Chapter 394: The Moon Is Beautiful Tonight
Only after saying it did Qiong Xing remember that he had just thrown up earlier.
He hurriedly tried to pull away, but Leander grabbed his waist as if asking what he thought he was doing and kissed him anyway.
Qiong Xing had rinsed his mouth, but he still wondered if Leander truly did not mind.
He tried to resist somehow, yet Leander intertwined their tongues as if refusing to let him escape, and the strength gradually left his body.
"Aren’t you all mine?"
"...Don’t blame me if you end up regretting it halfway through."
"I won’t. I’ll stay with you until the day you die."
Leander would never forget the promise he had made to Qiong Xing.
Nor would he ever break it.
Precisely because Qiong Xing knew that, Leander’s words meant more to him than anything else.
"I love you, Leander."
"I love you too. I’ll keep loving only you."
Then what about the children? Qiong Xing asked with a laugh.
"They’re my favorites right after you!"
"Then no problems there!"
The two of them laughed together.
For the next several days, Qiong Xing’s morning sickness became severe and his life revolved around moving between the bed and the toilet.
The moment he ate, nausea would rise again.
Even after emptying everything from his stomach, the sickness refused to subside, and little by little his strength was drained away.
Living almost completely bedridden, Qiong Xing eventually decided that continuing like this was not a good idea.
One evening, when the heat had finally eased, he stepped outside and asked Leander to accompany him on a walk.
"How are you feeling?"
"I think I’m alright. Ah, the moon is beautiful tonight."
His gaze drifted to the moon hanging in the night sky and he suddenly remembered something his mother had once taught him.
"A long time ago, my mother told me that the phrase ’the moon is beautiful tonight’ can also mean ’I love you.’"
"What kind of saying is that? Wouldn’t it be easier to just say ’I love you’?"
Leander looked genuinely puzzled and Qiong Xing laughed out loud.
Indeed, Leander had a point.
It was probably a phrase born from people who were too shy to express their feelings directly and instead chose to convey them indirectly.
For beastmen who loved deeply and spoke their affection openly without hesitation such a roundabout expression was probably impossible to understand.
Qiong Xing himself had not understood it when he first heard it.
But as he grew older and began to feel embarrassed about expressing his feelings openly, he had gradually come to understand the sentiment behind it.
But now...
"I’d be happier hearing Leander tell me he loves me than hearing a phrase like that."
"I love you."
Leander replied immediately and Qiong Xing laughed.
"Thank you. I love you too, Leander."
More than anything, it warmed his heart and filled him with happiness.
Holding hands with the satisfied Leander, Qiong Xing slowly walked through the garden with him.
Before long, Fenrisúlfr who was just as overprotective as ever appeared ahead of them and told them it was time to go back inside.
"The night air is getting cold. The children are waiting too."
"Alright, alright. If it’s you saying it, Fenrir, I suppose I have no choice. We’ll head back inside before the children come looking for us."
He had only stepped outside while the children were taking their bath, but apparently enough time had already passed.
"By the way, the fruit you brought today was delicious. Thank you."
It was probably grapefruit, or something similar.
The refreshing taste had helped ease his nausea, and for once he had managed to finish eating it without throwing up.
"I see. Then I shall bring more. So you stay quietly inside the house."
"Yes, yes."
"Hahahahaha! You two are like parent and child."
Leander could not hear Fenrisúlfr’s words, but judging from their expressions, he seemed to have guessed the general nature of the conversation.
Qiong Xing had never compared Fenrisúlfr to his actual parents, nor had he ever considered him a replacement for them.
Still, hearing someone describe them that way brought him a simple kind of happiness.
"I love Fenrir too."
"I see."
Their first meeting had certainly been unusual, but Fenrisúlfr had long since become part of Qiong Xing’s family and someone he could never imagine losing.
When he took on a smaller form, he was as adorable as a puppy. Yet inside, he was just like Qiong Xing’s mates, overprotective, affectionate, and strict in the way a parent might be.
"I’m serious, you know? I really, really like you, Fenrir."
"Yes, yes. I love you too."
His response sounded casual, but Qiong Xing knew Fenrisúlfr genuinely cared about him.
The way Fenrisúlfr constantly brought back different fruits every day, hoping Qiong Xing would be able to eat something despite his severe morning sickness, was proof enough of that.
Being surrounded by so much love every day made him happy.
And a little... frightened.
"Fenrir, are you happy right now?"
"...Yes. I am happy."
Fenrisúlfr looked surprised by the sudden question, but his answer came firmly and without hesitation.
Qiong Xing smiled.
Even though he knew it was impossible, he wished for everyone around him to be happy.
The definition of happiness differed from person to person, but the fact that Fenrisúlfr answered so readily meant he truly felt that way.
"I’m happy too."
Leander spoke up as well after he sense something from Qiong Xing’s expression, he said that and tightened his grip on Qiong Xing’s hand.
The warmth of it made Qiong Xing feel close to tears.
When he reached out, Leander immediately pulled him into a strong embrace and lifted him into his arms.
"I am happy too. I love everyone. I love all of you so much."
"I know. Everyone knows that’s how you feels, Qiong Xing. So, it’s okay."
Qiong Xing did not know whether the anxiety he had been feeling so often lately was because of the pregnancy, but every time it surfaced, everyone reassured him without ever growing tired of it.
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