Chapter 23

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

“You know, I’d never liked you from the beginning.”

The woman who used to be my fiancée said this while staring boredly at the used coffee cup in front of her. We were at a low table across from each other in a small 1DK room. The atmosphere was oppressively dense.

I slumped down and returned my gaze to the woman, who was still looking down. I’d always thought she was pretty, despite having an ordinary face like mine, but now she seemed to have transformed into someone I didn’t know what to expect.

“From …… the beginning?” I inquired quietly, and the woman exhaled lightly through her nose. The woman’s gaze was still not fixed on mine.

I had no idea what to expect. I was only seeing her as the only prospective marriage partner. However, we were unable to have children. I gritted my teeth and listened to what she had to say.

As she explained, I was slightly afraid that she was purposely saying terrible things to make me give up on her. However, then, I felt incredibly miserable for expecting something more.

“…Bye.”

Perhaps unable to bear the atmosphere, the woman said in a light tone and stood up. She was holding a tote bag containing the items she had left in my room. It was, however, flimsy, as if it contained nothing.

When I looked up, her eyes met mine, and her expression shifted dramatically. I couldn’t take it anymore and averted my gaze.

The only sound that echoed in the room was the woman leaving.

“I looked at her and saw her face.”

“Kouhei?”

I raised my eyelids in surprise as I heard the voice. Beautiful golden eyes popped into my head. I froze for a moment, wide-eyed with wonder, then remembered I was on the sofa and slithered up.

When I turned my head diagonally up, I saw Taizen standing there, fresh from his bath. He should have been feeling refreshed, but he looked at me with a raised brow and a worried expression.

I appeared to have dozed off while waiting for him to take a bath.

“Sorry … for falling asleep.” I apologized, holding my head still from the dream. He sat down next to me because he was so concerned.

My body tilted toward him by the sinking sofa, and our shoulders touched. Taizen hugged my shoulders softly. His skin was warm after the bath, and when our shoulders touched, I felt ecstatic.

“Are you okay? You looked really grim, but…”

As he gently stroked my shoulder, the sensation of having a bad dream gradually faded.

“It’s okay, I had a bad dream…”

“Dreams……”

Taizen made an expression as if he was thinking about something.

Looking at that expression, I realized I wouldn’t know what to say if I was asked any more questions. So I decided to change the subject.

“Come to think of it, you were a candidate for the crown prince, right?”

In an instant, his eyebrows lowered, and his expression turned apologetic.

“I’m sorry,…… I was going to talk to you because it’s almost time for our pairing.”

Fear gripped my shoulders as I heard the word “pair.” We were naturally discussing the upcoming mating season when we would be paired.

In order to become paired, Ω must be in heat, and α must bite him on the neck. As a result, to be Taizen’s pair, I had to stop eating suppressant plants so that my heat could be met with full force. This is because suppressant grasses are ineffective unless consumed regularly.

However, as mating season approaches, I wonder if it’s better to form pairs after having children. I’ve heard that eating suppressant grass can help you get pregnant even when the heat is suppressed.

However, I would have to start eating suppressant grass today or tomorrow to avoid becoming his pair.

“…Kouhei?”

I raised my head, having been lost in thought, at the tone of his calm voice. I’m sure he had a glum expression on his face.

“I’m sorry, did you hate hearing about it…or did you want me to tell you sooner?”

I realized that I was misunderstanding his uneasy expression and shook my head in a panic.

“No… that’s not true at all… there might be the advantage of hearing it from someone else because you can hear it objectively… I was quite surprised, but…”

Perhaps I’m less anxious because I believe I’m loved. Perhaps it’s because we’ve only recently begun dating and I’m a bit of a flirt.

I noticed Taizen staring at me with golden eyes as I laughed at my thoughts.

After all this time, the beautiful eyes made me nervous, and for some reason, I remembered the conversation we had earlier in the day about Taizen looking like the embodiment of God. I became restless and straightened my back.

“…I’m sorry for surprising you. But I’m glad I didn’t get angry at you for not saying it.” Taizen smiled while saying it.

“I was …… just wondering if that means there is …… something else.”

Taizen’s remark startled me, and my shoulders shook once more.

However, if I started eating suppressant grass, I might as well tell Taizen about it.

I slowly opened my mouth. I said, “About the pairing… I think I’ll give it a pass this time.”

Taizen’s eyes widened at my words. However, he quickly recovered from his surprise. His golden eyes narrowed, and his expression calmed.

“Why ?”

Listening quietly, I swallowed another excuse that I had prepared in advance. I was going to say that we’ve only started dating, so why don’t we wait a little longer? However, I reconsidered that it was unfaithful. So I decided to be honest and tell him why.

“I thought it would be better to take pairs after …… having a child.”

Taizen looked doubtful and asked, “Why?”

He asked me the same question again, causing my gaze to wander. When I was asked why all I could think of was my ex-fiancee staring at me with a severely distorted expression on her face.

“It would be miserable if I couldn’t have children after we paired. Even so, Taizen will have to provide for me for a long time….”

The words leaked out of my mouth unconsciously.

Taizen knitted his brows and gripped my shoulders with both hands. Then he looked me in the eyes with his beautiful but fiery golden eyes.

“What are you talking about? I just want to be with Kouhei forever, so we have to become pairs. It doesn’t matter if we can’t have children; that’s a given.”

As I listened to Taizen’s passionate words, tears welled up in my eyes. My vision gradually became distorted, and I was unable to see clearly.

A while later, my vision cleared slightly, and I noticed Taizen’s surprised expression, and I realized I had burst into tears and couldn’t stop. But the tears soon returned, and I couldn’t see anything in front of me, which was unbecoming of a 30-year-old man.

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Translator’s Notes:

 This chapter is relatively short. And since there’s 4 chapters left, I decided to post it all in one go sometime next week, since I’m quite busy lately. Have a great weekend and see you soon!

p/s: Check my other translations and join my Discord for updates on chapters and other upcoming projects if you haven’t yet!