Chapter 8 — Little Fish and the White Serpent

His childish expression coaxed a sudden laugh out of me, and I shook my head, my eyes softening. Night, just how old are you anyway?

No matter my age, I still know when to be jealous.

I turned around, leaned in close, and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his lips.

Is this enough to satisfy you?

His eyes flared with sudden brilliance. What about this side? I obliged, kissing his other cheek.

And my forehead.

I leaned up and kissed his forehead as well.

And…

Night! I gave him a playful punch to the chest. Do not push your luck.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms securely around me and pulling me tight against his body. Little Fish, thank you.

Whatever for?

Thank you for letting me be your husband.

I nestled deeper into his embrace, my gaze drifting toward the small serpent curled up and fast asleep beside the pillow. Its tiny belly rose and fell in a gentle, steady rhythm with every breath it took.

Night.

Hmm?

How do you think our child will turn out when it grows up?

I have no idea. His gaze remained fixed entirely on me, holding a quiet, unwavering devotion. But no matter what it looks like, it is ours.

Little Fish. He murmured my name softly before pressing one final, lingering kiss to my hair. I will make you happy for the rest of our lives.

A soft, choked laugh escaped my throat. Of course you will. Our family is going to be happy, forever and always.

Extra Chapter

Night never would have imagined that there would come a day when he sat face to face with Fan Han like this. Outside the window stretched the glittering nightscape of the Ecological City, a constellation of countless lights blinking to life across the sprawling metropolis. Inside the quiet room sat only two figures: one a black serpent, the other a white serpent. Fan Han leaned back against the high-backed chair, his cold blue eyes fixed on Night with an unreadable expression.

You actually had the nerve to show your face here.

Night said nothing, merely reaching out to lift the porcelain teacup from the table and taking a slow, measured sip.

Are you not afraid I would set a trap and capture you?

You would not do that. Night set the teacup back down with a soft click. You came here tonight to negotiate a truce.

Fan Han let out a dry, mocking laugh. And how would you know that?

Night offered no reply. After a long, tense silence, Fan Han finally broke the quiet, his voice dropping an octave. How is she?

Both of them knew precisely who the pronoun referred to.

She is doing very well, Night answered, a subtle warmth touching his tone. Every single day is filled with joy.

Fan Han’s gaze darkened, a shadow passing over his features. That is good.

Another heavy silence settled over the room. Fan Han stared at the black serpent sitting across from him, suddenly finding the entire situation rather absurd. Thirty years of bitter feuds, generations of blood debts between their two clans, and what was it that finally forced them to sit down at the same table? A human woman.

As the young lord of the white serpent clan, he was supposed to be just like his father, believing that beastmen belonged to a superior race and that fragile, fleeting humans were beneath them, entirely unworthy of any grace or favor. Once upon a time, he had truly believed that, and he had acted accordingly. Right up until the moment he met her. The girl with the birthmark stamped across her cheek, always flashing a goofy, gap-toothed smile. Every single day, she would quietly set aside the freshest rations from her own meager supplies for him, change the bandages on his wounds, sweep and tidy his room, and then look up at him with eyes brimming over with impossible hope.

Back then, he had found her endlessly annoying. A mere human, and an unsightly one at that—how dare she harbor such delusions of winning his affection? But now, looking back, he understood the truth. He had only been terrified. Terrified of his own heart yielding, terrified of falling in love with someone he deemed unworthy.

Night seemed capable of reading the tumultuous thoughts churning behind the other man’s eyes, and a hint of irony crept into his voice.

You could never bring yourself to let go of your arrogance, your lofty status, and your rigid notions of race. But all she ever needed was someone willing to walk alongside her through a simple, ordinary life.

I used to be just like you.

Thirty years ago, I hated the white serpent clan, and I hated this entire world. I truly believed that revenge was the sole reason for my existence. Until I met her. She was the one who taught me that the quiet, unremarkable days are the most precious treasures of all.

Fan Han looked at him for a long moment, then slowly broke into a smile. It was a smile laden with bitter irony, yet tinged with a strange, profound sense of release.

You win.

I did not win, Night shook his head, a wistful look in his eyes. Neither of us won. She is the one who won.

She made me cast aside my hatred, and she forced you to learn the bitter taste of regret. Night murmured softly. She is the victor.

Fan Han and Night finalized the terms of the future peace treaty between their two clans. Afterward, the white serpent stood, pushed open the door, and stepped out into the swallowing embrace of the night.

Night stood by the window, watching the vanishing silhouette of the white serpent dissolve into the dark. A memory stirred, recalling his father’s dying words before drawing his final breath.

My son, hatred only ever leaves a person more isolated than before. You must let it go, only then will you find the things that truly matter.

Night lowered his gaze to his wrist, where a thin, unpretentious red thread was tied securely—a token woven by Little Fish herself, meant to ward off misfortune and grant safe passage. The corners of Night’s lips curved upward in a tender smile. He had already found them.

Outside the window, the lights of the Ecological City still blazed with a brilliant, mesmerizing splendor. But for him, the brightest light of all lay in an entirely different direction. The direction toward home.

The End