Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1710 - 152 : Never Had a Doubt

*Kai*

“Would you like to go visit Briella with me next week?”

Lillian looked up from the book she was reading in surprise. We were both enjoying a peaceful day off of work. My girlfriend decided she wanted to spend the day reading at the park. It was one of my favorite activities as well, so we decided to make a date day out of it.

We were sitting on a soft, thick blanket together. We had been reading for the past couple of hours, enjoying the peaceful sounds of the park when I broke the near silence.

“I haven’t seen her in months,” I explained, “not since Sulien’s birthday. I was hoping to start visiting more often. I want to be a part of their lives, you know?”

Lillian shifted so that she was pressed against my side. “I understand,” she murmured, setting her book down so she could take my hand in hers. “I’m sorry for reacting that way. I was just surprised since you don’t normally invite me to come along.”

I felt my jaw drop with horror. “That’s not true, is it?” I asked in shock.

I looked down at our joined hands, realizing with horror that she was right. Lillian had only accompanied me a few times to the royal city and those times, she had been invited by Kryzen and Briella.

Lillian squeezed my hand. “Please don’t feel guilty,” she requested a little earnestly. “I wasn’t hurt at all whenever you didn’t invite me. Maybe I wished I could go, but I understood that it was because it would be difficult for the infirmary if we were both absent for more than a day or two.”

She was right. I realized that immediately and was even more shocked to discover that I had intuitively known that. There were a lot of responsibilities I had at the healing center. I was conducting research as well, and it was a hassle to train university students to continue my experiments in my absence.

Lillian was extremely bright, so I often left those larger responsibilities to her when I had to leave. I had full trust in her and was completely confident that both the infirmary and the lab would still be standing when I returned from traveling.

My girlfriend was such a huge part of the infirmary specifically. She wasn’t just kind and gentle. She was skilled and had a vast knowledge of medicinal practices. I often urged her to continue her education so she could be a higher-level healer, but she claimed to love the more hands-on care that she got to give to children.

After being able to watch her interact with children, I knew I couldn’t ask her to do anything else.

I squeezed her hand, guilt spreading in my chest despite Lillian’s request for me not to feel bad. “I’ll talk to Mathias about seeking out new healers,” I said. “I love you and want you to be able to accompany me each time I have to leave from now on.”

Lillian’s eyes rounded. She grinned at me so wide that it looked like she was glowing. “I would really like that,” she said.

I reached out and tucked a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear, leaning forward to press my lips gently to hers. “Then that’s what we’ll do,” I said once we pulled apart.

As soon as we arrived at the kingdom the following week, I regretted not visiting a lot sooner.

As soon as we walked through the gates, Lillian’s shimmering blue eyes lit up. She gazed around with childlike wonder as I led her down the main road.

It was the middle of the day when we arrived. The kingdom was alive with activity. We passed through the market where pastries and other foods were being sold. The delectable scent of baked bread and warm butter wafted through the air.

Street performers enticed citizens with their colorful outfits and magical displays. One eccentric man shot rainbow fire from his palms. Lillian clapped with delight.

“Should we get some treats for Emberly and Sulien?” Lillian asked, pointing at a cute little shop with delectable treats in the window.

As usual, Lillian had a great idea. She was so kindhearted. Even though she had been that way since I’d known her, it still shocked me each time to witness it firsthand.

She pulled me into the little shop. Like the angel that she was, she charmed the bakery owners. No matter how hard she protested, they insisted on including some extra chocolate rolls with the little cakes we bought for my sister’s family.

Lillian was practically skipping when the palace came into view. My sister must have been waiting at the window like an excited puppy because she burst through the doors when we were about halfway up the long walkway leading to the front door.

Briella had the biggest smile on her face. She ran right over to Lillian and hugged her fiercely. I chuckled and just watched the two fondly as they chirped greetings.

I looked up to see Emberly and Sulien running toward us. I kneeled so I could take them both in my arms.

I was relieved to see that the two hadn’t forgotten me. I always made it a point to spend a lot of time with them when visiting. I saw so much of myself in both of them but a bit more so with Emberly. She was shy and soft-spoken like I had been at that age.

“How long are you staying, Uncle Kai?” Sulien asked, pulling on my arm hard. He sure was strong for only being four.

I ruffled his dark hair fondly. “A couple of days,” I announced. I bent my head to look into his eyes a bit better. “I heard you’re becoming quite the little fighter. Maybe you can show me what you’ve learned so far.”

“Careful there, Kai. This one is a quick learner. He could probably already beat you in a match.”

I smirked and straightened to face my brother-in-law. “I’ll take my chances,” I said good-naturedly. I shook Kryzen’s hand. “Good to see you, Kryzen.”

I stepped away from my brother-in-law only to be tackled by my sister. I laughed and wrapped my arms around her. “Hi, Bri,” I said.

Briella squeezed me tighter. “I can’t believe you’re really here,” she said, pulling away. “You need to visit more.”

I rolled my eyes. “I could tell you the same thing,” I chided teasingly. “When was the last time you visited the valley?”

Briella grimaced. “Too long,” she admitted.

“Don’t feel bad,” I said. “You’re the queen, after all, and a mother. You’re probably the busiest woman in existence.”

“That sounds like an exaggeration if I ever heard one,” Briella said, rolling her eyes. She looked between Lillian and me. “Is there anything you want to do while you’re here?”

I sent Briella a meaningful look. “I was thinking of taking Lillian to the Enchanted Isles.”

Maybe it was my tone of voice or the fact that Briella once told me that the beaches were the most romantic she had ever seen, but my sister seemed to understand my intent immediately. Her green eyes widened before she gave me a knowing smirk. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she said.

“Is this really okay when we’re only visiting for a couple of days?” Lillian asked.

I nodded firmly, tucking her against my side and kissing her temple. “You’ve always said you wanted to see the Enchanted Isles,” I pointed out.

We were currently on a magical luxury train that was taking us to the collection of islands.

Lillian was clearly excited, practically bouncing in her seat as she gazed out the window at the passing landscapes. “Are you sure it’s okay we are making this trip instead of spending time with your sister?”

“Yes,” I said. “There is another reason I wanted to come out here though.”

“Aside from seeing the Enchanted Isles?” Lillian asked.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

Lillian gave me an odd look but didn’t press further.

Briella’s descriptions of the Enchanted Isles did not disappoint. Both Lillian and I were completely mesmerized when we stepped off the train and found ourselves in a completely new world.

“Kai, isn’t this the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen?” Lillian breathed, taking my hand and leading me forward.

All I could do was nod dumbly as we approached the breathtaking landscape of crystal sands and cerulean waters.

Lillian looked at me shyly as we walked on the beautiful beach. “Should we go for a swim?” she asked quietly.

“I would love to,” I said.

We were lucky enough to have the whole beach to ourselves. We both undressed to the bathing suits we wore beneath our clothing. Lillian looked absolutely stunning in her soft pink bathing soon. It went with her creamy skin perfectly.

She gasped as we stepped into the cold water. “It’s freezing!” she squeaked.

I laughed and scooped her up into my arms, pressing her against my warm chest as I continued to walk deeper into the water until the waves were breaking gently around Lillian’s shoulders.

I looked down into the water and felt my eyes grow wide. “Lillian, look,” I murmured.

Lillian obeyed and looked down into the depths, her jaw dropping as she took in the beautiful sight.

Glowing fish were swimming around my legs. The underwater ground looked to be made of some kind of magical rock that shimmered like crystals. There seemed to be a whole other world down there, a wondrous world filled with beauty and life.

At that moment, Lillian and I were a part of it.

A few hours later, Lillian and I put our clothes back on and walked hand in hand on the beach. The sun was starting to set, casting a beautiful pink and orange glow over the blue waters.

I took a calming breath before stopping and turning to face my girlfriend. She blinked up at me, confusion and concern filling her blue eyes.

“What’s wrong, Kai?” she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly as she gazed up at me.

I leaned in and kissed her, pressing my lips to hers slowly, ensuring that she got completely lost in the moment. She gasped against my mouth before relaxing in my arms. I looked into her eyes intensely when I finally pulled away. “Lillian, I need to apologize.”

“For what?” she asked in shock, a little breathless from our kissing.

“For not adequately portraying just how much I love you over the past several years,” I said. “I’m not very good with words, and I believe myself to be extremely dense at times. I’m planning to be much better going forward. I want you to always know how precious you are to me.”

I could see the blood burning in Lillian’s cheeks at my words. “I don’t doubt your affection toward me,” she said earnestly, squeezing my hands. “I love you too, so much. You are constantly showing me that you love me by making sure I don’t forget to eat lunch and walking me home when it’s dark. I’ve never felt more loved by anyone than I do with you.”

I lifted a hand so I could cradle her warm cheek in my palm. “That’s good,” I said. I used my other hand to reach into my pocket, pulling out a tiny velvet box. Lillian’s eyes focused on it and slowly widened. I lifted the lid, revealing the shimmering engagement ring that caught the light from the setting sun. “Because I want you to marry me, Lillian.”

Lillian sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes filling with tears as she stared down at the ring and then up at my face, and then back down at the ring again. She nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks.

I smiled at her, my heart racing madly. I leaned forward and kissed her fiercely before slipping the ring onto her finger.