The moment Coral Cetus’s gaze fell upon the shimmering, iridescent egg, she couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

She practically lunged toward it, her eyes wide as saucers, and even held her breath. "This... this is your cub? You put it in the Illusion Realm? Is that okay? Will something go wrong?"

Coral Cetus watched anxiously. "Why don’t we have the cub’s father come and watch over it himself?"

On the Beastman Continent, males shared the responsibility of caring for cubs.

Evangeline took out a Spiritual Medicine. With a light tap of her fingertip, it transformed into a lustrous liquid that seeped into the eggshell.

She gazed at the rainbow-colored egg in her hands, her tone as calm as if she were discussing the weather. "The cub’s father threw a tantrum and ran away from home. I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon."

Coral Cetus’s expression froze instantly, her mouth falling open in astonishment. "Ran... ran away from home??"

Then, her voice rising, she frowned. "Doesn’t he know you’re carrying his cub? Shouldn’t he be protecting his own female and cub? That’s so irresponsible! What clan is he from? Wait, is it the male who stabbed you? The one with purple hair?"

Evangeline could read between the lines: ’Which clan is he from? Tell me so I can steer clear.’

After the medicinal liquid was fully absorbed by the shell, the surface took on a healthy sheen.

Evangeline thought back to the situation and said seriously, "He probably doesn’t know."

Coral Cetus: "..."

Evangeline put the egg away, took out some post-natal supplements and ate them, then finally stood up. She was going to find Danton. The matters of the Star Pattern and Fintan had been resolved, but she hadn’t gotten a clear answer about the cub yesterday.

She had to ask him again, more directly this time, and see if Danton was willing to have a cub with her.

If he wasn’t willing... perhaps she would have to resort to more unconventional methods.

The matter of the tribal trading assembly was causing a huge stir, and the males back home were probably on the verge of a meltdown.

She couldn’t stay here forever. Nix, Loras, and Drake all had to be dealt with. On top of that, Caden Albright, Thorne, and Lachlan needed to be placated. And then there was The Everwake, the cub’s father... there was just too much to do.

*

On the beach, the sea breeze, thick with the scent of salt, brushed against their cheeks.

Rhea wiped her red-rimmed eyes. Through her blurry vision, she gazed at the brilliant Six-star Pattern on her brother’s forehead, her emotions still running high. "Brother... this is wonderful..."

Rhea clutched Danton’s arm, her nails digging into his flesh as if she feared he would disappear the moment she let go.

Her voice was choked with sobs. She had shouldered the heavy burden of the Mer Clan all by herself before she was even an adult, the weight nearly breaking her. But it was okay now. Her brother was back. He was finally back.

Danton’s lips curved into a small smile. His pale blue eyes filled with warmth as he reached out and patted the top of her head.

"Brother, will you come back and be the Clan Leader?" Rhea’s voice was so low it was almost lost to the sound of the waves, the end of her words trembling slightly. "When the Megalodon Tribe attacked, there were so many of them, and I..."

Rhea’s voice grew choked again, her face a mask of lingering fear. "I was so scared then, terrified that the Mer Clan would become vassals to the Megalodon Tribe. How could I have faced Father then?"

At the mention of the Megalodon Tribe, Danton’s gaze darkened abruptly.

He took a deep breath and said softly, "Don’t be afraid. I’m back now. Everything will be okay."

Rhea nodded emphatically, then glanced toward the wooden hut and hesitated. "Brother, was it really Evangeline who restored your Star Pattern? Not a Siren from the Demonsea Abyss?"

After hearing what Finnian Finch had said, she still found it hard to believe.

A mere female, yet Evangeline had dared to charge into the Demonsea Abyss all by herself to save someone!

At her question, Danton’s gaze grew distant for a moment as fragmented, shimmering memories from the previous night flooded his mind.

He would never forget those scenes as long as he lived.

And the question she had asked him, her voice as soft as a fragile bubble, yet exceptionally earnest.

Was he willing to have a little singing merling with her?

"Brother? Brother!" Rhea watched Danton’s thoughts drift away and frowned in suspicion.

"Hm?" Danton snapped back to reality and looked at Rhea, the tips of his ears flushing a rare crimson.

Rhea watched Danton’s stiff figure, finding it suddenly amusing, yet also a little saddening.

"I was saying, about Evangeline... what are you going to do, Brother?"

There was no longer much rejection in her tone. After all, Evangeline had truly changed. She had helped the Mer Clan, saved her brother, and could even take the form of a Mer Clan member, becoming a Tideborn Beastman.

It seemed all the hardships and obstacles were now a thing of the past.

Danton’s pale blue eyes were exceptionally clear, but he didn’t know how to answer Rhea’s question.

His feelings for Evangeline were incredibly complex.

At first, he had liked her, liked her cheerfulness and radiance. Later, it wasn’t hatred he felt, but disgust and... fear. Yes, he feared her.

Later still, she was like a different person. No longer moody and unpredictable, she had become a Witch—a Witch who clamored all day about having a cub with him, even though he didn’t have the ability to do so at the time.

But from the moment she became willing to risk her life and travel to the Oasis Tribe to find his tail scales, all the surging tides in his heart had quietly subsided. For him, things should have ended there.

So, he left and returned to the sea that was his home.

If she hadn’t come looking for him, they probably would never have seen each other again.

Perhaps on some stormy night, he would have exhausted what little life he had left and sunk silently into the sea, which would have been a homecoming of sorts.

Or perhaps, one day Evangeline would be killed, and he would die along with her from the backlash of their Contract.

Or maybe, he would have stayed on this small island forever, watching the tides ebb and flow, the sun rise and the moon set, gazing at the homeland that was so close yet forever out of reach.

It wasn’t until the Megalodon Tribe invaded the Mer Clan that he finally made up his mind to go to the Demonsea Abyss.

Even in death, he wanted to be buried with his people in The Deep Sea.

But he never imagined she would come looking for him—alone, and pregnant with a cub. He never imagined she would brazenly charge into the notoriously dangerous Demonsea Abyss, snatch his broken body back from the Sirens, and then piece by piece, infuse his shattered life force, granting him hope once more.

Everything was deviating from the path he had envisioned. Thinking of her sleeping on his shoulder, completely unguarded, the walls of distance and resolve he had built seemed to crumble completely.

’I can’t bear to let her go,’ he thought.

Rhea watched the complex emotions play across Danton’s face and pursed her lips.

"I hate to admit it, but if it weren’t for Evangeline this time, the Mer Clan might not have survived. And she was able to restore your Star Pattern, Brother. That’s something no ordinary Witch could ever do."

As she said this, Rhea’s expression grew solemn.

She recounted the events at the Reef House in detail for Danton. Even now, recalling it all, she felt unsettled, as if it had all been a dream.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, who would have thought that a seemingly ordinary female from the Oasis Tribe could so easily kill the leader of the Megalodon Tribe? Or even transform into a member of the Mer Clan?

She was almost starting to suspect that Evangeline was the reincarnation of the Beast God.

These near-miraculous abilities were too profound to be explained in just a few words.

Whatever had happened in the past, Evangeline had now atoned for all her mistakes with her actions.

Moreover, she could sense her brother’s fluctuating emotions, and all these surging feelings were because of Evangeline—his female, the one he was destined to protect.

On the Beastman Continent, a male’s instinct to protect his female was carved into his very bones and blood. Besides, her brother clearly cared for Evangeline; she could feel it.

Rhea didn’t know if her thoughts were right, but she felt that Beastmen bound by a Contract should be together.