Chapter 126
That afternoon, Nina woke from her nap and stepped outside with the cubs.
The moment Yinny came out, his eyes immediately locked onto the durian beneath Kith’s knees. When he noticed the shell had split open, his face lit up with delight. He excitedly pointed at it and chirped to Nina,
“Mother! Mother! The durian’s ready to eat p>
Nina couldn’t help laughing. This little foodie—he wasn’t worried about his father at all, only about the durian.
Suppressing her smile, she said to Kith, “You should switch to another one. This one’s cracked already—we can eat it now p>
Kith quickly shifted to a different durian. He was a little surprised. That large, spiky thing… was actually edible?
Judging by Yinny’s enthusiasm, it must taste quite good. Could it be that the little rascal had been so eager last night just because of this?
Kith suddenly felt oddly deflated.
Nearby, Dahn heard that Nina was about to eat durian and hurried forward, picking one up.
“Lady Nina, let me open it for you p>
Ridan, Viann, and the others leaned closer and sniffed the scent curiously.
What a strange smell.
Some of the males even pinched their noses.
There was only one durian for now, so everyone received just a small piece. Like cilantro, it was the kind of food people either loved or avoided entirely.
Viann, Ridan, and Dahn liked it very much and even wished there was more. Pado was less enthusiastic. Odian and Aviel thought it was acceptable—neither particularly fond of it nor repelled by it.
Nina fed a little to Linny and Momo as well. Just like Yinny, they both liked the taste.
After they finished eating, Sal suddenly scooped up all the cubs and dumped them into Odian’s arms. Then he grabbed Nina’s hand and pulled her toward the small grove nearby.
Under the shade of a large tree, he pressed her gently against the trunk, leaning in close—his arm braced beside her in a possessive wall.
Nina tilted her head to look at him.
Without a word, Sal lowered his head and kissed her.
His kiss was fierce and heated, brimming with the untamed passion that always seemed to define him.
Nina wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss just as eagerly.
Odian saw Sal drag Nina away and immediately handed the cubs to Aviel before chasing after them.
Aviel, however, had no intention of being the only one stuck watching the cubs while Sal took advantage. He quickly passed them off to Pado and the others before following as well.
Pado and the others were more than happy to take over.
After all, who wouldn’t enjoy looking after such adorable cubs?
The cubs watched as the males tossed them from one set of arms to another before running off toward the grove.
Hmph. All stepfathers, they thought indignantly.
We’re not going to like those stinky males anymore.
Linny sighed dramatically. Maybe I’m not even their real child.
Kith clenched his fists tightly, resisting the urge to follow.
He was still being punished.
He had no right to go.
Odian entered the grove just in time to see Sal and Nina locked in a passionate embrace.
Years of discipline and composure kept him from rushing forward to interrupt them.
Even though he knew Sal was, like him, one of Nina’s guardian beasts—and that sooner or later he would have to face such moments—jealousy still surged uncontrollably within him.
If that damned leopard dared to do anything more outrageous, he would definitely step in.
Aviel arrived shortly after and saw the same scene.
His heart instantly filled with sour frustration.
He hadn’t even held Nina’s hand yet.
Odian noticed Aviel beside him and shot him a questioning glance.
Shouldn’t you be watching the cubs? What are you doing here?
Aviel returned the look coolly.
Why are you here? That’s why I’m here.
Odian’s expression tightened.
You’re not even one of her guardian beasts. Why are you interfering?
Aviel shrugged.
None of your bird business.
Odian snorted softly and turned his head away, annoyed.
Sal noticed them both.
Opening his eyes briefly, he shot them a blatantly provocative look—and deepened the kiss even further.
Odian and Aviel’s fists clenched with audible cracks.
Just wait, you damned leopard.
After a long while, Sal finally pulled back.
Nina’s cheeks were flushed a lovely shade of crimson. Unable to resist, he leaned down and stole two more quick kisses.
Originally, he had planned to show Nina the new things he had prepared for her—and perhaps take the opportunity to secure his place as her first mate.
But now that Odian and Aviel had followed them, he would have to wait for another chance.
Holding Nina in his arms, he asked curiously, “Nina, what exactly did that damn—ah, I mean, Kith—do wrong to end up kneeling in punishment p>
He was genuinely curious. Earlier, Kith had used his powers to block out sound, so none of them had been able to hear what was said inside.
At Sal’s question, Nina suddenly remembered something.
“You and Kith… already knew each other before p>
Sal pouted pitifully.
“When I stole the Spirit Pearl, he and Finch chased me all the way across the land trying to kill me. They’re the ones who injured me p>
He leaned closer, sounding aggrieved.
“Nina, you have to avenge me p>
“We’ll talk about revenge later,” Nina said, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Did you already know that Yinny and Didi were their cubs p>
Sal froze.
He swallowed.
“I… I only suspected. I didn’t hide it on purpose. I just didn’t think there was any point in saying it. I thought they didn’t even want the cubs—so telling you wouldn’t change anything. And I wasn’t completely certain either p>
What if he had been wrong?
Even though it had been very likely… there was still a chance he might have been mistaken.
In truth, he had hoped he was wrong.
Nina puffed her cheeks slightly. “You still shouldn’t have hidden it p>
“I know I was wrong,” Sal said quickly. “I won’t do it again. From now on, I’ll tell you everything. Please don’t be angry p>
“Fine,” Nina said after a moment. “When we go back, kneel on two durians for Yinny and Didi to eat. Then I’ll forgive you p>
Sal had a point—revealing it earlier probably wouldn’t have changed much.
But withholding the truth still deserved a small punishment.
“Deal,” Sal agreed immediately.
As long as Nina wasn’t angry, everything was fine.
“We’ve been out here for a while,” Nina said. “Let’s head back p>
“Alright p>
Sal took Nina’s hand and walked back with her. Odian and the others had already returned ahead of them.
As soon as Sal arrived, he wordlessly grabbed a durian and knelt down beside Kith.
Kith glanced at him with faint sarcasm. “What’s this? You went out for a bit and already managed to make Nina angry p>
Sal’s expression darkened.
And whose fault do you think that is? he thought irritably.
But there was no way he would reveal any weakness in front of a rival. He snorted and replied curtly, “What’s it to you p>
Dahn stared in surprise when he saw Sal kneeling too.
Wasn’t the boss supposed to be out on a date with Lady Nina? Why had he come back only to kneel in punishment?
Did he mess something up? Dahn wondered.
No wonder they came back so quickly.
Ridan, Viann, and the others kept sneaking glances toward Kith.
They were waiting for the next durian to split open.
Meanwhile, Yinny, Linny, and Momo scampered over again, crouching nearby to check whether the durians had cracked yet.
When they saw Sal kneeling too, their eyes lit up.
Great! That means two durians will open later!
Their entire attention was fixed on the fruit. Not a shred of sympathy remained for the two kneeling males.
After all, if they had angered Lady Nina, then punishment was only fair.
Kith noticed Yinny and the others repeatedly staring at the durian beneath his knees, along with Ridan and the others waiting expectantly.
He sighed inwardly.
So this is what “making full use of everything” looks like.
After a while, Ridan suddenly spotted another durian splitting open.
Excited, he called out, “Lady Nina! Another durian is ready p>
This time, Nina decided to save several.
Later, she planned to make durian mille-crepe cake.
“Alright. Set them aside for now,” she said. “I’ll teach you how to make a new dessert in a bit p>
“Got it p>
Ridan carefully collected the fruit, and Kith switched to kneeling on another one.
By evening, they had gathered quite a few durians.
Sal had also finished his punishment.
Nina then showed everyone how to make durian mille-crepe cake.
Odian turned out to like it very much, and the cubs loved it even more.
Sal thought it tasted pretty good, too. He deliberately ate an extra slice.
After all, he had knelt for those durians himself—it would be a waste not to enjoy them.
Just then, Yanai returned from outside.
He walked straight over to Nina.
“Nina,” he said quietly, “could you come somewhere with me? I’d like to speak with you alone p>