Chapter 155: Zerev Leaves

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Zerev Leaves

Hearing Zerev say this, Ophelia understood clearly.

"If you go back, will you return?" she asked.

Zerev’s hand tightened on Ophelia’s shoulder. "With you and the children here, I will definitely return."

A faint smile graced Ophelia’s lips. "Then that settles it. It’s not like you’re leaving forever. Besides, don’t you know the saying, ’a brief parting beats a honeymoon’?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that when two people are separated for a while, their feelings for each other will be even stronger when they reunite."

"No. If I’m gone too long, you’ll forget me. You’ll take a new mate."

Ophelia tilted her head. "Zerev, why would you think that?"

"Isn’t it true? The one you like most in your heart is Tyler. If I hadn’t forced you to mate with me, we wouldn’t even have children."

No one could have imagined that the usually aloof Young Master of the Holy Capital would act so humbly before his little female.

Ophelia reached out and stroked Zerev’s slightly cool cheek. "How could you think that?

"Do you think I’m the kind of person who easily compromises? Would I force myself to be with someone I don’t like?

"If I truly didn’t like you, even if we had children, I would have broken our mating bond."

Don’t waste time on the wrong person—this was a lesson Ophelia had learned from her ’ex-husband,’ Loki.

Hearing this, Zerev’s silver pupils contracted. "Are you telling the truth?"

Ophelia shot him a reproachful glare. "Take a guess."

Zerev’s hand tightened around Ophelia’s waist. He leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "Let’s skip dinner tonight, alright?"

His gaze was so fervent that it made Ophelia shiver.

"Are you really in that much of a hurry?"

"Can we?"

"Of course not." Ophelia pushed Zerev away and headed straight for the stone house.

Although his request was denied, Zerev’s mood was no longer as conflicted as when he had first arrived. His little female said she liked him; he wasn’t just a reluctant choice. That was enough. As long as she loved him, even just a little bit.

Tyler didn’t know what they had talked about, but it was obvious that Zerev was in a much better mood after their conversation. Once dinner concluded, Zerev informed Tyler of his impending departure.

"I’m leaving Ophelia in your care while I’m gone. If you let her get hurt or make her sad, I won’t forgive you."

Tyler curled his lips. "You don’t need to tell me that. I’ll protect the Princess well. As for you, stay safe on your way back."

Sitting across from Zerev, Tyler exuded the commanding aura of an official primary partner. Zerev hadn’t expected Tyler to say such a thing and was slightly taken aback. Then, he nodded and squeezed out two words: "Thank you."

After the meal, Tyler took the initiative to bring the three little ones upstairs to rest, leaving the space to Ophelia and Zerev.

With their separation imminent, that night Zerev wished he could fuse Ophelia into his very flesh and blood, taking her away with him.

Ophelia lay on the bed, her fair, smooth forehead covered in sweat. She panted heavily. "You still have to travel tomorrow. Let’s rest early."

"I’m fine. I can keep going."

Seeing Zerev’s shameless behavior, Ophelia shot him a glare but still indulgently allowed him to have his way.

The next day, as the sky just began to show the pale light of dawn, Zerev got up.

Hearing the rustling by the bed, Ophelia cracked her eyes open. Her voice carried the sluggishness of one freshly awakened. "Mhm... Are you leaving this early?"

She struggled to sit up, but last night had been far too exhausting; she now lacked the strength to even lift a finger. Seeing her trying to force herself up, Zerev reached out and pressed down on her shoulder.

"Keep sleeping. You don’t need to get up."

"But I want to see you off."

Zerev leaned down and kissed her rosy lips. "You don’t have to. I don’t want to watch us part."

"Alright then." Ophelia lay back down on the bed, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Zerev finished dressing and walked out the door. He was somewhat surprised when he saw the person standing outside the stone house.

"This is some beef jerky I made a while ago. Take it to eat on the road." Tyler handed a beast skin bag to Zerev.

Zerev clutched the beast skin bag in his hand, an indescribable feeling swelling in his chest. After pondering for a long time, he finally understood. This was probably why he could never compare to Tyler. Always so high and mighty, he would never treat Ophelia’s other mates this well, nor could he manage to be so pleasant when facing his partner’s other half.

"Stay safe on the road."

"I will."

The two didn’t converse any further. When Zerev walked out of the gates of the Fuzu Tribe, he looked back at the solitary three-story stone house within the settlement. That was where his beloved and his children lived.

Ophelia had been very sleepy, but once the room settled back into silence, she found herself unable to fall back asleep. She reached out and touched the lingering warmth on the bed, a wave of sorrow washing over her. Her nose stung, and a single tear slipped from her eye. She pulled the beast skin blanket over her head and wept softly.

Outside the door, Tyler, who had been about to enter, halted his steps at the sound of Ophelia’s crying. After a moment of thought, he decided not to go in. Only after crying herself into exhaustion did Ophelia fall back into a deep sleep.

By the time she woke up again, it was already noon.

Seeing her come out, the little dragon whelps immediately swarmed around her. "Mother, we want to go out and play!"

"Out and play! Out and play!"

The second child, Dan’er, and the third, Wendy, crowded around Ophelia’s feet, tugging at her linen skirt. Ophelia rescued the hem of her skirt. "Where do you want to play?"

Wendy was the first to raise her hand. "I want to go to the wall shops and look at bright and shiny things!"

"I want to play in the fields!"

The two eagerly shouted over each other to share their ideas, leaving only the eldest, Kohen, standing in silence. Ophelia bent down and ruffled Kohen’s hair. "Baby Kohen, where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere is fine," Kohen replied, his little face entirely serious.

Wendy, being a little female, loved bright and shiny things. Dan’er was playful by nature. Yet the eldest, Kohen, always acted like an old soul despite just being a child. He never showed his joy or anger, truly taking after his father. Ophelia sometimes suspected this was simply proof of how incredibly potent the Winged Dragon genes were.

"Then let’s go hunting in the forest, okay?"

Hearing Ophelia say this, Kohen looked up in surprise. Seeing his mother staring at him with great interest, his cheeks flushed a slight pink.

She knew her own child best. Although Kohen was a child of few words, he inherently admired strength. Every time Tyler went out hunting, Kohen’s eyes would fill with hope and longing. Ophelia had asked about this before, and Zerev had mentioned that Winged Dragon whelps would begin training their hunting skills after they turned one month old. It was just that, because the three little ones were currently in a different environment, they had to appear in human form to avoid exposing their identities to the public.

"But won’t we be discovered?" Though tempted, Kohen was still a bit worried.

Ophelia pinched his serious little face. "It’s fine. We just have to be careful."

And so, Ophelia and Tyler led the three little dragon whelps deep into the forest.

The moment they entered the woods, the three little dragon whelps acted like wild horses slipping their reins, shifting from their human forms into their beast states. By now, their physical sizes were a far cry from how they looked when they were newly born. They were already the size of small elephants. This balloon-like growth rate left Ophelia utterly amazed. But knowing that her three little ones were perfectly healthy, she didn’t worry too much about it.

The three little dragon whelps flapped their small wings, weaving freely through the forest. Ophelia and Tyler kept watch nearby; if they spotted any outsiders, they would immediately call out and warn the children to hide.