"Zilia is expecting triplets," Alie said as she walked toward Gabriel.
They were in the private park of San Ravendale. Gabriel was sitting on the grass with Noah, who was happily crawling around on all fours, exploring the soft lawn.
Gabriel looked up in surprise.
"Triplets?" he repeated with wide eyes. "Wow!"
He chuckled softly as Noah crawled toward him and tried to climb onto his leg.
"How is she feeling?" he asked while lifting Noah into his arms. "Giving birth to triplets is going to be tough."
Alie nodded, her expression softening.
"Of course it will be difficult," she said. "But she’s extrely happy."
She sat down beside them on the grass, watching Noah play with Gabriel’s fingers.
"The feeling of becoming a mother is very different," she continued gently. "Zilia has beco extra careful these days. As the pregnancy progresses, everyone is making sure she rests properly."
Alie paused for a mont before adding, "She was even crying earlier."
Gabriel glanced at her.
"She said that if her parents were still alive, they would have been so happy to see this. She kept saying how grateful she is that everyone around her is pampering and caring for her so much."
Gabriel fell silent for a mont after hearing Alie speak about Zilia. His gaze drifted toward the open lawn ahead, but his mind had already wandered into the past.
He rembered the day he had first discovered Zilia was a spy.
Back then, he had shown her no rcy.
He had pushed for the harshest possible punishnt, believing it was the only way to uphold justice and protect the kingdom. Zilia had endured everything that followed—the accusations, the imprisonnt, and the humiliation—without once trying to defend herself.
And yet, despite all of that, she had managed to rebuild her life and stand where she was today.
"What are you thinking about?" Alie asked softly as she ca to sit beside him on the grass.
Noah had already crawled fully into Gabriel’s lap and was now busy tugging at the buttons of his shirt with great fascination.
Gabriel looked down briefly at his son before answering.
"I was rembering the past," he said quietly. "Back then, I made sure Zilia would receive the harshest punishnt possible." His voice carried a faint trace of regret. "I was very harsh with her."
Alie listened carefully before responding.
"Yes... you were," she admitted honestly. Then she placed a gentle hand on his arm.
"But you were also the one who later helped clear her na. I don’t judge you for what happened. It was part of your duty as well. You had been trying for so long to catch the Alpha of Blood Dominion. Anyone in your position would have acted the sa way."
Alie looked toward the garden where the wind moved softly through the trees.
"And I’m sure Zilia forgave you a long ti ago."
"Yes, she did," Gabriel admitted.
For a mont, both of them watched Noah, who was still sitting in Gabriel’s lap and still curiously pulling at the buttons of his shirt.
Alie tilted her head slightly as another thought crossed her mind.
"I wonder how Brother Nick is doing these days," she said. "Do you two still talk?"
Gabriel gave a small shake of his head. "Rarely," he replied. "Only when it’s related to work."
He paused briefly before adding, "In fact, I haven’t spoken to him since the New Year."
Then, as if rembering sothing, he continued, "By the way... Juniper is in San Ravendale now. She’s working in one of the companies associated with mine."
Alie looked mildly surprised. "That’s actually good to hear," she said. "At least she’s doing sothing instead of sitting idle."
She brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "She has to rebuild everything from the beginning now."
Then she glanced at Gabriel. "Did you ask how she’s doing?"
Gabriel’s expression imdiately changed. "Why would I do that?" he said, his face tightening slightly.
Before Alie could respond, a small voice interrupted them.
"Papa!"
Both of them looked down at Noah.
The little boy had sohow managed to unfasten one of Gabriel’s shirt buttons and was proudly holding it up as if he had achieved sothing extraordinary. He babbled happily, clearly celebrating his tiny victory.
Gabriel couldn’t help smiling faintly. anwhile, Alie continued gently, "Juniper has been alone for a long ti."
She looked thoughtful as she spoke. "Her adoptive mother was kind to her. That’s why Juniper always pretended she had grown up in a respectable family."
Alie sighed softly.
"She was afraid people would judge her if they knew she was an orphan."
Her voice softened further. "Yes, many people made mistakes in that situation... But Juniper’s mistake was perhaps the biggest."
She glanced briefly at Gabriel. "She stayed with Brother Nick for seven years."
Gabriel’s expression hardened again. "Don’t start feeling sympathy for her," he said firmly.
His eyes t Alie’s. "Have you forgotten what she said about our Noah?" he reminded her.
"It must have been her anger, Gabriel," Alie said. "Yes, it hurt when I heard those words."
She lowered her gaze for a mont before continuing. "But it wasn’t entirely wrong either. Noah doesn’t carry your blood."
Her fingers absentmindedly brushed the grass beside her as she spoke.
"And... I still feel that you accepting Noah the way you did is sothing very big. I an..." she hesitated slightly, searching for the right words, "it might have been different if we had a child together from the beginning, a child that was a symbol of our love."
Gabriel turned fully toward her. His expression softened imdiately.
"I love you, Alie," he said firmly.
Noah was still sitting in his lap, now fiddling with the loose button he had managed to open earlier.
"Noah was still growing in your womb when I first sensed him," Gabriel continued. "From that very mont, I considered him my own."
His voice carried complete certainty. "Yes, he doesn’t carry my blood," he admitted. "But he will carry my values and my legacy."
Gabriel gently adjusted Noah in his arms. "Noah will never feel that he isn’t my son. Noah was the one who broke the curse for us. If it weren’t for him, we might never have t."
Alie looked up at him again.
"And as for our love," Gabriel continued with a faint smile, "we will definitely have a baby together soday."
His gaze held hers warmly. "But don’t ever keep the thought in your mind that Noah isn’t mine."
For a mont, Alie simply stared into her mate’s eyes. Then she leaned forward and quickly pressed a kiss on his lips.
Noah imdiately burst into giggles at the sight.
Gabriel chuckled softly before wrapping an arm around Alie and pulling her closer, returning the kiss more deeply while their son happily watched the scene unfold.
"Look, how happy he gets whenever we kiss," Gabriel said. He then lifted him up and showered kisses on Noah’s face. "Mama and Daddy loves you a lot, boy."
He then turned Noah to the right, telling Alie that they should kiss him at the sa ti. She smiled and kissed Noah’s left cheek while Gabriel planted a kiss on the right one.
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