Night fell, the world shrouded in a hazy darkness.

Cecil embraced Lu Xia from behind. In his half-beast form, his tail coiled around her slender waist, its tip brushing against her leg.

He kissed the side of her face, whispering a plea, "Teach me, won’t you?"

Lu Xia had always known Cecil was a bit clingy, but only now did she fully realize just how that clinginess could manifest.

Her face flushed, Lu Xia looked at the male before her, feeling aroused and left wanting.

She lifted her hands to cup Cecil’s face, kissing him as she said, "That’s enough, Cecil. I permit you to hold me."

Hearing this, a joyous light sparked in Cecil’s eyes. He leaned in and captured Lu Xia’s lips, no longer suppressing his desire.

Even though Cecil had no experience in this area, the possessiveness etched into his very bones took over in the presence of the female he adored. He instinctively knew how to conquer her territory.

The night was long and intimate, but utterly delightful.

...

When Lu Xia woke the next morning, Cecil was still holding her from behind.

Feeling the strong arm across her waist, memories of the previous night echoed in her mind.

Lu Xia glanced back at the young male still sleeping soundly behind her.

She tried to slip out of bed quietly to wash up, but the moment she moved, Cecil seemed to stir. His arm tightened, pulling her back into his embrace. A kiss landed on her cheek, and Cecil’s lazy voice sounded again. "Where are you going?"

"To wash up. It’s getting late, Cecil."

Cecil’s eyes were half-closed as he kissed Lu Xia’s cheek. "It’s still early. Lie down a little longer. Or... you could grace me with your favor again."

Lu Xia’s heart skipped a beat. "Cecil..." she began.

But before she could say more, Cecil was kissing her again.

By the time it was all over, it was already noon.

Cecil was the one who helped her bathe.

The young male seemed to know he had gone a bit too far, and he had been on his best behavior ever since their morning frenzy.

If Lu Xia hadn’t stopped him, Cecil would have even insisted on feeding her lunch by hand.

"Are you angry with me?"

She knew perfectly well that Cecil, having just had his first taste, was having trouble holding back. But they needed more restraint in these matters, because doing it too much was truly hard on the back.

"I’m not angry, Cecil. I just hope we can be a little more temperate in the future."

Cecil smiled and leaned over to kiss Lu Xia’s cheek. "I like you. I like you so much that I can’t help myself sometimes, but I’ll try my best to control it."

Faced with Cecil’s candor, Lu Xia felt a little helpless but didn’t say anything more. After lunch, the two of them drove home.

Smelian and Simon didn’t ask about them not returning the previous night.

But even without asking, the change in atmosphere between Lu Xia and Cecil was enough to tell them how their relationship had progressed.

Simon looked at Cecil, who wore a satisfied expression and was no longer provoking him at every turn, and understood. He had most likely received Duke Lu Xia’s favor.

The realization made him feel a little envious.

’I appeared on the scene rather late. It will probably be a long road before I can receive Duke Lu Xia’s favor,’ he thought, ’but I’m not in a hurry.’

’Duke Lu Xia doesn’t seem to reject my presence, which is a good sign. I believe she’ll accept me one day.’

’Besides, I’m not the last one to arrive.’

Having settled this in his mind, Simon appeared no different than usual, but now, there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes whenever he looked at Duke Lu Xia.

That evening, Smelian returned to their room to find Lu Xia changing her clothes.

His eyes darkened as he glimpsed the marks on her body.

He walked over and gently embraced her from behind. "Xiaxia, you’ve accepted Cecil."

It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.

Lu Xia didn’t hide it. She gave a slight nod, offering no further explanation.

Smelian looked down at her and asked a question Lu Xia had never considered. "Xiaxia, will you get pregnant again?"

Lu Xia froze, taken aback by the sudden question.

’Thinking back,’ she mused, ’it seems I got pregnant with Little Pu Tao and Little Xiangxiang after bestowing my favor for the first time on their fathers.’

’Following that pattern, since I’ve now graced Cecil with my favor, could a new life already be starting to grow inside me?’

Seeing the little female in his arms first look surprised, then wide-eyed, Smelian knew Lu Xia had likely never considered the possibility. A hint of a smile touched his eyes. "We can have Doctor Eugene come and check. Then we’ll know."

He kissed Lu Xia’s cheek, reassuring her.

Lu Xia nodded lightly. "I honestly hadn’t thought of that."

’If that’s the case,’ she thought, ’I might need to look into developing a contraceptive.’

’After all, no such medicine exists in the Empire.’

Spurred on by this curiosity, Lu Xia went to No. 3 Courtyard the very next day.

When Doctor Eugene saw her arrive, he simply assumed she was there for a routine inspection and thought nothing more of it.

It was only after they returned to his office that Lu Xia told him, "I need you to run a check on me."

Doctor Eugene didn’t immediately understand. "A check for what?" he asked, confused.

Lu Xia had already rolled up her sleeve and was looking at him. "I need to confirm whether or not I’m pregnant."

Hearing those words again, Doctor Eugene froze for a moment before his eyes flew wide. "You’re saying... you... you’ve conceived naturally again?"

He was so agitated that he stammered, looking at Lu Xia in disbelief. "Why would you say that?"

Lu Xia didn’t explain further. "Just draw my blood and run the test first."

Doctor Eugene nodded. He very solemnly drew Lu Xia’s blood himself and personally took it for analysis, not allowing anyone else to interfere in the process.

The report didn’t come back quickly. The wait wasn’t an ordeal, but rather filled with anticipation.

Doctor Eugene had a feeling that Duke Lu Xia already knew something. Soon enough, the report was ready. It showed that Duke Lu Xia had successfully conceived.

In that moment, Doctor Eugene felt as if he could hear his own heart pounding. THUMP-THUMP. He returned to his office, trembling with excitement.

Before he could even speak, Lu Xia already knew the answer. The look on Doctor Eugene’s face said it all.

’So, it really is true,’ she thought.

’Every time I bestow my favor on a new male, I conceive.’

’If the first time was a coincidence and the second was an accident, then the third time is a certainty.’

Doctor Eugene asked cautiously, "How did you know? Would you be willing to tell me?"

Lu Xia didn’t hide anything, because she hoped Doctor Eugene would make progress in his research on natural conception.

She offered herself up as a research subject, explaining everything to Doctor Eugene.

Doctor Eugene’s eyes went wide, filled with utter shock.

He had never imagined this could be the case. At the same time, he knew this was a unique exception that applied only to Duke Lu Xia. It couldn’t be true for every female, since almost every female in the Empire currently had multiple partners.

If it were that simple, natural conception would have been achieved long ago.