Beauty and the Beasts

Chapter 1653: Giving Birth

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

There was no doubt that An’an was pregnant.

Silver was surprised. Counting the days, Bluepool had passed away for nearly three months. He remembered Bluepool mentioning that mermen’s gestation period was only 50 days.

Regardless, the babies definitely had to be cared for. After covering An’an with a blanket, Silver told the entire tribe about this good news.

The mating matter was hence pushed back.

An’an gradually stopped leaning against the cave entrance, for her attention was now attracted by the new life in her large stomach. But she didn’t try to scratch or dig into it as she did in the past, and instead, fondly caressed it from time to time with a gentle and peaceful expression.

Rumors started spreading in the tribe, and everyone was jittery.

“Have you heard? An’an is pregnant with a female. Is she about to die?”

“I heard from mermen in other tribes that females only breed a new female when their life is about to come to an end.”

“Did An’an become pregnant with a female because Leader killed Father and An’an is overly upset and has no will to live anymore?”

A faint bloody stench drifted over from the seawater. This dangerous scent caused the mermen’s voices to abruptly halt and look around vigilantly.

Turned out, it was Leader!

The mermen instantly felt great trepidation and lowered themselves to make way.

“Leader.”

With an icy countenance, Silver swam away from the group of mermen with a bubble containing garbage in his hands. That faint bloody stench had come from his body.

Someone asked boldly, “Leader, are you injured?”

“It’s fine,” Silver replied coldly before swimming away, looking steadily forward the entire time.

The mermen didn’t dare to say anything else. After respectfully sending their leader off, they immediately fled, fearing that he would punish them.

As for why Leader had come out of An’an’s nest with a trace of bloody odor, and what speculations the mermen would come up with, no one knew.

This time, An’an was pregnant for a full ten months before finally giving birth.

Needless to say, the delivery process was painful. Despite the nest being densely surrounded by the mermen, it didn’t stop the cries of agony from transmitting outside.

Many mermen had seen An’an give birth before. It had always been a quiet affair, after which they were responsible for placing the fish roes in the hatching zone. This was their first time seeing her give birth to a female, and everyone was shocked.

Someone even couldn’t bear to watch and suggested directly cutting open her stomach to retrieve the baby so as to end An’an’s suffering. This suggestion was sternly rebutted by Silver.

Thankfully, An’an was still alive after giving birth. It was a female. She hadn’t suffered in vain.

The mermen were dispersed by Silver, who guarded by An’an’s side in the murky waters all by himself and used warm water to wipe the child clean.

The female was very fragile, her red skin so tender it looked like there was no skin and she would burst at the slightest touch. Silver used the gentlest force he had ever exerted in his life and cleansed her. By the time he was done, he was so tired that he was covered in sweat.

“Were you also so fragile when you were little?” Silver asked gently after placing the baby beside An’an. “When you were this young, it was Father who took care of you, wasn’t it?”

Silver’s tone was filled with envy. At this moment, he had no choice but to admit, Father was more suited to be An’an’s spouse than him, for he had seen her in her most fragile state and cherished her the most.

At the thought of, once upon a time, An’an was also such a delicate and weak female, Silver made an oath in his heart to treat her even better in the future.

Having taken away An’an’s male, he hoped that he could make up for it himself.

“Leader.”

A merman’s voice rang from outside the cave.

Silver’s gaze remained upon An’an as he asked softly, “What is it?”

“The female has been born for half a day. Should we feed her?” The merman outside said respectfully. According to An’an’s eating habits, it was time to eat.. Moreover, it was such a small baby.