hotmtlnovel Chapter 405: Make Up Your Mind!
Chapter 405: Make Up Your Mind!
Chapter 405: Make Up Your Mind!
The little girl's voice was crisp and clear, with a conviction that could not be denied.
Rhaegar was stunned, gazing at the sister he had watched grow up since childhood.
In his impression, Helaena was a tender little girl. Trapped by the Dreamer talent, she developed a withdrawn personality. A poor girl who would cry at the slightest bullying from her brother Aegon.
As the two figures overlapped, Rhaegar couldn't help but be dazed and added, "You've grown up."
"Brother, don't exclude me," Helaena said hopefully. She had grown up and had her own ideas. It was her intention to gain her brother's approval in a silent way.
But her mother pushed too hard and tried to marry her off. If she didn't make up her mind today, she would only be further away from what she wanted in the future.
Rhaegar finally came to his senses and embraced the little girl with a complex expression: "Since you boast of being Visenya, you should understand my difficulties."
"Hmm!" Helaena sniffed and nodded as she buried her head in her brother's chest.
"I'll go out first and leave the troubles outside," Rhaegar said, rubbing her long hair, his voice soft. He had a headache, unsure if he should answer or not. In principle, this was the absolute wrong thing to do. One wrong move and the family he had worked so hard to create would fall apart, giving the vultures of the outside world a chance to take advantage of the situation.
Helaena read his struggle with her sensitive mind. Tilting her head, she looked at him with determined eyes and said boldly, "Brother, are you willing to marry me to another man and have me bear children for others?"
Rhaegar's heart sank, his mind racing with thoughts. Tearing away the facade, the simple question went straight to the heart. They had been together since childhood, and their feelings were strong. Marrying Helaena to a man other than a Targaryen, out of the family's core circle, how could there be no ripples in his heart?
Whether it was weighing the pros and cons, or emotions, looking at Helaena, whose eyes were red and stubborn, Rhaegar was speechless.
Helaena had already gotten the answer and broke into a smile, "Brother, the Targaryen bloodline is destined to make us attracted to each other." The world rules could not restrict the Targaryens.
Rhaegar was silent. He held her slender waist in his embrace and raised a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. Helaena beamed and stared straight ahead.
She had finally succeeded. She didn't need any underhanded means, just the burning blood that flowed together. From time to time, her mother had drilled the ways of Hightower's establishment into her, but she didn't recognize them.
Her! Helaena! Targaryen! Dragons have their own way of living.
After a long moment, Rhaegar pursed his lips, seeming to release something deep within himself.
Rhaegar released her and said firmly, "You stay here. I'm going out first, alright?"
"What for?" Helaena asked crisply.
"Just step aside, little brat." Rhaegar pushed the door open, gently nudging Helaena back toward the bedroom.
Moving quickly, he slipped out the door, needing a moment of silence.
Thump—
The door closed, leaving Helaena alone in the room. She cupped her face, feeling the tear tracks and the lingering warmth of Rhaegar's fingers.
"How bold," Helaena murmured, rubbing her face until it turned red. Her heart pounded as she stared at the door in confusion. Everything had seemed fine, but now he was gone. She had hoped to bask in the moment a little longer, but it had fizzled out.
"Ugh..." Helaena sighed, slightly disappointed.
Bang...
The door burst open again, and Rhaegar stormed back in.
Helaena's eyes widened, "Back?"
Rhaegar exhaled deeply and sighed, "I couldn't stay away."
Stepping out, his mind kept replaying the potential consequences, just like the Viserra matter. He couldn't leave things unresolved.
"Brother," Helaena beamed, rushing toward him.
"Stop!" Rhaegar scowled, grabbing her by the back of the neck to keep her at a distance.
With a stomp, he shut the bedroom door. He looked around, then grabbed a red blanket, wrapping Helaena tightly like a small mummy.
Except for her feet and head, she was completely swaddled.
"You let me in," Helaena insisted stubbornly.
Rhaegar sighed and said solemnly, "I cannot do this while Rhaenyra is pregnant." After a pause, feeling incomplete, he added, "When you're older and a true adult."
He allowed himself certain liberties with Jeyne and the bastard lady, but those weren't for the sake of matrimony and were the occasional mistakes of a male in a noble class. However, cheating while Rhaenyra was pregnant would be a betrayal and deeply humiliating.
Rhaegar sighed and said solemnly, "I can't do this while Rhaenyra is pregnant." After a pause, feeling incomplete, he added, "When you're older and a true adult."
He allowed himself certain liberties with Jeyne, the bastard daughter, but those were for the sake of matrimony and were the occasional mistakes of a male in a noble class. However, cheating while Rhaenyra was pregnant would be a betrayal and deeply humiliating.
Not caring whether Helaena understood the deeper meaning, Rhaegar pressed her skull gently and said, "Hush! Sleep."
Reluctantly, Helaena blinked and lay back down.
Both siblings closed their eyes, quietly enjoying the sunlight and the cool breeze.
Suddenly, Helaena mentioned, "What about that Lord Peake?"
Rhaegar, still with his eyes closed, replied, "There's no rush. Having committed a crime, he's probably fled the Red Keep by now. Let him run for a while."
"Oh." Helaena adjusted herself into a comfortable position.
For a moment, the bedroom regained its peace. Sunlight bathed the room, with a handsome young man in silver hair and black clothes reclining in a chair, and a red-wrapped Helaena in his arms.
It was an intoxicatingly beautiful picture, provided one ignored the red caterpillar-like cocoon that Helaena was wrapped in.
...
At the Same Time
Upstairs, the Princess' Bedroom
Sara stood guard at the door of the quiet room. The princess was pregnant and often needed long naps.
Inside the bedroom, silk curtains draped over the floor-to-ceiling windows, blocking out the harsh sunlight. Rhaenyra, in a loose nightgown, slept quietly on her side. One hand was under her ear, the other resting on her round belly. She slept so soundly that she didn't realize she was dreaming.
In the dream:
Rhaenyra was lying in her bedroom, everything around her unchanged.
"Hmph..." There was a strange sound in her arms, a faint whimper.
Confused, Rhaenyra looked down. Her rounded belly was gone, and her stomach was flat. In her arms were two small white babies, squeezed together, twisting and turning as they tried to roll over. After much effort, their chubby bodies wouldn't budge, their faces turning a suffocating red.
Rhaenyra recognized them immediately as her children.
"Grr..." The two little babies, tired of tossing and turning, their purple eyes darting around, nibbled at their little pink hands and arms. Rhaenyra watched silently, her heart melting.
"Roar..." Suddenly, a shrill roar echoed. There was more than one; several sounds joined together. Rhaenyra, still unaware that she was dreaming, instinctively wrapped her arms around the two babies.
"Roar..." A young bronze dragon, no larger than a house cat, flew out first, landing on the bed and spreading its wings.
"Roar..." The next moment, three more young dragons flew out from different parts of the bedroom, chirping and scurrying around. Tired of flying, each looked for a place to land. One landed on the headboard next to the bronze young dragon. Two landed at the foot of the bed, craning their necks to look back and forth.
Rhaenyra rubbed her eyes in dismay, unable to make out the appearance of the other three young dragons.
"Wahh..." One of the babies in her arms howled after exerting too much force. Crying, the baby quickly grabbed a wooden toy and threw it at the bed.
Plop--
The toy hit the bronze-colored young dragon precisely.
"Roar..." Instantly, the four young dragons were frightened and flapped their wings to fly away.
"Hmph..." The baby immediately stopped crying and arched into Rhaenyra's arms, searching for comfort. Looking at the scene, the baby seemed quite domineering.