing Chelsea to see exactly what had changed. Small feathered wings now rested beneath their shoulders, still soft and folded close against their backs.

Tiny white and gold horns curved from the sides of their heads near their pointed ears, matching Chelsea's far too closely for there to be any doubt. The meaning of her new title became clear. She wasn't pregnant. Somehow, her two precious elf babies had become Blessed Demons. There was only one explanation Chelsea could think of.

"My milk. Did you feed them my milk?" she asked.

"We were feeding them when they both started crying at the same time," Lindsey explained.

"We watched them grow horns. We didn't see their wings grow because they were swaddled, but we felt them." Chelsea leaned closer to the bed. Both newborns had calmed by then. Belle moved one arm weakly beside her head while Aurora kicked beneath her diaper, seemingly unaware that anything extraordinary had happened.

"Baby… demons," Chelsea said slowly. A new concern took hold. Did becoming demons mean they would remain newborns forever? Would Belle and Aurora grow normally? Would Chelsea never sleep through an entire night again? She reached toward Belle and carefully rested her fingers against the baby's head before activating The Eyes.

[Status] Name: Belle Wixx Race: Blessed Demon - Elven Heritage Class: Princess Profession: — Title: The Child of the Holy Empress Titles: 2 Level: 1 Attributes Physical Strength: 0 Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 1 Stamina: 1 Mental Intelligence: 0 Wisdom: 0 Psyche: 0 Social Charisma: 0 Luck: 11 Abilities Passive Disease Immunity (Racial) Attract (Racial) Active N/A Enhancements: N/A Ailments: N/A