Chapter 393: Princess Sleeps On The Couch

So they completely missed Silviana, and at that point, Faye just wanted to get back to her pups.

She was thoroughly exhausted by everything that had happened throughout the night, and Princess decided it was best to confront Silviana another day.

After all, they both lived in the exact same city, so she wasn’t going anywhere.

To make matters better, they finally kicked Kiara out of the car. She was getting more annoying by the second, and Faye looked like a ticking time bomb about to explode right in the front seat.

Princess pulled the vehicle over, reached across, and forcefully dragged Kiara out, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the road in the dead of night.

Kiara had no choice but to stand on the curb and order an Uber just to get herself back home.

The moment Princess and Faye unlocked the front door and stepped inside Eriko’s house, they were just about to announce their arrival when Dina, sitting up on the living room couch, quickly pressed a index finger against her lips to shush them both.

Stepping quietly into the main living room, they saw all four babies sound asleep with pacifiers resting in their mouths.

They were nestled comfortably inside their bright, colorful cradles lined up against the wall.

Down on the floor, Eriko and Paye were both completely out cold, snoring softly on the floor.

Kaye was sitting up with his eyes glued to the TV screen, but he was half-asleep, his head repeatedly dropping as he dozed off.

Dina sat alone on the edge of the couch holding her tablet, her fingers tapping away as she played a game.

A soft smile broke across both Princess and Faye’s faces as they took in the peaceful scene.

Faye crept forward without making a sound, gently scooping up her nephew Kaye into her arms. She carried him straight down the hallway to Paye’s bedroom so he could stretch out and sleep comfortably in a real bed.

While Faye was down the hall, Princess walked over and sank quietly onto the couch right beside Dina.

"You’re the only one still awake," Princess whispered, keeping her voice as low as possible so she wouldn’t disturb the room.

"I just got here a little while ago and found every single one of them completely passed out like that," Dina explained in a hushed tone, her eyes remaining glued to her tablet screen.

"Only Kaye was wide awake when I walked in. We were trying to watch a movie together, but then he started nodding off like a big tired bear."

"This is a regular weekday," Princess noted, tilting her head slightly. "You aren’t even supposed to be staying here right now."

She knew the exact custody arrangement between Leo and Eriko when it came to sharing Dina. Leo always kept her during the busy weekdays, while Eriko got her for the weekends.

"You guys dumped your four pups here for the entire weekend and left my Papa completely stressed out," Dina said, finally pausing her game.

"Nobody ever checks in on him. I’m the only person who actually comes over to do that. Besides, my other father doesn’t even know where I am right now. He’s always locked away inside his favorite lab anyway."

"Sorry to hear that," Princess muttered softly.

"No need to feel sorry for me. I’m already totally used to it by now, his lab is his first priority and am his second....." Dina raised her head, turning her gaze straight onto Princess. "My birthday is coming up real soon. I definitely don’t want a soft princess party this time. Just a small gathering right here at my Papa’s cottage. But you guys are still dressing up like Teletubbies."

"You’re turning 7 now, Dina," Princess said, shaking her head. "Can’t you finally forget about that old cosplay show? I am definitely not doing that this year."

Ever since Dina turned three years old, Princess and her core group of friends, including Malo, had been forced to put on ridiculous colored Teletubbies costumes for her birthday entertainment.

"Fine," Dina bargained without missing a beat. "Your kids make four in total. They fit the exact count for the play instead."

"Dina..." Princess warned, narrowing her eyes.

"That should be your mandatory payment for me keeping an eye on them all weekend," Dina shot back smoothly. "They are honestly so much worse than Kaye. It’s like dealing with four Kayes running around at once."

"Why would you even compare them to Kaye?" Princess asked, raising a brow. "He’s way bigger than all of them."

"Have you actually seen Kaye during school hours?" Dina complained, letting out a heavy sigh. "If you ever saw him there, you would completely understand what I’m talking about. That boy is an absolute clown. I am always the one who has to step in and protect him... every single time."

"What can I even say to that?" Princess chuckled quietly, trying to relate to the girl. "That’s just the classic Grande gene for you. Always jumping headfirst into dangerous situations without thinking twice, right? I literally have one big one and four small ones living in my house."

The moment Princess leaned back and relaxed properly against the couch cushions, she felt an intensely furious stare burning straight into the back of her neck.

She didn’t even need to turn her head around to figure out who was standing behind her. She knew that heavy aura all too well.

Her girlfriend had clearly just walked back into the living room and caught every single word of that conversation.

"Grandes, huh?" Dina murmured, shaking her head. "Always completely impulsive for no reason..."

"Well, maybe not all of them," Princess said quickly, raising her voice just enough for the doorway. "Mine is absolute perfection and super loving. She’s completely amazing.. and cute..."

"You are only saying all of that because she’s standing right behind us," Dina pointed out dryly.

Dina turned her head toward the hallway archway and spotted Faye standing there, her arms tightly folded across her chest and her brow raised high.

"It is way past your bedtime, missy," Faye said, her tone leaving zero room for negotiation. "Come on. Turn off that tablet right now and go get ready for bed."

With the strict look Faye was giving her, there was no way Dina was going to risk arguing her case.

"Yes, ma’am," Dina said obediently.

She immediately tapped the power button, set the tablet down on the couch, and stood up to head toward her bedroom.

Before pulling her door shut, she peeked her head back out to look at Princess.

"Good night, Auntie," Dina called out sweetly. "I hope the bedbugs don’t bite you tonight."

She slid her door shut with a soft click.

"Oh no... look how late it is, the kids are sleeping," Princess said, hurriedly pushing herself off the couch to break the heavy silence in the living room. "Let me quickly move them into your room so they can get a proper night’s rest."

Completely avoiding direct eye contact with Faye, Princess leaned over the nearest cradle, gently scooped up one of the sleeping pups, and moved down the hallway as fast as her legs could carry her.

Faye stood by the archway with her arms folded, watching in silence as Princess made four separate energetic trips to transfer all the pups into her bedroom.

"I’m all done, babe," Princess announced bright and cheerful as she stepped back out into the hall, rubbing her hands together with a big innocent smile.

"Great," Faye said coldly. "Have fun sleeping out here on the couch tonight."

Without another word, Faye turned around, stepped into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut in Princess’s face.

Princess froze in the hallway. A second later, the bedroom door swung wide open again.

Thinking her girlfriend had already had a change of heart and decided to forgive her, Princess’s face lit up with immediate hope.

Before she could speak, Faye threw a heavy plush pillow and a folded blanket straight at her chest, then shut the door for good and locking it from the inside.

With Paye and Eriko still snoring softly down on the floor nearby, Princess accepted her miserable fate, dragged the blanket over to the couch, and collapsed onto the cushions for the night.