Chapter 168: Something I thought I left behind

•Caesar

I stared at the laptop after I was done doing Arius's work at his laptop.

I rubbed my eyes and slumped back on the chair when a pair of arms suddenly slid around my neck.

I immediately recognized the presence.

"Hehe, did I scare you?" Nora rested her chin on my shoulder, "I've gotten really good haven't I. I came in like a ninja!"

I'm pretty sure no one stopped you because it was you but..

"Yes. I didn't feel you here at all."

"Yes! I've reached another milestone on the path to becoming a ninja!" She made a fist and looked proud.

…

"Yaay?"

I mean, how am I supposed to react to that?

She came around and sat on my lap, "Why? You don't want me to become a ninja?"

"Rather than that, I think it's impossible. You have to train for that ever since you start walking."

"..." She snapped her fingers, "Damn it!"

Sometimes I can't tell if she's joking or being serious.

"Oh well, you're free now right?" She looked at me, "Should we go out for lunch?"

"Okay. There is one email I have to answer but I haven't gotten to reply yet."

Nora stood up, "You're so diligent even though it's not your work."

I shut down the laptop and stood up as well, "Well," I scratched my cheek, "I've often helped out Arius, or more like he made me help him saying it will be useful one day so it's honestly not that hard." we walked out.

"I never really thought that you'd be good at this stuff too."

I shrugged, "I only do it every now and then."

"But here's the important question."

"Hmmm?" Important question? About the work?

"What should we eat?" She looked at me in the eyes with a grim expression.

"..." Did I really forget she was always like this? I snickered, "That's a very important question." I smiled, "Italian?"

"Let's get some Lasagna."

I felt her hand touching mine, quietly interlacing her fingers between mine.

Such a simple gesture, yet it filled me up with warmth.

"Sure."

***

It was about eight in the evening when we both reached the mansion.

"Arius still hasn't come home." I wonder why?

"Well, it can only mean Azalea refused to speak with him and he'll only get the chance again around midnight."

"Midnight? Why?"

"That's when she comes back home."

We both went to sit down in the second floor lobby when Zara arrived with Athena in her arms and as soon as Athena saw Nora she began to jump in her nanny's arm.

"Awww, my baby~" Nora cooed and went to pick her up.

"It seems she knows you." Zara asked as she gave Athena to her.

"Oh yes, I've been with her ever since she was born." She kissed Athena and then hugged her tight, "I missed my little baby." She really seemed to love her alot, "I want to squeeze you till you explode."

…

Okay, I guess that's just too much love.

"You sure love kids." Zara chuckled.

"Oh yes! I want my own~"

My eyes suddenly went wide as I stared at her.

Kids?

I thought about it.

kids...

Our kids?

Our kids… Woah…

An image flashed before my eyes.

An image of me, my wife and our kids.

The thought was so strange yet it felt so complete.

I want it to happen.

Zara took Athena back, "Then why not? You have a boyfriend, don't you?"

She shook her head, "I don't have a boyfriend."

My eyes went even wider this time.

Then what am I!?

Am I being cheated on? Wait, this isn't exactly cheating.

What do you even call this?

"You don't?"

Nora raised her hand, "No, I have a fiancé." She showed off her ring while grinning.

Oh!

Oh...

I took a breath of relief.

Zara chuckled, "Then what's the problem?"

"The problem?" She looked back at me and I flinched.

What is she gonna say now?

Am I the problem?

But she turned and faced Zara again,

" Me," She stated, "I'm the problem…"

Her voice seemed defeated.

Once again, I was in a state of complete confusion.

"Oh dear…' Zara placed her hand on Nora's cheek, "If you want to talk about it I'm here."

"Aoooo." Athena did the same and placed her tiny palm on her other cheek.

The gesture made her cheer up and she placed both her hands on their's and smiled.

"Thank you!"

"Well then," Zara stepped back, "I have to feed Athena and put her to sleep, so do excuse me."

She waved Nora a goodbye and got one in return.

Athena copied the gesture but instead of waving her hand she rotated it.

It was cute but it became even cuter when Nora replied to her with the same hand rotating gesture.

She would make a good mother.

I wonder why she said that?

For a woman to say something like that… Could it be?

Nora turned to me, "Hey! Weren't you waiting for an email?"

"Yea…" I started walking, "Let's go." She followed behind.

Worry had started taking over me.

There could be many reasons why she said she was the problem but one just kept bugging me.

I kept thinking about the worst possible scenario.

That she couldn't have kids…

I sighed and entered the study. Nora followed right behind me and I sat on the chair to check the mail.

I turned on the laptop and while it booted I turned and looked at Nora who sat on the chair's arm.

"Say," I started and she looked at me.

"Hmm?"

"What you said back there…"

"What? Where?"

Should I really just ask about it? I don't know why I feel a bit anxious.

I cleared my throat, "That-" I scratched the back of my head, "Just a while back you said that you were the problem, in the lobby…"

"Ah~ That." She suddenly went quiet, "What about that?" She rubbed her eye.

"I just- I wanted to ask why you said that."

"Hmmm," She interlaced her fingers and began thinking, "Answer me a question first."

"Hm?"

"You know for a woman's body to be healthy and to be fertile she needs to have her periods right?" I nodded, "And if she doesn't get them or gets them very irregularly like barely once in four- five months it's bad news."

"... Is that so…"

Infertility?

"Oh! You got an email." She caught the notification on the laptop screen.

I wanted to continue the conversation but felt like she purposely told me about the mail.

Maybe she wants some time to tell me the details clearly, so I turned my head to look at it as well.

It wasn't the email I was expecting, but the title made me frown.

What is this?

The tribal territory dispute?

It was something I didn't expect.

I immediately opened up the email and looked at the content.

My heart dropped.

The email was about something I thought I had left behind a long time ago. About two decades have passed since I left my birth place and I had completely forgotten about it, but today it came to me unexpectedly.

The content of the email stated that the tribal had been in a dispute and the tribes fought among themselves which caused a lot of damage.

The house of power, The House of Hounds, was falling.

As soon as I read that name my heart dropped.

Hound…

Once it was my last name but I had abandoned it a long time ago. Nobody called me by my second name.

It was never used. For decades, it was as if it was never there.

"Hey," Nora placed her hand on my shoulder, "You okay? You suddenly got pale?"

I looked at her softly, "I need to confront Arius."

"You need to confront Arius?" Nora looked at me, "About this email?"

"Yea." I nodded and looked at the screen, "I thought this was all done with, finished two decades ago but," I sighed.

"I see."

"But-" I looked at Nora, "I need you to finish the conversation first."

"Hmm?"

"Tell me, we weren't finished talking about you."

"Ah~ Right I was giving you basic period information." She cleared her throat, "Where were we? Oh right! How not getting periods can cause infertility and stuff."

"Hmm, So?" I waited for her answer anxiously.

"That's it actually, there's nothing more." She scratched her nose tip, then looked at my bewildered expressions, "What?"

"Why did you give me this information? Isn't it because you're going through it?"

"Me?" She pointed at herself, "Psh! No. I have a healthy body."

I looked at her dumbfounded, "Then why did you say all that!" I stood up

"To scare the hell out of you." She grinned at me, "I wanted to see if you cared."

"Why wouldn't I care!?"

"Oh I know you do care." She stood up and closed the gap between our bodies, "Ever since I came back, we've met quite some times, haven't we?"

"Hmm," I gave her a slight nod.

"Doesn't that make me the problem?"

"What problem??" I rubbed my temples, "Why are you messing with me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course you did."

"I did…?"

She wrapped her arms around my waist and left no space between our bodies, "You didn't make a single attempt to sleep with me."

"Huh?" My brain went blank at her words. There was nothing in it and it wouldn't process anything, "..."

"Hey? I asked you something."

"Ah, Well, I- Uh, I never said I didn't want to but I-" I what? I don't even know what I'm saying, I'm just saying it.

"You don't want to sleep with me?"

"I do!"

Shit…

I think I said that a little too enthusiastically.

"I-" I scratched the back of my head as I tried gathering my words, "I mean- I, I thought it might seem-"

Nora slid her hands on my cheeks and kissed me.

I kissed her back immediately, sort of relieved but still confused with words but everything went blank again when I felt her unbuckling my belt.

I broke off the kiss and picked her up, "Not here." I said and took her out of the study and went straight to my room.