She nodded and replied, "Yes, I will be your partner." Anara's smile shone brightly as she looked at Orion's cheerful expression.
Orion stood up and held her close, planting a passionate kiss on her lips. Anara, experiencing her first kiss ever, melted in Orion's arms, understanding the significance of the moment for a human.
She enjoyed it to the fullest.
After their kiss, Orion pulled back and gazed into her eyes. "From today onwards, Anara, you are my partner," he declared.
"Mhh," Anara responded charmingly, nodding her head with a warm smile.
She not only embraced the opportunity to understand how having a partner felt and how to treat one, which was like learning something new, but she now had a child.
This opened up another whole new wave of emotions she had never known were possible, despite several years of being alive.
It felt different from taking care of the other tree nymphs who had sprouted up all over the garden. Anara felt extremely excited, and the only reason she could maintain her calm composure was her long experience in knowing how to keep her emotions from affecting her outward demeanour.
Seeing that everything was settled, Orion engaged in a chat with Anara about several more things. They discussed their daughter's habits, such as her energetic times and when it would be a good time for her and Grace to visit his hut for introductions to the family.
They also talked about her well-being, ensuring she was okay after getting pregnant as a tree nymph and conceiving.
After their discussion, Orion and Anara decided to return to meet with the Village Chief and the others who were still waiting outside of the hut. Orion had doubted if they would wait long, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that they were all still present.
"Ahem! I have an announcement to make, everyone," Anara said, observing the Village Chief, the Chieftess, their son, and the Leftward Stronghold Leader, all of whom stared at her with curious and impatient eyes.
"Come on, don't keep us waiting any longer. How were you able to become pregnant, and who is the father of your child?" Village Chieftess Zara said impatiently, mirroring the curiosity of the others as they all fixed their eyes on Anara, who seemed to be smiling more brightly than before.
Anara, clearly relishing the opportunity to tease the Village Chieftess and the rest, which she didn't often have, kept them in suspense for a few more moments.
Then, suddenly, she stretched out her hand to clasp Orion's, announcing, "The father of my child is Orion."
A hush fell over the area, only to be broken by a snicker.
"Tch! When I saw her face, I knew that he was the one," the Village Chief remarked, clicking his tongue in mild frustration.
If Overseer Anara had shared this from the beginning, they wouldn't have had to wait for her return.
Shaking his head tiredly, the Village Chief realized he had just wasted several minutes that could have been better spent informing the other key figures about the upcoming meeting.
However, there was still time to do so and prepare.
The Village Chief nodded at Anara and Orion, saying, "Alright, we will discuss this in detail later. For now, I have to go inform Thak to send a message to the other key figures about the meeting later today." With that, he turned to nod at his wife and the others.
Then, he transformed into his giant, green-horned owl form and took to the sky, heading straight towards the village.
Seeing the Village Chief's hurried departure and annoyed expression, Anara chuckled before she continued with her announcement, no longer finding the need to tease them.
"I also want to inform you all that Orion and I have become partners from now onwards," she announced once more.
Their eyes widened in disbelief, especially Leftward Stronghold Leader Zogar, who stared at them in dumbfounded amazement.
After a while, Stronghold Leader Zogar shook his head and let out a sigh. He said, "May Naka bless you two and your relationship. Maybe once everything has settled down, we'll throw a big celebration for both of you. I'm sure that an Overseer tree nymph getting engaged will surely throw the village into an uproar. But for now, I have to get back to the border and check on how the warriors are doing and its current condition."
With that, he turned around and quickly took off into the sky with an almost silent "boom."
"I wish I could stay a little bit longer and find out more about your relationship. However, I also need to get back and rest so that I can absorb this new information I've just learned," Zara said, exhaling deeply.
After a brief conversation with both of them, she nodded before proceeding to walk away with the unknown man who Orion had just learned was her son and also the one who had led the rescue mission to save him along with Fifi.
Once they had left, Orion returned to the other hut with Anara. He picked up Greta, and after saying their goodbyes for the moment, he went back to their hut with Greta in his arms.
Lola offered to escort him back, saying she wanted to make sure Greta was okay before leaving.
Nevertheless, Orion was looking forward to spending quality time with his wives and didn't want anything to interrupt their moment.
So, he thanked her and made his way to his hut to finally reunite with his wives.
…....….
"How is she doing?" Fifi asked, her gaze fixed on Gina, who appeared visibly depressed and weak.
Grandma Meldra sighed and replied, "She has improved with the medicine Greta prepared before leaving to treat Orion. However, if she doesn't eat soon, I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before she falls ill again."
Grandma Meldra extended a Kalna fruit toward Gina's mouth, but Gina shook her head and rolled over to the other side of the mat where she lay.
