Chapter 397: The Child Between Two Worlds
The round red fruit they had been handed was the one Mama had recently said was delicious.
Because Mama liked it, they had tried eating it too, but it was so sour that both of them stopped after a single bite.
"Will Mama get better if he eats this?"
"Yeah. And he’ll be even happier if you two bring it to him yourselves."
"We’ll go!"
The fruit was cut into easy-to-eat pieces, and they carefully carried the plate toward the room where Mama was resting, making sure not to drop it.
"Mama, food!"
"Mama, food!"
"...Food?"
Thinking it was already mealtime, Mama looked startled, but they shook their heads and carefully held out the plate they had carried all the way there.
"Papa said Mama will get better if he eats this."
"Will Mama get better?"
When they urged him to eat quickly, the smile Mama showed them for the first time in a while made both Rui and Yue happy.
"Thank you. You brought this for Mama, didn’t you? It looks very delicious."
Mama beckoned them over, and when they approached, he pulled them into a tight hug.
"Thanks to Rui and Yue, I think I can keep going. You two should look forward to it too, okay?"
"Rui wants a little sister."
"Yue... Yue wants a little sister too!"
Since they already had Lingxiao, they insisted that the next baby should be a girl.
They spent some time talking with Mama about all the things they would do together if they got a little sister. Then Papa Leander came to check on him and gently told them to let Mama rest for a while.
While holding hands, they left the room together.
"Thank you, Rui and Yue. Thanks to you two, I feel much better."
Mama said that as they were leaving.
They smiled and nodded before running toward the yard in search of Fenrisúlfr.
"Fenrir! Take us there!"
"Take us there!"
"...Gau?"
Papa had said that fruit made Mama feel better.
Mama himself had said he felt better after eating it.
Then if he ate more of it, he would feel even better!
"Take us where you got that fruit!"
"It’ll make Mama better!"
But Fenrisúlfr only let out a troubled sound and refused to move.
Thinking Papa might be able to help, they immediately ran off again to find him.
"Papa!"
"Papa!"
"Hm? What’s wrong?"
They crashed into him at full speed, but as expected, Papa did not even flinch and easily caught them.
"We’ll make Mama better!"
"We’ll make Mama better!"
"Huh?"
They grabbed him and dragged him toward where Fenrisúlfr was waiting.
"Tell Fenrir to take us there. Rui will find lots."
"Yue will find lots too to make Mama better."
Even through their excited explanation, Joa seemed to understand what they meant and fell into thought.
"Right now? Mama already ate some today, didn’t he? Then wait until tomorrow. If it’s tomorrow, Papa will come with you."
"Really?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Sorry, but is that okay with you too? It might be a hassle, but these two just want Qiong Xing to get better soon."
"Gau."
As expected of Papa.
Rui and Yue nodded to each other.
They both loved their strong and dependable Papa.
"Alright. Since Fenrir agreed too, eat your dinner, take a bath, and go to bed early tonight. If you wake up late tomorrow, we’re leaving without you."
"No!"
"No!"
That was absolutely unacceptable.
So, as Papa instructed, the twins went to bed early that night.
The next day, they returned home with their arms full of fruit.
When Mama saw them, he laughed and pulled both of them into a warm embrace.
It had already been seven months.
Yet their child still showed no signs of being born and Leander found himself growing increasingly anxious.
"Seven months is only an estimate, after all. It’s normal for there to be some variation."
Qiong Xing had said that with a smile, but Leander could not shake the uneasiness growing inside his chest.
"Maybe this little one is throwing a tantrum and doesn’t want to come out yet. Just like you, Leander."
Leander wondered how that was supposed to resemble him.
Then again, there were times when he clung to Qiong Xing and refused to leave his side.
Still, the idea that a baby who had not even been born yet could take after him in that way made him laugh.
"I wonder if my stomach is really that comfortable."
"Haha, maybe it is."
Leander had no memories of being in his mother’s womb, but somehow, when it came to Qiong Xing, it did not seem entirely impossible.
"I understand why you’re worried, Leander. But somehow, I think I know the reason."
"The reason?"
As Leander was about to ask what he meant, Qiong Xing reached out.
Leander pulled him closer and settled him onto his lap.
Qiong Xing took his hand and gently placed it against his swollen stomach.
"This child is a beastman. But they’re also human."
Those were words he had only heard recently.
"A beastman exists somewhere between beast and human. Both, and neither at the same time."
Leander did not understand why Qiong Xing was bringing that up now.
Yet somehow, the anxiety that had been weighing on his heart suddenly felt lighter.
"Tell me, Leander. Why does someone have to be only one or the other? Beastman or human?"
"...Have to be only one or the other?"
"Rui and Yue are undoubtedly beastmen, wouldn’t you say? But what about Lian? He’s human, yet don’t you think his athletic ability is unusually good?"
The children were still young, so nothing could be said with certainty.
Still, Lian definitely moved better than most humans.
Compared to beastmen, she would naturally fall short.
But for a human child, hiler physical abilities were exceptional.
"See? Then wouldn’t the opposite be just as natural? There’s nothing strange about that, is there?"
"The opposite?"
What exactly did he mean by that?
Could it really have something to do with the unusually long pregnancy?
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