Chapter 47: Daily Life in the New Home

The man lay on his side on the bed, causing the large mattress to sink in, while in his arms was a tiny bundle; his hand patted her back gently and slowly, rhythmically.

Confirming she was fast asleep, Luka pulled the quilt up over her, almost covering half her face, but fearing she wouldn't be able to breathe, he left her nose and mouth exposed.

He stepped out of the room on tiptoe, went to the kitchen to prepare some finely minced meat—all raw—and took it to feed the three younglings.

The younglings had been weaned too early and were currently transitioning with Youngling Nutrient Solution, but Luka feared their nutrition wouldn't keep up, so he had consulted the elders of the tribe and learned to feed the three little ones raw meat.

Actually, he could have told Qiao Suisui and left the feeding to her, but Luka didn't want to make her that tired. Especially since she was currently pregnant herself, and human nutrition wasn't as easy to supplement as a Beastman's, so he would rather let the younglings go hungry than mention it. Naonao had vomited precisely because he couldn't adapt to the Nutrient Solution.

Watching the three little ones scrambling to eat, his thoughts couldn't help but drift away. He wondered how the little cub abducted by Zongfang was doing now, and if it had eaten its fill...

Thinking of this, he placed a video call to Angsi.

"Colonel."

"How is he?"

Angsi knew he was asking about Zongfang's condition and reported, "He's been saved; the Nano Bullets in his body have all been removed, but he hasn't woken up yet and is currently being held in the Military Department. Do you want to come back and interrogate him yourself?"

Luka glanced at the door of the master bedroom and said, "Wait a while. What about the Huangting side?"

"It's not looking good. In principle, the Military Department only obeys the orders of the Sun, but now Prince Niao has gotten everyone to sign a joint petition, aiming to gain more support. And Prince Ashi's side still hasn't given up on the offensive; the entire Huangting is in a mess right now."

Angsi recalled the events of the day: Princess Yishabeier's mates, seeing that the situation was wrong, had all abandoned her and fled back to their respective member states; now, only a male from the most insignificant small family remained by her side. Other members of the royal family had all flocked to Prince Lan Ze, begging for a Precognition, but for some reason, Prince Lan Ze remained unmoved, closing his doors to everyone.

Luka gave a grunt of acknowledgment, gave two instructions, and hung up. He habitually reached into his pants pocket for a cigarette, only to remember that he had quit smoking for some time now.

Ever since finding Sui Sui, he had forced himself to quit. At first, he would feel physically miserable, but later he gradually got used to it. He knew she didn't like the smell, and besides, she was pregnant now, so he couldn't let her smell smoke even more.

The man checked the time; he could stay with her for another two hours before he had to go handle matters at the Military Department. He returned to the room silently, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and closed his eyes as well, greedily breathing in the scent on her.

Qiao Suisui had no dreams all night and slept soundly. When she woke up, she found a glass of warm water on the bedside table, and the space beside her was empty; she didn't know when Luka had left.

After changing her clothes and washing up, she went downstairs and saw breakfast already laid out on the table; it must have been made by Luka before he left.

She stared at the seven or eight dishes on the table, feeling a bit dazed. Currently, there were only the two of them and the three cubs in the house, so it felt very much like a home. Clearly, Luka was that gentle and reliable husband; she didn't have to raise the cubs herself, she didn't have to cook her own meals, and as for material needs, it went without saying—ever since giving birth, Qiao Suisui hadn't spent a single cent; all her expenses, and even the cubs' expenses, were covered by Luka.

She ate while resting her chin on her hand, her cheeks bulging, her eyes blinking as she pondered.

Even though they hadn't formed a mate bond, why did it feel like they were living a life together?

After breakfast, Qiao Suisui began to get busy.

She first used her light-brain to video call Lan Ze; ever since she left, she had been checking on his rehabilitation progress every day.

"I'm doing very well, Sui Sui, you don't need to worry about things here."

"Really? But I saw news spreading on the Nebula saying that there are anomalies in the Ausilan royal family, and people have already started to get suspicious."

Lan Ze smiled gently and said, "It will be fine in ten days."

Seeing him so certain, and thinking of his Precognition ability, Qiao Suisui stopped asking.

"Then, ten days from now, shall we go register at the Female Protection Association?"

Lan Ze froze.

Recently, changes had occurred frequently. They were originally supposed to hold their mate-bonding ceremony two days ago, but the current situation had forced it to be shelved. Seeing that Qiao Suisui hadn't mentioned it, Lan Ze had assumed the matter would just fade away; he hadn't expected her to remember it all along.

The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, though he tried his best to suppress it, not letting his excitement show. In reality, even the corners of his eyes were crinkling with a faint smile.

"Yes, okay. I'll have someone prepare it."

Qiao Suisui said, "Let's not make it too big. By then, the internal strife will have just ended, and it won't be appropriate to be too high-profile about anything."

She wanted to keep her word. After all, she was already living in this house, and although Geerba Sanshi's fate was uncertain, the threat of using Luka to hold her hostage had naturally been resolved; she didn't have to mate with any male. But Lan Ze had injured both his legs to save her—would any other female be willing to mate with him in the future? The thought made her feel even more guilty.

The system had hinted that Lan Ze's genes were Excellent. Anyway, she was doing it for points, and if Lan Ze agreed, she wouldn't mind carrying a child of his. This way, it could both consolidate his position in the royal family and slightly alleviate her own guilt. When it came down to it, Qiao Suisui still felt she should be responsible for Lan Ze.

"Let's just go directly to the Female Protection Association to register as mates; keep everything simple."

Lan Ze naturally had no objections. "Whatever you say."

The two spoke for a few more moments, and Lan Ze finally added with some concern: "By the way, Sui Sui, don't open the door for strangers in the next few days."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Lan Ze hesitated. Considering she was pregnant, it wasn't good for her to worry too much, and since Luka should be by her side, he shook his head and smiled. "It's nothing, it's just chaotic lately. In any case, just be careful."

After hanging up, she let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if the heavy stone that had been pressing on her heart all these days had been moved away. She felt the lightness of having a troublesome matter resolved, and didn't think too much about Lan Ze's final warning, because she soon received the batch of furniture she had ordered on her light-brain last night.

Luka had already found people to renovate the first floor; it only needed to be furnished with living facilities to be ready for rent.

Qiao Suisui signed for the items and then began to arrange them bit by bit. Packages in this world were all compression-packed; all packages left the warehouse according to regulations, as small as an A4 sheet of paper, and their weight was almost negligible. She really didn't know how it was done.

Even though she could only carry a few packages at a time, it wasn't very convenient for Qiao Suisui with her protruding belly. At this moment, she carried two stacked packages to the largest room on the first floor, positioned them, and tapped the confirm button on her light-brain. She saw the box, originally the size of an A4 sheet of paper, emit a 'pop' sound; like popcorn exploding, a double bed sprang out from the box and landed firmly on the floor.

Friends, from now on, updates will be fixed at 12:00 PM. If there's a delay, it's due to the review process. I'll try my best to write it not too racy (scared) (hugging myself).

(End of chapter)