Chapter 26

As the kiss continued, Kiaros laid Letina down on the bed.  

He undressed her and gently opened her up.  

“This is enough, ah… Hurry.”  

Letina urged Kiaros, unable to wait any longer.  

But since they hadn’t been together for a while, if he entered her too quickly, she might get hurt. On a day like today, Kiaros absolutely didn’t want to see any blood, so he carefully prepared her.  

“Ah, ahh.”  

Even after widening her inside, when he entered, Letina arched her neck and struggled.  

Still, as he gave her time to adjust, at some point, her body remembered Kiaros and drew him in.  

“Mm, ah, ah, aaah, hng.”  

Letina began to cry again, tears she’d suppressed earlier, but now they were tears brought forth by the pleasure Kiaros gave her.  

Satisfied, Kiaros stroked their joined bodies and moved his hips in a slow, circular motion.  

Letina responded immediately, letting out thin moans.  

“Hng.”  

“…I love you, Letina.”  

Kiaros’s arm wrapped around her back. He hugged Letina tighter and moved even more deeply inside her.  

“Ah…!”  

Letina, clinging to Kiaros’s shoulder, squeezed around him, overwhelmed by the sensation.  

“Mm, ha, I love you too, Kiaros…”  

Kiaros’s jaw tightened.  

He kissed Letina’s sweetly whispering lips again, licking them, and released himself deep inside her.

***

The reason Kiaros hadn’t brought the diary to their newlywed home was because there was a high risk Letina would discover it.  

Also, the room he used in the Gatiel Marquis residence had been left as it was, so they could stay there when needed. Since it was still his space, he hadn’t thought to move the diary.  

It was absurd that Mielle had gone into the room on her own, found the diary, and even told Letina about it.  

But in the end, things had worked out for the best….  

He’d been planning to make it up to her anyway, but now Mielle was holding it over him, saying she’d go around telling everyone he’d pretended to be a duck. It was infuriating how she shook that weakness in his face.  

He could tell whose little sister she was.  

Kiaros shook his head and let out a self-mocking laugh.  

‘Let’s just call it the price for deceiving Letina.’  

Really, he was getting off lightly.  

Kiaros bought Mielle the sword she’d wanted. The Marquis hadn’t bought it for her, saying she was too young and didn’t need such an expensive weapon.  

Mielle was delighted and promised to keep the secret.  

“From now on, don’t make Letina cry and treat her well.”  

“That’s none of your business.”  

“But isn’t it thanks to me that you two made up?”  

“……”  

Kiaros was exasperated.

***

Letina became pregnant. Kiaros was overjoyed when the doctor told him.  

‘A child with Letina…’  

The more he thought about it, the more moved he felt, and he kissed Letina’s belly.  

“Our baby might be able to turn into a duck, too.”  

Letina, stroking her still-flat stomach, said this.  

Even as a human half-blood, as long as they had beastman blood, they could transform into animals.  

“No, it could be a tiger.”  

Mielle, who was with them, objected.  

“Grandfather was a tiger beastman.”  

Except for Kiaros, the siblings were tiger beastmen every other generation.  

“Why are you here again?”  

Kiaros rubbed his aching forehead.  

“I wanted to congratulate you on the pregnancy too. Is that not okay, Letina?”  

Now Mielle called her by name only.  

“Of course it’s okay. Thank you for coming all the way to the house to congratulate me.”  

“Letina…”  

Mielle, looking moved, clung to Letina. Kiaros, annoyed, hurriedly sent his sister out.  

“Whether it’s a duck beastman or a tiger beastman, I just hope the baby is born healthy.”  

“Me too.”  

Kiaros agreed with Letina and hugged her from behind.  

“But the second one could be a tiger beastman.”  

“The first one hasn’t even been born yet.”  

Letina was taken aback.  

“Can’t I be curious?”  

“…Well, I guess so.”  

He smiled and, bringing his lips to Letina’s ear, gently nibbled her round earlobe.  

“Let go.”  

“No. I’m never letting go.”  

Even as a human, Kiaros had become more clingy. He rubbed his face against her shoulder, so Letina pushed him away again.  

“It’s Liri time.”  

“Oh.”  

The condition they’d set when getting married was still in effect.  

Kiaros immediately transformed into Liri and eagerly got ready to go out. He was happy that Letina put the heart bracelet on him, too.  

No, these days, Kiaros was just happy no matter what.  

They went for a short walk in town during a quiet time and returned home.  

When he transformed back from a duck to a human, Letina suggested they go out again.  

“Huh? We just got back.”  

“It’s Kiaros time.”  

Letina wrapped the heart bracelet, which she’d taken off his neck before he changed back, around Kiaros’s wrist.  

‘If it’s Kiaros time…’  

Does she mean to go for a walk, like during Liri time?  

In human form?  

Kiaros’s face lit up.  

“Are we going to keep doing this from now on?”  

“No. Would we go out for a walk all day?”  

“We can just alternate between Liri time and Kiaros time each day.”  

“Hmm… But I like Liri time better.”  

“……”  

“Just kidding.”  

Letina quickly kissed Kiaros’s lips and pulled away, seeing he was honestly disappointed.  

‘Ha.’  

Letina was becoming too dangerous for him.  

‘She needs to be careful in early pregnancy.’  

But she kept testing his patience. Kiaros tried to calm himself, running his hand over his face.  

He held Letina’s hand, with the bracelet on his wrist, and walked down the street.  

As they walked, they spotted an ice cream shop. They were selling chocolate soft serve—the same one Letina had refused at the academy.  

Kiaros, as if drawn by something, went into the shop.  

“I bought ice cream. Want some? Two is too much for me, so I’ll give you one.”  

He handed the soft serve to Letina.  

The heart charm on his wrist sparkled in the sunlight.  

Letina looked at Kiaros’s face, then at the ice cream, then smiled.  

Suddenly, Kiaros spoke what came to mind.  

“I love you.”  

He said it whenever he thought of it, as if to make up for all the times he hadn’t said it before.  

Then, as she took the ice cream, Letina gave Kiaros a quick peck on the cheek.  

“I love you, Kiaros.”  

“I know. But I think I love you a little more.”  

He was sure he always had.  

Kiaros took Letina’s other hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.  

“I love you, Letina.”  

The two of them looked at each other and smiled.  

“Should we go buy another heart bracelet? One for you.”  

Kiaros waved his wrist.  

“Shall we?”  

Letina nodded.  

Eating their ice cream, they walked off together, light on their feet.