Chapter 76: Chapter 76

After much prodding, Gavil started to put on some clothes to cover his body. It took a while for Gavil to look for her clothes though, and when he did, he gave her a completely different dress.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find your clothes, my wife. I think I left it at my room...”

“You mean this isn’t your room? Whose room is this then?”

Khailis’ eyes went around the cave situated in the sea cliff. It was only made up of a single room, but it looked quite liveable and cozy.

“This is my room too, my secret hiding place. I brought you first at the house, but my mother got mad, and she wouldn’t let me take care of you, so I brought you back here.”

Did she really hear him right? Gavil’s mother was at this place too?

“Are we?... Did you bring me back to your hometown?...”

Gavil nodded.

“And by hometown, where is it?...”

“We’re here at the Carval Region in Teotroly.”

Khailis held her breathe. Had he really taken her back to Teotroly? Gavil would only talk about this place vaguely before. She knew he must have lived somewhere magical for he had never heard of beasts transforming into humans before. Gavil said that his race resided in a faraway place, but she didn’t know he had meant it to be in Teotroly – the actual Land of The Gods and the most magical place on earth!

“A-Are we really in Teotroly?.. How?... Am I dead?”

Khailis knew the legend of Teotroly. During the war of the gods with the Ancient Evil, the whole island rose up from the ground so that it could protect itself from the taint of the Devil’s curse. People say that no one would be able to see the place or enter it unless they are already nearing their deaths...

Gavil shook his head. “You are not dead. You have finally accepted me as your husband, so I am allowed to take you home here.”

At least she’s not yet dead, but still, it’s uncomfortable to hear that she was already married to him so soon…

Khailis quickly stood up and tried to don the dress Gavil had given him. It fit her well, except at the chest part. It was too tight that she couldn’t tie the strings very well, exposing the full mounds of her flesh a little more shamelessly than she would have wanted.

“Ugh, this won’t do. Don’t you have another dress?”

“Just leave it open in there. Nobody won’t mind it if you don’t close that part.”

Khailis’ face turned crimson. “But, I would mind! Isn’t there anything else to wear?”

He thought for a moment and shook his head. “That’s my mother’s old dress when she was still nursing me. Pauca women do not have chest as big as yours. My mother had the biggest chest, so I don’t think we’ll find one that will fit you.”

Khailis wanted to bury herself in the sand forever after hearing his words. Did he just compare her chest size to all the other women of his race and to his own mother? How can Gavil say such embarrassing words with a straight face?

While she was still distracted with her embarrassment, Gavil walked on her from behind and clasped her against his arms tightly.

“Don’t worry, my wife. I’ll get your measurements and make new clothes for you. I will get your clothes too in my room as soon as possible.”

In his room... Gavil did say earlier that he brought her back to that place initially, but his mother was angry. Does that mean his mother does not approve of her at all?

“Uh, you said your mother was mad that I’m here, right?”

“No… Not exactly.”

“Yes, Rahul, that’s exactly what I said!”

The two of them spun around and immediately, they realized that they were face to face with a whole entourage of women whose heads were all lowered down to the ground except for one. She was a tall, stately lady with a strong and commanding presence. Her straight and flowing golden hair glistened in the morning sun, and her light brown, almond-shaped eyes looked back fiercely at Gavil and then at Khailis.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding her, Rahul! I told you to let her be at the house until she recuperates, but you just have to defy me, young one!”

“But mother, you won’t let me see her. I was just worried...”

Khailis’ eyes opened widely in horror. He called her ‘mother’? But she looked far too young to have a son as old as Gavil! At most, she could only have been five years older than Khailis.

After letting her jaw hang loosely for a few more moments, Khailis was able to recover her composure. Mother or not, she looked far too important to simply be ignored. She made a curtsy at her, and almost immediately, she felt the few strings at her upper body gave way, leaving her chest area fully exposed.

Khailis remained crouched at the ground and did not dare to look back up. She clutched at her bosom and whispered. “M-my apologies... the dress is falling apart...”

Although there was utmost silence in the room, Khailis could feel a burning stare fall upon her. Suddenly, a few slender fingers reached to at her chin and tilted it upwards.

“So, you are the human my young one had brought back... Welcome.”

It did not really feel like she had meant her greetings, but nevertheless, Khailis flashed an embarrassed smile across her face and replied. “Thank you. I appreciate your kindness.”

“Mayena, give her a robe. She’ll catch a cold at this point. It won’t be good for the eggs.”

Very swiftly, one of the servants bought her a robe, and Khailis held it tightly around her body and stood up.

“Good for the eggs?” Did Khailis just said her thoughts out loudly again? She really had to rid herself of this bad habit...

“Yes, it will be bad if the mother gets sick while she’s carrying them. I thought humans knew that much about pregnancy... At least Rahul’s father knew about it,” the elegant lady said while tilting her head.

“Pregnancy? Um, what do you mean?... And, um, who’s Rahul?” Why are they talking about pregnancy all of a sudden?

The elegant lady looked fiercely back at her and sighed. She shot a disproving look at Gavil. “Rahul, does she not even know your real name?”

Rahul? So, Gavil’s real name was Rahul! All this time, he had a name, and he didn’t bother to tell her that!

“I didn’t have the chance yet, mother. She just woke up today.”

“She would have woken up earlier if you did not disturb her sleep! What else does she not know yet? Did you not tell her yet that she is already carrying your eggs?”

“I, uh, I was going to tell her.”

All the blood in Khailis’ face had drained away, and all she could manage to say was a single word of surprise. “W-what!”

What are they saying? She’s carrying eggs?!

“Ugh, Rahul, you really didn’t tell her! How can you be so carefree about this? What if she loses the children? You shouldn’t have linked with her without explaining any of this!”

What! Children! Did she hear her correctly? She’s carrying not just one but a lot of babies inside of her?!

“W-wha-” Khailis’ legs had given way under her. She started to fall to the ground, but Gavil had swiftly caught her from behind.

“Mother, you scared her. You shouldn’t have shouted.”

The woman Gavil kept on referring to as ‘mother’ shot Gavil a fierce glance before looking back at her entourage. “Everyone, leave us!”

Khailis started to stand too, thinking that she was also being ordered to stay out, but Gavil’s hand prevented her from standing.

“Put her to bed, Rahul, and cover her with a blanket. She must be cold.”

Gavil immediately carried Khailis up effortlessly and placed her at the middle of the bed. He gathered the blanket and bundled it up around Khailis.

“Khailis, are you cold? Do you want anything?”

Before she could answer, the elegant woman began to speak.

“This must be really confusing for you. I see that my young one is still really infantile in the head and did not care explaining anything of importance, so I shall do it.”

She sat atop the wooden chest drawer from across Khailis before she spoke again. “I am Argillya vin Esneer, Mistress of the Black Pauca Billies of the Carval Region and the mother of your spouse, Rahul vin Esneer. Rahul has told me about you. You are Khailista Humphrey, correct?”

Khailis hadn’t recovered her senses yet and could only nod. So, she is really Gavil’s mother, right? She’s too young and beautiful to have a grown son like him, though!

“Rahul had just turned of age, but when he came back here, he had already told me that he had made a promise of love with you, and seeing that you have blown the marriage flute, I thought you already knew what you were signing up for. As I look at your expression now, however, it turns out my son has left you ignorant. Pray, what do you want to know? I shall try to answer any important questions you have as best as I could.”

“I, uh... Am I really married to your son, now?”

The elegant woman laughed although it didn’t sound like she was amused at all. “You blew on the marriage flute, didn’t you? So, yes. Marriages in the Pauca clan are quite different from humans. We don’t need tiring ceremonies, but if you would like one, we can arrange it later on, or you could ask Rahul to take you to the temple when you have the strength enough to do so to receive a blessing.”

Khailis’ heart fell towards he ground. So Gavil wasn’t really making up what he told her earlier about being husband and wife then...

“I-I see... You also said I am carrying eggs, but I think you are mistaken... I am not pregnant.” Well, even if she was pregnant, how can they tell? She hasn’t been married for long to Gavil, and it didn’t look like they had done the deed prerequisite to childbearing. How can they think she’s carrying his child, or for that matter, his children?

“We are not mistaken. You are carrying his offspring. A woman emits a golden light when she is pregnant, and Paucas can see that glow. Rahul and I can see it. We are not mistaken.”

Khailis’ hand landed on her trembling lips. “Then, I... I am really pregnant, but how could that be?...”

Queen Argillya rolled her eyes. “You have already spent your first night together and had been married for four days now. Of course that will get you pregnant! Rahul is young, and the royal bloodline has a particularly strong ability for mating.”

Khailis couldn’t help but to tremble at what she had just heard. She was really married to Gavil now, and she had already spent the night with him! What’s more she is pregnant with his eggs! By the gods of Teotroly, how can all of these happen without her knowledge?

“I shall give you more time to settle your nerves, but you must do that inside the palace, for this coop is not comfortable enough for a delicate human. Rahul, the servants will be waiting outside. Get your wife ready. She needs more rest and some food.”

With that, Queen Argillya turned around and left as quickly and as elegantly as she had arrived.

“Khailis, are you feeling alright?... ”

Khailis turned to Gavil, her eyes welling up with tears. She raised her fists and drummed them violently at his chest.

“No, I’m not! How can this happen? I was just beginning to accept that I married you, but now I’m already having a baby! What’s more, your mother said we spent our first night together already! How can I be alright after knowing all of those things?”

Gavil’s face was downcast. He let her beat his chest until she was satisfied, and then he hugged her gently.

“Khailis, I am so sorry... When I left you at the ball, my heart felt heavy. I left you my marriage flute without explaining anything and without thinking things through... I thought you will forget about me soon, so when you used the flute and called on me, I was elated. I though you finally accepted me as your husband. I didn’t realize I have forgotten to tell you many important things. I’m not so good with words, so I was not able to explain things well… I didn’t realize that this will make you feel this sad... I’m really sorry...”

“Well, your sorry won’t bring back anything now! How can you give me back my first night?”