BXBX NOVEL Chapter 986 985: Puppies Aplenty
Chapter 986 985: Puppies Aplenty
Lady Kio nodded and continued walking inside, her hand firmly grasping her daughter\'s arm and guiding her in alongside her as she toyed around with her wife\'s emotions to get the result she wanted.
Was it manipulative and conniving, her words and actions towards the Sultana?
Most definitely, and whilst many in my prior world would have viewed such actions with contempt, here, being able to rein in a powerful partner like the Sultana and get her to eagerly and excitedly stride into her own palace to catch up to her own wife to convince her that she needed no one else in her love life...
Well, that was simply incredible and something that I could respect, even if the woman herself was just a tad rude to me and my Mother; what she had just pulled off on someone who had more power and influence at her fingertips than I could possibly comprehend at this moment in time was impressive, and I could admit that without any issue whatsoever.
Exchanging a glance with Jahi and Leone, I shrugged and walked in behind the Sultana, ignoring the clamoring nobles and merchants that were trying to figure out what had just happened and heading after my mate, who was finally home.
The inside of the palace was just as flawless and clean as the outside was, the sheer white walls and liberal use of terracotta tiles to accent said walls opening the space up even more visually, and they helped accent the giant oil paintings that were hung up around the entryway, the depictions of the city, the desert, and of the palace all done with impeccable brushstrokes and vibrant paints.
Pottery and other items rested on pale wood shelves or tables gave the place a bit more substance, but the real eye catching objects were similar in nature to what decorated the entry hall of the manor back in the March; weapons and pieces of armor that were lovingly made and given small plaques that described their importance, but right now we weren\'t really able to take any of that in.
Instead, we were following the excited Sultana and her cunning wife as they went deeper into the palace, their strides very different; the energy and joy could be seen in the Sultana\'s, whilst Lady Kio took measured and simple strides, though she was just quick enough to remain out of reach of her wife...
Just barely, but not enough after they reached the depths of the palace, giant doors of that same pale wood springing open to reveal yet another spacious hall, though this one was filled with luxurious sofas and chairs, tables laden with drinks and food as well as many, many different board games, namely chess, mancala, and various decks of cards.
Lunging forwards and grabbing Lady Kio by the arm, the Sultana pulled her into her arms and asked "Are you really pregnant again, Kio? Please tell me you are!", her raspy voice filling the hall as she embraced her wife, who just snickered as she looked up towards the dark veil that covered the Sultana\'s face.
"I can\'t be certain, but I am pretty sure I am. Does that make you happy~?"
Seeing the smaller, shorter, less threatening Dogkin being spun around by a lean, towering Jackalkin who usually emanated a cold and sharp aura that promised pain with frightening ease was quite the sight, especially since the Sultana lifted Lady Kio into the air a moment later as she just said "Happy?!"
Before she could say something else, another set of doors on the other side of the hall opened up, and we all turned to see multiple dark skinned, black haired Caninekin sprinting forwards, their varied height and appearances doing little to separate them at the moment as they simply launched themselves at the Sultana and Lady Kio, clinging and hugging their bodies.
The various giggles and shouts of joy as all of the children crowded their parents filled the hall with echoes, the sight warming my heart before I tilted my head as I looked at Anput, who was just standing there with a small smile and uncertainty in her eyes.
It took a moment, but the Sultana placed Lady Kio back on the ground and ruffled her hair, ignoring how the shorter woman glared at her as she instead looked down at the various Caninekin latching onto her.
"All of you, down!"
Lady Kio was the one to snap at them, and instantaneously they all released the Sultana and stood straight, staring at the Dogkin and waiting for her to say something else, before they all turned - one by one - to look at Anput, who was staring down at them from the side.
"Mama, who\'s that?"
"Mother..?"
"Mommy? Who she?"
Three of the Caninekin spoke up, whilst two others remained quiet and just observed, allowing their siblings to be the brave ones and say something to their parents, all while they warily stared at the Jackalkin who was extremely similar in appearance to them... but hadn\'t been around for a long, long time.
"Um... Mother, did you have a second set of children after I left..? These two are so..."
Leaning down to look closely at the smallest two Caninekin pups, Anput tilted her head some more and stared closely at their faces, only to raise a brow when the largest Caninekin pup stepped in front of them and raised her arms, saying "Hey! Give them some space!"
The way the pup glared at Anput and bared her small fangs was utterly adorable, whilst the way she let her mana flare somewhat as she tried to intimidate the larger Jackalkin made it hard for me to not chuckle, but her sister just smirked and said "Oh? Or what?"
Both the Sultana and Lady Kio remained quiet, and that made the two quiet pups look towards their parents worriedly, before they looked back at Anput and watched as she reached forwards and coated her hand in Metal Mana, intimidating her sister.
Frowning slightly at that, I wanted to say something but decided not to since Lady Kio was holding back a smirk, leaving this all to the parents and the siblings to deal with; and as if sensing that I was thinking about stepping in, Jahi just grabbed my hand and shook her head.
That silver hand made the pup flinch, but she only scrunched her face slightly when Anput flicked her forehead and said "Gotta say something before I do something, brat. That\'s how you deter someone from doing anything to your little sisters."
The pup rubbed her brow and frowned at Anput, only to blink a few times when Anput added "Well, it\'s a good thing your big sister is back to teach you those things~!", whilst the rest of the pups all stared at her blankly for a few seconds.
"Anput... stop teasing them. Aisha, greet your big sister; Mariam and Batul will always be safe with me around, so you needn\'t worry. Samira, there is no need to hide; Safa, it\'s alright..."
"You needn\'t coddle them so, Anubi."
Lady Kio rolled her eyes before saying "In line, introduce yourselves to your big sister. She\'s finally back after all this time...", which made Anput smile wryly at her Mother as she stood up and took a step back to get a better look at the five pups.
"Aisha!"
The largest of the pups stood straight and stared at Anput with narrowed eyes, her braided black hair slinking over her shoulder and almost reaching the middle of her torso; she was still young, but already her muscles were beginning to show themselves, and she had a clear preference for her legs since they were far more toned and were as unhindered as possible.
"S-Samira..."
Compared to her sister, Samira was a bit shorter and thinner, while her straight hair covered the tops of her eyes and reached her shoulders, giving her the ability to \'hide\' from people\'s gazes, and her dress matched that, covering most of her olive skin.
"Safa..."
Almost identical to Samira, Safa stood beside her sister and looked Anput up and down, before she turned back to stare at the Sultana, who just gave her a nod; taking a deep breath, Safa nodded back and clutched the hem of her dress as she tried to appear confident in front of her oldest sister.
"Mariam!"
A messy ponytail and a warm smile, Mariam grinned at Anput before adding "My name is Mariam! It\'s nice to... nice to meet..? Nice to meet you!", the pup stammering for a moment as she tried to determine what the right thing was to say, and after that she nodded to herself and stood as straight as she could, like she was trying to impress Anput.
Finally, Batul stepped forwards and murmured "Batul..." before yawning, her eyes gradually closing before she blinked herself back awake, only to yawn again and slump against Mariam, who held her up and in place as the pup continued to yawn, clearly still very tired.
"Aisha, Samir and Safa are all from the first litter, and Mariam and Batul were from the second. Anyways... girls, this is your older sister, the \'original\' Begum of the Sultanate and the one who was shaped into being the blade of the Sultanate, until she was wed to someone else."