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Days passed by into weeks and weeks eventually turned into months and in what felt like the blink of an eye, Ria's stomach began to protrude as the child in her began to grow.
She didn't need me fawning over her as she was doing that enough herself, being extremely careful with her pregnancy. She would talk to the child at whatever chance she had, telling him stories and singing him lullabies, it was obvious how great a mother she would be.
"What do you want to call him?" I asked one day as we sat up in bed together. Her arms paused in stroking her womb as she thought about the answer to my question and I thought with her.
"What about Nero? He can grow up to be a stern man," Yes, that wasn't so bad a name. She glared at me, face scrunching up to show the clear dissatisfaction.
"What?" I innocently asked, confused by her dislike.
"No, I do not like it," She grumbled shaking her head and I hummed, shrugging my shoulders before going to lie down on the bed.
Is it supposed to be this difficult to name a child? I don't think my father gave a second thought before he named me Anastasius, I think it meant something along the lines of resurrection.
"What about Evander? It means a good man and that is the best trait a man can have," I guess I haven't got the best trait a man can have then.
"Evander Gaius Aurelius Caesar, a name fit for a future Emperor. Do you like it?" I asked and she shrugged her shoulders. "I'll think about it some more," She said and I chuckled, leaning up to kiss her cheek.
"But, at least for now, get some sleep, flower," Heeding my words, she got comfortable under the covers, snuggling up to me as my fingers ran up and down her spine.
"Or what about Marcus? Or Cornelius? Or even Erasmus, he can grow up to love...?" I laughed into her shoulder, peppering her with kisses and hugging her tighter.
"Flower," I called and she hummed, fiddling with the ends of my clothes.
"It's time to sleep," I whispered, closing my eyes and waiting for the sleep to come.
"Okay, goodnight," I felt the light breeze of her soft lips touching my cheek as my mind began to slowly fade into darkness, welcoming the tiredness of the days' activities.
The next day, I lounged back on a long couch, reading over a parchment of important documents, Julius standing guard not far from me.
"Julius," I called.
"Yes, your majesty," He immediately replied.
"What would you like to name your nephew?" I turned to ask, needing a break from the ink that sat on the paper. He wasn't prepared for the question and blinked, confused, not sure how to reply to my sudden curiosity.
"Hypothetically, your sister isn't liking any of my name suggestions so I'm wondering what you may think. Whether it be a female or male born from her womb, what would you name the child?" He thought about it for a moment.
"If it were to be a daughter, the name Cornelia would suit your child and if it were to be a male, I know that Valeria would look for a name that would let a good man's characteristics shine, so something along the lines of Evander..." He drifted off, noticing my glare.
"Did I say something wrong?" He itched the back of his neck.
"No, I'm just thinking that you and your sister have a lot in common," I grumbled, going back to the parchment and biting back a yawn.
"Oh... Thank you?" I heard him mumble from behind me.
I got along with some more paperwork for the next hour or so until the hurried footsteps of someone were heard before the doors slammed open and I turned to glare at Linus, the glare falling off as I caught sight of his hurried look.
YOU ARE READING
How To Tame An Empress (BOOK I)
Historical FictionBOOK 1 OF THE POSSESSIVE SERIES The fine line between love and obsession is so thin that it's almost non-existent... At least for Anastacius, the Emperor of Rome. He had fallen for the sound of her laughter before he had even seen her, and she had l...
