"So beautiful." Danton chuckled, his voice steeped in gentle admiration.

He had seen many young in his clan. Even among the Mer Clan, renowned for their beauty, newborns were always wrinkled and shriveled. Their tail fins would hang limp and soft, like seaweed dried out on the shore.

But this infant before him had been born to his beloved female.

His little face was lustrous and fair, as smooth as a pearl. Although the colorful butterfly markings on his cheeks proclaimed that his father was someone else, Danton still felt a soft ripple spread through his heart as he gazed at him.

Evangeline used a soft towel to gently wipe the mucus from the infant’s body.

Danton reached out to hold him, and as he turned the infant over, a pair of twelve butterfly wings, matted and wet with fluid, were revealed.

The membranes of the wings, as thin as silk gauze, were stuck together. They looked nothing like his father’s magnificent, beautifully ethereal wings. Instead, they resembled petals beaten down by the rain, exuding a pitiable fragility.

"He is quite beautiful," Evangeline said, wrapping the infant up, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She let out a subtle sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness the baby didn’t hatch looking like a fat, white maggot.’

’Otherwise, even if he was my own flesh and blood, I’m afraid I would have secretly found him a little repulsive.’

The little one, nestled in his mother’s arms, caught her familiar scent. He wriggled restlessly, nuzzling toward her chest.

Danton paused, startled. He whispered, "Is he hungry?"

Before he had even finished speaking, the infant impatiently opened his small, rosy mouth and let out a faint whimper.

The corners of Evangeline’s eyes lifted. With a lazy, practiced motion, she casually pushed aside the collar of her robes.

The infant immediately latched on, drinking with loud GULPS and making satisfied swallowing sounds.

Evangeline looked down at the greedy little thing in her arms, a faint softness appearing in her bewitching features. She reached out and gently poked his puffed-out cheek, whispering, "I rarely breastfeed. Count yourself lucky, little one."

’Her storage space was piled high with child-rearing supplies; she certainly didn’t need to endure the pain of nursing herself.’

Giving birth was no easy task. She still remembered what a frantic mess she’d been during her first mission.

As a "gold-medal employee" of The Lineage Optimization Department, she had submitted numerous transfer requests, hoping to switch departments. Unfortunately, her outstanding performance had become the very shackles that bound her there; her supervisor was unwilling to let her go.

Over time, she had learned how to save some energy during childbirth.

For example, not breastfeeding was a very time- and energy-saving decision.

"Oof..." The little one, full and content, let out a milky burp.

Watching Evangeline’s gentle expression, Danton seemed to fall into a daze.

His fingertips gently wiped away the white milk stains from the infant’s lips. His gaze involuntarily followed the trail of pearlescent liquid down to Evangeline’s open collar, where her snow-white skin was still flushed from nursing.

Danton snapped back to his senses, hastily turning his face away. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.

His voice was tight as he whispered, "Eva, you’re the best mother."

Evangeline chuckled. She didn’t bother to close her robes. Instead, she stood up and placed the satiated infant into a prepared cradle. With a couple of gentle pushes from her fingertips, the little one fell into an even deeper sleep, his tiny pink fists resting by his lips, which he smacked from time to time.

She glanced back at Danton, the corner of her eye twitching upwards. Her sly smile was laced with a seductive charm. "I can’t be sure if I’m the best mother, but I... am definitely the world’s... best female."

Hearing this, Danton’s body stiffened, and a blush crept up his ears, visible to the naked eye.

He clearly already had a child with her, yet he still couldn’t resist even the slightest bit of her teasing.

Seeing his reaction, the smile in Evangeline’s eyes deepened.

Her fingertips hooked the flimsy gauze on her body, which was already on the verge of falling. With a light flick, it slid down her smooth skin.

She slowly walked toward Danton. Her snow-white skin was veiled in a warm glow under the dim yellow light. With every step, her full breasts swayed gently, creating a heart-stopping curve.

Danton’s thin lips pressed into a line. His Adam’s apple bobbed more rapidly, his breath growing almost scorching.

The next instant, Evangeline threw herself into his arms, wrapping her slender legs around his waist and straddling him.

Her fingertips gently lifted Danton’s chin. Her red lips drew near, and she blew a soft breath against his, her voice drawing out the last word with a bewitching allure. "Today is our very first day in our new home."

Her charming voice echoed in his ears, and waves of her fragrance rushed into his nose, causing Danton’s breath to catch.

He suddenly reached out, tightening his grip on her waist. His thin lips fell upon hers, and his fiery kisses traveled down the long line of her neck.

A faint, tingling sensation made Evangeline tilt her head back, a broken whimper escaping her throat.

Her fingers sank into his loose, azure hair as the temperature in the air gradually rose.

Their foreheads touched, and both let out a sigh of contentment.

Perhaps they were a little too loud, as the infant in the cradle suddenly let out a small whimper.

Startled, Danton froze. The passion in his eyes had not yet faded, but a hint of embarrassment had already surfaced.

Evangeline chuckled softly. Her fingertips caressed his cheek before coming to rest on his shoulder.

How could Danton possibly withstand such temptation? In an instant, he turned the tables.

「Outside the door.」

Julian’s fingertips had just barely touched the door when the intimate sounds from inside rooted him to the spot.

The female’s soft, delicate gasps mixed with the male’s low, deep grunts, boring through the crack in the door and straight into his ears. They were so searing that the tips of his ears instantly flushed crimson. His gilded pupils constricted abruptly, and his back and shoulders tensed into a rigid arc.

"..."

Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently, and he snatched his hand back.

He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and turned to hurry away. His figure, seen from behind, was rushed and stiff, as if he were fleeing from something.

Not until he had run all the way back to his bamboo house did Julian brace his hands against the green bamboo wall. His fingertips turned white from the force of his grip. A suppressed, ragged gasp escaped through his clenched teeth, and he raised a hand to roughly wipe his burning face.

"Damn it!" The short curse was even tinged with a trembling note.

Under the halo of light, his gilded irises contracted violently, restless like a caged beast. He carelessly tore open the collar of his Beast Skin Clothes, and his golden ponytail fell loose. A crimson flush spread from the corners of his eyes, across his cheeks, and down to his collarbones, revealing a disheveled sort of beauty.

The broken moans still seemed to echo in his ears. Julian squeezed his eyes shut.

A low, hoarse whimper escaped his throat, but he couldn’t suppress the searing heat raging through his body.

’He’d never imagined that a female could make him lose control like this just by making a few sounds!’

’He was certain of it—Evangeline must have used a witch’s bewitching powers!’

"SPLASH—"

Julian took a deep breath and dumped cold water over his head. The droplets rolled from the tips of his hair, over his trembling eyelashes, and down the taut lines of his muscles, barely managing to suppress the heat inside him.

Before his breathing had even settled, the sound of footsteps came from inside the house.

Julian paused slightly, lifting his gaze to the figure walking out. His gilded eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions.