Emery couldn't help but gasp.
It was a good surprise.
A great one.
After all, it was common understanding among cultivators that the stronger one's realm became, the harder it was to conceive. Grand Magus cultivators rarely had children at all, and those who did often spent decades trying.
When Emery and Klea married, they had quietly accepted that outcome. Neither had spoken of it directly, but the understanding had settled between them all the same.
So when Klea finally told him, Emery's mind blanked for a moment before the words actually registered.
"This is great," he finally said, pulling her into his embrace.
Klea blushed, a small smile slipping through. Then Emery suddenly pulled back, looking straight into her eyes, his expression sharpening with something closer to alarm.
"You shouldn't have gone into that battle." His grip on her shoulders tightened slightly. "I can't imagine if something had happened to you, or—"
He didn't finish the thought. He didn't need to.
