Chapter 142: Laxus’s Personally Chosen Partner

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Laxus’s Personally Chosen Partner

Having been up all night, Ophelia was exhausted and ended up sleeping until noon. If it hadn’t been for the hungry cubs constantly nudging against her, she wouldn’t have woken up at all.

"Mother, tummy’s hungry." The third cub, a little female, sat by Ophelia’s head, clutching her belly and whining.

The other two male cubs were so ravenous they were practically gnawing on the wall. Seeing this, Ophelia forced herself awake no matter how exhausted she felt.

"Princess, you’re awake," Tyler said, walking in with a basin of thick meat porridge.

"Tyler, did you not sleep?" Ophelia glanced at the porridge. For the meat to be boiled down so softly, it must have taken at least two or three hours.

Tyler offered a faint smile. "I got some rest last night. I’m not too tired."

However, looking at the dark circles under his eyes, Ophelia knew he was lying to her. "I’ll feed the cubs. Go get some sleep right now." She took the basin, set it on the table, and began pushing him toward the bed.

Tyler chuckled helplessly. Just then, Zerev walked in holding three wooden spoons.

"There’s no need to feed them. Let them learn to eat on their own," Zerev said, handing a wooden spoon to each of the three little ones. He then lifted them onto the table one by one and began teaching them how to use their utensils.

At first, the triplets struggled. The second cub, always the impatient one, wanted to toss his spoon aside and bury his face directly into the basin. But under Zerev’s stern, warning glare, he reluctantly compromised, using the wooden spoon to scoop up the porridge bit by bit.

Once they got the hang of it, their eating pace quickened significantly. In barely ten minutes, the massive basin of meat porridge was completely polished off. Ophelia watched from the sidelines, utterly dumbfounded.

Staring at their round, bulging little bellies, she couldn’t help but marvel. "They actually finished all of that. Won’t they be overly stuffed?"

Zerev affectionately ruffled her hair and said softly, "Don’t worry. They just assumed their human forms and need a massive amount of food for energy. That porridge is only enough to leave them half-full."

Ophelia’s eyes widened in surprise. "Should I go make them some more, then?"

Zerev caught her arm and shook his head. "This is enough for now."

Turning her attention back to Tyler, Ophelia said, "Go get some sleep. You need to rest well today, so don’t go out."

"Alright, alright," Tyler agreed, entirely compliant.

Just as Tyler headed up to the third floor to rest, a string of footsteps echoed from outside the house. Ophelia glanced out the window and spotted several tall, imposing males walking toward their home. Leading the group was none other than her brother, Laxus.

"What on earth is Laxus up to?" Ophelia muttered, thoroughly confused.

Having eaten her fill, the little female cub started fussing to be held again. Ophelia absolutely adored her soft, squishy little daughter. Beaming with a radiant smile, she scooped the girl into her arms and stepped out of the stone house.

Laxus was just trying to figure out how to persuade Ali to choose a mate from the Golden Dragon Clan when he saw his sister step outside, cradling a porcelain-white toddler in her arms.

"Ophelia, is this..."

Taking in the little girl’s striking resemblance to his sister, Laxus quickly formed a guess.

"That’s right. The cubs have already taken on their human forms," she confirmed.

"What? They transformed early? Why didn’t you inform me about something so dangerous?!" Laxus’s face visibly paled with anxiety.

"Everything turned out fine, didn’t it?"

Laxus gripped Ophelia’s shoulders firmly, his expression deadly serious. "Ophelia, if anything like this ever happens again, you must notify me the very first second. Don’t leave your brother sick with worry. Promise me, alright?"

Seeing the genuine concern and fear swimming in her brother’s eyes, Ophelia’s heart warmed, and she quickly promised him. Then, she shifted her gaze to the members of the Golden Dragon Clan standing behind him. "Brother, who are they?" she asked.

"These are some outstanding males I handpicked myself. If Ali insists on taking a mate, she can choose one of them," Laxus explained. "You know these men, too. They are a hundred times better than that wandering merchant, Lam. Besides, Lam doesn’t even like Ali, nor does he respect females. You have to talk some sense into her. Persuade her not to mate with him."

Ophelia appraised the Golden Dragon Clan males. She had to admit, Laxus had chosen well; they were all incredibly strong, handsome, and of good character. She couldn’t help but furrow her brows. She wondered, "Does my brother truly not have feelings for Ali? Have I just been overthinking this?"

"I can’t make decisions for her, but I can call her over," Ophelia replied. "If someone catches her eye, she might stop fixating on Lam."

"Yes, exactly! That makes sense. Hurry up and call her over," Laxus urged.

Laxus firmly believed that Ali simply hadn’t met enough males from Foreign Clans. That was the only reason she had been so easily blinded by a smooth talker like Lam. If she just interacted with a wider variety of men, she would realize that someone like Lam was completely unsuited to be a mate. He could never provide her with a stable life.

When Ali was finally called over, the very first thing she noticed was the toddler in Ophelia’s arms.

"Ophelia, did the cubs take their human forms?!" she gasped. "This is the third cub, right? She’s absolutely adorable! Come here, little one, let me give you a kiss." Ali scooped the third cub into a warm embrace, utterly enchanted, and peppered her chubby, pink cheeks with kisses.

"Alright, that’s enough for now. I called you over today because I want you to meet some new friends," Ophelia said with a smile. She playfully snatched the little girl back and handed her over to Zerev, who was standing nearby. She then gently pulled Ali over to the waiting Golden Dragon Clan males and began introductions. "Ali, these are some of the strongest and most handsome single men among the younger generation of the Golden Dragon Clan. Laxus specifically picked them out for you. Take a look and see if anyone catches your eye."

Hearing that Laxus had specifically organized this for her, Ali’s hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She wondered why he felt the need to play matchmaker if he didn’t even harbor feelings for her. Swallowing her frustration, Ali actually began to appraise the men seriously.

She stepped in front of a black-haired male who stood nearly six foot three. Blinking innocently, she asked, "What’s your name?"

The man, already familiar with Ali, instantly flushed crimson at her direct question. He offered a shy, boyish smile. "Hello, Ali. My name is Laine."

"It’s nice to meet you, Laine. You’re incredibly tall!"

Watching Ali and Laine hit it off so effortlessly, an indescribable tightness gripped Laxus’s chest.

"Ali, I like you very much. Would you be willing to be my mate?" Despite his shyness, Laine was remarkably straightforward.

The blunt confession caught Ophelia completely off guard, and Ali’s jaw dropped in sheer shock. She hesitated, desperately trying to figure out how to reject him without crushing his feelings.

After a long stretch of silence, Laine nervously pressed for an answer. "Ali?"

"I..." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Absolutely not!" Laxus suddenly interjected. "Laine’s sister is incredibly unreasonable. If you take him as your mate, you’ll definitely clash with her in the future."

Laine blinked, utterly bewildered by Laxus’s outburst. He wondered why Laxus was suddenly sabotaging him when he was the one who had brought him on this "blind date" in the first place.

Ophelia stared in stunned silence.

Undeterred, Ali moved on and struck up conversations with the other men. Yet, every single time she showed the slightest bit of interest in one, Laxus would immediately veto him with some absurd excuse.

"Laxus, are you doing this on purpose?!" Ali finally snapped. "Didn’t you handpick these men yourself? Why are you suddenly claiming none of them are suitable to be my mate? Are you just messing with me?"