Whereas Hanagaki Akari's loyalty was torn between her love for her beloved king and her friendship with the king's strongest adversary.
Who will she choose?
Sequel to The Boss Queen.
Read the first book to understand the story better since this is...
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"UWAAAAHHHH!!!"
Akari woke up groggily from her pleasant slumber as she was disturbed by the baby's loud cries. She turned to her left and noticed the other side of the bed empty. It was still dark inside the bedroom and the time on the wall clock was four in the morning. She barely slept a wink. Yawning, she sat on the mattress and fixed her nightgown. She got out of bed and went to the nursery to check on her weeping child.
She carefully opened the door and saw Izana cradling their four-month-old daughter in his arms. He had finished changing her diaper and was now trying to lull her to sleep, but the infant won't stop crying.
"Izana?"
Her husband perked his head in her direction to see her standing on the threshold. "Akari? What are you doing here? You should take a rest. I know you're tired from taking care of Airi."
"I should be telling you the same thing. You still have to visit one of the orphanages later, Iza." Akari motioned toward him and gently took Airi from him. She baby-talked with their daughter, "Aw~. Look how you made Papa tired with your cries, Ai-chan. Are you hungry already?"
Taking her seat on a couch near the crib, she lowered the strap of her nightgown and let the baby latch on her breast, making the crying cease altogether.
She lightly poked the little girl's chubby cheek. "Maybe, I should pump some breastmilk later."
Izana quietly watched her breastfeed their firstborn in front of him and a soft smile crept onto his lips at how beautiful his wife and child looked together in his view. He walked over to them and sat down next to Akari. He wound his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Airi's features become more and more like you as she grew up, my queen," he murmured softly to her. "She's the mini version of you."
Akari's blue eyes fixated on the baby whose eye color was the same as hers. She couldn't help but admire their adorable child. "Oh, you think so?"
He hummed. "You two are both beautiful. And I could already see her having a huge appetite just like yours too. Look at how hungry she is."
She tilted her head and glared at him indignantly. "Hey, I'm not!"
Izana chuckled and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Wanna come with me to the orphanage later, love? The one where I used to live for a decade."
"Oh, can I?"
"Yeah, I'll show you around and meet some of my old acquaintances. I'm also planning to host a charity event there."
Akari glanced down at their daughter who had just finished her feeding and was now playing with her long hair. "What about Airi? Could she come with us too?" she asked him while trying to burp the baby on her lap.
