Ling Yue was very dangerous. Evelyn didn’t lie to me. Ling Yue jumped as soon as breeze blew and turned toward it. It was the first time I saw a fox ready to fight back at any given moment. Her response was no different to a wolf’s nature, in my opinion. She reacted that way to protect her child.
I think Ling Yue’s child would be the same as Lucia’s, in that her child would absorb her mana, as well. She should’ve been raised as a fox, which would explain why Ling Yue transformed into a fox when she was pregnant. I think the last time she saw me was when she came to participate in my investiture, because she couldn’t have come over when she transformed into her fox form.
Whether or not Ling Yue’s fur looked pretty depended on the volume of mana inside her body. Based on her current look, it was apparent her child likely took all of her mana from her. Ling Yue stopped worrying about whether she was pretty or not. In the past, she was very mindful of her appearance, but she had lost all her fur. I could see dirt and mud in between her fur. There were traces of blood on her claws. There was something thick stuck to the corner of her eyes. Ling Yue wasn’t willing to budge. She just wanted to stay someplace she considered safe until she gave birth. However, as her husband, I couldn’t let my wife suffer.
I had to help her with her personal hygiene at the exterior level within a certain time frame. The issue was I realised how big of a job it was. I saw the large form of hers for the first time after leaving her embrace. When she lay on the ground, she was marginally smaller than her entire estate. She also refused to let any strangers approach her during that time, which included Evelyn and Leah who were always by her side. Given those points, I had to personally attend to her.
It was the first time I realised water pipes and pressure valves were humanity’s most perfect inventions. I completely forgot about them upon arriving here!! Can you imagine how hard it is to use two buckets that aren’t even the size of Ling Yue’s nail to wash Ling Yue, who was almost as large as her estate? I saw Ling Yue’s mockery and bewilderment in her eyes when I first carried two water buckets over.
“Whoa!!”
Ling Yue seemed to be very annoyed with me pouring water on her. She grabbed me between her fingers and placed me in front of her. I looked at her huge eyes and raised my hands high: “Listen to me. Listen to me. Ling Yue. Ling Yue, you should keep clean, right…?”
“That’s why I said that I don’t want to let you see me in my current state!”
“No! I’m not saying you’re ugly and disliking you. I just that that it’s not very hygienic, right?”
“I don’t want to go anywhere.” She placed me down, and then lay back down on the ground. She bared her teeth at me: “This is the safest place. I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m also a fox. There’s no such thing as clean or not clean to wild beasts. My child is the most important to me right now. I’ll have the opportunity to clean myself up after. Leave if you think I look ugly. I won’t blame you. Oh!”
Startled, Ling Yue exclaimed then quickly stood up to swing her head. Ling Yue knocked away the bucket of water I just poured. She glared and blew in my face, almost knocking me over.
I said, “All right, then. If you don’t want to leave, I’ll fill up buckets to help you wash your fur. Ling Yue, don’t you think that being clean and pretty makes you feel more comfortable?”
Ling Yue snorted and watched me. I poured another bucket of water onto her face without a word. She didn’t hesitate to let out a strong breath at my face, getting her sticky snot and the water I poured onto her, all back onto my body. I was dumbfounded. My entire body was covered in sticky liquids.
“Who needs a bath now?” sarcastically asked Ling Yue.
Ling Yue narrowed her eyes then snickered. She grabbed me by my clothes using her teeth before I could smile. She then stood up and I felt the wind whistle by my ear. She virtually put me into her mouth. Only the top part of my body was hanging out. My lower body was inside her mouth and wrapped up in her soft tongue. She stood up. I bet I could’ve seen the tip of her red ears from the Imperial City. She began to run.
I never imagined I’d get to experience the weird feeling. I felt as though I was on a plane. Wait, I take that back. I felt that I was flying. Everything I saw was a blurry image that whizzed pass, as though they were just coloured ribbons. Then, I saw a flashing light that resembled a huge mirror. Next thing I knew, I was so close my head hit the mirror, thereby shattering it to pieces. A warm, yet soothing, current of water enveloped me. However, it wouldn’t release its grip on my mouth. I opened my eyes to find myself in a ripple of blue water. I saw Ling Yue’s blood-red eyes.
I wasn’t certain if it was the water current that made Ling Yue’s gaze move as though she was touched. Her gaze moved alike water. She gently stroked me with her paws. I slowly reached my hand out to grab her black nose and hug her. I couldn’t speak in the water, but I really wanted to tell the huge fox, “I love you.”
“Puah!”
We surfaced a moment later. Ling Yue lazily floated on top of the water and would occasionally kick water. I stayed beside her, helping her comb her fur. Sometimes, I’d grab onto her fur, and step on her. I lied on her body and bathed in the sun. She floated slowly on the top of the lake as though she was a lonely boat in the lake. Perhaps we would be in a similar state on the ocean. It would be an even better feeling if we had cold wine.
“Ling Yue?”
She lazily responded, “Hmm?”
“I’m going to be going out with Lucia and Nier… to the ocean…”
“I know.” She kicked the water in a frustrated manner: “Still three, four months to go.”
“Huh?”
Displeased, Ling Yue huffed then turned her head to face me. She bared her teeth to say, “My child’s birth! If you’re not present when my child is born, I’ll bite your neck off, and tell him he doesn’t have a dad. A father who’s not there when his child is born isn’t worthy of being a father, understood?”
I climbed up onto her head and stroked her ears: “Ah, I know.”
Ling Yue irritably shook her ears. She hesitated for a moment before softly saying, “It’s best if you can come back sooner… I realised I feel a lot more reassured with you by my side and not so afraid… I’m not against you going out with them for some fun, and I know that you’re busy with work… It’s just… I hope you can… come back sooner… and spend some more time with me during my pregnancy…”
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