The little ones waited and waited until, at last, a sharp crack split the air. The first durian had opened.

Its rich, fragrant aroma instantly drifted through the courtyard.

Excited, the children turned to Nina. "Mother, the durian split open! We can eat it now!"

Nina asked Mino to open the durian for the children while Idir silently changed to another kneeling position.

The little ones happily held pieces of durian in their hands, eating with obvious delight. Shushu especially thought today’s durian smelled unbelievably delicious.

Nina chuckled and shook her head helplessly. What a bunch of greedy little foodies.

Watching the children devour the fruit so enthusiastically, Idir could not help feeling surprised. Could this thing actually be eaten? And judging by their expressions, it was delicious.

No wonder the little ones had been crowding around him earlier. They had been waiting for the durian all along.

So he had simply been overthinking things.

By the time night fell, everyone had nearly finished tidying up.

Full from food and drink, Nina brought the children outside and settled with them on the reclining chairs in the courtyard to watch the stars.

The night sky stretched endlessly above them, filled with glittering stars like scattered fireflies carried by the wind, flickering softly in the darkness.

Linny and Momo nestled against Nina’s shoulders, while the other children lay quietly in her arms. Nina gently stroked Shushu and Sunny beside her.

The beast husbands stayed close nearby, rocking the chairs for them and feeding the children snacks from time to time.

The recliners swayed in a slow, steady rhythm, peaceful and soothing.

Idir gazed quietly at Nina, a faint warmth of happiness rippling through his chest.

Just being able to watch her like this felt wonderful.

Then his eyes flicked toward the other beast husbands beside her. If only those annoying males were not here, it would be even better.

For a moment, he found himself missing the times when he had lost control. Back then, Nina had belonged only to him. He could stay close to her every single day...

Selfishly, he even thought that perhaps remaining out of control forever would not have been so bad.

But he understood that the version of himself who lost control was far too domineering. Nina would never truly be happy like that. She cared deeply about all of her beast husbands.

And now, being merely one of them was already enough for him.

In a quiet corner of the residence, Lorin approached Taru.

"City Lord... could I request permission to stay behind?" Lorin asked carefully.

Among the males chosen by the City Lord to remain in the barbarian City, his name had not been included. But he still wanted to stay.

Taru glanced at him, surprised. "You want to stay? Why?"

Lorin nodded firmly. "I want to remain here and take care of Zena. She doesn’t have a beast husband. She needs someone to look after her."

Although females in Barbarian City now held a very high status, and even females without husbands would still be supported by the city, he still wanted to stay and give Zena a better life.

"You like Zena?" Taru’s brows drew together slightly. "But Zena, she..."

He suspected Zena might not accept him.

"I don’t mind." Lorin’s gaze remained unwavering. "I only hope City Lord will grant my request."

He had liked Zena for a very long time. But in the past, all of her beast husbands had been stronger than him. He had lost the duels and, with them, his right to pursue her.

Taru let out a soft sigh. "Fine. You can stay."

The affairs of young beastmen were better left to themselves.

Lorin’s face lit with joy. "Thank you, City Lord."

He happily returned to his room.

Taru shook his head and headed back to his own room as well.

After watching the stars for a while longer, Nina finally took the children back to sleep.

The peaceful night passed quickly.

***

The next morning, Zena and the others came to see Nina off. After hearing the news, many females from the city had come as well.

The moment Zena, Mona, and the others stepped inside, they were greeted by the thick aroma of durian filling the entire courtyard.

Zena twitched her nose curiously. "Nina, what’s that smell in your courtyard?"

"It’s durian," Nina replied. "They’re making dishes with it. You should try some later. I think it tastes pretty good."

"Durian?" Zena rounded her eyes. "What’s that?"

Zena’s curiosity was instantly piqued. The moment she heard Nina say it was delicious, her interest flared.

If Nina said something was good, then she had to try it.

Mona and the other females were equally intrigued.

"Over there," Nina said, glancing toward the courtyard where several durians were still piled up. "That’s it."

Zena and the others followed her gaze, eyes landing on the spiky fruits.

So it’s this thing covered in thorns?

At the same time, they noticed Idir still kneeling nearby.

They blinked in confusion.

Why was that male kneeling on top of the food?

"Lady Nina... how do you even eat this?" Mona asked hesitantly.

She had never seen anything like it before. With all those sharp spikes, it hardly looked edible.

"You crack open the hard outer shell and eat the flesh inside," Nina explained.

Mona and the others nodded in understanding.

Just then, another durian split open beneath Idir.

The children immediately ran over. "Mother! Another durian is ready to eat!"

Nina turned to Sal. "Bring that one over."

Then she smiled at the children. "Let your aunties have this one, alright? You can wait for the next."

The little ones nodded in unison. "Okay!"

And off they ran again to play.

Nina divided the durian among the females. "Try the flesh first. You can also use it to make other dishes."

Turning her head, she called, "Mino, bring out some of the desserts you made."

Mino quickly went to fetch them from the kitchen.

The females tasted the durian, and most of them found they quite liked it.

"Lady Nina, do you have to kneel on it to open it?" one of the females asked, glancing at Idir as he switched to yet another durian.

Nina covered her lips, giving a soft cough. "No... he made a mistake. This just happens to be his punishment."

The females’ eyes lit up instantly.

Using durians to punish beast husbands... that actually sounded like a pretty good idea.

After the punishment, you could still eat them.

As expected of Lady Nina—so clever.

"Lady Nina, your method of punishment is brilliant."

"I agree! I’m going to use this on my beast husband in the future."

The females all voiced their approval.

Nina only smiled lightly. "If you like it, feel free."

Just then, Mino returned with the desserts, and Nina handed them out.

Zena took a bite, her beautiful eyes widening in delight. She immediately took another, bigger bite. "Nina, this is so good!"

To her, it tasted even better than the durian on its own.

"It’s really delicious!"

The others agreed enthusiastically, full of praise.

Zena sighed a little regretfully. "Nina, you’re leaving soon... I was hoping you could teach me how to make this."

"Yes, Lady Nina, we’d love for our beast husbands to learn as well," the other females added.

"It’s alright," Nina said. "Some of the males staying in the city already know how to make it. You can learn from them."

The females nodded. "Alright."

After finishing the desserts, Zena stepped forward and handed Nina a farewell gift.

"Nina, I wish you a safe journey."