Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 669: Four Women in Labour!?

Leona stood with folded arms and a fierce glare which alternated between Sarah, Luna and the sleeping Nikolai behind them. She wore a simple black pencil skirt, a white blouse and a gun holster garter belt on the outside of her thigh.

"I don’t believe he’s in this state just because of overworking himself." Her voice held a hint of blame, but mostly a tremor of concern.

Lunaria stepped forward, placing a hand on Leona’s shoulder.

Nobody in the clan or household undervalued the lengths she went to help everyone, even after being asked to step down as a combat maid. Leona still performed her duties, leaving the new captains and replacement members with the time to adjust perfectly.

"I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to realise their goal in time...."

"What?!"

Leona glanced up at the taller Lunaria, her green eyes shimmering with a golden limbal ring as if about to transform through sheer emotions. Her chest felt uncomfortable, and despite trying to calm her heaving breaths, she failed, lashing out at the two women.

"Even if you couldn’t understand their goal, let him fight them alone. He might be strong, almost invulnerable, but he’s our husband! How can we sit back and let him do this time and time again... What if the next time, we’re not so lucky?!"

"What about you, his new wife?

Peh!

You’re just a fucking Squire.

The first one to fall should’ve been you, no?! The thralls fell beside him, so why were you so happy to do nothing?!"

The two women had never seen Leona so enraged.

Their bodies shook from the fierce bursts of aura that leaked with each emphasised word and sentence, growing louder.

Many of the nurses and doctors peeked out of the room after rushing to Nikolai’s aid, their faces pale from the sheer magnitude of Leona’s power.

’What am I doing to these girls?’

That’s when Leona’s subconscious kicked in; she knew these girls couldn’t help but stay back. She’d read the report sent by Brunhilde the moment their group arrived. Yet, she couldn’t hide the frustration in her heart.

’Why can’t we help him?

Why does it always end with him getting hurt?’

Aware that most of the time it’s Nikolai’s fault, he’s too brash, confident and likes to fight instead of using his powers or ingenuity to solve issues. This time they’d left for almost two weeks, but Nikolai didn’t realise that.

’When I asked, he thought it’d been a few days, what a foolish man I’ve married!’

Leona shook her head and let out a long, venting sigh.

Especially towards Sarah, she couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight in her chest after calling her a mere Squire instead of his wife.

Though Leona didn’t say anything on the spot, her heart ached at having said it, and soon she would speak privately with Sarah to apologise.

"No, I know you two aren’t to blame. Forgive me for screaming at you the moment you arrived after a hard time in Al’Qutar. I’ve heard everything from Brunhilde, so don’t worry about anything and take one of the spare beds, we’re in a bad state right now because two women have gone into extended labour..."

The moment the two women heard her last line, their eyes shone.

"W-Wait, before we go, who? Who is having their babies?" Lunaria asked, curious after seeing her sister give birth, her excitement and interest in becoming a mother skyrocketed, and the news was wonderful.

"Please, I’d also like to know!"

Leona struggled to stop herself from smiling. She quickly cleared her throat and glanced down the hallway, where the large [Maternity Ward] sign flickered.

"Kumiko and Rika seem to have entered labour within minutes of each other as if the pair planned it. If not for Nikita and Selene, we might not have found them for a while, since the two were enjoying themselves in the playroom with the kids."

"Oh my god~ a cute little nekomata and fox baby!"

"Is everything alright? You mentioned an extended labour." Sarah couldn’t just be happy without concern like Lunaria.

"Nothing unusual like that, the mothers and children are safe, but somehow it’s as if they were desperately waiting for Nikolai’s return before giving birth." She peeked at the room where dozens of doctors poked her husband with various needles and used machines to monitor his status. "But when he’s like this, it feels frustrating to have to hide it from them while they give birth."

"Why can’t you tell them the truth?" Sarah asked.

"Because any adverse mental stress can affect the birth, especially with non-human mothers in labour," Lunaria answered for Leona, who rubbed her temples.

"The issue is the two clones, Reina, that blonde, fashion-obsessed maid and Miya, the cute girl who wears glasses and cleans without being asked, also went into labour with Kumiko, but we’ve never known how to treat them."

Leona paused before sighing again.

"Nikolai loves them and treats them like his wives and all, but he hasn’t given them the marking of a Luna or promise of a vampire bride"

The two women glanced at each other, but nodded.

"Ah, those two."

"Uhm, I speak with Miya a lot since we shared similar roles in the past, and the two of them apparently told Nikolai they were happy as his mistresses and didn’t seek anything more than that."

"Oh, really?"

Leona’s face brightened, partly because fewer rivals made her life easier and partly because the distinction between Kumiko and her clones became simple.

"Then, I’ll keep them in the best possible rooms, but their treatment will be a level lower than the current wives of Nikolai."

That didn’t mean they would suffer; it only meant the two would share a VIP room and suite instead of being given one each. The fact didn’t change that the children in their wombs were the Patriarch’s noble blood.

No longer angry at the two women for what had happened, she patted their shoulders. A weight seemed to drop from Leona’s shoulders after speaking with the women for so long that she flashed a faint smile.

"Okay then, well, follow me, I’ll take you to be examined."

"D-Do we need it?" Sarah’s eyes remained on Nikolai, as if reluctant to part.

"Come on, don’t make trouble. We both know that Nikolai’s in the best hands; they’ve already called Sasha and Aunt Anastasia. Let’s get a checkup, we need to know if the children growing in our bellies are okay, too, right?"

"Mm..."

"There you have it, Leo, guide us away."

Lunaria seemed to have guessed that even Leona wasn’t free in this situation, so she avoided causing trouble or asking to stay. Instead, being given the all clear by a doctor meant she would be free to come back on her own.

The three women left the immediate care ward, with the two of them following Leona like lost little ducks.

Meanwhile, Leona’s thoughts remained with Nikolai.

’I’ve just never seen him so weak and pained before.’

No matter when or what he fought, even after losing and being wounded, there wasn’t such a feeble atmosphere that enveloped him.

Eventually, they came to a quiet, spotless white ward where several women sat waiting on the seats outside the room.

"S-Sister?!"

Selene sat kicking her legs, while wearing a loose-fitted wine-red dress stretched to the limit by her buxom bosom, which improved thanks to pregnancy and childbirth. She turned her head, hearing Lunaria’s outburst.

Upon seeing her sister, Selene tilted her head to the side and smiled.

"I’m so glad you’re alright, Luna. We heard there was a sudden revolution and feared the worst for you all..." She glanced at Sarah, narrowing her eyes into curved crescents, humming at the new wife. "Nice to meet you as a fellow wife, Sarah."

"Eh? Ah... uhm, thank you. Selene."

Luna rushed to her sister’s side, hugging her tight. "Sis, Nikolai is hurt!" The way she buried her face in Selene’s massive cleavage brought a shock to Leona and likely Sarah, who heard the tough Lunaria speaking with a softer tone.

Selene just closed her eyes, gently rocking Lunaria’s body.

She stroked through Luna’s silvery hair, running her fingers through the slight knots and clearing them while humming. "I know that fool got himself hurt. But, what about you?"

"S-Sister..." Luna shook her face against Selene’s breasts, avoiding the answer.

"Can you stop that!?

Any more stimulation, and milk is going to start pouring again. I’ve only just managed to stop it after filling several bottles."

"Ah, sorry!"

"Now answer my question, how are you and the baby?"

Lunaria held her slightly growing stomach and closed her eyes for a few seconds; the time seemed agonisingly slow for Leona, who watched from the outside. But Luna soon opened her eyes with a smile.

"Don’t worry, the child is fine, just a little energetic... she keeps kicking me, and it hurts."

That’s when Selene’s eyes curved as if smiling.

"She?"

Though Selene grew softer after giving birth, that didn’t mean the competition between the wives faded; in fact, it became fiercer. With Selene birthing the only boy, she felt a sense of pride and adored Leonid more than anything.

Not just for this reason, but because he resembled a perfect mix of her and Nikolai.

"I see, then... let’s have that checkup to make sure, my lovely little sister."

"W-Wait, I’m older..."

"Not since you died and lost your body, fufu. Doesn’t that make me the eldest now?"

Leona couldn’t help but sigh, knowing the reason for her sudden brightness, though Nikolai preferred daughters, who didn’t know a man always desired to have a miniature version of himself to dote on.

That’s when her phone buzzed.

She tapped the screen and read the message while biting her lip.

"Who was it?" Selene asked while glancing from over Lunaria’s shoulder.

"Phew, Sasha will be here shortly."

"Alright then, come on, you big child, stop clinging to me and get in the room and strip yourself ready for the examination.

"Eh~ sister, why do you want to strip me naked!?"

"Stop playing around, it’s serious... Anya was so worried she almost rushed to Al’Qutar."

Eventually, the strange Lunaria entered the closed-off medical room, slipping off her clothes piece by piece before she climbed onto the cold medical bed and closed her eyes.

Leona glanced at Sarah with an awkward smile and pointed to the bed beside her.

"Come on, you too."