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Yuder and Kishiar blinked when they followed the old trusted attendant of the Emperor into the royal dining room.
Even before walking into the room, they could smell a different scent in the air. Two.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty for becoming an Awakener." Yuder said straight-faced as he sat down in his usual seat.
"What?!" The old attendant shouted and nearly tripped and fell down, but Kishiar caught him and held him up with a smile. It wasn't good for old people to fall after all.
Rosa beamed, quickly piling a lot of food on her favorite brother in law's spare plate. "You can tell, Yuder?"
Yuder nodded. "You had your second gender manifestation at the same time as well."
Kishiar grinned at his older brother, adding teasingly. "Looks like someone else had their second gender manifestation as well."
"Both of them?!" The old attendant shouted again, hand over his pounding heart. "Why didn't you tell me? Is there anything special I should do from now on? Yuder, you know the most about Awakeners, right? Is there anything I should know?" He asked anxiously.
Seeing the dear old man so anxious for them, Rosa apologized. "Forgive me, Yuliver. I didn't realize you would be so concerned over this."
Yuliver straightened, having been anxious but even more so not liking his royal masters apologize to him. Such things should never happen. Regaining his composure, he asked.
"If I may ask, Your Majesties, what genders did each of you manifest as?"
While Keilusa seemed to be in a listless state (how did he never notice?! Yuliver was going to do some serious reflecting after this!), Rosa was eager to tell him all about it.
"I'm an Alpha and he's an Omega!"
While Yuder and Kishiar sipped their teas, one more interested in the conversation than the other, Yuliver nearly spilled the tea he was pouring from the tea pot into the Emperor's cup.
"What?! But isn't Alpha like..." Yuliver didn't say anything upon realizing that it might be like an insult to say Rosa wasn't really very Alpha-like, but his wide eyes did glance between her and a very amused Kishiar as if making multi-level comparisons. "And isn't Omega like..." Yuliver glanced to Yuder and then became quiet.
"Although there are stereotypes because of some similar observed behavioral patterns for each gender, second gender orientation behaviors and personality types are not fixed or definite." Yuder simply explained and Yuliver finally nodded.
"Yes. Alright. So His Majesty is an Omega and Her Majesty is an Alpha." Yuliver repeated to himself before looking to Yuder. "Yuder, if I may ask, could I borrow your time afterwards to discuss in depth on what this would mean and how I might make adjustments to continue delivering the highest level of service to His and Her Majesty? I heard that the Cavalry has specialized rooms for certain events..." He gave as an example, though he didn't need to as Yuder easily nodded.
"It's fine."
Since Kishiar normally spent some time with his brother in these meals, Yuder had some time to spare to answer any of the servant's questions.
Especially since there was apparently some important things he had to mention to the servant for the Emperor and Empress's safety.
Kishiar briefly touched a part of it as he asked the two curiously. "So the both of you had your second gender manifestations... presumably at the same time."
"Yes." Rosa nodded, not surprised that Kishiar figured that part out because it hadn't been long since their last meal together and, at that time, neither of them had second genders.
"And yet Yuliver didn't realize?"
"Yes?" Rosa confirmed in confusion. "Is there something the matter with that?"
"No, no." Kishiar waved his hand, not wanting to worry his sister in law, especially when the both of them looked fine. "It's just a bit peculiar to me. Usually, second gender manifestations last long enough for another person to notice something wrong or someone missing. Both of your scents are quite strong at the moment as well so I would have thought that you both had or were near your heat cycle... but you seem fine."
"No." Rosa thought for a moment before covering her smile with a dainty hand. "I think we did have that so-called heat cycle you were talking about with our manifestation."
"Does it not last around five days?" Kishiar blinked and turned to ask Yuder the question.
"It does." Yuder didn't hesitate to answer as he ate another bite of milkfish.
"Oh." Rosa drooped down a little from her exuberant cheeriness. "Then is there something wrong with us?" She casted a worried look to her husband, now scrutinizing his listlessness with more suspicion than before as if he was going to collapse from a weak vessel again.
Yuliver looked like he wanted to ask why she uncharacteristically wasn't worried before, her normally being the greatest scrutinizer and guardian of her husband's health, but Yuder shook his head.
"No, there are just some exceptions."
"Oh?" Both Kishiar and Rosa made curious noises.
When Yuder nodded instead of saying anything more, they prompted.
"Like what?"
"Well," Yuder thought as he cut through a slab of steak with his knife, "the most applicable exception to this case is when two opposite second gender Awakeners achieve what is said to be the goal of an overlapping cycle between mated pairs."
"The goal?" Kishiar asked, eyes already widening in slow understanding.
Yuder nodded nonchalantly as he poked a cube of steak with his fork. "Yes. Pregnancy."
"......HIS MAJESTY IS PREGNANT?!" "I'M PREGNANT?!" Everyone shouted and stood up upon realization.
Yuder ate another piece of steak as he nodded before realizing and then putting his fork down to bow his head to Keilusa.
"Congratulations, your majesty on your pregnancy."
Keilusa's already pallid face became even more pale, but Rosa quickly held his hand and a white energy much like divine energy glowed, causing Keilusa's appearance to be more healthy. Although her eyes were still wide in shock, she unconsciously helped him sit back down and calmed him through rubbing circles on his back.
Oh. Healing abilities were extremely rare, Yuder realized and also came to the conclusion of why Rosa hadn't been particularly worried about His Majesty's pallor today.
Well, actually it didn't really make sense to him why she hadn't been worried and healed him earlier, but he didn't think too much on it.
Meanwhile, Kishiar, who had known from the beginning on why his brother looked so shell-shocked as if his entire world was shaken and why Rosa was so satisfied and happy as if she had eaten a canary today, blinked at Rosa's ability reveal and after giving the pregnancy reveal another second of thought, nodded and also offered with an impish smile,
"Congratulations, your majesty on your pregnancy."
"Yes, congratulations on your pregnancy..." Yuliver's professional side won over before he sputtered and stared and gaped and asked loudly, "But why is His Majesty the one pregnant?! Isn't Rosa the-?" His eyes widened as he remembered the factor of 'second gender' and then before he could unconsciously ask how, his wide eyes gazed wildly between his two lieges. As he remembered their demeanors this morning, he also came to the odd conclusion that unbeknownst to him, Kishiar reached from the beginning and decided for his masters' privacy (and his sanity), he wouldn't ask. Instead, he turned to Yuder and solemnly affirmed. "Yes. Yuder, we must talk. Especially on how I might attend His Majesty and assure the safe delivery of the royal heir."
Yuder bobbed his head up and down in a nod.
"So he's really pregnant?" Rosa asked before beaming and hugging her husband with a big hug. "Yes!! I have always wanted children! Let's have many, Kei!"
Keilusa La Orr looked like he wanted to say something, but his words died upon seeing the excited face of his wife and he weakly agreed.
"...yes..."
Kishiar laughed, deciding to tease his brother later after Rosa had her fun with him, and turned to Yuder.
"But how did you know that it wasn't the other exceptions?"
Kishiar hadn't forgotten how he had used plural when he said that there were some.
"Pregnant omegas often carry the scent of milk." Yuder replied simply, taking another bite of his meal...
"I see." Kishiar looked thoughtful. "Then I will make sure you smell full of milk next time."
...only for his fork to drop.