Three months come and go quickly.

It is now the month of July and the peace seemed to be going well for both kingdoms. 

Nina moved in with Ayaka and is now sharing her bedroom with her. Ayaka has been getting better sleep than ever knowing that her ex-soldier fiancée was there to protect her. They planned their royal wedding for October, giving them a lot of time to prepare.

However, on this hot summer day, a very surprising event occured. 

Queen Aina made an official announcement that she decided to step down from her position of queen, passing the role down onto her daughter, Ayaka. Ayaka had been having private discussions with her mother about this for weeks, and she had been telling Nina everything, so it was no surprise to either of them. 

Since Ayaka was officially becoming queen in August and the wedding was planned for October, it only put more pressure for the next step of their relationship to happen: the birth of an heir. 

The two young women laid on their shared bed together, the thought lingering in both of their minds. Nina knew Ayaka needed an heir, so she was more than ready to help bring one into their lives. Honestly, she was bored in the palace sometimes, so a child would definitely occupy her. But, Ayaka spoke up first. 

“You know,” Ayaka sighed, not looking forward to the conversation as she expected Nina to stubbornly decline. “We should have a baby soon. No rush, but with me becoming queen, it only puts more pressure on the both of us,” she admitted, looking over to Nina as she awaited her response. 

Nina only thought about it for a few seconds. She knew she would have to give Ayaka an heir at some point regardless, so why not go ahead and do so? With the war over and Nina having nothing better to do, it was the perfect time. 

Besides, Nina had quickly fallen into baby fever, since her two closest friends are both expecting a baby. Mayuka and Maya seemed to be so happy, and so excited for their bundles of joy. She was ready to experience that, too. She had only heard positive things from the both of them.

“Yeah, we should,” Nina nodded in agreement. “I am ready, whenever you are,” she admitted. 

“Do know that we’ll have to make sure you’re the one who carries. Are you okay with doing that?”