After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 9

The silence in the room seemed to make the very air vibrate.

A strand of gold-pink hair fluttered slightly.

But in an instant, Ju Lin adjusted her fluctuating spiritual power. The air returned to tranquility, and her hair settled back quietly against her shoulders.

She looked at the human before her, whose smile was so brilliant it bordered on arrogant and a flicker of something strange passed through her amber eyes. She had actually allowed her spiritual power to fluctuate to the point of leaking out because of a single sentence from this woman.

Even if it was only for a second, it counted as a loss of control.

Ju Lin watched her, reaching out to brush against the cat’s eye stone bracelet on her wrist, her underlying emotions becoming complex.

This human was always so… unexpected.

Lan Ye looked at the silent Ju Lin with a beaming face. She had no idea what her words had just caused, nor did she realize how dangerous it was for a human when an Orc’s spiritual power went out of control.

She didn’t even know she was facing an Orc in the midst of “Eruption Period” someone whose spiritual power was inherently unstable and who hadn’t taken her medication.

Seeing Ju Lin staring at her in silence, Lan Ye didn’t rush her. In a negotiation, once you lay out your terms, you have to give the other party time to think.

Lan Ye smiled. “Take your time considering it.”

As she spoke, she picked up the menu from the dining table, opened it leisurely, and began to flip through the pages.

Ju Lin watched the human’s demeanor. It was as if she were the one dominating this negotiation, possessing a calm confidence that suggested she held all the cards. Ju Lin had never seen a human act so much like they had the upper hand in front of an Orc.

Ju Lin recalled her initial judgment of the woman from their first meeting yesterday. In her eyes, this human was crude, rude, and possessed no particular strengths, her own proposal of marriage had been a move of desperation, solely for the sake of the child.

She knew the human was calculating and had an agenda. Though she didn’t know exactly what the woman wanted, for the sake of the child, Ju Lin was willing to give her anything except her heart.

She was willing to let her have her way.

But now, the situation seemed to be drifting away from her assumptions.

This human didn’t place herself in an inferior position at all, nor did she seem like someone waiting for a reluctant compromise.

She seemed to hold absolute initiative in this matter.

Furthermore, she didn’t seem to have any feelings for her, contrary to what Ju Lin had anticipated…

Originally, when this human had rejected her proposal only to turn back and ask for her contact information and then message her late at night. Ju Lin had agreed with Si Qing’s guess. She thought the human was simply using a slightly “unique” method to get her attention.

That she was seducing her.

But now, Ju Lin wasn’t sure. She couldn’t tell if this was a very unconventional method of seduction, or if she had been wrong all along and this human truly felt nothing for her…

Regardless of which it was, Ju Lin was certain of one thing.

This human was indeed… very different.

To this day, no one had ever treated her as a mere “backup option.”

“This agreement… how many people have you given it to?”

Ju Lin tapped her finger on the piece of paper covered in scrawled handwriting.

Lan Ye looked up from the menu. “Hmm?”

After her subconscious response, Lan Ye followed Ju Lin’s gesture and looked at the paper on the table.

Realizing what was being asked, Lan Ye smiled. “For the time being, just you.”

How was she supposed to know that the ‘Hajimi’ from last night was the marriage candidate Yao Li had found for her? If she had known, she would have negotiated with her in person yesterday.

Recalling the phone call she had just overheard, Ju Lin didn’t quite believe the human’s words.

Seeing her skepticism, Lan Ye added, “I’m telling the honest truth. These things have to be discussed one by one. If this one doesn’t work out, then I move to the next. Besides, this agreement is handwritten, not photocopied. With all the edits and changes, being able to reuse it counts as saving paper.”

Hearing this explanation, the irritability in Ju Lin’s heart only intensified.

“So, if I don’t agree, you’ll just move on to the next person? Which clause of this agreement do you plan to change then?”

“Which clause?” Lan Ye shook her head. “The content stays the same. I’ll just change the name at the top.”

No matter who she married, she had these same few requirements.

Ju Lin felt a lump of frustration stuck in her chest. She looked at the contents of the agreement, and the final clause in particular made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Lan Ye was smiling happily. She thought that if the Orc in front of her didn’t agree, she’d have to go ask Hajimi. The thought of writing the name ‘Hajimi’ on the paper made her want to laugh.

She hadn’t expected Hajimi to want to marry her too. Recalling how that cute cat had shown her its paws and let her pet them last night, Lan Ye thought Hajimi wasn’t a bad choice either.

Granted, Hajimi wasn’t as beautiful as the Orc in front of her, and her spiritual power was only A-level, but Hajimi was officially enlisted in the military. Even if she was in the cooking squad, everyone has to eat, chefs are famously able to make a living anywhere.

Then there was the Orc in front of her. Lan Ye thought about her profession: Bounty Hunter. She had looked it up, it was a very dangerous job.

In the kingdom established by Orcs, things seemed peaceful, but there was a large scale “Beast Tide” every year. Those were usually handled by the military.

However, in daily life, occasional Orc riots or wild beasts wandering into human areas were usually handed over to Bounty Hunters by the authorities.

Simply put, it was outsourcing, paying capable Orcs to handle these dangerous situations.

There was no security, the money was earned by putting one’s life on the line.

In that comparison, Hajimi won. She had a stable government job and was safe. She was very “steady.”

In the human world, stability is often a top requirement for a marriage partner.

She blinked, thinking that in a comprehensive comparison, Hajimi didn’t actually lose by much.

“So, can you accept this agreement? If not, I really need to go ask Hajimi.”

Ju Lin frowned. She suddenly remembered what Si Qing had said that this human might marry another Orc and have her child call someone else “Mother.”

At that image, Ju Lin’s amber pupils narrowed into slits, but it happened so fast that Lan Ye didn’t notice before they returned to normal.

“Do you have a pen?” Ju Lin asked, looking at Lan Ye.

“Yes.” Lan Ye pulled a pen from her bag and handed it over. “What are you going to do?”

As Ju Lin took the pen, their fingertips brushed for a fleeting second, yet Lan Ye felt as if she had been burned.

“Are you really okay? Your body temperature is very high,” Lan Ye said, a bit worried.

Ju Lin glanced at her, wondering if this human was deep in a performance or truly oblivious.

“I’m fine.”

She uncapped the pen and drew a long line across the paper.

“I can sign this agreement, but one clause needs to be modified.”

Lan Ye immediately leaned in close. “Which one?”

Ju Lin’s hand paused just as she was about to make the edit. She looked at the woman who had leaned in; Lan Ye was practically pressed against her arm.

So hot.

Lan Ye also felt the heat. She turned her head to look at Ju Lin. “You’re really okay? I feel like you have a fever.”

As she spoke, her warm breath brushed directly against Ju Lin’s neck. Ju Lin’s heart skipped a beat, and her straight hair fluttered upward once again.

Ju Lin used the end of the pen to push against Lan Ye’s approaching face while simultaneously sliding over to create some distance.

“Stay back.”

Lan Ye’s cheek was pressed inward by the rounded end of the pen, forcing a dimple into her skin.

Her large eyes were filled with silent accusation against Ju Lin’s actions. Realizing the impropriety of her behavior, Ju Lin retracted her hand and, avoiding Lan Ye’s gaze, began quickly modifying the agreement on the paper.

Lan Ye assumed Ju Lin didn’t want her to see what was being changed, which felt like a redundant gesture since she’d have to see it once it was finished anyway. She guessed Ju Lin was probably editing the second clause, the one requiring Lin to provide a residence after marriage and cover all expenses during the pregnancy.

That clause involved actual, hard cash.

When the modified agreement was finally handed back, Lan Ye’s face was a mask of surprise. It wasn’t the second clause that had been changed, but the fifth.

[Fifth: After marriage, both parties shall fulfill their marital obligations, ensuring the frequency and quality of their sexual life.]

This clause had been completely crossed out with a thick black line. Below it, in elegant, vigorous handwriting, a new line had been written:

[Fifth: Before the child is born, both parties shall not engage in any intimate behavior that crosses the line.]

What does this mean? A sexless marriage?!

Lan Ye looked at Ju Lin in disbelief, demanding an explanation.

Ju Lin said calmly, “You are pregnant.”

Lan Ye was puzzled. “You can’t have a sexless life just because you’re pregnant?”

Ju Lin said in a deep voice, “It’s dangerous.”

In reality, it was possible… as long as the Orc’s spiritual power was properly maintained.

Ju Lin’s spiritual power was perfectly fine, but she simply didn’t want to.

She looked at the human’s expression, a mix of regret, disappointment, conflict, and resentment. Until she was certain of the human’s feelings, she had no desire to engage in intimate acts with her again.

She didn’t know if it was just an illusion, but when the human proposed that original clause, Ju Lin felt as though she were being treated as nothing more than a way to satisfy physical needs… a bedmate who could be discarded at any moment.

It gave Ju Lin a sense of being offended.

Lan Ye couldn’t believe it. Carrying a kitten meant no sex? She had a feeling that for humans, it was allowed as long as the pregnancy was further along, though she wasn’t entirely sure, she’d mostly read about it in novels.

She looked down at her belly. She knew it took six months to carry a kitten, and she was only one month in. That meant for the next five months, she and Lin would be a married couple in name only.

What a bolt from the blue!

After exactly three seconds of intense grieving, Lan Ye accepted it.

Though she was someone who enjoyed her pleasures, since she planned to give birth to this kitten, the baby’s safety had to come first.

“Fine.” Lan Ye cheered herself up. Five months would actually go by pretty fast.

Ju Lin looked in surprise at the human who was lamenting one second and acting as if nothing had happened the next… she felt she understood this human less and less.

Fortunately, she would have time to figure it out later.

After quickly signing her name in the blank space at the bottom of the agreement, she handed the pen to Lan Ye. “Sign it. I’ll have a lawyer notarize it so it takes effect.”

Looking at the returned agreement, it was Lan Ye’s turn to hesitate. Without that last clause, she suddenly felt like Hajimi might have been a better choice. She had originally leaned toward Ju Lin, and though she hadn’t said it aloud, that final clause had actually carried a lot of weight in her decision.

Thinking back to how it felt that night made her heart itch.

But now… she looked at Ju Lin. To have someone like this right in front of her, visible but untouchable, it was going to be painful.

In her hesitation, Lan Ye glanced down at her abdomen. Ever since Lin had suddenly appeared at the bus stop to protect her, her belly had felt warm, as if a gentle current of heat were circling it. It was very comfortable.

Forget it. For the sake of the child. There was a chance that Hajimi and the kitten’s spiritual powers would be incompatible.

Lan Ye picked up the pen and signed her name.

As soon as the last stroke was finished, Ju Lin snatched the paper from the table, took a photo, and sent it off. In less than a minute, she received a reply and showed it to Lan Ye.

“The agreement is notarized.”

Lan Ye gasped. “Huh?”

She looked at the image on Ju Lin’s phone. Her handwritten, scribbled over agreement now bore the official stamp of some law firm.

“That’s it? It’s done?”

Ju Lin withdrew the phone. “What else were you expecting?”

Lan Ye’s eyelids twitched. This efficiency felt a bit reckless.

Ju Lin asked, “Do you have your ID card?”

Snapping out of her surprise, Lan Ye looked at her and nodded.

After the parent-teacher meeting for Xiao Xiao yesterday, Lan Shan had finished getting all of Lan Ye’s documents in order and handed them over last night. She had the whole set in her backpack.

The “original” Lan Ye had been declared dead; she was now occupying her existence.

Lan Ye pulled out the ID card. On the front were four large words: [Meow Meow Kingdom]. On the back, there was only her name. It was so simple it almost looked like a joke.

Who would have thought this was the identification card of this world?

Ju Lin took it, tapped it against her phone, scanned the information, clicked confirm, and began filling out details.

Just as Lan Ye leaned her head in curiously to see what she was doing, Ju Lin turned the phone toward her and snatched off her hat.

“What are you doing?”

“Look at the camera.”

Lan Ye looked at the phone held in front of her with the camera active. Her face on the screen looked completely dazed.

Click. The screen captured her bewildered expression.

After retracting the phone, Ju Lin answered Lan Ye’s previous question: “Registering the marriage.”

“Wait, what?” Lan Ye was stunned.

Click. Ju Lin’s image was also captured.

After hitting submit, a second later, a ding sounded as a file arrived.

Ju Lin took one look and forwarded it to Lan Ye.

“Marriage certificate. Check it.”

“What?!”

The watch on Lan Ye’s wrist beep-beeped and lit up. After unlocking it, she saw a message from Lin.

She clicked the file in the message. It was a picture.

The image was too large and the watch screen was too small. Lan Ye scrolled up, down, left, and right until she finally saw all the words.

**[The marriage application for human citizen Lan Ye and Orc citizen Lin has been approved.

The marriage officially takes effect on October 1, Meow Calendar 2025.

Blessings to the newlyweds. May you be of one heart forever and live in happiness.]**

Below the text was a photo.

It was literally just two faces cropped and pasted onto one picture.

Lan Ye looked utterly confused, while Ju Lin had a solemn face that showed not a hint of joy.

In the corner of the photo, there was a bright red seal that read: Meow Meow Kingdom Special Seal for Marriage Registration.

“What?” Lan Ye looked at Lin in utter disbelief. “We’re just… married? Just like that?”