novelraw Chapter 187: Kneel first, eat later
Chapter 187: Kneel first, eat later
Nina froze for a moment, confusion flickering across her face.
...Why were they kneeling?
Truthfully, she wasn’t even angry about what happened last time anymore—and Odian had already punished them.
Odian and the others, however, looked utterly satisfied.
Serves them right.
He folded his arms, expression calm but eyes gleaming. Kneel longer. Nina likes eating those.
sal smirked faintly. Looks like I knelt the least last time.
Mino was already thinking ahead. Later, I can make Nina her favorite durian mille crepe.
Kith raised a brow. Oh? All of you brought more than I did last time.
The children’s eyes lit up instantly.
Wow—more durians! So many! We can eat as much as we want!
Ming, having already seen Mino go through this once, remained perfectly composed.
Heh. Now it was their turn.
Though... it was a pity.
There were still two former fiancés missing. Ideally, they should kneel too—only then would it even begin to make up for what Nina had suffered.
Thinking of her past, Ming felt a deep ache in his heart.
From now on, I’ll be her father.
He would take care of her properly.
It was just a shame he would soon have to return to Spirit Cat City...
If only Nina would visit someday.
Taru and the others, meanwhile, found the whole scene rather novel.
Taru nudged Aron beside him. "So this is the ’durian’ they were talking about?"
"Mm," Aron nodded. "My useless son said that when the males in Nina’s household make mistakes, they kneel on these as punishment."
"Nina’s too gentle—she doesn’t really punish them otherwise."
Lani studied the spiky fruit thoughtfully. "Looks painful. Not a bad method of punishment."
He paused, then added, "Though... it still feels too light."
No wonder Lex had insisted on finding these.
But for the mistakes they had made... this was hardly enough.
"I agree," Yanai said quietly.
What he had done... Even if his knees were ruined from kneeling, it wouldn’t be enough to make up for it.
"I also heard," Taru added, "that these can be eaten too."
"They’re quite delicious," Ming confirmed with a nod. "When my son was kneeling, I ate quite a few."
The memory of their sweet, fragrant taste made him want more.
"This punishment method is quite good—kneel first, eat later."
Taru and the others watched with clear interest. There was not a trace of sympathy for their sons.
After all, they deserved it.
Now they knew what regret felt like.
Rosen turned to Flinn beside her. "Send someone to gather more durians. That useless brat Lex needs to kneel properly."
He dared break off an engagement with Nina—and even speak ill of her? His knees deserved to be ground to pieces.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached for Nina.
To have a father like that... no wonder she had never known a good life.
From now on, I’ll treat her well—like my own daughter.
And honestly... this punishment method wasn’t bad at all.
She could learn from it.
Flinn nodded and immediately went to carry out the order.
Lani and the others felt a chill run through them.
Wait... is our mate going to start using this method too?
Suddenly, their knees felt a little weak.
Dian’s big eyes darted around mischievously as he quietly slipped behind Nina.
Nearby, the lion clan males watched with fascination, whispering among themselves.
"What do you think they’re kneeling on?"
"No idea. Probably something their household uses to punish males."
"Those spikes look huge and sharp. Must hurt more than kneeling on thorn vines or stones."
"Definitely."
Setan, however, looked utterly baffled.
"Have those males lost their minds?" he muttered. "Why are they kneeling to a female?"
They hadn’t fought, but when they first met, those males had released a pressure that told him clearly—their strength was no less than his.
And judging by their bearing, attire, and the strength of their subordinates, their status was likely just as high—perhaps even equal to his.
Males like that should be highly sought after by females.
They could easily monopolize a single female and hold a dominant position in the household—no need to be so... submissive.
Just like his father.
His father treated his mother well—but in truth, she deferred to him. And she had only one male.
In this world, high-status males could exclusively possess a single female—if she was willing.
Ordinary males rarely did so. Supporting a female alone was difficult, and most females wouldn’t agree.
"My lord, you don’t understand," one of the lion clan males said with a grin. "It’s perfectly normal for males to kneel and apologize to their mate when they’ve done something wrong."
"Exactly," another chimed in. "Most households are like this. Each family just has their own punishment methods—whipping, kneeling on stones, thorn vines..."
"You’ll understand once you find your destined female!"
They spoke matter-of-factly, though they thought their lord was a little naive.
He spent all his time training—he knew nothing about these things.
Setan frowned even deeper. "Are you sure this is normal?"
He scoffed lightly. "There’s no way I’d end up like that. Even if I find that little female—I wouldn’t become... this."
Even if he did find that female one day, Setan was certain—he would never become like these males, bowing like so to a female.
Still... where was she?
And how was he supposed to find her?
He had only gone to Sin Beast City to visit his brother—yet somehow, inexplicably, he had lost his innocence.
Since that night had happened... then that female was destined to be his future mate.
But the problem was... he barely remembered anything. He didn’t even know what she looked like.
When he woke up, he had been thrown into the water, his scent washed clean, leaving him with nothing to trace.
Now, he had no idea where to even begin searching.
All he had were fragments—blurred, fleeting images that surfaced in his dreams. Vague scenes that made his heart race and his face burn.
Every time he woke up, it left him restless and unsettled.
Even without remembering her face, he felt an inexplicable pull toward her.
And despite everything, he still wanted to find her.
"That’s not necessarily true..." the lion clan males muttered under their breath.
Setan shot them a glare. "It is true."
There was no way he would end up like that.
He intended to be like his father—having a single female all to himself.
And if that female already had mates? Then he would drive them all away.
She could only belong to him.
The lion clan males exchanged glances and shook their heads.
With their lord’s temperament... he was very likely going to suffer for it one day.
***
Hidden in the shadows, Drago was utterly stunned.
Aviel and the others... were actually kneeling to Nina, begging for forgiveness?
Males of their status—doing something like this?
Unbelievable.
Men of power like them would never lower themselves so completely before a female.
Even when he truly favored Leah, even when he often indulged her, he had never humbled himself to this extent.
If anything, she sometimes had to take his position into account.
Of course, she was his mate, so he usually fulfilled her needs as best he could.
When she wanted another mate, he had resisted—but ultimately agreed.
Still, only one more.
Anything beyond that, he would never accept.
And yet, Nina had somehow made all these powerful males not only willing to share her... but utterly devoted to her.
Drago’s eyes darkened with calculation.
This daughter of his... seemed to have far more value than he had ever imagined.
(Setan’s character pic has been added too!)