On a warm afternoon.
In the second-floor living room.
Sunlight streamed softly through the window, gentle and not harsh.
Today—
Mother Celia, having already provided sufficient nutrients for the babies,had changed into a black Gothic Lolita dress that Liam usually loved the most.
Dressed exquisitely, she looked like a doll.
Celia lowered her eyelids, her eyes somewhat distant.
Holding a broom, she silently swept away every speck of dust, even though the floor was already gleaming.
Thinking back, the last time Liam had touched her was the day before yesterday.
His condition had been terrible that day; he could barely last five minutes.
Celia had just barely started to feel some interest when everything came to an abrupt halt.
He didn't even have the strength to get up.
A fact was glaringly obvious—her husband couldn't perform anymore, and it was worse than the normal state of an average man!
Since that day, Liam had seemed entirely gloomy.
He spent his days outside, only saying he was looking for a solution.
He only returned home in the evenings, and unlike before, he didn't come close to kiss, hug, or lift her high, covering her with saliva.
Instead, he had grown much more indifferent towards her, even avoiding her when she proactive tried to touch him.
As soon as he returned, after briefly instructing her on a few things, he would just lie down and sleep.
He didn't hold her as tightly at night anymore either; at most, they lay side by side.
The secure feeling of being firmly wrapped in his embrace was gone.
A large chunk of her sense of security had vanished along with it.
This outcome might have been what Celia, who had just recently become a girl, had initially hoped for—marrying him was merely about a status, obeying a contract on paper.
This way, she wouldn't have to worry about contact with a disgusting man; she'd only have to endure his fierce temper under the same roof.
But...
Now it was different, completely different!
Deep down, Celia was attached to, liked, and loved Liam.
Before, she had only resisted inwardly, thinking it impossible to develop such feelings for a man.
But over time, through repeated interactions and entanglements with Liam, she ultimately couldn't convince her already wavering heart.
Right now, Celia, as a girl, simply liked this man very much—she liked Liam.
She might seem a little prideful tenderness on the surface, but she really did like him.
She was completely unable to leave him, and she couldn't imagine what would become of her if she ever had to live without Liam.
Would she...
Turn back into a boy?
Continue cultivating?
No... she probably couldn't change back.
If she were abandoned alone, with her fertility, wouldn't she... have to contribute something to the clan when the next male elf's vigor surged?
Providing nutrients for the two eggs, sleeping, cleaning...
Unconsciously,the sky had already darkened.
Another day had passed in repetition and lingering boredom.
Why didn't she go out?
That matter.
Liam had warned her from the very beginning: without her husband's permission, his wife Celia was not allowed to go out alone.
This had become a default house rule in her mind.
Once, Celia woke up to find no one beside her and thought about going to her parents' house to play with her mother, Cyra.
She spent the entire day at her mother's place and only started heading home as night fell.
The moment she entered the door, she saw Liam's face was terrifyingly dark, completely different from his usual gentle demeanor.
Before Liam could even begin to scold her, Celia was already frightened to tears by his demeanor.
Even if a wolf appeared before her and roared, or a hunter aimed a crossbow at her.
Even in a situation like that, Celia would only manage to squeeze out a few frightened tears at the corners of her eyes—she would never break down into sobs of self-pity.
After that incident, she had been very well-behaved.
---
With a click, Liam, after a day of research, finally returned home.
Celia got off the swing, her heart beating faster.
She glanced at the man for a couple of seconds, then hurried towards him with small, quick steps, stopping before his tall, looming shadow.
Liam glanced at her, his tone detached.
"Celia, it's this late. Why aren't you inside? What are you doing sitting out here? Aren't you afraid a wolf or leopard might come and carry you off?"
It was true; at this hour, wolf howls were often heard.
But Celia had felt stifled inside and just wanted to sit here waiting for Liam to come home.
After all, in Celia's world, there was only Liam now.
"Um... I just wanted... to wait for you, Husband."
She bravely looked up, her face slightly flushing after saying this.
Being this straightforward was rare for her.
But things couldn't go on like this.
She couldn't let her husband remain so dispirited—she had to do something about it.
And besides...
Lately, she had been feeling quite empty, both physically and mentally.
She...
Didn't know how, and absolutely couldn't...
She wanted it...
Even just five minutes would do...
"Let me help you take off your coat, Husband?"
Hearing this, Liam raised his deep, crimson eyes, frowned, and spoke with a hint of impatience.
"Take off my coat?"
"Ah, mhmm..."
She nodded obediently and added in a small voice, "Don't you always take off your coat after entering the house, Husband? I'm just helping you..."
"Fine."
His expression remained unchanged, his face still set in that stern cast.
He held his arms out levelly and let out a breath.
"Go ahead."
This attitude again... she really didn't like it...
The man was nearly 1.9 meters tall.
For Celia to reach, she had to stand on her tiptoes with great effort.
Straining for a while, stretching her arms,she finally managed to clumsily undo all the buttons.
Even through his clothes, touching the man's body made her feel a little happy.
Using more effort, she pulled off the heavy outer garment and held it in her arms.
It felt quite weighty.
The elf territory was indeed rather cold.
The two entered the house together.
Liam went straight to the sofa and turned on the "TV."
The screen immediately began playing clips of the daily lives of two ants—footage he had casually recorded during his previous training sessions.
No.
Why was he watching TV now?
This meant...
The 'bug' still hadn't been fixed today!
Celia stood to the side, feeling as if the sky had fallen.
Just last month, even if he rarely went out, spending the whole day being intimate with her... even when he went out to practice using the crystal ball, upon returning, the first thing he would do was...
The 'cure' was right there, yet it felt so... distant?
All of this was Liam's fault!
It was all because Liam had been burning the candle at both ends those past few days, and now he was reaping the consequences.
An elf maiden's attachment tendencies were inherently different from ordinary people's.
Once two people fell in love, whether psychologically or physically...
This was inherently unfair to Celia.
She couldn't take it anymore.
She went over to her husband, who was sitting and watching "TV," and timidly stood there, wringing her small hands.
After carefully weighing her words in her heart, she finally spoke, her eyes darting about with a fidgety, uncertain air, her voice soft and timid.:
"H-Husband... actually... that, it's nothing. It's just a mere five minutes... I can accept it."