After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back-Chapter 142: Choosing a father

The mermen covered their eyes from the sidelines, too afraid to watch.

Their king was being beaten terribly.

Aviel stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene with clear amusement.

Hmph. The taste of the Ghost-Crying Vine isn’t pleasant, is it?

No one knew how long the punishment continued.

By the time it finally slowed, Lex looked utterly miserable. His once immaculate appearance was in ruins, his body crisscrossed with bloody lashes.

At last, Nina relented—for the sake of the tiny mermaid cub.

"Ghost-Crying Vine. Stop."

The vine withdrew immediately.

"Leave this place at once," Nina said coldly. "And don’t appear in front of us again."

"Lady Nina... I’m sorry. This was all my fault," Lex pleaded desperately. "If you want to keep beating me, then do it. Beat me for as long as you like. But please... don’t drive me away."

He didn’t want to leave her.

At that moment, regret filled his heart.

He wished he could slap his past self to death. How had he been so stupid? What possessed him to attempt something so foolish?

Now the female hated him. What if she never forgave him?

"Throw him out," Nina said without emotion.

And just like that, Lex was carried away and thrown outside.

The mermen cast one last reluctant glance at Nina—and at their tiny princess—before sighing and hurrying off to pick up their battered king.

Nina looked down at the adorable little mermaid cub in her arms, and most of her anger faded instantly.

She bought a beautiful little dress for the baby and carefully helped her put it on.

Seeing the tiny mermaid dressed in the delicate skirt, Nina’s heart melted.

She felt as if happiness was bubbling up inside her. She finally had a pretty girl to dress up!

She would definitely buy her countless little dresses.

"Little one," Nina said softly, smiling down at her, "how about Mom gives you a name?"

"Okay," the mermaid cub replied eagerly, gazing at her with shining eyes.

"Hmm..." Nina studied those eyes—deep and sparkling like a sea of stars.

"How about Mina? Your nickname can be Mimi. What do you think?"

"I like it!"

Mimi clapped her tiny hands happily. Wrapping her little arms around Nina’s neck, she leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

Nina immediately returned the affection with a big kiss on the little girl’s plump, milky-soft face.

Daughters are simply too adorable.

At that moment, Sal, Odian, and Ming stepped forward at the same time, each holding out a bottle of milk.

Sal’s eyes sparkled. "Nina, let me raise the little female cub!"

Odian looked just as eager. "Nina, the cubs all like me. Let me take care of her!"

Ming elbowed them aside without ceremony. "Nina, our spirit-cat clan is the best at raising cubs. Let us raise Mimi!"

Kith and the others also secretly wanted to volunteer.

But each of them already had a cub they were caring for, and they suspected they couldn’t compete with those who didn’t have one yet.

Besides, they didn’t even have official status yet—so they didn’t really have the right to make such requests to Nina.

All they could do was stand nearby, watching enviously.

After all, who wouldn’t want such a sweet, soft little female cub?

Meanwhile, outside where he had been thrown out, Lex looked utterly aggrieved.

That’s my cub, he thought miserably. She should be raised by me.

Damn it... I was wrong! Please don’t give Mimi to another male!

For a moment, Nina found herself in a dilemma.

Who should she entrust Mimi to?

After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, "Mimi, why don’t you choose for yourself? Which father would you like to make your milk from now on?"

Mimi blinked her big, sparkling eyes. She looked left, then right, carefully examining everyone.

Finally, she reached out, took the bottle from Odian’s hand, and said with a bright smile, "Pretty."

Odian looked as if he might soar into the sky with joy. "Mimi, Father Odian will take very good care of you from now on."

Ridan and the other phoenix guards were equally thrilled.

The High Priest has a little daughter now!

Sal, however, looked a little crestfallen. "Mimi, am I not handsome enough?" he asked plaintively.

Mimi reached out and gently patted him. "All... good."

Then, looking a little shy, she snuggled back into Nina’s arms and began drinking her milk.

Since Mimi had made her own choice, Sal didn’t argue any further.

Ah... where exactly do I lose out to that blasted phoenix? he wondered gloomily. Why didn’t Mimi choose me?

Well... he would just wait for his own little leopard cub someday.

Ming sighed dramatically. What a terrible miscalculation.

He didn’t expect Mimi to choose based on looks. If he had known, he would have brought Mino over—at least the boy had an advantage in that department.

Outside the courtyard, Lex felt as if his heart were breaking.

My little daughter... gone...

At noon, Ridan and the others prepared a lavish feast to celebrate Mimi’s hatching. Everyone gathered happily and enjoyed a grand meal together.

As the evening sun spilled golden light across the courtyard, Yanai finally returned—his body carrying the weariness of long travel and harsh winds.

The first thing he did upon arriving was go to find Nina.

"Nina, may I come in?" he asked from outside her door.

Nina was slightly surprised when she heard his voice.

He... actually came back.

"Come in."

Yanai stepped into the room and took out a pouch filled with primal stones.

"Nina, these are primal stones I found for you."

After Nina had rejected him that day, Yanai had been deeply hurt—but he hadn’t allowed himself to sink into despair.

Instead, he kept asking himself a single question:

Why doesn’t Nina like me?

He thought about it for a long time and eventually realized something.

Compared to the others, he simply hadn’t done enough for her.

He didn’t have Mino’s cooking skills, Sal’s boldness, or Odian’s strength.

As for the other males who hadn’t even earned a place at the table yet—he couldn’t be bothered comparing himself with them.

So after mourning quietly for a while, he gathered his resolve and set out to search for primal stones.

He knew Nina wanted them.

Over the past several days, he had searched everywhere for news of them. He had even fought his way through several mutated beast packs alone before finally obtaining some.

Nina looked at the stones, her emotions tangled.

"You... didn’t have to do this for me."

"Nina, I did it willingly," Yanai said quietly. "You don’t need to feel any burden. These stones aren’t useful to me anyway. Please keep them."

He knew she still didn’t like him yet—but he believed that one day his sincerity would reach her.

Nina didn’t take them immediately. Remembering what had happened with Kith before, she asked with concern, "Did you get hurt?"

Seeing that she hesitated to accept them, a flicker of hurt passed through Yanai’s eyes—but her concern warmed his heart.

"No," he said gently. "They were easy enough to obtain. If you don’t believe me, look."

He removed his shirt, revealing his strong, muscular torso.

In truth, it hadn’t been easy at all. Charging into packs of mutated beasts was no simple matter.

But he had healed his wounds in advance.

Seeing that there were indeed no visible injuries, Nina relaxed slightly.

"As long as you weren’t hurt."

"Nina, please take them," Yanai said again, offering the stones. "Do you remember those black-winged beastmen who came with the mutated beasts? I think they’ll return."

His gaze was earnest.

"You’ll need greater strength to protect yourself—and the cubs."

After a moment of hesitation, Nina accepted the stones.

"Thank you."

Yanai was right. Those black-winged beastmen would return sooner or later.

With the enemy hidden in the shadows while she stood exposed, she needed to grow stronger to protect herself and the cubs.

Nina then bought a cultivation crystal from the system and handed it to him.

"Here. This will help with your training."

Joy flickered through Yanai’s heart. Carefully, he put the crystal away.

"Nina, I also discovered something."

"What is it?"

"I noticed that the black-winged beastmen seem to be controlling the mutated beasts using some kind of dark witchcraft. You might want to ask Odian—perhaps he knows a way to break the spell."

He took out a black stone etched with strange, eerie patterns.

"I found this near the mutated beast pack. It felt... unusual. I don’t know if it’s useful."

Nina reached out to take it, but Yanai quickly stopped her.

"Don’t touch it. There might still be traces of dark magic on it."

"Then you shouldn’t be holding it either," Nina said worriedly.

"It’s fine," Yanai replied with a smile. "I’ve been carrying it all the way here."

"Later, we can let Odian examine it. As a priest, he should be able to figure something out."

"Alright."

Seeing the exhaustion on his face, Nina said gently, "You should go get some rest."

"Okay." Yanai nodded and returned to his stone house.

But the moment he stepped inside, he froze.

A familiar figure was already there.

"Mino?" he said in disbelief. "Why are you here—and in my room?"

"I live here now," Mino replied casually. "From now on, we’re roommates."

Why is this damn wolf back already? Mino thought irritably.

"I refuse," Yanai said immediately. "There are plenty of empty rooms. Why do you have to stay in mine?"

"I don’t care whether you want it or not," Mino replied coolly. "Nina already agreed I could stay here."