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

Chapter 306: Dilemma

"Ahem."

Rosen deliberately cleared her throat to announce her arrival. Nina looked up, her lips curving into a smile.

"Mother, you’re here!"

Rosen beamed warmly. "I came to see whether you’d returned safely."

"Sorry for making you worry," Nina said apologetically.

"It’s fine as long as you’re back." Rosen’s tone turned teasing. "Males fighting for affection—I understand that completely."

Her own beast husbands constantly used every trick imaginable to compete for her attention.

A faint blush rose to Nina’s cheeks.

"Mother, please have a seat." Quickly changing the subject, she asked, "How is Yina?"

"Don’t worry, she’s fine." Rosen sat beside Nina. "I already handled things on her side as well. She promised me she won’t tell anyone about yesterday."

Her expression cooled slightly. "Besides, she was the one in the wrong to begin with. She doesn’t exactly have the face to spread this matter around. And she asked me to apologize to you on her behalf. She said she shouldn’t have done something like that."

Nina nodded.

Now... that matter could finally be considered over.

Not long afterward, Shania arrived as well, and the three females sat together chatting comfortably inside the room.

Meanwhile, Lex followed Lani to the Abyss of Darkness, while Dian reluctantly returned to the sea to continue restoring the energy of his merfolk pearl.

The moment Lani saw the state of the Abyss of Darkness, his expression turned grave.

"The Abyss may not remain open much longer," he said heavily. "But Dian still hasn’t fully recovered. What are we supposed to do now?"

"Father... why don’t we retrieve the sacred artifact for Nina ourselves first?" Lex suggested.

Lani shot him a helpless look. "If we could retrieve it by ourselves, do you think I wouldn’t already have done it for Nina?"

His voice lowered. "We simply don’t have that capability."

Lex frowned. "Then... what if we ask Grandfather to help?"

"Leaving aside whether your grandfather would even agree to involve himself in something like this..." Lani sighed. "Even if he did, there’s still no guarantee he could retrieve the artifact."

Worry darkened Lex’s eyes.

"Then wouldn’t Nina be walking into incredible danger if she goes herself?"

His gaze drifted toward the dark, ominous abyss. He could not allow Nina to risk her life.

Perhaps... he could try retrieving the artifact for her instead.

Lani instantly saw through his thoughts.

"Don’t overestimate yourself," he warned sternly. "You cannot retrieve the artifact. You’d only throw your life away for nothing."

After a moment of thought, he continued, "I’ll go speak with your grandfather and see if he’s willing to help. Though honestly... it would be far better if Nina could come too."

A trace of regret flickered through his eyes.

"Unfortunately, Dian’s merfolk pearl still hasn’t fully recovered."

Originally, he had already planned to seek his father’s assistance. But even if his father agreed, Lani still lacked confidence.

If Nina joined them, however, their chances would rise significantly.

"But I don’t want Nina risking herself," Lex said quietly. "If Grandfather joins us, surely the three of us can retrieve the artifact."

He had a merfolk pearl too. He could give his to Nina as well. The only problem was... he feared Nina might refuse to accept it.

Deep down, though, he still did not want Nina entering danger herself. He wanted to obtain the sacred artifact and place it directly into her hands.

Lani gave him a speechless look.

"Lex, the Abyss of Darkness is far more dangerous than you imagine. Do you think your grandfather has never gone there before?"

His expression turned serious. "He nearly died there once. That’s why I’m not even certain he’ll agree to help."

Then he spoke patiently, "Nina is incredibly powerful. If anyone truly has a chance of surviving inside that place, it’s her. And I won’t allow anything to happen to her."

His brows furrowed again. "The real problem is the lack of a fully restored merfolk pearl."

Lex lowered his head. "...I understand."

Still, Lani remained uneasy. "You absolutely must not do anything reckless on your own. If you die, you’ll never see Nina again."

He patted his son’s shoulder firmly. "Father will do everything possible to help her."

He genuinely feared his foolish son might act impulsively and charge into the abyss alone.

Lex’s expression dimmed. "yeah. I won’t."

He only wanted to do more for Nina, but he would not act without preparation.

Lani sighed softly and patted him again. "Father understands how you feel about Nina. I also understand your anxiety and pain. But sometimes, you must know your limits. Don’t make meaningless sacrifices."

"I understand." Lex bit his lip before finally speaking again. "Father... since Dian’s pearl still hasn’t recovered, could Nina use mine instead?"

Lani froze in surprise. "Lex... have you truly thought this through?"

His gaze sharpened. "Once your merfolk pearl becomes tainted with a female’s aura, it can never belong to another female again."

Lex’s gaze was unwaveringly firm.

"I’ve already made up my mind. Other than Nina, I will never be with another female. And I would never give my merfolk pearl to anyone else either."

His voice softened, but the determination in it only deepened.

"In this lifetime, I’ve already chosen Nina. If she doesn’t want me... then I’ll remain alone for the rest of my life."

At worst, he would simply continue following quietly at Nina’s side forever. No matter what, he would never give up on her.

Afraid that Lani might misunderstand, he hurriedly added, "And I won’t force Nina to accept me. She only needs to accept the merfolk pearl. I genuinely just want to help her."

Lani narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

What Lex proposed was indeed one possible solution. The problem was whether Nina would be willing to accept Lex’s merfolk pearl at all.

After all, Lex and Nina already shared Mimi together. Realistically, it was unlikely he would ever choose another female anyway.

Though with his status and abilities, there would still be countless females willing to accept him.

"Lex," Lani finally said, "since you’ve thought it through, Father has no objections. But Nina may not accept your merfolk pearl. If she refuses, there’s nothing Father can do."

A shadow crossed Lex’s eyes. "I know."

That was exactly what worried him most. If Nina refused, then everything would still amount to nothing.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke again. "Father... can we not tell Nina the truth for now?"

Lani frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We’ll just... tell her the pearl belongs to Dian first." Lex lowered his gaze. "After we retrieve the sacred artifact, then we can tell her the truth."

Lani immediately disapproved. "Wouldn’t that be deceiving Nina? What if she gets angry and truly wants nothing to do with you afterward?"

"But if we tell her directly, what if she refuses to accept it?" Bitterness filled Lex’s voice. "You know Nina doesn’t really like me."

The words felt like knives in his chest.

"If we fail to retrieve the artifact this time, who knows how long it’ll take before the Abyss of Darkness appears again?"

His fists tightened.

"What if delaying things interferes with Nina’s mission?"

Lani rolled his eyes at him without mercy.

"And whose fault is it that Nina doesn’t like you? You brought this on yourself."

His tone sharpened.

"You ran off trying to steal Mimi. You treated Nina terribly. The fact that she didn’t beat you to death already proves she’s incredibly merciful. Why would she possibly like you after all that?"

Originally, Lani had been confused. Lex’s conditions were excellent, Nina’s temperament was gentle, and they even shared Mimi as a bond between them.

If Lex had pursued her properly, he should not have been completely unable to move her heart.

Later, however, Lan Li learned exactly what idiotic things his son had done. At that point, he realized Nina’s dislike was entirely deserved.

And to make matters worse, Lex had once broken off his engagement with her too. The negative effects were practically stacked to the limit.

Thankfully, Dian was more competent and knew how to seize opportunities, successfully becoming Nina’s male.

Otherwise, Lani genuinely felt he might have woken up in the middle of the night just to beat some sense into Lex.

Lex lowered his head, shame and regret filling his expression.

"I know it’s my fault. That’s why I’ve been so careful all this time. I didn’t even dare confess my feelings to Nina... because I was afraid she still hadn’t forgiven me."

He regretted everything deeply, but time could not turn backward. If he were given another chance, he would devote everything he had to treating Nina well.

Lani frowned deeply. "I’ll think carefully about what you said."

He sighed. "First, we’ll go see your grandfather. After that, we’ll talk to Nina."

What Lex said was not entirely unreasonable.

With Nina’s personality, she really might reject the pearl outright if she knew the truth immediately. And having Nina join them would significantly improve their chances of obtaining the sacred artifact.

Otherwise, if they failed this time, they might truly delay something important for her.

Still... Deceiving Nina did not sit well with him either. Lani found himself caught in a dilemma.

He decided he would speak to his father first and continue considering the matter along the way.

"Alright," Lex agreed quietly.

Without Lani and Dian helping him, this plan truly would not work.

After confirming the situation surrounding the Abyss of Darkness, the two finally departed.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, the fight had finally ended.

idir had been beaten badly, though this time he had desperately protected his face. Compared to last time, the injuries there were much lighter.

Nina had also healed most of his wounds already.

Now, carrying a durian behind him, Idir arrived at the courtyard outside Nina’s room to begin his punishment.

There, he spotted Momo playing nearby. After a moment’s hesitation, he walked over to him.

"Momo... can Father talk to you for a bit?"