Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 198: Blueprints and Wedding Menus

The best part about the new cliffside manor was, undoubtedly, the kitchen.

Caspian had completely outdone himself. He knew my soul belonged to the culinary arts, so he had built a sanctuary of pale stone and gleaming copper, complete with a massive, roaring hearth and a wall of glass windows that overlooked the sparkling ocean.

Right now, however, that beautiful kitchen was covered in crumpled pieces of parchment, spilled ink, and half-eaten test pastries.

I chewed on the end of my quill, my nine silver tails swishing in agitation behind me. Designing a wedding menu was supposed to be fun. But designing a wedding menu for a Bunny-kin and a Fox-kin was a logistical nightmare.

"Carrots," I muttered to myself, crossing out a line on the parchment. "No, too cliché. She’ll think I’m making a joke. But if I serve too much heavy meat, Luna won’t be able to eat anything. And if I serve only salads, Jax and his guard friends will riot."

"Mom!"

The loud, cheerful shout broke me out of my culinary despair.

I turned just as Orion came sprinting into the kitchen. My nine-year-old son was a whirlwind of energy, his messy, iridescent silver hair bouncing around his face. His striking teal eyes—an exact copy of his father’s—were bright with excitement. He was carrying a large, surprisingly heavy wooden board covered in damp, grey clay.

My heart did a familiar, warm little flip as I looked at him. I hadn’t given birth to the little Jiaoren prince. Years ago, when I first stumbled into this chaotic world, I was just a desperate chef hired to be his nanny. I had wiped his tears, made his snacks, and chased him around when he refused to take a bath.

He didn’t share my blood, but looking at his bright smile, none of that mattered. He was my son in every single way that counted.

"Careful, little prince, the floor is slippery," I warned, quickly moving a bowl of flour out of his way so he could heave the wooden board onto the marble kitchen island.

"Look what I made!" Orion beamed, tapping the damp clay with clay-covered fingers. "Dad helped me bake the bottom so it wouldn’t leak, but I built all the walls myself!"

I leaned over to inspect his work. It wasn’t just a lumpy clay pot. It was a remarkably detailed, miniature model of our new manor’s courtyard. He had used little pebbles to make the pathways and carved out tiny, perfect grooves for the water to flow through.

"Orion, this is amazing," I said, genuinely impressed.

"See this part?" Orion pointed eagerly to a little tower made of stacked stones. "Dad showed me how the water from the big fountain comes down the hill. So, I made this little slide going all the way around the tower! The water spins around it, and then it falls into the pool down here. I made the walls super thick right at the bottom so it doesn’t splash over the edge and make mud!"

He didn’t use big words like ’kinetic force’ or ’structural reinforcement’—he was only nine, after all—but the way his mind worked was brilliant. He inherently understood how things fit together, just like his father.

"That is so smart," I praised, kissing the top of his messy head. "You solved the splashing problem all by yourself?"

"Yep!" Orion puffed out his chest proudly. "Jasper told me yesterday that my fountain was going to flood the garden. But I fixed it. Water goes where you tell it to go, as long as you build the path right."

"He’s right, you know."

A deep, warm voice echoed from the doorway. Caspian leaned casually against the stone arch, his arms crossed over his chest. My husband was dressed in loose, dark trousers and a simple white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His silver hair was still slightly damp from the ocean, and he looked entirely too handsome for a regular Tuesday morning.

"He figured out the spiral channel on his second try," Caspian said, walking over to join us at the island. He ruffled Orion’s hair, his eyes full of quiet, bursting pride. "The boy has a gift for building."

"I like making houses," Orion declared, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. "Maybe when I’m big, I can build a giant castle for all of us. And I’ll put a water slide in the dining room!"

"I look forward to it," Caspian chuckled, before turning his gaze to the absolute disaster area that was my side of the kitchen counter. He raised a dark eyebrow. "Are you building a castle out of paper, Little Rose? Because it looks like a hurricane hit this table."

I groaned, dropping my forehead onto the cool marble counter. "I’m trying to finalize the menu for Luna and Jax’s wedding. It’s impossible. They have totally opposite diets!"

Caspian stepped behind me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist and pulling my back flush against his chest. He rested his chin on my shoulder, looking down at my messy notes.

"What’s the problem?" Caspian asked, his deep voice a soothing rumble against my back. "You’re the greatest chef in the Empire. Just cook something they both like."

"That’s the issue," I sighed, leaning into his warmth. "Jax is a Fox-kin guard. He burns a massive amount of energy and loves roasted meats, heavy spices, and savory pies. Luna is a Bunny-kin. She has a delicate stomach. She loves fresh greens, sweet berries, and light pastries. If I make a giant roast, Luna’s family will feel left out. If I make a vegetable feast, Jax’s guard friends will be starving."

Orion, who was happily munching on his apple, tilted his head. "Why don’t you just mix them?"

I blinked, lifting my head. "Mix them?"

"Yeah!" Orion said around a mouthful of apple. "When Uncle Jax comes over to visit, he always eats those spicy chicken skewers you make. But Miss Luna really likes those sweet honey-buns. Can’t you just make... spicy honey-buns?"

Caspian let out a low laugh. "Spicy honey-buns. A bold culinary choice, little prince."

"Wait," I breathed, my eyes widening as the pieces suddenly clicked together in my head. I grabbed my quill and pulled a fresh piece of parchment toward me. "No, Orion is actually a genius."

Orion grinned. "I am?"

"You are!" I started writing furiously. "Not spicy honey-buns, but... a sweet honey and apricot glaze over spiced roasted duck! The meat is rich enough for the foxes, but the sweet fruit glaze is light and entirely perfect for the bunnies!"

"See?" Caspian murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. "You just needed to look at it differently."

"And for the appetizers!" I continued, the inspiration flowing now. "I won’t do boring salads. I’ll do savory vegetable tarts. Flaky, buttery pastry crusts filled with roasted root vegetables and a light cheese. It feels heavy and satisfying for the carnivores, but it’s entirely vegetarian for Luna’s family!"

"And cake?" Orion asked, his eyes lighting up at the most important part of any wedding. "Can the cake be huge?"

"The cake," I said, tapping my chin, "will be a three-tiered vanilla bean sponge, layered with fresh forest berries. But, we will decorate the outside with spun sugar that looks like metallic gears and little flowers. To represent the guard and the merchant."

Orion pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! And I can help you build the cake! If we put wooden sticks inside the bottom layer, the top layers won’t squish it. It’s just like building a tower!"

I couldn’t help but laugh, my heart swelling with so much affection for my boys that it actually ached.

"Deal," I smiled, reaching out to wipe a smudge of clay off Orion’s cheek. "You can be my Chief Cake Architect. But only if you wash your hands first."

"I’m going to the sink right now!" Orion announced, taking off toward the washing basin at the other end of the kitchen.

Caspian watched him go, a soft, contented smile on his face. He tightened his arms around my waist, swaying me gently from side to side. "You’re doing a good job with him, you know. He’s happy. He’s thriving."

"We’re doing a good job," I corrected softly, turning in his arms so I could loop my hands around his neck.

Caspian looked down at me, his teal eyes dark and tender. He didn’t have a crown anymore. He didn’t have an ocean to rule. But standing here in our messy kitchen, smelling like sea salt and listening to our son splash water in the sink, he looked exactly like a man who had everything he ever wanted.

"A sweet and spicy wedding feast," Caspian mused, leaning down so his lips were just a breath away from mine. "Fitting for this family, don’t you think?"

"Very fitting," I whispered, right before he kissed me.

"Ew! No kissing in the kitchen!" Orion yelled from the sink. "I’m trying to wash off the mud!"

Caspian pulled back, laughing that deep, chest-rumbling laugh that I loved so much.

"Hurry up, architect!" Caspian called back to him. "We have a three-story cake to engineer, and the Sovereign requires our assistance!"

I smiled, picking up my quill again. The menu was finally perfect. And honestly? So was everything else.