Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 195: Beginnings and Tides

[PRIMROSE]

The bell above the door of Little Whiskers Daycare gave a cheerful chime as I pushed it open. Instantly, the familiar scent of warm milk, honey-cakes, and baby powder washed over me, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

I stood in the entryway, my nine silver tails swishing softly behind me, and just let myself look.

The walls were still painted with the clumsy, colorful murals of forests and clouds that I had done myself so long ago. The tiny wooden cubbies were lined up perfectly by the door, each labeled with a small, painted animal paw. This place was small. So much smaller than the grand halls of Unity Academy or the sprawling Warlord estate. But to me, it was the biggest place in the world.

This was where it all started. Where I was just a desperate chef trying to make a living and not get eaten by a bunch of feral beast-cubs, only to end up accidentally adopting them—and their terrifying, overly-protective fathers.

"No, no, little one, we don’t eat the blocks!" a sweet, flustered voice called out from the main room.

I peeked into the playroom. Luna, her long bunny ears twitching with mild panic, was gently pulling a wooden alphabet block out of the mouth of a chubby little Bear-kin toddler. She looked a bit tired, her apron covered in something suspiciously sticky, but her smile was radiant.

"You look like a natural," I said, stepping into the room.

Luna jumped, her ears shooting straight up. When she saw me, her shoulders relaxed and she beamed. "Primrose! Oh, thank the stars. This new batch of cubs is so energetic. I think the little bear just tried to hibernate in the toy chest."

I laughed, walking over to help her gather the scattered toys. "They always test the boundaries on the first week. Vali used to try and bite the table legs, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Luna sighed fondly, picking up the toddler and bouncing him on her hip until he giggled.

Once the last cub was settled in the back room for naptime, Luna and I sat in the small kitchen at the back of the daycare. I reached into my bag, placed a thick, sealed envelope on the table, and slid it toward her.

"What’s this?" Luna asked, wiping her hands on a towel.

"The deed," I said softly. "The transfer papers. It’s all signed and registered with the Empire. Little Whiskers is officially yours, Luna."

Luna stared at the envelope as if it might bite her. Her nose twitched, and her large eyes immediately filled with bright, shiny tears. "Mine? But... Primrose, you built this place."

"And you helped me run it when I was losing my mind," I reached out and squeezed her hand across the table. "I have the Academy now, and the Sovereign duties, and a house full of Warlords who want to run the PTA like a military campaign. I can’t be here the way this place deserves. But you can. You’re wonderful with the kids, Luna. You’re the perfect person to take over."

A fat tear rolled down Luna’s cheek. She scrambled out of her chair and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me tight. "Thank you. I promise I’ll make you proud. I’ll take such good care of them."

"I’m already proud of you," I smiled, patting her back.

Luna pulled away, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Actually, since you’re here... I have something for you, too."

She reached into the deep pocket of her apron and pulled out a different envelope. This one was made of thick, cream-colored paper, sealed with a silver wax stamp in the shape of a shield.

I took it, raising an eyebrow. When I broke the seal, a beautifully handwritten invitation slid out.

"Luna!" I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth as I read the names. "You and Jax?"

Luna blushed fiercely, her long ears drooping bashfully against her hair. "Yes. He... he asked me last night. He actually had the other guards help him set up a perimeter of glowing mana-lanterns around the eastern watchtower. He got down on one knee right there in his full uniform, looking so serious and official. But his fox tail was wagging the entire time."

"A wedding," I breathed, feeling a rush of pure, bubbling joy. "A real, proper wedding. Oh, Luna, I am so happy for you! The Fox guard and the Bunny merchant. It’s beautiful."

"You have to be my maid of honor," Luna insisted, grabbing my hands tightly. "Please? I don’t have anyone else I’d rather ask."

"Try and stop me," I grinned, my tails wagging happily. "I’ll even handle the catering. Jax won’t know what hit him."

---

Leaving the daycare, my heart felt light. The afternoon sun was warm, casting a lazy golden glow over the capital streets.

A sleek, dark wood carriage was waiting for me at the corner. The door swung open before I even reached it, and a small, energetic blur launched itself at my legs.

"Mom!"

I caught Orion effortlessly, hoisting my nine-year-old son into the air. He had his father’s striking teal eyes and the same messy, sea-swept silver hair that caught the sunlight, shimmering with a faint, beautiful iridescent glow. When he smiled, he showed off a row of sharp, adorable Jiaoren teeth.

"Hey there, my little prince," I laughed, kissing his cheek. "Did you finish your lessons with Jasper?"

"Yes! We were calculating the water pressure dynamics of deep-sea trenches!" Orion chirped, looking entirely too proud of himself. He tapped his temple, mimicking Jasper’s little habit. "Jasper tried to say the pressure would crush a standard wooden vessel, but I proved to him that a reinforced hydro-barrier would hold perfectly if you angle the mana flow against the current. I even drew out the angles for him. He actually said my math was flawless!"

"Even brilliant young scholars need to remember to rest their brains," a smooth, deep voice rumbled from the carriage.

Caspian leaned out, offering me his hand. The Merman King was dressed casually today, in loose linen shirts and dark trousers, but he still looked effortlessly like royalty. The sunlight caught the long strands of his own silver hair, making it gleam with that same captivating, iridescent sheen as our son’s. His broad shoulders and the elegant, sharp line of his jaw always made my breath catch, even after all this time.

I took his hand, letting him pull me up into the carriage. He pressed a warm, lingering kiss to my forehead, breathing in the scent of my hair.

"Where are we going?" I asked as the carriage jerked into motion. "This isn’t the way back to the Warlord estate."

"It’s a surprise," Caspian smiled lazily, leaning back against the velvet cushions and pulling me flush against his side. Orion immediately scrambled onto his lap, pulling out a small notebook to show his father the structural diagrams he and Jasper had been debating.

We rode out of the bustling city center, heading toward the eastern cliffs that overlooked the vast, glittering ocean. The scent of salt and sea-breeze began to fill the carriage, making Orion perk up happily, his nose twitching at the familiar smell of the water.

Eventually, the carriage slowed and passed through a pair of towering wrought-iron gates. We pulled up a long, winding driveway lined with blooming hydrangeas and elegant weeping willows.

When the carriage stopped, I stepped out and gasped.

Sitting on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the sea, was a breathtaking manor. It was built from pale, sun-bleached stone and massive panels of glass that reflected the ocean waves perfectly. Balconies wrapped around the upper floors, and I could hear the gentle, soothing sound of waterfalls cascading from the terraced gardens into clear, pristine pools below.

It was a perfect, seamless blend of land and sea.

"Caspian..." I whispered, taking a few steps toward the grand entrance, my boots crunching softly on the gravel. "What is this place?"

Caspian stepped up behind me, resting his large, warm hands on my hips. Orion had already run ahead, doing a cannonball into the nearest garden pool with a joyful splash, his laughter echoing in the courtyard.

"Do you like it?" Caspian asked quietly, his voice a low rumble near my ear. "The pools are deep enough for Orion to practice his shifting safely, and there’s a massive kitchen with ocean views. I made sure they installed those massive stone hearths you like. The ones from the Capital."

"It’s incredible," I said, turning to look up at him. I was completely bewildered. "But why? We have the Warlord estate. And... and what about the Deep? Your kingdom?"

Caspian reached up, gently tucking a stray lock of my silver hair behind my ear. His teal eyes, usually so calm and unreadable to the rest of the world, were swimming with deep, raw emotion.

"I’m not going back to the Deep, Primrose," he said softly.

I blinked, my mind struggling to process his words. "What? Caspian, you’re the Jiaoren King. Your people need you. The ocean—"

"The ocean is vast," Caspian interrupted gently, resting his forehead against mine. "But it is cold, and it is entirely empty without you. I’ve spent my entire life ruling the dark. I did my duty. I secured the borders, I brought peace to the trenches, and I ensured our kind thrived."

He took a deep breath, his thumbs tracing the line of my jaw with a reverence that made my knees weak.

"But my world isn’t down there anymore. My world is up here. With you. With Orion. With that ridiculous, loud pack of men and cubs we call a family."

"But the throne," I murmured, my heart hammering fiercely against my ribs.

"I passed the crown to that crab chancellor of mine," Caspian explained, a small, relieved smile finally breaking across his face. "He will find someone good enough."

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, blurring his handsome face. "You gave up your kingdom?"

"I traded it," he corrected, pulling me into a tight, secure embrace. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. "For a home. For a life where I get to wake up next to you every single morning. Where I can attend chaotic PTA meetings, watch my son grow up under the sun, and listen to him argue marine engineering with a snake-cub."

I wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest. I could hear the steady, strong beat of his heart. It sounded just like the rhythm of the waves hitting the cliffs below.

"You’re crazy," I laughed, a single tear slipping down my cheek and soaking into his linen shirt.

"Perhaps," Caspian chuckled, the deep sound vibrating against my cheek. "But I am finally exactly where I want to be."

"Mom! Dad!" Orion shouted from the pool, his head popping out of the water. He had shifted slightly, shimmering, iridescent blue scales dotting his cheeks and his ears finning out. "Come swim! The water is perfect!"

Caspian pulled back slightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He looked happier, lighter than I had ever seen him. The heavy mantle of kingship was gone, leaving behind only the man who loved me entirely.

"Shall we, Little Rose?" he asked, offering me his hand once more.

I looked at the beautiful new house, at our brilliant son splashing happily in the water, and at the man who had given up the entire ocean just to stand by my side on the shore.

"Yes," I smiled, taking his hand and squeezing it tight. "Let’s go home."