The news of Princess Eunbi being pregnant is announced on the day Sakura returns to the Capital City.

Indeed, Great Yoonjung has anticipated it and telepathed Chaewon to ask Choi Yena to take Saku home with her "flies" because Eunbi would want Saku to be by her side.

(Yoonjung has been invited to numerous visits when she was in the Capital City, but she was most impressed by Choi Yena's work after visiting Akimoto's studio and decided to invite Yena to her Castle to have a mage-to-mage deep chat. It turns out that Yena's magic is not as complicated as Eunbi has thought. The dragonflies Yena uses are just common species that live on the Fourth Realm Continent. The process is a creative adaptation of the Yoonjung Method that borrows energies. Oxygen and time enable the insects to turn into monsters and back in seconds. And the insects/birds are controlled through sound. Yena also seized the opportunity to gain Yoonjung's support for her idea of a creative institute while she stayed at Magic South University.)

Yena stayed in the Castle for two days and escorted Sakura back. When it took Yoonjung two weeks to bring Sakura to the Castle with numerous detours in between, it took 2 hours for Yena to get Sakura back to the Palace, riding on two giant dragonflies.

Yoonjung deliberately arranged the detour to open a new horizon for Sakura. Every year, Yoonjung, as Tokkiz's Head of Mage, will pay irregular visits to different communities to spot-check local mages' work and advise if needed. In Tokkiz, many mages work for the government. They organized themselves into teams of various functions to empower and help build the communities with knowledge and skills. This is a policy the King enacted after the last War as a form of power delegation. After seeing how magic works in ordinary people's lives, Sakura learned magic theories and basics (of the Yoonjung Method) concisely. But more importantly, Sakura learned about "society" when she could interact with "ordinary folks" on par (Yoonjung didn't mention Saku's royal title, although some heard about Saku the Wolf Killer, and they stuffed him with gifts).

With Master Han Daejung, Saku's life was not that easy. Many young warriors heard about his fame and came for a tournament, and the Master didn't intervene. Contrary, he thought it was a good chance for the novice to gain more experience. He even volunteered to be the judge in many cases (to protect the boy from those who were excessively aggressive and give practical advice during the fights). Nonetheless, Saku ended up with masses of bruises and even a black eye when he returned to the South Castle (escorted by different wolf packs). Yoonjung refused to let him go back to the academy for the rest of his stay (Eunbi will surely get crazy and forbid him to learn martial arts anymore). Still, Sakura had progressed tremendously under Daejung coaching. Now she starts to wonder if she can match Jaeyeon by catching a butterfly that passes by the ceiling...

When the butler announced the arrival of the Royal Knight of the Blaze, both the Princess and the Prince Consort ran out of the house to welcome the boy. Saku carries a heavy bag on his back but runs fast towards them, almost without panting. His hair has grown long after leaving the Palace for nearly four months, and he tied them into a short ponytail which makes him look taller and more mature.

"Congratulations, Your Highnesses!" As instructed by Yena, Sakura first congratulates the royal couple politely.

Instead of observing Palace protocol, Eunbi and Jaeyeon sandwich Saku and hug him hard. They didn't expect that they would have missed him so much.

Jaeyeon immediately orders the chef to make Saku's favourite dishes and helps Saku unload his bag.

"Saku-chan, what is inside the bag? Why is it so heavy?" Eunbi askes.

"They are all gifts to Your Highness by your people. Some are from the Grandmaster's places, and some are from the Magic Town."

"What are places that the Grandmaster has visited? I don't understand." Eunbi quickly asks.

Saku then reports his eye-opening journey. He has observed how commoners could manage themselves through the assistance of the mage teams even though they do not possess any magical skills. Places are clean and tidy, food is abundant, people are considerate and willing to share, lively and innovative, and they feel happy.

"But there must be places where people are less prosperous and more unhappy," Eunbi argues.

"There are communities that are less happy or unhappy. The grandmaster said that prosperity and happiness don't necessarily relate. She said happiness depends a lot on their beliefs and values and their connection to nature and each other. Usually, people who lead a simple life look happier. Some unhappy people are rich." Saku replies in a very sophisticated manner. It sounds very Yoonjung, "and some blame the government on the anti-drug regulations."

The anti-drug regulations are measures to stop Tokkizans from consuming addictive drugs after the Trivisa Berries' Plantation was cracked down. Although its relationship with Cistumon is still under investigation, Eunbi believes that the health and well-being of Tokkizans should be put in the first place.

"Do you mean some people who are not poor but feel unhappy and blame the government?" Eunbi raises her brows.

"You are totally right, Your Highness." Saku nods.

Saku's observations impress Eunbi a lot, and she comments, "Saku-chan, you are very observant. But I have another question: you didn't go to those places as my delegate, why would people send me gifts? I understand those who live in Magic Town who know that you are my acquaintance, but why are the others?"

Saku looks confused and turns to Jaeyeon for help.

Jaeyeon laughs, "Saku-chan, why should I know the reason?"

As he says, Jaeyeon walks to examine the items inside the bag and looks at Saku, "are you sure these gifts are for the Princess and not for you?"

Saku answers innocently, "all gifts given to me belong to Her Highness, isn't it?"

"Saku-chan is so adorable!" Eunbi laughs heartedly. "Fine, I will accept them as gifts from you."

Saku smiles shyly, "we...The people and I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, Your Highness."

Eunbi suddenly becomes nostalgic, "oh, I cannot believe it has been one year already. Saku-chan, remember you were the birthday present I chose last year? This year you come back on time, and it is my best present already. I am pretty upset, actually."

Jaeyeon immediately explains, "the Royal Physician has tried his best to stop Her Highness from riding by herself to the Princess Cup Race. We have to ride on the State Coach instead, which has made her very unhappy – I don't like riding the coach."

Before Saku can respond, Eunbi suddenly has an idea, "Saku-chan, if you can receive gifts on my behalf, can you ride First Snow on my behalf too? The people will surely love that!"

So it was so decided. On the day of the Princess Cup Race, Tokkizans line up along the streets waiting to see the Princess Regent and her husband, and they get a delightful surprise. It is the first time the legendary "Saku the Wolf Killer" meets the public. The handsome young Royal Knight is wearing an exquisitely preserved wolf head hat while riding First Snow in front of the royal carriage. Girls start to scream like crazy. When the procession enters the Royal Grand Racecourse, all participants stand up and bow respectfully to the royals. Since Saku is riding in front, he is, technically, the first to receive those bows, no matter whether they are aimed at him or not. And it takes no time for Sakura to spot the man – the man who refused to sit next to her by the fountain one year ago. One year has passed. He still loves gambling, but she has been transformed from an enslaved person to a noble! Eunbi's words suddenly ring in Sakura's head, "I will make them bow to you one day," and her eyes moist.

***

Not long after Eunbi's birthday, Nako gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Nako turned to Eunbi and Chaewon for help when both she and Kwangbae couldn't decide what the baby should be named.

"Why don't you ask your sister-in-law? Hyewon is a professional on that." Chaewon says.

Nako signs, "unnie had given us an envelope before she left for the mountain for her yearly retreat. After Baby was born, I opened the envelope and found a few female names – Hyewon unnie actually predicted it was a girl! But we cannot choose. All names are good. I believe you will have better senses."

"Can I carry the baby?" Eunbi asks curiously.

"Sure," Nako hands over the baby with a big grin, "I bring her along so that you can have a better idea of which name suits her best."

Eunbi cannot stop smiling with the sleeping infant in her arms; she touches her face with her index finger softly and sniffs hard with her nose, "she is so soft, and her smell is so adorable! And she is so beautiful. I heard newborn babies look like monkeys, but she looks like a peach – can I see the names from Hyewon?"

"That's because she is already two weeks old," Chaewon says and shows Nako's paper in front of Eunbi.

Eunbi ponders on the names while the baby makes some noise in her dream and hits her little fit softly on her .

Eunbi seems to have gotten a hint and announces proudly, "Hitomi! I choose Hitomi – kind and beautiful. This name suits the baby best."

"Hitomi! That sounds beautiful!" Nako exclaims with tears beaming in her eyes, "thank you, Your Highness! Thank you."

Chaewon smirks, "but all the names on your list are beautiful, Nako."

It was probably the most productive ten months Eunbi has experienced in her life. Heaven blessed, despite minor discomforts, Eunbi survived her pregnancy and has been in good shape. However, her favorite joke during the pregnancy was, "I'm probably pregnant with a puppy."

Compared to average fetuses, the one inside Eunbi was hyperactive. The quickening started very early, especially when mealtime was approaching, but Eunbi was still busy with work, and the fetus would start kicking to "notify" Eunbi. When food is tabled, just entered Eunbi's sight, or even with the scent of food stimulating Eunbi's nostrils, the fetus will act up. Food on the table would start to "dance," and lightweight food would lead to disaster. One time when the chef had made a plate of fried rice, the tiny particles bounced like they were dancing on a drum head, ending up with half of the content landed on the ground. It was always Dukduk, the loyal knight, who came to the rescue.

Fortunately, as a princess, Eunbi is being well taken care of by the royal doctors, who diagnosed the fetus as nothing wrong but hyperactive. To be honest, Eunbi was a little worried if the fetus was a puppy, or to be exact, a white wolf. But Chaewon didn't notice anything unusual when she monitored the fetus with her third eye.

Deep in her heart, Eunbi was confident that the future baby would not be an ordinary being. Since becoming pregnant, she has had a much clearer mind and vision, making her see problems to the point and think of solutions quickly. Sometimes she even had celestial eyes, and she felt that she wasn't alone. Probably because she always eats, Eunbi often feels energetic, and even her personality changed a bit to become braver and enterprising.

Eunbi also made great progress in her regency. She restructured the Privy Council and appointed new advisors that could help her innovative projects – in order not to arouse the attention of the Cistumons. The Council refrains from using political words like 

One of the primary tasks of Eunbi is to promote educational innovation and the development of human resources.

While reviewing the curriculum of all Tokkiz schools, Eunbi sponsors Choi Yena's pioneer projects with generous funding, with only one task: "to provide creative solutions for a happier Tokkiz". Deep in Yena's heart, she knows that it is a task that requires tremendous research, discussions, and creative processes and experiments – right, on the scale of a real tertiary institute.

As the de facto ruler of Tokkiz, Eunbi's top concern is the well-being of her people. As advised by Dongwook, "happiness" is a serious issue that involves the Kingdom's economic policy and cultural practices. To Eunbi, the fact that some people are not happy, as reported by Sakura, sounds alarming. Tokkizans are not poor but they love gambling, they are rich enough to buy addictive drugs, and don't think there is anything wrong with that – if left unattended, they will become serious social problems. Dongwook believes that the root of these problems may go back to the Cistu-Ar/To War that happened 13 years ago. Although the battleground of the War was not on Tokkizan soil, it nonetheless has a negative impact on Tokkiz. Expanding the gambling culture became the fastest way to save the Royal Treasury – but what made Tokkizans "rich" was the (forced) open door of trade with the Cistumon Empire under the Peace Treaty. Judging from today, it looks like a very wrong decision because it has twisted Tokkizans' core value from virtue to money in just a decade. And it created another problem. With more money, the buying and selling of slaves (mainly Arukasians who fled their country) became a common practice more than ever, some slaves (like Yeri and Sakura) got abused and even killed, and there is no law to stop it.

This phenomenon could not be imagined decades ago, and it will threaten mages' rule if ignorance and the lack of kindness among the commoners persist as such. The King once told Eunbi, "if evil grows beyond the control of mages, mages will lose the legitimacy to rule and even the value of existence. When the mage class disappears, the whole society will collapse."

So, these are the real problems Eunbi is determined to deal with – to stop callousness, ignorance, and greed from growing into maliciousness that runs out of control, and happiness is only a camouflage.

When the estimated due date of delivery approached, Eunbi was forced to stop working by her parents. While the King takes over her job, Eunbi can only put all her attention on her well-being and the baby to come. So she summons Kang Hyewon.

Hyewon seems to have lost some weight after her retreat, but she is nevertheless high-spirited.

"It must have been tough," Eunbi asks sincerely.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Ascetic practice is essential to get close to Heaven and attain enlightenment," Hyewon answers with a smile that resembles the blossoming spring flowers, which are ephemeral but splendid.

Oh, she looks so beautiful when she smiles. Eunbi thinks.

"Do Your Highness need me to do some calculations and predictions for the baby?" Hyewon asks.

"Yes, please," Eunbi nods.

So Hyewon comes back a few days later. This time, Eunbi is accompanied by Jaeyeon when meeting with Hyewon.

"Hyewon-ssi...eh... it's been a long time," without any reason, Jaeyeon suddenly feels uneasy.

"Yes, time flies, Your Highness," Hyewon bows politely, calm as ever in her unflattering monotone.

"So, seonsaengnim, what is your discovery?" Eunbi asks eagerly.

"To what extent do you want me to reveal? Birthdate? Gender? Name?"

"All." "None." Again, Eunbi and Jeayeon speak together.

Hyewon looks at the couple with a blank face.

"All," Jaeyeon quickly changes his mind.

Hyewon nods and hands Eunbi an envelope, "you can open this now. It contains a few birthdates and times I have divined, all are very good dates and times, but the one I have highlighted in red is supreme."

"It's two weeks later." Eunbi opens the letter, and Jaeyeon responds. His heart races, and he feels his cheeks burning.

This time Eunbi notices it, "Jae, you are anxious, aren't you?"

Jaeyeon gives his wife a silly smile, and Hyewon adds, "it will tie you down to be a loyal father, Your Highness – if it is a boy."

Eunbi giggles, "what if it is a girl?"

"A girl will travel far," Hyewon says plainly.

"Why?" The couple asks together.

Hyewon shakes her head, "please excuse me for the fact that I cannot explain. I drew this conclusion from your birth charts and my divination."

The Prince and the Princess thus look at each other with a sweet smile.

***

The new heir to the throne was born precisely at the best date and time priestess Hyewon has divined. The whole Palace was turned upside down for the moment, and Eunbi was grateful that both Jaeyeon and Sakura were by her side, helping her go through the painful and satisfactory moments.

When Lady Chaewon, Head of Royal Household, personally placed the sign on an easel with the words: "it's a boy" outside the Palace gate, the waiting crowds broke into the loudest cheer that hadn't been heard in Tokkiz for many years. The people thus go on with their celebrations and pray for the health of the newborn prince for seven days and nights.

Back in Eunbi's bedroom, Jaeyeon opens the second letter Hyewon gave them. He cannot contain his emotion when he passes the piece of paper to Eunbi.

The boy born in this supreme hour should be called Yujin – the One who shakes the Universe.

Eunbi then passes the paper to her parents, her father, just like Jaeyeon, cannot contain his emotion.

The scene amuses Eunbi. The men are crying while the women, including her mother the Queen, are frantically working on the newborn until he cries out in a strong and bright voice.

After the initial cleaning, the midwife gently put the baby into Eunbi's arm. At first, Eunbi finds it a bit hard to believe that her petite body can give birth to such a big and heavy baby.

"Hi, Yujin," Eunbi calls the baby softly while hugging him slightly harder. "Yudaeng-daeng..."

Yijin stops crying and opens his eyes for the first time as if on cue.

Jaeyeon escorts the King and the Queen out of the room after Eunbi announces she will feed the baby, with only Nako, Anna, and Saku staying behind. After a bit of hassle and with the help of Nako, Eunbi finally finds the proper position for Yujin to his first milk.

The baby soon falls asleep after being fed. Eunbi finally relaxes and shifts her attention to the others. The first one she looks for is Sakura. She mouths "Kkura" and asks, "Saku-chan, how do you feel?"

"Amazing," the girl's cheeks instantly turn crimson red. She looks a bit shy but excited, "life is so amazing."

Eunbi smiles, "so Saku-chan, Yujin is your baby brother from now on."

Author's Notes:

Sorry to have kept you waiting, it seems that I need a whole month to finish one chapter. Also, the development now has become much faster, as I want to leave more chapters for a more mature Sakura – can't wait for children to grow up, while at the same time don't want them to grow up so fast. I think you understand my feelings.

Finally, when LE SSERAFIM is about to debut, it will be inevitable for Kkubi and Kkuchaen to fade out, along with the other IZ*ONE ships (except the revival of SsamKkura and Hyeyul I guess), so "Precious Slave" may be among a few last Kkubi fics that will still exist for a while and it will soon become "outdated", only your continuous support will keep it fresh. Thank you for reading.