New Life, New Task: I'll Be A Mom Then!!!

"..." Caught off guard by the ambiguous pose, Eli and Leon's eyes met.

Eyes as dark as the night, the other one as blue as the bluest sky. Their gazes bewildered each other.

Leon was captivated as he took a good look at Eli's face. As she had just cried, the usually powerful and intimidating aura she exudes was long gone.

All she was now was a vulnerable Eli who was longing deeply to complete their little family.

'What's beyond those eyes that always capture my soul?' He wondered.

His hands brushed her cheeks slowly pulling her down from her initial position. For once Eli moved in just the slightest bit, an unquenchable thirst he was feeling not only in his lower abdomen but in the depths of his soul.

Becoming truly one with her, in body and in soul… how his heart got stirred by this thought! However, he remembered Kayden's reminders earlier. Although he wanted to get married as soon as possible, he knew he owed Eli many things.

And so starting at this moment, Leon decided in his heart and vowed that he would make up for the things that Eli and he were not able to experience before he would ask for her hand in marriage.

"Sorry… I just wanted to pull you to bed because I know you are exhausted too…" Eli sheepishly explained her side as soon as Leon gently moved her body beside him.

She was deeply embarrassed by what became of her sudden gesture and was worried that Leon would think that she was a very… open-minded woman…

A hot sensation remained on the back of her neck and ears as she tried to hide her expression by hiding on Leon's shoulders.

'Dangerous… so dangerous!' She thought as she realized what happened.

Leon smiled teasingly and replied, "I know… you just got… excited!"

"I did not get excited!!!" Hearing Leon's playful reply, Eli could not help but be intensely embarrassed by her actions. As she replied, she gently pushed him away and turned her back on him, hiding her face so that he would not see her shy expression. "Hmph!"

Leon could only let out a helpless chuckle. It was rare for him to see Eli act so flustered in front of him. Oftentimes, she was one of the most independent and reliable women he had ever seen.

But it warms his heart to see that Eli was only able to show this cute side of her to him and only him.

He stretched his hands out and secured Eli closer to his embrace. Laying side by side, they could smell each other's scent and feel each other's warmth. His hands pressed softly on her waist, letting Eli feel a tingling sensation crossing over her body.

Leon kissed her nape which was exposed slightly. As he did, Eli curled like a startled cat and looked at him reproachfully. "Sleep! No kisses!"

All of the sleepiness Eli was feeling earlier was replaced by alertness and wariness. Since when did Leon learn to tease her this way!

"Alright alright… don't be mad. Let's sleep for a while… then I'll go back to the Imperial Palace to take care of some matters."  Leon decided to stop as he knew that Eli would no longer be comfortable if he continued beyond this point.

He pulled her back into his embrace and kissed her forehead gently.

Eli had no words to say as Leon took the initiative to close his eyes and sleep, of course with his hands nor leaving on Eli's body.

Seeing him breathe steadily… Eli sighed in her heart. This man was able to stir her heart like an angry ocean with waves could not be appeased. Every gesture he made towards her would make her chest tighten and pound hard.

'Ah… I feel like a teenage girl, unable to hide my emotions from my crush!' Eli lamented to herself. The things and thoughts that she viewed as cringey before were now hitting her good.

But she felt like she was not giving Leon enough.

Ever since they met, it was only Leon who thought of ways to make their family work.

Leon, from the very start, respected her decision to not hastily join the imperial family. Leon also arranged for her beloved cottage to be transported to the capital. Leon would always do things that would put her and Little Han before his well-being, to the point that he would deprive himself of the things he would have to usually experience as the prince of the Empire.

As for her, she was only focused on resolving her own issues to protect herself and Little Han. Now that they had time to pause, Eli evaluated everything that happened between the two of them.

Surely, she was also doing something for him from time to time, but compared to what he did for her and Little Han, it seems like she had not shown her appreciation for Leon that much too.

What makes her afraid was that she may have unconsciously taken for granted Leon's love for her this whole time.

Just thinking about it brought a pang of heavy guilt to her heart and tears to her eyes. 'I don't want to wake up one day to realize that I had lost my opportunity to appreciate and love him…'

As a person who had already experienced death, she knew that time was something she could not control. And so, she had to take every opportunity to let him feel that she loved him as much as he did.

Eli took her hand and placed it on Leon's chest. She made him hand her pillow and cuddled him as they went to sleep. Leon felt her movements and his body reacted, openly welcoming Eli's actions.

After a while. Leon woke up and it was already early in the afternoon. He looked beside him only to see that Eli was no longer on the bed.

Getting up, he changed his garments before going out of their bedroom. His feet automatically moved to find Eli in the house but the subtle smell in the kitchen made him certain that she was there.

As he opened the door, he heard the sound of the sizzles coming from the pan and the familiar appetizing scent that he had no luxury of smelling for the past few months because of the impending war.

"It's been a while since I tasted your cooking…" Leon walked on Eli's side as he embraced her from the back and tried to peek at the food that she was preparing.

"I'm lucky that I was still able to get some good meat in Silver Town, today I'll cook your favorite meat dishes…" Eli replied as she turned the steak over and continued to sear the meat as the herbs around started to release their fragrant smell.

"Hmmm… can't wait…" Leon was long used to his distorted meal pattern and so he had no qualms that Eli already prepared a dish that was appropriate for dinner.

Whatever Eli cooks he will happily eat! Besides, he had long understood that Eli was from a different world and a different culture, so she was yet to learn the trivial ways of this world, including what's appropriate for every meal.

After some time, the dinner-lunch was already set up and the two ate harmoniously. It was a bit empty when Little Han and the bunch were not around, but spending time with each other was still something that the two of them cherished dearly.

"I'll be appearing as 'myself' in the institute too…" Eli told Leon. It was long planned that there would be someone who would pose as soon as she started joining the investigation team. It took her more than a month to settle everything and she thought that it was already time to go back to the usual.

Besides, the Grandpas were not yet back in the capital. Although Leon assured her that they were both fine, she was still worried that something might also happen on their side.

There were also a lot of professors and researchers who joined the war and had become injured by Carolina's curse and so, she was sure that the deans would have a hard time addressing the problems in the institute.

"Perhaps I could help get the institute back on track before grandpas come back and Papi fully recovers…" She added.

"Alright, We'll go together then… I will also arrange for the cottage to be transported back to the Forgeworn Territory."

"Thank you, Leon…" Eli looked at him gratefully.

"No thanks between us… we are family." Leon replied as he kissed Eli's cheeks.

"Yeah… I know…" Eli looked at him and kissed him back… this time he was the one who got teased when Eli leaned over and pecked him on his lips.

"Hahaha, now you got lip gloss…" She chuckled as a bit of the oil that was on their food transferred to Leon as she kissed him. "Its butter flavored~~~"