After comforting Momo, the children soon brightened—and then, as if united by a common cause, they scampered over to the courtyard.

There, they gathered around Idir... to cheer on the ghost-crying vine.

"Hit harder!"

"Serves you right!"

Idir felt a dull ache in his chest. So this was what it felt like... to be collectively disliked by a group of children.

He let out a quiet breath. Well, he had been in the wrong.

His gaze drifted toward Momo, who was still nestled beside Nina.

I’ll find a chance to make it up to him... later.

Around the courtyard, other males had begun to take notice.

Pado had just returned from outside. Seeing Idir being punished again, he blinked in surprise.

"...Why is he getting beaten again?" he muttered. "And this time it’s Lady Nina’s ghost-crying vine."

That meant the punishment came directly from her. Hadn’t he just been beaten a couple of days ago?

"What did he do this time?"

"He abducted our Momo," Ridan said angrily.

"What?!" Pado’s eyes widened. "He’s got some nerve!"

"No kidding," Ridan added, his face dark with irritation. "He even dared touch one of the little ones."

"Well," someone else went on, "this isn’t the end of it. The High Priest said we should keep an eye out for durians over the next few days."

At that, Viann snorted. "Good. Then we’ll gather as many as we can."

Anyone who dared touch Momo deserved to kneel until his legs gave out.

"Exactly," Ridan said with a grin. "The more, the better. Every day."

Looks like they’d be eating plenty again.

Pado raised a brow. "Perfect timing—I just picked quite a few recently."

"You did?" Ridan’s eyes lit up. "A lot?"

"Enough to keep him kneeling for a few days," Pado replied casually.

"Great—I’ll go tell the High Priest!"

Ridan immediately hurried off, barely hiding his excitement. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Durians again—finally!

Viann clapped Pado on the shoulder. "You’re well prepared, brother."

Pado only chuckled. "It’s a habit of mine."

Before long, Odian had Pado bring all the durians out.

At the sight of the durians piled high like a small mountain, the mates exchanged satisfied looks.

Good. Not a single one fewer than expected.

Viann and the others shot Pado approving glances—this haul would yield plenty to go around.

Odian stepped forward and dropped a durian squarely in front of Idir. "Kneel."

His gaze flicked to the towering pile nearby. "On all of them."

Idir looked down at the strange fruit, its thick husk bristling with sharp spikes.

So this is a durian...

Without protest, he lowered himself onto it. The moment his knees made contact, his brows drew together.

...It hurt. Quite a bit.

The children, however, lit up the instant they saw the pile.

"Wow—durians again!"

They rushed over, circling Idir with bright, eager eyes, practically vibrating with anticipation.

Though their fathers occasionally gave them durian to eat, somehow, the ones earned like this always tasted better.

Idir blinked, slightly taken aback as they hovered around him.

...Since when had they become so enthusiastic? Had they... started liking him again?

Meanwhile, Linny darted off to fetch Momo.

He fluttered down beside him. "Momo! Your father’s kneeling on durians—do you want to come see?"

Momo hesitated. He did want to go, but he also didn’t want to leave Nina’s side.

His small tail gently brushed against her wrist. "Mother... can we go look?"

Nina let out a soft, helpless laugh. "Alright."

At once, Momo brightened and followed her to the courtyard.

The moment he saw Idir kneeling there, his mood improved instantly.

Served him right. Finally, it was his turn. This time, he was definitely going to eat more.

Nearby, Sunny quietly glanced at Setan.

All the others’ fathers have knelt like this... Will mine have to one day too?

Nina watched the children’s excitement with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

Was durian really that good for them?

Yanai and Lex raised their brows slightly.

...Another one down.

Off to the side, the lion tribe males swallowed unconsciously, whispering among themselves.

"There’s durian again today... I still remember how good it was last time."

"Same here. It’s seriously delicious."

"I heard from Ridan that most of Lady Nina’s mates have already gone through this..."

They exchanged meaningful looks.

"...Do you think our City Lord will end up kneeling too?"

The lion tribe males all turned in unison to look at Setan, their expressions faintly... anticipatory.

What would it be like if their city lord ended up kneeling on durians?

Setan caught their looks immediately and shot them a sharp glare. "What are you staring at? As if I’d ever kneel."

Those fools only ended up like this because they angered Nina. He wouldn’t make that mistake.

The lion males quickly looked away, not daring to meet his eyes again, but inwardly, they were far less convinced.

That’s not so certain...

Everyone slips up eventually.

And when that day comes...

They exchanged secret, hopeful glances.

The City Lord’s durians would probably taste even better.

Not far away, Ming and the others were already in high spirits.

"Ah, looks like we’ll have durian again for the next few days," Ming said cheerfully.

With a pile like that, it would last quite a while.

Taru licked his lips. "It’s been a while. I’ve kind of missed it."

"Same," Aron added with a chuckle. "Last time we had it was when those brats were kneeling."

Ming nodded. "Served them right. Who told them to break off their engagements with Nina?"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Idir.

Then something clicked.

"...Wait," Ming murmured, eyes narrowing. "Didn’t Nina use to have a fiancé from the Black Snake tribe?"

Taru froze.

He looked at Idir again—really looked this time.

His pupils shrank slightly. "...No way."

Aron immediately caught on. "That can’t be that much of a coincidence... can it?"

Ming’s eyes lit up with curiosity. "Honestly? It wouldn’t be the first time something like this lined up. I think it’s very possible."

If it was true... Then Nina’s former fiancés... Would all be accounted for.

The thought alone was enough to set his curiosity ablaze.

"I’m definitely finding a chance to ask."

Taru and Aron both nodded in agreement.

"If he really is," Taru added thoughtfully, "then we’ll be eating durian for a few more days."

Aron smirked. "More like a lot more days. If he realizes he once broke off an engagement with Nina... he’ll probably kneel until his knees give out."

The three of them looked at Idir again, their expressions suddenly... very interested.

For some reason, they were all a little excited.