Chapter 3: Her Child?

After a thoroughly satisfying indulgence, Shi Chuchu finally managed to eat until she was half full. Supporting her somewhat sore and weak thighs, she climbed down from the bed.

Lying on the bed, Long Yuan was a pitiful sight, having been thoroughly exhausted. His handsome, captivating face was streaked with messy, bloody sweat, his nose and lips swollen and reddened.

He stared dazedly at the girl by the bedside, unable to understand why this dream felt so... vivid.

If only he could stay in this dream forever, he thought.

Beside him, Shi Chuchu had tidied her dress—well, there wasn’t much to arrange since she was wearing nothing but a thin, delicate camisole nightgown.

The energy she had drained from Long Yuan had eased her considerably; she could even barely muster the strength to cast a hypnosis spell.

She leisurely sat at the bedside, her beautiful, wide eyes gazing intently into the man’s dark pupils.

In the next moment, the clear black pupils, indistinguishable from a human’s, slowly shimmered with a faint heart-shaped glow.

Meeting that subtle light, Long Yuan’s pupils gradually lost focus.

“Everything that just happened was an illusion, just a dream... now, be good and keep sleeping,” she whispered softly, her voice laced with subtle enchantment, like a lullaby weaving around his ears.

No sooner had she spoken than Long Yuan’s eyes closed heavily.

Shi Chuchu felt a twinge of grievance. She fetched a towel and began wiping the marks from Long Yuan’s face, muttering complaints to the system.

“Phew... just cast a hypnosis spell and I’m hungry again...”

The system’s voice responded with excitement:

[Detected Long Yuan’s darkening value has decreased by 2 points! Host, keep up the good work!]

Shi Chuchu was stunned.

She hadn’t expected the darkening value to decrease? What a wonderful surprise!

Immediately, she tossed the towel aside and slapped Long Yuan across the face, intending to wake him.

But before her second slap could land, footsteps and faint voices sounded at the door—

“Yeah, yeah, suddenly entered the rutting period, hurry and come with me...”

Shi Chuchu didn’t have time to think further. She quickly scanned the room and dove under the bed again.

Moments later, the inner chamber door was pushed open.

Irritated, Shi Chuchu thought to herself, “We succubi are always the rulers of the bed—no demon crawls under the bed twice a day. This is just shameful!”

The two people outside hurried to the bedside.

“Why did we use three suppressants? This is ridiculous!”

“No choice. Since the lady... the marshal’s condition has been unstable and refuses others’ help. The only way is to increase the number of suppressants.”

“Sigh, he’s unconscious now; it must be the side effects. We need to act quickly... huh??”

“His rutting period has calmed down!”

Listening to the man’s shocked voice, Shi Chuchu, hiding under the bed, sneered coldly.

Hmph, she was a top-tier succubus! No suppressant could compare to the power of her bodily fluids. She had just fed that dog-like man for over ten minutes solidly...

“That’s wonderful! Truly wonderful! The marshal’s condition is stable, the little master’s nanny has been chosen, everything is set! I’ll prepare to take the marshal back to the manor now!” The steward exclaimed joyfully, pulling the still confused personal doctor out to arrange the return trip.

After the door closed again, Shi Chuchu crawled out from under the bed.

“What’s going on? Did Long Yuan come out this time to find a nanny for his child?”

[Cough. I should remind you, that’s also your child.] The system replied.

Shi Chuchu curled her lips. “Enough, what’s the situation now?”

[...Yes, this is the nursery. Long Yuan personally brought his offspring here to select the nanny he likes best. But just as they were about to leave, his rutting period came early, so he was temporarily placed in this room.]

Shi Chuchu pondered.

“Has the child already chosen a preferred nanny?”

[Yes.]

That posed a bit of a problem. She had to think of a way to sneak into the return convoy. Otherwise, with the marshal manor’s tight security, she’d never have another chance to get close to him.

No access to the meal ticket meant no delicious meals, and no meals meant the mission couldn’t be completed. That was unacceptable.

However—

Her gaze swept over her nightgown.

First things first, she needed to change into proper clothes.

She quietly wandered through the luxurious suite, found a wardrobe in the adjoining room, and pulled out the smallest-sized shirt and pants.

After changing, she began tidying up the scene.

She couldn’t leave her discarded nightgown here, but luckily it was so delicate and small that folded it was no thicker than a handkerchief and could easily fit into her pocket.

Finished, she carefully slipped out of the suite, intending to find Long Yuan’s group and see if she could sneak in.

But just as she rounded the nearest corner, she bumped into a small stone block.

The block fell with a solid “thud.”

Looking closer, Shi Chuchu realized it wasn’t a stone block but a pale, chubby little child around three or four years old.

“My goodness, he’s so small yet so heavy. My calf actually hurts from the bump,” she whispered curiously to the system.

[...Please, his father’s beast form is a dragon lion. The dragon lion clan has naturally dense bones; it’s normal for him to be heavy.] The system replied with a tone of self-righteousness, even tinged with slight disdain, as if annoyed by her ignorance.

Shi Chuchu was displeased.

“What kind of tone is that? Why should I care about his beast form? Ridiculous.”

The system’s voice grew faint, as if utterly speechless.

[...Because he’s your child too.]

Shi Chuchu: ?

She had only been gone four days—when did she have such a big child?

[One Earth day equals one year in the beast world. You’ve been away for five whole years here; the children have grown up.] The system explained.

Shi Chuchu was stunned. Before she could fully process the information, the little ‘stone block’ pouted.

“Waaah—”

Seeing the child about to wail, Shi Chuchu’s scalp tightened.

Without hesitation, she crouched down and quickly pressed two fingers over the child’s mouth, breaking his attempt to call out—

“Stop!”

The two stared at each other wide-eyed—one confused, the other terrified.

Help! She hated coaxing children most of all.

Succubi usually had the father raise the child; the mother only gave birth and then wandered freely, so she had never considered how to interact with a child.

Watching the little one’s eyes begin to water, threatening a storm, she nervously contemplated the possibility of hypnotizing him.

She couldn’t let him wail here and attract everyone.

She tried to cast the hypnosis skill...

Well, it failed.

Because she had just used all her energy to hypnotize the child’s father.

Shi Chuchu lamented deeply, regretting not having fed more from Long Yuan earlier.

Just then, voices came from the far corner:

“Haven’t you found him yet? If something happens to the little master, we’re all doomed!”

She looked at the tearful little stone block before her, his identity now clear.

Obviously, there was no second little master here.

She grew even more anxious.

Unexpectedly, at this moment of helplessness, the child’s small nose twitched, then his eyes brightened, the tears vanishing.

“Waa… waah…”

Though not yet skilled in speaking, his two surprisingly dense, pale little arms naturally wrapped around Shi Chuchu’s neck.

Not an exaggeration—he nearly strangled her on the spot, and she felt as if she’d met her great-grandmother.