After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back-Chapter 144: It worked

"Uh..."

The outside was perfectly crisp, but the inside tasted unbearably bitter and astringent.

For a moment, Nina didn’t know whether she should swallow it or spit it out.

Ever since Mino had learned to cook, this was the first time he had completely failed at making a dish.

Seeing Nina’s expression, Mino immediately understood the result. "Nina, if it tastes bad, just spit it out. It’s fine—don’t force yourself."

He blamed himself instantly.

I was too impatient... I didn’t even taste it first.

Nina gave an awkward smile and quickly spat it out. Mino picked up one of the shrimp balls himself and tried it. He spat it out just as quickly.

It was truly awful.

The fruit he had tasted earlier had been sweet and refreshing—how had it turned so bitter after cooking?

He had eaten shrimp before, so that shouldn’t have been the problem.

"Nina... I’m sorry," Mino said quietly, guilt filling his voice. "I didn’t expect this to happen. That fruit was sweet when I tasted it earlier—I don’t know why it turned bitter."

He had only wanted to cook something delicious for her.

Instead, he had made her taste something terrible.

I can’t even cook properly now...

Mino lowered his head, his expression dark with disappointment.

Nina will probably like me even less now.

"It’s okay," Nina said gently, trying to comfort him. "The dish looks incredibly convincing and beautiful already—that’s impressive."

She paused before asking, "Do you still have the fruit you found? Let me see it."

She could tell he had put a great deal of effort into the dish. Most likely, the mistake was simply the ingredient.

Mino took out the fruit he had found.

"It’s this one. It looked very similar to what you described, so I thought this must be the lychee."

Nina took it and examined it carefully.

At first glance, it really did resemble a lychee.

But upon closer inspection, the shell was slightly different. This one still had leaves attached, and Nina had seen lychee leaves before—the leaves clearly didn’t match.

She peeled open the shell.

The flesh inside looked similar too.

No wonder Mino had mistaken it.

"Mino... this isn’t lychee," Nina said gently. "It must be another kind of fruit."

"I’m sorry," Mino murmured, his voice full of frustration. "I made a mistake. I thought this was the lychee you mentioned."

He lowered his gaze, looking defeated.

"I’m really useless."

"It’s not your fault," Nina said quickly. "This fruit really does look very similar to lychee. If you’ve never seen the real one before, it’s completely normal to mix them up."

She thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Actually, this dish doesn’t really need lychee at all. It can be made with just shrimp. It’s called lychee shrimp balls because the shape looks like lychees."

She looked at him expectantly. "I actually really want to eat it. Could you make another batch?"

Mino’s eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"

A spark of hope reignited within them. "Wait here—I’ll go make it right now!"

Without another word, he rushed back out to the kitchen and began working again.

The other males, who had been waiting nearby, immediately understood what had happened the moment they saw him return so quickly.

Even someone with cooking skills as good as Mino’s... could still fail sometimes.

The other males stopped paying attention to him and returned to their own tasks.

Thanks to the earlier attempt, Mino worked much faster this time.

When the dish was ready, he tasted it himself first. Only after confirming that it was good did he bring it back inside for Nina.

Even so, he remained extremely nervous.

Nina took a bite.

"It’s delicious," she said with a smile.

Relief washed over Mino, and he finally smiled as well. "I’m glad you like it. If you ever want to eat it again, just tell me."

"Alright," Nina replied with a soft laugh. "Thank you."

"Nina, you don’t have to thank me," Mino said gently. "I’m your fiancé. This is what I should be doing."

He stepped forward and dropped to one knee in front of her. "Nina... could you try to like me a little? I’m not greedy. Just a little is enough."

Suddenly, he shifted forms—transforming into a small white kitten.

The fluffy little creature climbed onto the edge of the bed and gazed at Nina with pitiful, pleading eyes.

He knew Nina liked his beast form. At this moment, he hoped it might soften her heart.

And it worked.

Seeing the tiny, soft, impossibly adorable kitten, Nina’s resolve melted almost instantly.

It had been a long time since she’d seen him like this.

She couldn’t resist scooping the kitten into her arms and gently petting him. His fur was just as soft as she remembered.

Curled in her embrace, Mino felt a surge of joy. He leaned forward and lightly licked her hand.

"Nina... does that mean you agree?"

Memories of everything they had been through together drifted through Nina’s mind.

After a moment, she gave a quiet answer.

"...I do."

Her feelings for Mino had never been completely absent—though their relationship had always been complicated.

"Really?" Mino was overwhelmed with happiness.

In an instant, he shifted back into human form and pounced forward, pressing Nina down onto the bed.

"Nina—then... can I become your beast husband now?"

He was already her fiancé. Did that mean he could finally take that step?

Nina pressed a hand against his chest, stopping him.

"For now... you can be my guardian beast. We’ll consider the rest later."

"Alright."

Even though he hadn’t advanced directly to the position of beast husband, Nina’s willingness to try accepting him was already more than enough for Mino.

At last, he could truly be close to her.

"Nina..." he murmured.

He gently caressed her cheek, leaning closer.

Nina hesitated for a moment... then slowly closed her eyes.

When he finally touched the sweetness he had longed for, Mino completely lost control.

The kiss was fierce and clumsy—awkward, inexperienced, yet filled with deep, overwhelming affection.

He had dreamed of this moment for so long.

Only when Nina began struggling for breath did he loosen his hold slightly. But moments later, he leaned down and kissed her again.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled back, though reluctance lingered in every movement.

Nina lay softly beneath him.

Mino brushed another tender kiss against the corner of her lips.

"Nina... I’m so happy right now."

Please... never take this happiness away from me.

Just then, the cubs burst into the room.

Nina quickly pushed Mino away, and he reluctantly stood up.

If the cubs hadn’t come in, he felt like he could have held her like that forever.

The cubs blinked curiously before rushing into Nina’s arms.

"Mother! We want hugs too!"

Nina gathered them close, gently stroking their heads before turning to Mino.

"You should go back and get some sleep."

"Alright."

Mino’s heart felt light and sweet as he returned to his room.

Yanai saw the expression on Mino’s face and felt a pang of bitterness.

Did that stupid cat actually succeed...?

He lowered his gaze, unable to suppress the disappointment in his chest.

When will Nina ever look at me that way...?

Kith and the others also felt a quiet envy.

Kith in particular seemed especially dejected.

That night, some were joyful while others lay awake in frustration.

Meanwhile, in a cave not far from the tribe, several beastmen were resting.

"City Lord, we found traces of the young lord nearby," one of them reported. "The scent is very fresh. He should be close."

"Good," Taru said. "It seems we’ll find him soon." He paused for just a moment. "I wonder if he’s found the spirit pearl yet. It’s been so long without any news."

"Rest tonight. We continue searching tomorrow."

"Yes, City Lord."

The next day, Taru led the fox clan beastmen—and soon they arrived at the tribe.