"You big meanie!" Ivy bashfully lowered her soft pink fists, face burning with embarrassment. So he knew? Then before, before this, didn't he...
"Do you realize how your shyness torments us? We're not outsiders, we're your husbands!" Eli Crane wiped away his smile and said with utmost seriousness.
Hearing this, Ivy instinctively nodded, "But... but right now..." She glanced down at her bulging belly, cheeks flushing even harder.
Just then, Eli Crane leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Old Man Sai has been adding powerful fetus-protection medicine to your supplements every day. Besides, I'll be gentle." Before Ivy could reply, he took her earlobe into his mouth, making her shiver and moan softly.
Meanwhile, in a hidden passage below...
"Shameless, so shameless!" Butterfly Rogue grumbled, sulking. When did this guy turn into such a beast?
"Seriously, way too shameless. And doing it like that..." Caleb Miles chimed in, clearly thinking that move should've been his!
"Turns out... sigh!" Lucian Vane shook his head, exasperated. "Turns out he's the repressed wild type! Damn, Eli Crane, who would've thought you could be this spicy? Looks like I'll have to work harder in bed—being spicy should be my thing!"
"Never judge a book by its cover!" Adrian Night propped his chin on one hand, deep in thought. After speaking, he shot a glance at Liam Willow beside him.
"W-why are you looking at me? I... I'm not like that!" Liam Willow stammered, squirming under Adrian Night's gaze.
"Never judge a book by its cover, yeah, that's right!" Everyone nodded and looked at Liam Willow.
"D-don't look at me like that, I... every time, it's always my wife who eats me up. I never get to take the lead!" The little White Rabbit hung his head, awkwardly twisting his shirt hem.
At that, everyone fell silent. So the little White Rabbit is always the passive one, huh. Tsk, that's no good—men should take the initiative!
But among the group gleefully poking fun, one stayed quiet and even gave Liam Willow a comforting look—that was Butterfly Rogue!
Turns out, he wasn't the only one among the seven husbands who always played the passive role. Finally, someone else was just like him—a soulmate!
"Ugh, this is torture. Why did we even dig this tunnel? Listening to these sounds is pure agony!" Ethan Chu groaned, suffering as the noises from above kept coming.
He'd made this room especially for Ivy, and under the bed was a secret passage. Thanks to the thick bedding and wooden boards with lots of little holes, every word spoken upstairs came through crystal clear down below.
"Ethan, aren't you a king? Is it really ethical for you to be down here eavesdropping?" Lucian Vane turned and looked at Ethan Chu.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, Ethan, you're a whole emperor! And you have a secret chamber under your bedroom? Tell us, did you used to sneak down here a lot? What were you up to, huh?" Caleb Miles squinted at him suspiciously.
"Hey, what's with those looks? Sure, I'm a king, but when I'm with you guys, I'm also a husband. Of course, during the day, I'm the emperor!" Ethan Chu grinned sheepishly, clearly a bit embarrassed.
If the people found out their beloved emperor was eavesdropping in a secret tunnel late at night, wouldn't that be a little... questionable?!
"Hey, Ethan, whose room is that above us? Why does it have a secret passage?" Eli Crane asked curiously.
"That room's mine, but I honestly have no clue how the secret chamber got there. I discovered it as a kid—nobody played with me, so I'd come here alone." He sighed. "Even if I disappeared, no one ever noticed."
"Don't worry, Ethan! With us around, you'll never be lonely again," Eli Crane quickly promised.
"That's right, we're family now!" The others chimed in. Ever since the Flame Valley incident, their bond was real.
Suddenly, Liam Willow voiced his worry: "Do you think Ivy will find out about us down here?"
"Relax, this place is super hidden. She'll never notice," Ethan Chu assured him.
"Shh, let's keep listening!" The gossip crew tiptoed over and pressed their ears to the bedboard, listening intently.
"Xin'er..." Eli Crane kissed her deeply, making the person on the bed tremble all over.
But just then, both of them froze for a moment—though Eli Crane quickly brushed it off and kept kissing her.
"Mmm..." So comfortable!
Wait, something's off. It feels like someone is eavesdropping!
"Mmm..." So thrilling!
It's obvious—there are six distinct presences!
"Mmm..." So tingly, I want more!
Those six guys—oh my god, are they under the bed?!
"Mmm..." Can't take it anymore, need it!
What to do? If they're eavesdropping like this, she ought to scold them!
"Mmm..." Forget it, she doesn't have the strength to care. She just wants him!
This can't go on—if they keep doing this, won't they all start eavesdropping? There'll be no house rules left!
"Ohhh..." They've joined together. So comfortable, so thrilling, so tingly... I just wish he'd go a little faster...
Crap, forgot they're down there! What now?
"Xin'er..." Her ever-changing expressions made Eli Crane laugh out loud. Rather than let her keep worrying, he'd rather make her fall completely—so she wouldn't care about those six guys at all!
"Linghe..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I... I want it, please, please go faster..." Ugh, even with an egg in her belly, he was being way too gentle! She really wanted him to speed up just a little!
"As you wish, my lady." Hearing her command, Eli Crane obeyed—moving with more effort, lips curling into a wicked grin, and with his free hand tapping the bedboard, clearly to tease the guys below...
"Oh no, they've found us!" Liam Willow was the first to cry out, super worried. What to do, what to do, if Ivy finds out she'll be furious—the consequences will be dire!
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But while Liam Willow was panicking, the other five looked downright grim. They all glared up at the bedboard—damn you, Eli Crane, how dare you taunt them like this? So shameless!
Just as the six guys were gnashing their teeth in frustration, something said above made them instantly switch sides.
"Xin'er..."
"Hmm? What's up?" Ivy, still unsatisfied, wondered why he'd stopped—she wanted more!
"How about we get married tomorrow?"
"Married?" Ivy was stunned for a moment.
"Yeah, look—Adrian Night, Lucian Vane, Caleb Miles, and little White Rabbit have all married you. But there are still three of us who haven't bowed at the hall. Why not hold a wedding tomorrow?" Eli Crane knew exactly how to seize the moment.
"This... oh..." Ivy hesitated, but when Eli Crane thrust again, she felt herself floating.
"Xin'er, we don't need anything fancy. We just want to officially bow at the hall with you—can we?"
Seeing his impossibly handsome face, Ivy finally nodded, "Alright, tomorrow let my sister preside—we'll get married!"
"Xin'er..." Eli Crane said no more, focusing on making sure the person beneath him was thoroughly satisfied.
"Honestly, Eli Crane is actually a really good guy!" Ethan Chu piped up.
"Totally! He's always been the most considerate of us all, and super upright!" Eli Crane added quickly.
"Hey, since we're getting married tomorrow, let's get busy. I'll have the tailor whip up groom's robes tonight—let's go try them on!" Ethan Chu said, raring to go.
"Great, Ethan! And make sure mine's got some big gemstones on it!"
"No problem, no problem!"
"And make one for Liam, too!"
"No problem, no problem!"
So the two of them left arm in arm, grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly getting married meant lots of work ahead!
Meanwhile, the other four shot death glares at the two who'd switched sides—just earlier they'd been gnashing their teeth, and now, so shameless!
"If we're marrying, I'm in too! Last time didn't count." Caleb Miles dashed off, eyes shining at the thought of gemstone-studded robes—score!
"No backbone! Didn't you already get married once?" Lucian Vane scoffed, then added, "I'm going to go mock him in person!" He hurried off too—another chance to marry, and this time with the baby, how sacred!
"What about us..." Liam Willow looked at Adrian Night, then at the others already gone, unsure what to do.
"Little White Rabbit, we're going too! Can't miss out on the wedding—I'm the first husband, remember!" Adrian Night declared grandly, then dragged the timid little White Rabbit away. "Wait for us, Ethan! We want gemstone robes too!"
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(Author's note: Red Sleeve has been buggy these days, making updates a pain—sorry for the delay! Added an extra thousand words today as a treat. Also, I'm shamelessly begging for tips—haven't gotten any in ages, so my motivation is low. Please tip if you enjoy the story! Stimulate me~~!!