Chapter 446: Side story 1: The midnight interruption

​Four years had passed since I woke up from my ’long dream’, and the West Way had officially outgrown its training wheels.

I brought over the knowledge I gathered from the other world, and while I could not exactly comprehend properly over there, right here, it all made sense.

Like, I was born to be an architect.

I implemented structures that made irrigation and crop rotations a thing that most people came to rely on today. I also put in my knowledge of the forge, and what is required for making the heating system way stronger and more stable, without making the floors feel too hot to walk on.

The production processes and all of that made the West Way even greater than it was before I left. Even the neighboring places benefited from our trade system, and currently.

The tiger-and-sheep currency was being traded as far north as the old icy borders, and the original nursery palace had been converted into a sprawling nursery school.

The dark stone walls were now aged to a beautiful, weather-worn slate.

Noah’s older children had grown into fierce, reliable young males and females, taking over the elite guard rotations and the border patrols. The kingdom had a backbone now.

​But inside the Sovereign Wing, the only bone I was currently concerned with was my own spine, which was taking a beating.

"Damar... wait, ah—"

​I gripped the pillows as the silver-haired serpent pinned my hips down.

The bedroom was completely overheated, the recently built fireplace roaring to keep Damar from freezing up since it was dead winter.

Fenric was leaning against the headboard, watching us with that smug, ruby-eyed smirk of his, while Noah and Thalor were waiting their turn on the edge of the massive bed.

​It was a standard, loud Sovereign night. The noises echoing off the stone walls were definitely enough to make the guards clear the hallway out of sheer awkwardness.

​Click.

​The distinct, heavy rattle of the iron door latch cut through the room.

​My instincts snapped awake. The lust-filled fog in my brain instantly vanished. I planted my feet against Damar’s tensed chest and violently kicked him off me.

​"Oof—Ari?!" Damar hit the mattress with a breathless grunt, looking at me in confusion while both of his cocks throbbed with my fluids wrapped around them.

​"Blanket! Blanket!" I hissed, scrambling across the furs like a madwoman and dragging a heavy sheep-fur over my bare skin just as the massive oak door creaked open.

​Standing in the doorway, clutching a rough-looking, ragged stuffed toy by its ear, was a little boy in a loose white nightgown.

​It was Nadir.

​At four years old, he was the only one of my kids who actually looked like a toddler.

Thanks to their genetics, the triplets were five but already looked like lanky ten-year-olds, and the mer-twins looked like six-year-olds. Nadir was the only slow, steady grower in the bunch. He stood there, his big emerald eyes blinking sleepily through his messy shock of silver hair.

​"Mummy?" Nadir sniffled, his little voice small and dripping with baby babble. He waddled in, his beautifully striped tiger tail dragging lazily behind him on the heated stone floor. "Why are you crying? Did Dada hurt you again?"

Fenric instantly cleared his throat, suddenly finding the floorboards fascinating. Noah threw his face into a pillow to muffle his laughter, and Thalor quickly pulled the sheets up to cover his chest, looking completely mortified.

​But Damar? The terrifying, cold-blooded serpent who usually looked at people like they were bugs at my feet?

​The second his eyes fell on his son, his entire face went incredibly soft. The smug, smooth lover completely vanished, replaced by an embarrassingly naive father. He scrambled up, throwing a robe over his shoulders, and knelt on the edge of the bed.

"Nadir, my boy. Mummy isn’t crying. We were just... playing a game."

​"I’m fine, sweetie," I said, my voice a little cracked as I rushed out of bed, holding the fur blanket tightly around myself like a makeshift toga.

I hurried over to the door and knelt down, scooping my little rascal into my arms. He smelled like fresh mint and warmth.

It was so awkward having your four-year-old walk in on your mating. But he only does this for one reason.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

​"Thunder," Nadir mumbled, burying his face into my shoulder. "Big sister Lyra said the thunder is just the sky cleaning its teeth, but it’s loud."

​I sighed, rubbing his back. Of course, Lyra said that. At five years old, Lyra had fully inherited Damar’s cold, indifferent personality.

She looked like a pre-teen ten-year-old now, completely rational, hated hassles, and only cared about her immediate family. Her idea of comforting her baby brother was basically telling him to deal with the weather.

​"Lyra is right, the sky is fine. But if you’re scared, you can stay here for a bit," I murmured, kissing the top of his silver hair. "We’ll watch over you so the thunder doesn’t catch you."

​"Can I sleep with Dada?" Nadir asked, his little emerald eyes turning toward Damar with total adoration.

​Damar looked like he was about to melt into a puddle of water. He reached out, gently taking the four-year-old from my arms and tucking him into the center of the massive bed, completely ignoring the fact that Noah, Fenric, and Thalor were currently suffering from severe frustration.

​"Yes, my son. You can sleep right here," Damar whispered, his cool fingers smoothing down Nadir’s silver locks as the little boy immediately curled up and closed his eyes.

​I climbed back onto the edge of the bed, adjusting my fur blanket, and looked at my four husbands. Noah was frowning, Fenric was grinning, and Thalor was letting out a long, dramatic sigh.

​"Well," I whispered, a smirk returning to my lips as I looked at the sleeping toddler in the middle of our adult playground. "I guess the sports are officially canceled for the night."

​"The kid has terrible timing," Fenric grumbled, though his red eyes were soft as he reached out and lightly poked Nadir’s striped tiger tail.

​"He’s perfect," Damar countered defensively, his arm wrapped protectively around his boy.

​I leaned my head against Noah’s shoulder, watching the gentle rise and fall of Nadir’s chest.

Outside, the winter wind was howling, but inside? The circus was warm, the roof was solid, and even with the midnight interruptions, I wouldn’t trade this for anything.