After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back

Chapter 349: Hiding something

Sunny grabbed the ball and looked directly at Yuna. "Thanks!"

Then, laughing, he simply ran away, back to Nina.

This child... Yuna thought, stunned; he is... Setan’s child. My... grandson...

"Can I help you?" Nina asked, moving in front of Sunny.

"I..." Yuna started, but then, it was as if something snapped deep inside her chest. She suddenly turned, grabbed Maya by the hand, and marched directly toward her husband.

"Let’s go!" She snapped, not even sparing her son a glance.

"Mate?" Yian was just as confused as Maya. "What happened?"

"Nothing. We... need to leave," was her only response.

Setan stared at their disappearing figures, speechless, while Nina couldn’t help but feel strangely alert.

She reacted like that when she saw Sunny... did she recognize him?

***

Later that evening, Setan couldn’t help but feel restless and suspicious. Both his family’s strange behavior and the urgency with which Nina needed the relic were pressing heavily on his heart.

Ever since Yuna saw Sunny, he knew that she had recognized him as her grandson, and now that neither she nor his father were bothering him, it felt as if they were already scheming something behind the scenes.

The elders, too, started acting suspiciously... What if..?

After long hours of contemplating, he finally made his choice: he could not wait until danger struck first... He would take the relic and give it to Nina no matter what.

And he did.

. . .

"Nina," Setan strode to her, looking strangely pale and exhausted. "It’s done. I... brought you the relic."

"What?" Nina’s eyes widened in surprise. "But I thought... Your clan elders agreed?"

"They did," Setan replied with a bitter smile. "But... they asked for a few things in return..."

"Sure! What do they need?"

"We only need a few cultivation crystals and several pieces of Flame Crystal," Setan said.

In truth, he had never intended to ask Nina for anything in exchange.

Still, if he accepted the sacred relic without requesting compensation, Nina would immediately suspect something was wrong.

Then he quickly added, "But the cultivation crystals can’t be the same kind as the one you gave me before."

That crystal was Nina’s gift to him. There was no way he would allow other males to have one identical to his.

Nina looked at him curiously.

"How many cultivation crystals and Flame Crystals do you want?"

Setan hesitated.

"Maybe... five cultivation crystals and five Flame Crystals?"

Even as he spoke, uncertainty crept into his voice. The crystal Nina had gifted him was clearly precious.

Had he asked for too much? Yet if he requested too little, it might seem suspicious.

Nina blinked in surprise.

"That’s all?"

For the sacred treasure of an entire city, the price seemed absurdly low. A flicker of doubt rose within her. The terms felt almost too generous.

Setan immediately misread her reaction.

"Is that still too much?" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Then I can lower it."

A trace of apology entered his expression.

"Sorry, Nina. I don’t really know how valuable those cultivation crystals are."

Nina laughed softly.

"No, that’s not it." She shook her head. "I think you’re asking for far too little. Those crystals aren’t nearly as rare as you seem to think."

Only then did she realize what had happened.

Setan had overestimated the value of the crystal she had gifted him. It was certainly valuable, but not priceless. And since he specifically requested crystals of a lower grade than his own, the value dropped even further.

To her, those resources were hardly significant.

The problem was that this trade would leave his side at a serious disadvantage.

Setan was her friend. She could not knowingly allow him to suffer a loss for her benefit.

After thinking for a moment, she proposed a new offer.

"I’ll give you one thousand cultivation crystals slightly inferior to yours, plus twenty Flame Crystals. How does that sound?"

She paused before adding thoughtfully,

"If you think that’s not enough, I can increase it."

Even lower-grade cultivation crystals still possessed substantial value.

As for the Flame Crystals, although Roro could condense more over time, the process was slow. She still needed to reserve some for Linny and Sunny.

Determining the true worth of a sacred relic was difficult.

Still, she felt this was at least a fair starting point.

Setan stared at her, his brows drew together slightly.

"Nina, that’s far too much."

After a moment, he said carefully, "How about one hundred cultivation crystals and fifteen Flame Crystals instead?"

One thousand cultivation crystals alone represented a staggering amount of wealth.

The twenty Flame Crystals were equally valuable.

He knew Nina was offering so much because she didn’t want him to lose out.

But how could he ever bear the thought of her sacrificing so much for his sake?

Nina smiled.

"It really isn’t too much. If you’re satisfied, I’ll prepare them right now."

Setan hesitated. For the sake of appearances, he could not continue refusing.

Eventually, he nodded.

"All right."

Nina immediately handed over the cultivation crystals and Flame Crystals.

Then she looked at him sincerely.

"Thank you. You’ve helped me more than you know."

She understood very well that obtaining the sacred relic so smoothly would have been impossible without Setan’s efforts behind the scenes.

Looking down at the Blazing Flame Stone resting in her hands, her lips curved into a smile.

She had expected this relic to be one of the hardest to acquire.

Instead, it had fallen into her possession far more easily than she ever imagined.

Setan gazed at her with gentle warmth in his eyes.

"You don’t need to thank me."

His voice softened.

"Being able to help you already makes me happy."

The mates standing nearby were equally delighted for Nina.

For perhaps the first time in a long while, even they found themselves looking at Setan with slightly less hostility.

At least the lion had finally proven useful.

Phar lifted his eyelids and cast a lazy glance toward Setan.

Could things really have gone that smoothly?

He did not believe it for a second. The lion was clearly hiding something from the little female.

Still, the objective had been achieved. Whatever schemes or half-truths lay behind it were none of his concern.

"Since you’ve obtained the Blazing Flame Stone, contract it immediately," Setan urged. "The longer you wait, the greater the chance of complications."

Once Nina formed a contract with the sacred relic, nobody would be able to take it away from her.

Not that the elders necessarily had the ability to reclaim it.

Even so, sooner was always better.

Nina nodded.

"You’re right. I’ll do it now."

Once the relic was bound to her, there would be no room for anyone to change their minds.

She pricked her fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the Blazing Flame Stone.

The relic immediately emitted a brilliant glow.

Ancient contract runes surfaced across its surface, shimmering with fiery light.

Moments later, the bond was complete.

Nina carefully stored the relic away, satisfaction spreading through her chest.

Another sacred artifact collected. Another step closer to her goal.

The moment Setan saw the contract completed, the tension that had been quietly coiled inside him finally eased.

At last, he could breathe.

"Congratulations, Nina."

Odian’s voice carried obvious excitement.

"You’ve obtained another sacred relic. We should celebrate properly tonight."

Nina smiled.

"That sounds like a great idea. Let’s have a feast."

Then she turned toward Setan.

"You’re the biggest contributor to this success. What would you like for dinner? I’ll have them prepare anything you want."

For a moment, Setan looked completely stunned.

"I... anything is fine."

Warmth flooded his heart.

It was such a simple question, yet it filled him with ridiculous happiness.

This was the first time Nina had ever asked what he wanted to eat.

The sweetness lingered only briefly before another emotion crept in.

Reluctance.

Soon, Nina would leave. And this time, he would not be able to follow her.

"All right then." Nina laughed softly.

"Odian, you can decide the menu."

"No problem."

Odian immediately accepted the task.

The males quickly became busy preparing an extravagant banquet.

The City Lord Manor soon buzzed with energy and laughter.

By evening, everyone had eaten their fill.

The males gathered in the courtyard, playing games with the cubs while Nina sat nearby watching them with an affectionate smile.

Setan quietly approached and took a seat beside her.

For several moments he said nothing.

When he finally spoke, hesitation colored his voice.

"Nina..." He paused before continuing. "You’ve obtained the sacred relic now. It would probably be best if you left as soon as possible."

His expression darkened slightly.

"I know that my family has discovered Sunny’s existence. He may..."

He did not finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.

Nina understood immediately.

She nodded. "I know."

After a brief pause, she added, "We’ll leave tomorrow."

If possible, she wanted to avoid conflict with Setan’s father as well.

"I’m sorry." Setan lowered his gaze. "I never wanted to chase you away."

If only she knew how desperately he wanted her to stay. Yet he could not allow her to remain here any longer.

Nina shook her head gently.

"It’s fine. I understand."

A deep sadness lingered in Setan’s eyes.

"Nina..." His voice grew softer. "This time... I can’t leave with you."

He forced himself to continue. "I have to stay."

Silence settled between them.

Nina looked at him for a long moment before nodding.

"All right."

A faint ache unexpectedly tugged at her heart.

Over these past weeks, she had witnessed every effort he made.

His protection. His support. His unwavering devotion. She remembered all of it.

But she also understood that everyone carried responsibilities of their own.

Everyone had their own path to walk.

She informed her mates of the decision to leave the following day.

The moment they heard, preparations began immediately.

Supplies were packed.

Equipment was sorted.

Travel plans were finalized.

After another pause, Setan spoke again.

"Nina..."

His expression held a trace of vulnerability rarely seen from him.

"Could you let me bathe Sunny tonight?"

His voice grew quieter.

"As his father, I’ve never really done anything for him."

Pain flickered through his eyes.

"I’ve already failed him in too many ways."

Nina studied him thoughtfully.

"I’ll ask Sunny what he wants first."

A smile of gratitude appeared on Setan’s face.

"Okay."

He understood.

Nina had always respected her children’s feelings.

That was one of the many reasons she was such a wonderful mother.

Even so, uncertainty lingered in his chest.

He had no idea whether Sunny would actually agree.

As evening deepened and darkness settled over the manor, the mates gathered the cubs and headed toward the bathing chambers.

Setan quietly followed them inside.