Interstellar Beastworld: Raising A Cub With My Mummy System!-Chapter 66

[Song rec: Night- Ludovico Einaudi]

Uriel’s eyes widened, they were waiting for him?

He smiled briefly, nodding. "I’m back.."

Lin Yue rose from the sofa, adjusting Auriel against her shoulder. "Go wash up. Mira’s been keeping dinner warm. We’ll be in the dining room."

He nodded and headed to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and dried his hands, avoiding his own reflection.

When he came out, the dining table was already set. Mira moved quietly in the background, arranging the last of the dishes.

The bassinet sat beside Lin Yue’s chair, and Auriel was already inside, kicking his little legs.

Lin Yue was already seated. "You need to eat. You’ve been training all day."

Uriel took his seat.

The food was warm, hearty.

Lin Yue chatted about her day—the interviews she had planned, the list of vacant positions.

She spoke lightly, easily, as if nothing in the world was wrong.

Uriel listened.

He nodded.

Made the appropriate sounds.

She did not ask him how his day was.

She simply ate her dinner and talked about hiring new staff and whether the nursery needed more blankets. She has a feeling he would give her a superficial answer.

When the meal was over, Mira appeared to clear the plates. Lin Yue lifted Auriel from the bassinet and carried him toward the nursery. "Coming?" she asked over her shoulder.

The nursery was warm.

The fire in the small fireplace had been lit, casting a soft glow over the rocking chair and the crib. Lin Yue settled into the chair and began to feed the baby, her head tilted back, her eyes half closed.

The room smelled of milk and lavender.

Uriel sat on the floor beside the rocking chair, his back against the wall, his legs stretched out.

He watched them in silence.

The fire crackled.

Auriel’s tiny coos filled the silence.

Lin Yue hummed softly, a wordless tune, and the baby’s eyes drifted closed.

Uriel’s shoulders relaxed.

He didn’t realize how tense he had been until the warmth of the room seeped into his bones.

He closed his eyes.

For a moment, just a moment, he let himself rest.

The firelight danced across the walls.

The room was quiet.

His family was safe.

He wanted to keep it that way.

Lin Yue hummed a soft, wordless tune, and the baby’s eyes slowly drifted closed.

The warmth of the room seeped into Uriel’s bones, and his shoulders relaxed. He closed his eyes and let himself rest, if only for a moment.

Then his phone buzzed.

The sound was sharp, cutting through the peace like a blade.

Uriel’s eyes snapped open, and he reached for his pocket.

Lin Yue glanced at him but said nothing, simply shifting Auriel to her other arm and continuing to hum.

Uriel glanced down at the screen, where a message from Magus had appeared.

[The list is ready—every name, every leader who ordered civilians to the front. Also, there is something else, something you need to see. I am sending it now.]

An attachment loaded onto the display. He opened it, and the blood in his veins turned to ice.

The image showed an old document, its edges faded and its seals worn, but the insignia were unmistakable—the royal seal of the Khyrnos house, the same one his father and grandfather had used for generations.

Beneath those seals was a name he had not seen in years, the name of a man who was supposed to be dead, who was now advising the Zephorian council.

Uriel’s jaw tightened.

The name was not an unfamiliar one.

It was someone who had once stood beside his father, someone who had been trusted, someone who had vanished during the last war and was presumed dead.

Presumed, but not confirmed.

And now that ghost had resurfaced on the enemy’s side.

He typed back to Magus with a single sentence. [I am coming back. Prepare the team.]

Then he turned to Lin Yue. "I have to go."

She looked up, her brow furrowed. "Now?"

"There’s an emergency." He walked to the door, then paused, looking back at her, at Auriel, at the firelight warming their faces. "I will be back before morning."

He did not wait for her response. The door closed behind him with a soft click, and the warmth of the nursery faded as he stepped into the cold corridor.

The fire crackled.

Lin Yue held Auriel closer, her jaw tightening.

She did not know where he was going or what emergency had pulled him away, but she knew better than to chase after him.

He would explain when he was ready.

An hour later, Lin Yue heard footsteps outside the nursery door—not one set, but several.

She set Auriel gently in his bassinet, covered him with a blanket, and walked to the door, opening it to find three men in black suits standing in the corridor. Their faces were expressionless, their postures rigid, and Mira stood behind them with her hands clasped and her face pale.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lin Yue asked, her voice calm but cold as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

The lead man bowed slightly. "The prince sent us, Madam. We are here to protect you and the young prince."

Lin Yue glanced past him, noting that all three men were clustered directly outside the nursery door with no one else in sight. "All three of you standing here?" she asked, her tone flat. "What about the rest of the house? The entrances? The grounds?"

The lead man hesitated. "Our orders were to guard the nursery."

Lin Yue shook her head. "Spread out and cover more ground. One at the front door, one at the back, and one patrolling the corridors. I do not need an audience outside my son’s room."

The man opened his mouth to argue, but Lin Yue cut him off. "If something happens, I will call you. That is what phones are for. Now go."

The lead man bowed again. "Yes, Madam." He gestured to his companions, and the three of them dispersed down the corridor.

Lin Yue watched them go, then turned to Mira. "Keep the doors locked, and if anyone else shows up, you come to me first."

Mira nodded. "Yes, Madam. Though these are not the only men his Majesty sent. There are about twenty in number..."

-_-

Meaning what she just did was pointless.

She sighed and told Mira to rest for the night.

Lin Yue slipped back into the nursery, locked the door behind her, and walked to the bassinet.

She lifted Auriel out, and he stirred briefly, letting out a small whimper before settling against her chest.

She carried him to the bed, unwilling to leave him in the nursery tonight with strangers roaming the halls and with Uriel gone the house felt too large and too empty.

She laid Auriel in the center of the bed, surrounded by pillows to keep him from rolling, and lay down beside him with one hand resting on his tiny belly, feeling the rise and fall of his breath.