Help! I'm in Another World and the Dragon Man Want Me To Get Pregnant!
Chapter 109: Side Story: Gabriel’s Predicament (Part 3)

Chapter 109: Side Story: Gabriel’s Predicament (Part 3)

"Yes. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to return home for today. I’ll make it up to you properly later."

Gabriel pleaded gently, his voice calm.

But the boy’s youthful face twisted with sorrow and pain, and the hand he had hesitantly reached out faltered, curling back against his chest as he stood frozen in place.

"Morin?"

"Am I... not enough?"

"What?"

The tears began to spill from Morin’s large eyes, falling one after another onto the floor.

Gabriel who is shocked by this scene stepped forward, only for the boy’s arms to suddenly wrap around him in a tight embrace.

"I’ll be useful to you, Uncle Gabriel. I’ll get along with Uncle Lysander. I like him too, so it’s fine."

"Morin—"

"I won’t get in the way of your relationship with him. I won’t try to be first. I’ll bear many children. So please—"

"Morin!"

Gabriel pulled away, gripping the boy by the shoulders to look at him properly.

Even now, his tear-streaked face was that of a child.

He tried to act mature, but inside, he was still so young.

And yet, he was saying such things—offering himself as though his only worth was in bearing children, as if that were his sole purpose.

"I love you."

His voice trembled with raw emotion, the weight of his feelings unmistakable.

"You might laugh, thinking I’m just a foolish child. But I’m serious. I truly love you, Gabriel. I’ve loved you for so long, always chasing after you."

Unlike Gabriel, who had once dismissed his childhood confession as nothing more than innocent words, Morin had always been serious.

And even now, his unwavering devotion remained.

"I don’t care if it’s just convenience. As long as you need me, that’s enough. I’ll do anything to stay by your side. So—"

Morin clung to Gabriel, pressing his lips against his in a desperate, pleading kiss.

Gabriel didn’t move.

He didn’t return the kiss.

Because he knew—he could not accept these feelings.

Then—

A loud crash.

Gabriel spun around just in time to see Lysander standing in the doorway, his face pale.

Their eyes met for only a brief moment before Lysander turned sharply on his heel, fleeing.

"Lysander!" Gabriel called out, but the man was already rushing away.

Without hesitation, Gabriel chased after him.

Catching up was easy—Lysander was human, and Gabriel’s speed was far greater.

He reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back forcefully.

"Lysander!"

Lysander’s face was completely drained of color, yet he still forced a smile, trying to play it off.

"Ah... I think I’ll head back to my homeland for a while."

He attempted to turn away again, but Gabriel refused to let him go.

His grip tightened.

Lysander winced slightly, his beautiful eyes flickering with the faintest trace of pain.

"You don’t have a home to return to," Gabriel reminded him.

"Ah..."

A moment of hesitation.

A look of discomfort.

Why?

Why did Lysander always doubt his love?

Why wouldn’t he just accept it?

If he had something to say, Gabriel wanted him to say it outright.

They were husbands.

They were supposed to face everything together.

"Lysander!"

"That boy... he’s a good kid, isn’t he? And he also has useful skills for you. He’s young, strong. I think he’d be a good match. Don’t worry about me. Just take him."

"...Are you being serious?"

"...I am."

Then why wouldn’t he meet his eyes?

Why was he looking away as if running from the truth?

Gabriel had had enough.

He grabbed Lysander and kissed him—fierce, unyielding, swallowing any protests before they could form.

He deepened it, his tongue tangling messily with Lysander’s, leaving no room for him to escape.

He wouldn’t let Lysander running away from him.

Wouldn’t let him look away from him.

He held him so tightly, so possessively, that it stole Lysander’s very breath.

"Say it. What are you thinking?"

"Ah..."

"I have only ever wanted you. I love you. Do you... not love me at all?"

As Gabriel’s words struck like an ultimatum, tears welled up in Lysander’s eyes, spilling over almost instantly.

It was the moment his carefully guarded emotions finally collapsed.

"I love you," Lysander admitted, his voice trembling. "But... sometimes love isn’t enough."

"Isn’t enough?"

"I’m weak... I can’t bear any more children with you!"

His desperate outburst pierced through Gabriel’s heart more than anything else could.

So that’s what had been weighing on him all this time.

He had kept it inside, carrying that burden alone, never speaking of it.

Tears fell freely from Lysander’s eyes, staining his cheeks.

He wiped them away irritably with the hem of his sleeve, as if ashamed, before continuing in a voice filled with bitter resentment.

"I can’t give you any more children! My body won’t survive it—they told me it was impossible! And yet, you’re royalty. It’s just you and Gavi left. If anything were to happen to Gavi, there’d be no heir. But no matter how much I try, I can’t do it anymore. So... all I can do is to endure it."

Lysander clutched at Gabriel’s clothes, his body trembling, his head bowed.

He looked as if he might collapse at any moment.

Gabriel stiffened.

Those words—

"Have they been saying this to you all along?"

Lysander gave a small nod.

A slow-burning rage rose within Gabriel—half directed at his father, and half at himself for failing to protect the one he loved.

"I’m a failure of a spouse," Lysander continued, his voice cracking. "Other people have multiple children, but I could only give you one. And now I can’t have it any more. So of course, they say you should take another partner, someone who can bear more children for you. What was I supposed to say to that? It’s the truth, isn’t it? The truth doesn’t leave room for arguments. All I can do is just to accept it."

His voice faded into nothing, swallowed by his pain.

Gabriel pulled him close and wrapping his arms around him gently.