Ryan was fussing with the egg.
It seemed he had no intention of touching her for the time being.
Celia lay beside him. Though the warmth from holding the egg was gone, she felt no tension at all—she didn't think Ryan would do anything bad to the child.
After all, he was also the father.
The egg was placed securely in the center of the bed, about a meter away from Celia. Ryan stretched his arms, and the ring on his knuckle suddenly glowed with a green light symbolizing nature. In the blink of an eye, a round crystal ball floated in his palm.
For once, Ryan looked solemn. "Relax your body," he reminded her. "I'll give this a try."
"Lord Ryan, what are you going to do?"
Celia was completely confused. Faced with the unknown, she couldn't help but hold her breath.
But in the next moment, an unexpected change occurred.
The crystal ball in his hand emanated a rich, natural magical aura. In an instant, this aura transformed into another form and surged toward both the baby and herself.
Seeing the spectacle of magic, Celia panicked and subconsciously shifted backward. But as soon as she moved, the man grabbed her arm with a grip so tight it felt unyielding.
"Don't move," Ryan said. He knelt on one knee at the edge of the bed, and his voice was deep as he leaned over. "My good wife, relax first. What you want—you'll get it once this is done."
"Lord Ryan… be gentle…"
...........
Realizing there was no danger, Celia gradually lowered her guard, but his grip was unbearably painful. Her arm was so fragile now—how could it withstand his large hand, veins bulging with force? The pain felt like her arm might shatter, bringing tears to her eyes. She looked at Ryan pleadingly.
"I'll let go," he said, looking annoyed. "Every time I do something for your own good, you make me out to be the bad guy."
With that, he finally released her hand. He stroked Celia's poor little face, mumbled a hasty couple of consoling words, then took hold of the crystal ball with both hands again and began channeling his magical power with all his strength.
Celia's small hand clutched the bed sheets unconsciously. She had no idea what her husband was doing right now. But since he'd said so, she had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.
Time passed slowly. Suddenly, her mouth fell slightly open in shock—she could feel as if an invisible thread had formed between the egg and herself, a thread as intimate as blood ties.
After a while, the magic faded. The room returned to dimness, and a quiet hush settled over it.
"Lord Ryan, what just happened?" Celia asked in confusion.
The egg was safe and sound, unchanged except for occasional gentle wiggles—as if the baby wanted to say something.
"You looked tired holding it," Ryan replied, looking down at them with a relaxed tone. "It's just a magic I cast. Now you don't have to hold it all day to incubate it."
"What…"
Celia suddenly lifted her head, and then her gaze fell blankly on that egg. So Ryan had acted out of such kindness?
"It's basically an energy storage spell," he explained. "Sleep and incubate it every night, and by the next day, there'll be extra energy to supply the child." He paused, then asked, "Do you understand?"
"I… I do," Celia answered hesitantly, then timidly added, "Lord Ryan, can I touch the baby now?"
"Mm, perfect timing." The man brushed his hair back with one hand. A faint smile curved the corner of his lips on his pale, stunning face. "You have time now—channel more energy into it. Later, I won't have the patience for this. You get it? I've held back for two days."
"Oh…" Celia did as he said. She curled her small body around the egg and pressed her cheek gently against the shell.
She roughly understood what Ryan meant—it was like charging a battery, right? But his bizarre last sentence still lingered in her ears.
Wait a minute.
Celia swallowed nervously. Could he be talking about that?
Finally realizing what he implied, her cheeks burned instantly—even the pointed ears unique to elves flushed pink.
At that moment, she heard a rustling sound behind her, a familiar feeling. Celia tensed up, turned around timidly, and looked up from the bed at the man standing above her.
"Eep—"
In that single glance, she saw he had already taken off his coat—just like last time!
She whipped her head back, pretending nothing was wrong, and kept holding the baby. She pressed her burning cheek against the shell, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Sniff…
Subconsciously, she squeezed her legs together. Her vision blurred with tears as she stared blankly at the egg's surface, etched with thin, crisscrossing patterns.
He was a man, after all. What had happened last time was already seared into her memory. She'd hoped it was over—though she occasionally found herself recalling the feeling. But this kind of thing… it was just too strange.
Her mind raced, jumping to all sorts of messy thoughts. She even started imagining what might happen next.
.....
"Your reaction is quite amusing," Ryan's amused voice suddenly came from behind, making her small body jolt.
"To be honest, I really wasn't interested in you at first," he said. "But now… you've truly won me over with your innocence. I never thought you'd be this entertaining. Tell me—are all elven women this innocent?"
"What… innocence?" Celia murmured, confused.
"Anyway," he continued, "you're infinitely better than those demon women—big-breasted, full of malice, fawning over me only for power."
Ryan rambled on with more nonsense. Celia listened, and the more she heard, the stranger and more wrong it felt!
Wait a second.
Ryan's way of speaking was exactly like those overbearing CEOs in the novels from her past life! She must have accidentally done some small thing that touched him!
No, that was too weird! He was comparing her to other women—how could that not be strange? And from the sound of it, she'd "won"?
She felt a flicker of joy…
Wait, no! What was wrong with her?
Celia thought to herself: if she were just a man's wife, cherished and doted on gently, that wouldn't be so bad. They'd already had a child together… so why did things have to come to this?
Ugh—maybe her past self would have understood?
Celia didn't dare to turn her head again. Cold sweat broke out all over her body, and she feigned ignorance in a soft, sweet voice: "Th-that... Lord Ryan, what are you talking about? I don't quite understand. The baby is still waiting for me to supply it with nutrients. What... what are you planning to do now?"
"Nothing much," he said. Ryan turned and sat casually on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs. He leaned his upper body toward Celia. "I just find your flustered reactions entertaining and want to watch more."
Celia was so nervous her body went weak and trembled slightly. He grinned, couldn't resist pinching her red ear lightly, and added, "Don't worry. I've been running around giving orders all day—I'm covered in sweat. I need to take a bath first, don't I?"