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Chapter 20
Riza awoke to the feeling of the warm sun rays on her face, and she slowly opened her eyes. She peered up, where her husband held her tightly whilst still in deep slumber, his eyes closed and brows relaxed, and his breathing was even. She stifled a giggle when he breathed out through his nose, the warm breath tickling the tip of her nose.
She recalled the confession she made the previous night, her cheeks were tinted pink and she smiled to herself as she remembered his joyful reaction, and she rested her head back on his toned chest, listening to his calm heartbeat.
She bit her lower lip in hesitation before pressing them against his chest, planting featherlight kisses, and trailed her lips up to his neck and jaw, nipping gently at his jawline, then kissed the corner of his lips.
She pulled away when she noticed his eyes slowly fluttering open, and a grin appeared on his lips. "This is something I would definitely want to wake up to every day."
Roy rolled over so she was laying on her back with him on top of her, and he leant down to kiss her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, then her lips. She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck as she returned the kiss, their lips moving feverishly against each other's and she opened her mouth, allowing him to slip his tongue inside and entangle with hers.
He pulled away, leaving a trail of their mixed saliva, and he moved down to kiss her neck that had several dark red marks painted on her porcelain skin. He then moved to her breasts, pressing his lips against her soft moulds, and taking her pink nub in his mouth, suckling it, eliciting a mew.
He released the bud, and moved to the other one, repeating what he did to the previous one. He pushed the blankets that were over them away as he trailed his lips southwards, kissing her stomach and navel whilst caressing her thighs before pulling away.
Riza knitted her brows when he suddenly stopped and gasped when he suddenly grabbed her foot and trailed kisses up her legs, gently biting her calves. She let out a pleasured sigh as he nipped and placed light kisses on her inner thighs, and whimpered as his lips travelled closer to her centre.
He rested her thighs on his shoulder, squeezing them as he placed his mouth over her core, and circled his tongue around her clit, not directly touching it. She whined, and he smirked before running his tongue along her entrance, lapping on her juices, eliciting a pleasured whimper.
"Roy..." She grabbed his hand, squeezing it as he rubbed the swollen nub with the hard tip of his tongue. She let out a loud moan as he buried his face further between her legs, coating her clitoris in her arousals and his saliva. He suckled her clit, and she bucked her hips forward.
She arched her back, her head thrown back as he continued the motion of his tongue, taking the erected bud between his teeth, rolling it in his tongue and suckling it harder whilst her moans grew louder until an orgasm wracked through her body.
He kissed her core once again before pulling away, licking his lips that were glistened with her juices, and he smirked. "Sweet as always." He then leant up to kiss her navel, in which she shuddered and mewled. He gently placed his hands on each side of her hips, and they slowly travelled up her smooth skin and cupped her breasts, squeezing the soft moulds.
She sighed his name as he kissed her breasts and her neck, and she reached a hand to caress his abs, her fingers trailing the outline of the burn scar.
He grunted and took her hand as he positioned himself against her entrance. "Riza..." He cooed and caressed her cheek as she closed her eyes and moaned as he slowly slid into her.
He took both hands in his, intertwining their fingers together, and they locked their eyes as he thrust in and out of her slick entrance. She wrapped her legs around his hips, subconsciously pulling him closer with every thrust.
Her cheeks grew redder as he gazed deeply into her honey hazel eyes, enticing her to squirm under him and turn her head bashfully. His grip on her hands tightened, and she moaned as he groaned whilst pumping harder into her.
"Riza." He grunted against her reddened ear, and she shuddered. She let go of his hands to cup a cheek in her palm, and she whispered his name before pulling him down for a kiss.
He returned the kiss eagerly, moving his lips roughly against hers, eliciting a muffled mewl, and he tugged her lower lip gently between his teeth.
"Roy," Riza whimpered against his lips, tightening her hold around him as he pulled away from the sloppy kiss, and he rested his forehead on hers. Waves of pleasure and ecstasy crashed them and she moaned as they came simultaneously with one last thrust, and he groaned, shooting his load in her.
He stayed in her arms, his tensed form relaxing and rested his head on her chest whilst they both heaved deep breathes. He pulled out and leant away slightly, his heart fluttering at the sight of the morning light radiating on his wife's sun-kissed golden hair and sweat-glistened, lightly flushed skin. He leant back down to claim her ruby lips for a sweet kiss, in which she responded to, and he rolled back to the side, bringing her with him.
He nuzzled his nose with hers, then grinned. "Good morning to you too, darling."
The light blush on her cheeks darkened again, and he chuckled.
He laid on his back so she could rest her head on his shoulder, and he pulled the covers up to cover her shoulder when she shivered ever so slightly from the cool morning breeze, before wrapping an arm around her. She responded to the embrace as she snuggled closer to her, pressing her body against his warm one and draped an arm across his chest.
The merry grin remained on his lips, and she asked with a raised brow. "What is it that's making you so happy?"
His grin widened, "You want to have a child with me."
She lifted her head up and heaved a sigh, and smiled. "...Are you that surprised? I was never against it."
"No, it's just that... I didn't think that you would want to have a child this soon." He explained with a sheepish smile, gazing down at her lovingly.
She hummed as she laid on top of him, resting her head back on his shoulder, and her honey hazel eyes pierced into his widened onyx ones. "...Being able to marry the person you love and having children with him, is the most normal yet happiest thing that could ever happen. I just want to obtain this happiness that I dreamt of as a child, while I still can."
"We don't have time for this, Roy." Riza pinched the back of her husband's hands as he wrapped his arms around her waist, enticing a whine and a pout, and he let go of her. She sighed and tied her slightly damp hair to a bun, and discarded the towel around her before changing into her undergarments.
She uttered a curse mentally as she saw several dark red marks adorn her porcelain skin through the mirror, and she noticed Roy grinning behind her. "You're not the only one has those, darling." He said teasingly.
"Out of all times, I don't have a turtleneck with me..." She muttered, and quickly took her makeup pouch. After temporarily covering the love bites on her neck, she changed to a sleeveless, black and white polka-dot shirt and black cigarette pants.
She glanced at her husband, narrowing her eyes at the little red marks on his necks that could still be seen from a certain angle.
"Will you button the first one up?"
He crossed his arms. "It'll make me look like a dork."
Of course, she sighed and softened her eyes as she gestured for him to come over. "Maybe we shouldn't have done it..."
"If memory serves right, you enjoyed it as much as I did." He replied cheekily, and he smirked. "And I've gotten to know another thing about you. So, it was your first time— Ow, Riza that hurts!"
He cut himself off with a yelp and a whine as she interrupted by pinching his cheek, and she scowled. "You are a dork."
"You said it yourself." He pouted, rubbing his cheek, trying to soothe the stinging pain.
"I was just—" She blushed, and gave up and rested her head on his shoulder. "...Dork."
"Your one and only, my dear." He grinned and kissed her temple.
She smiled, and lifted her head up and planted a sweet kiss on the cheek she pinched, then unbuttoned the second button. "I don't recall putting this much on you..."
He smirked as his lips parted, ready to comment something, but soon shut his mouth when she silenced him with a glare. He watched her apply something on his skin and dabbed and rubbed it with her fingers till the little marks were no longer visible.
"That should do..." She muttered and looked up at him, raising a brow when she noticed the grin that reappeared on his lips. "What is it now?"
"Hmm? No, it's... You want my child." He grinned sheepishly.
She sighed and smiled. "Still on about that?"
"Imagine it, Riza." He sat her on his lap as he settled on the chair, and placed his arms around her waist.
"I do." She said, resting her head on his shoulder. She placed a hand over his and softly said again, "I do."
His grin brightened, and he kissed her forehead. "What do you see?"
"I see... a black-haired boy, looking exactly like you but has my eyes, though a shade darker." She murmured, their eyes locked as they gazed at each other fondly. "I can also picture having a little girl that would look like me."
"I see that too." He replied softly, leaning his forehead against hers.
She reached a hand up and cupped his cheek. "We still have a lot of work to do, for our goals."
He nodded and leant in to press his lips against hers for a brief yet sweet kiss.
"Speaking of which," Riza started as they pulled away. "About my project, I will be going around the Central Area from late June to August. I've made all the appointments already."
"Wait, what?" Roy leant away, shock evident in his expression as he flabbergasted. "From late June to August? That's more than two whole months!"
"I want to start the project as soon as possible." She said.
He pouted, Riza..."
"It's just two months, Roy." She let out a light chuckle. "In Central."
"...Do you have a schedule?"
She nodded, "It's on the report."
He sighed. "I just came back from Drachma..."
She planted a kiss on his cheek and sighed as he unbuttoned the buttons of her shirt until it revealed her bra. "We don't have time for this, Roy."
He placed kisses on her breasts, "It's fine if it's somewhere people can't see them, right?"
"That's not the point." She threaded her fingers in his soft hair as he nipped on her plump flesh. "...Were last night and this morning not enough for you?"
She chuckled when he let go, and uttered. "No..."
Riza glanced at the clock, and stood up, buttoning her shirt up. "We have to go now."
He too looked at the clock and heaved another sigh.
...
"Took you two lovebirds long enough." Rebecca raised a brow and commented with crossed arms.
"Sorry for making you wait, Rebecca, Lt. Colonel Havoc," Riza said. "How was your sleep last night? Are you dealing with the time-differences alright?"
"Slept like a log." Havoc said.
The dark-haired woman shook her head, stifling a yawn. "Guess I'll need to try getting used to it, but thank goodness that the rooms are sound-proof."
Riza cleared her throat before her assistant could continue the conversation.
Rebecca casually glanced at her friend's neck and raised a brow as she noticed something faint on her neck. She stifled a laugh, and walked towards her and whispered. "You still have a lot to learn with makeup."
Riza raised a brow, "What do you mean?"
She pointed at her neck. "Interesting bug bites you have there."
The First Lady blinked, before fully realising what she meant and cussed under her breath.
"No worries, it's not really noticeable." Rebecca grinned. "Well, you sure did have fun, Riza."
"Shut it, Rebecca." The blonde-haired woman scowled and lowered her tone. "I still haven't asked what you did with the Lt. Colonel in Resembool."
"Wha—"
Riza heaved a sigh before quickly walking back to her husband's side as they arrived the emperor's palace, and nodded thanks to the guards who opened the palace doors.
"Ah, you're here." The young emperor greeted with his ex-bodyguard sitting next to him, who nodded at them. "Here's Lan Fan. My Empress."
"So you've connected the whole nation into one clan?" Roy asked as they sat down.
"Hmm... kind of, but not exactly." Ling replied, "It's the Yao Dynasty now. There still are different clans."
"So there's still the 'marry a girl from each clan' system?" Havoc uttered out loud, and Roy turned around to glare at him.
Ling laughed, "Yep. But I changed it a little. There used to be nine rankings; the first being the empress, four women in the second ranking, nine in the third to the sixth ranking, and twenty-seven in the last three rankings."
The blonde-haired Lt. Colonel blinked, clearly lost and confused as he did the mental math. "Well, that's a lot of women."
"I got rid of the last three rankings," Ling said casually.
"That's still a lot of women," Havoc muttered. "Where do they live?"
"There's a palace for the imperial harem." He said, and turned to Roy. "Why don't you consider having a harem? You know, marriage is also a way to have a solid, peaceful relationship between nations."
Riza raised a brow and cleared her throat before her husband could say a word, gaining the emperor's attention. "Emperor Ling, I believe we're here to discuss the alliance."
The younger man laughed. "Just kidding! Though a marriage is a good way to secure an alliance between nations. Maybe I'll the sign the alliance if you offer your daughter's hand-in-marriage to me." He joked.
"Ling." Roy narrowed his eyes at him as he pictured giving his future, precious little girl to a man with several wives. "Plus, your sister is with an Amestrian man we are both close to."
"True, true." Ling hummed. "Speaking of which, Mei's coming back this afternoon, she just went back to her hometown to visit her clan."
Roy nodded and chuckled. "And I was wondering why she wasn't at Resembool."
"And I think she's leaving the day after to go back to Alphonse's." Ling sighed, "That girl is just lovesick with that boy. Anyways," He cleared his throat, and spoke, his tone clearly serious. "Let's get back to the main point."
"I don't understand anything they're saying. I just don't understand politics." The young Xingese princess sighed and turned to the older woman next to her with a smile. "Thank you for walking with me, Miss Riza. Are you sure you don't want to be with the Führer?"
Riza shook her head, "No problem, Mei. It's just the initial planning, so I'm sure they don't need me yet. Plus, I wanted to have a walk around the palaces anyways."
"It's a pretty big place, isn't it?" The girl chortled, "It's as big as a town."
Riza chuckled and nodded in agreement.
Mei sat on a bench beside a pond, swinging her legs lightly as she gazed blankly at the koi fishes. "...I'm glad my brother changed the system. It's funny how five years ago I really disliked him." She looked up at the blonde-haired woman, "I wonder what they're negotiating about."
"Most likely about the military or the trading route." Riza replied, "We'll know when we get back."
"Right..." Mei said quietly, enticing a raised brow from Riza.
"Is there something on your mind?" She asked, sitting down next to the girl.
The princess stayed quiet before she spoke, "...I was wondering if it were me who got the philosopher's stone and became the Empress, would I have led my clan, the country this well?"
"...You never know, Mei." Riza said, "You were only twelve back then."
"Edward became a state alchemist when he was twelve..." Mei muttered, her eyes trained on the ground. "Speaking of which," She turned back to the blonde woman, "That was when we first met."
Riza placed a hand over the faint scar on her neck and nodded. "Thank you back then, if it weren't for you, I would have..."
Mei quickly shook her head. "You've thanked me many times already, Miss Riza. I still would've chosen to help you, no matter what. And the way Führer Mustang held and called for you desperately, I just couldn't ignore it." She chuckled, "And I thought you two were definitely not just superior officer and subordinates."
"...We knew each other since we were children, well, when I was a child." Riza said. "But back then our relationship was strictly professional, though we cared for each other deeply. Were you also surprised when we got married?"
"Hmm... A little, when I listened to the radio at Edward's place." She chortled, "I just didn't expect Führer Mustang to propose in front of everyone."
Riza chuckled, "Neither did I. It was rather... unexpected." She said whilst fidgeting with her rings, brushing her thumb across the diamond on the top one.
Mei hummed, resting her cheeks on her hands. "How sweet."
"I can certainly say the same for you and Alphonse," Riza said.
The princess' onyx eyes lit up at the mention of the Amestrian boy, and she sulked. "I miss him. It's been more than a week since I've seen him..."
The older woman let out another chuckle. "Roy was in Briggs and Drachma for a little more than two weeks before we came here, so I do know how you feel."
"Oh? Why so long?" The girl asked curiously.
"Something unexpected came, so he had to stay there till he finishes dealing with it," Riza replied.
"Ah! Is it the peace treaty between Amestris and Drachma?" Mei asked, "I read the newspaper."
The First Lady nodded.
"I would have gone after him to Briggs if I haven't seen him in two weeks." Mei joked cheerily. "I can't imagine being apart with Alphonse for that long."
"So here you were."
The two turned to the source of the sound, just to see the Emperor and the Führer headed towards them with Havoc and four bodyguards behind them.
"What are you doing here, Mei?" Ling raised a brow and asked.
"Just had a walk with Miss Riza." The princess said.
"Nice garden..." Roy muttered as he walked towards his wife whilst looking around.
Ling nodded in agreement and grabbed his sister's arm before asking. "Would you like to stay here for a while?"
"What do you say, Riza?" He asked his wife.
"Sure." The blonde-haired woman nodded with a smile, enticing a grin from the young Emperor.
"Good! Well, then I'll leave you two lovebirds here." He said and ushered the bodyguards away before leaving.
Riza blinked at him in confusion before turning to her husband who sat beside her. "What's all that about?"
Roy shrugged and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer to him.
She heaved a light exhale before resting her head on his shoulder. "So how did it go? What were your proposals?"
"...He suggested to share and combine military forces." He spoke quietly. "When one of the nations is invaded, the other assists if a war is started."
She hummed. "But why? The Xing Empire already own a large, powerful military. It's unlikely for there to be a civil war to happen anytime soon in Xing, and I doubt that we'd be invaded."
"The late emperor was pretty aggressive, a little bit like the last Drachman king." Roy said, "So it wouldn't be a wonder if he made enemies with other nations."
She nodded and asked. "Any other proposals?"
"To further enhance the trade route and to share currencies," Roy said.
She blinked and leant away to face him. "Share currencies? Meaning... we use the same currency? Or both currencies are applicable in both countries?"
"The latter." He replied as he placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back in.
She gave another nod. "...That doesn't sound bad. Sounds convenient for people who travel frequently between Amestris and Xing. And, the trade route?"
"To extend to the West of Amestris, and the East of Xing." He said and grinned. "Imagine the economic flow."
She chuckled and pulled away. "Let's go back. It's almost dinner time."
He nodded, and stood and offered an arm, in which she accepted. Riza raised a brow when she heard a chuckle from her husband. "Speaking of which, Ling joked about trading their weapons with us, and in return, we give them our food and cuisine. He also mentioned having Amestrian chefs in the imperial palace."
"Now that I think about it, the last time he came to Amestris and had a meal with you, he ordered almost everything off the menu, didn't he?" She said with an amused smile.
Roy rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I had to go to the bank because I didn't have enough cash in my wallet. I'm starting to think that he's content with anything. And he said he's coming to Amestris soon."
She let out a light-hearted laugh, and patted his buttocks, enticing a startled look from her husband, though he quickly recovered and smirked boyishly at her, attempting to return the favour, in which he did.
"...I've been wondering this whole time, but..." Lt. Colonel Havoc whispered in between the Führer and his First Lady's ears. "But who are the ladies sitting next to all of us? And why do they taste our food first?"
Roy sighed and replied quietly. "They are food tasters. They test whether there is poison in our food, and check if it's safe for us to eat."
The blonde-haired man gaped, "B-But what if there really is poison? Won't they..."
"They are trained to be immune to all sorts of poison," Riza said.
"You didn't know this?" Rebecca scoffed, "Did you think that they were gonna add salt and pepper when they don't find the food seasoned enough?"
Havoc scowled, and Roy shushed the two before facing the Emperor. They chattered and dug in their jellyfish salad when the food taster nodded.
"–Oh right, you two had your honeymoon here in Xing, didn't you?" Ling laughed and asked, sipping his booze. "How was it? Which Provence? Oh, you said that your mother was from Xing, right?"
Roy nodded, "My mother was Xingese, so we spent two days at her hometown, but we spent most of the time at the outskirts of the capital."
The younger man hummed and turned to Riza. "Was it your first time coming to Xing?"
"It was," Riza replied, her tone merry. "I enjoyed the food very much, and the landscape was wonderful."
"Oh? What was your favourite dish then?"
"Hmm..." She pondered. "Maybe the chicken and won-ton soup."
"Ah! One of my favourites too. Then I'm glad the chefs made it today. Look, here it comes." Ling gestured at the maidservants who brought trays with bowls on top. "But you know what they say? Apparently, chicken soup increases fertility."
Riza sighed. "You sure like children, Emperor Ling. But speaking of which, my dog is pregnant."
She glanced at the food tasters, where they expressionlessly took a sip of the soup.
He grinned. "When is she due?"
"In a week." She replied, "So by the time we get back–"
Her sharp eyes widened when she noticed the Empress' food taster froze, an odd expression on her face. She immediately covered her mouth as she coughed violently, and Riza stood and rushed towards her as blood leaked from her hands, dripping down to the floor.
Riza caught her before the young Xingese woman collapsed to the floor.
"–There's poison in Her Majesty's soup..." The woman managed to say.
"Take her to the infirmary and call the doctor. Quick." Ling ordered as he held an alarmed Lan Fan close to him.
The raven-haired Amestrian man walked up to his wife, a worried frown locked on his brows as he looked at the Empress. "There was poison in Lan Fan's soup..."
"I'll go too," Mei said, and quickly followed the people who carried the poisoned woman.
"...That must've frightened you." Ling quietly spoke and bowed his head down. "My deepest apologies. I didn't expect this to happen during your visit."
The Führer shook his head. "No, it's alright. As long as everyone's fine."
Ling nodded. "This has happened several times already since Lan Fan got pregnant. Traditionally, the Emperor treats women who bear his child better."
Havoc gulped, understanding what the Emperor meant. Women are scary, after all.
"Women's jealousy can be scary," Ling said, seemingly read the Lt. Colonel's mind. "But I don't entirely blame them. Some of the women from the imperial harem, even the maidservants, were sold by their family."
Riza stayed quiet. No one would aim for her child if she were to bear her husband's, but she still felt a shiver run up her spine. She suddenly thought of the strange woman she encountered around a month ago, where the ends of her long, lush brown hair were damped by the rain, and her hatred-filled green eyes pierced through her honey hazel ones, claiming to know her husband.
No. She didn't have a reason to be afraid of that woman. How would she even harm her or her future child? Though Riza was no longer part of the military, her combat and gun-wielding skills haven't gone rusty yet.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand rest on her back, and she turned to her husband, who gave her a concerned look.
"What's wrong?"
She shook her head and offered a tiny smile. "Nothing. Just a bit worried."
Roy nodded, though seemed unsatisfied with her answer.
"No worries for you, Mrs Mustang," Ling said with a small grin, trying to lighten up the mood. "No one would mess with the Hawk's Eye and her child."
She managed to return the smile.
A/N: Eek. Random chapter + Weird ending. I intended to write an interaction between Riza and Mei, and the Mustangs and Ling, but it got... random.
Still, hope you liked it! And I hope Roy wasn't too sappy about Riza wanting to have a baby with him.
Reviews are much appreciated :)
P.S. Is it just me or is getting rid of some words in the doc?