"You can't even keep quiet at dinner, can you?" Jepherson glared at Santiago. Santiago did not even raise his head. He continued, "If you and Raeleigh did not have a disagreement, then why are you in such a bad mood?"
"Mind your own business," Jepherson said. Then, he looked at Raeleigh and said, "You should eat more, only then will you get stronger."
Raeleigh nodded. She already had a lot to eat, including a big bowl of soup. She was so full that she could not drink anymore, but since Jepherson asked her to drink, she had to drink it.
After dinner, Jepherson took Raeleigh for a stroll outside. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms as they walked. He held her hand and said, "I wonder whether the baby is a boy or a girl? I already have a few names in mind, but I'm not sure which one will suit the baby. I guess we'll have to wait until we get to see the gender of the baby."
"We can't do that now." Raeleigh did not want to know the gender of the baby.
Jepherson looked down at her and said, "What's the matter? I'm just curious whether we're having a boy or a girl. I will still love the baby regardless of the gender." "You really don't have a preference?" Raeleigh was curious to know whether Jepherson preferred having a boy or a girl.
However, Jepherson said without hesitation, "Of course I do."
"Then, which do you prefer?" Raeleigh was eager to know. Jepherson said, "If you kiss me, then I'll tell you."
Raeleigh blushed and felt shy. However, she looked around and saw that it was getting dark. There was also no one in the courtyard. So, Raeleigh tiptoed and kissed Jepherson on the lips. Jepherson pulled her closer to him by her waist and lowered his head to deepen the kiss. He did not pull away until he was satisfied.
By the time Jepherson finally pulled away, Raeleigh was gasping for breath. He raised his hand to touch her nose and said, "Of course, I would prefer having a daughter."
"Why?" Raeleigh suddenly thought of Jepherson's long- awaited reunion with his sister. That was probably why he preferred having a daughter.
Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms. "If it's a girl, then she would definitely be chubby. When she grows up, she'll definitely look a lot like you. I'm sure she will be very filial and gifted."
Raeleigh raised her head. "Is it because of your sister that you prefer having a daughter?"
"My wife and my sister are two different people. But then again, there is a chance our daughter might look like my sister too." Jepherson seemed like he was in a good mood. He was smiling so brightly. Raeleigh stared at his face and could not speak. She wished nothing would come between them.
That way, they would be happy.
"Then, this means that you really want to have a daughter," Raeleigh said. It was an affirmative sentence, yet it was immediately denied by Jepherson.
"No, not really. If it's up to me to decide, then I hope that our firstborn will be a boy."
Jepherson's words surprised Raeleigh even more. "Didn't you just say that you would prefer a daughter? Why are you going back on your word?"
"It's one thing to prefer having a daughter, but another thing to give birth to a daughter. We are so young, so I'm sure this baby will not be our only child."
"It'd be best if our firstborn is a boy."
"Why?"
"The first son will be the backbone of the family. As the future head of the Richards family, it's best if our firstborn is a boy. Then, if our second is a daughter, he will be able to protect her. I mean a younger brother would still be able to protect his older sister, but it's different. Our third..."
Jepherson paused for a moment before he continued, "I hope the birth of this baby will establish your position in the Richards family. Even if our firstborn is a girl, I'll still think highly of you. However, I really hope that our firstborn will be a boy, so that Grandma will at least treat you a little better."
Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and held him in her arms. She did not know what to say. She did not know what she did to deserve him.
"What's wrong? Are you too moved by my words?" Jepherson asked, with his face full of amusement.
Raeleigh shook her head and quickly said, "No."
"Didn't you pounce on me a while ago?" Jepherson laughed happily. He hugged Raeleigh and stroked her hair as he said, "I've been trying to court you for so long and this is the best response I've gotten. Raeleigh, you must remember, no matter what happens, I will always love you. This will not change."
Raeleigh froze for a moment. She pulled herself out of Jepherson's embrace and looked at him with a smiling face. "Why are you..."
Jepherson pulled Raeleigh in for a passionate kiss. She felt as if her entire body had surrendered to his kiss. She had no idea where she was. After a while, she was carried back up to the room by him.
They spent half the night making passionate love. They had to be careful with the baby in her belly while being entangled tightly in each other's arms at the same time. After a while, Raeleigh felt both mentally and physically exhausted as she lay in Jepherson's arms. She eventually succumbed to sleep.
At night, Raeleigh was woken up by the sound of the drizzling rain.
Raeleigh looked at the rain outside the window in a daze. She could tell that Jepherson was exhausted by their nighttime activity when she realized that he was in deep sleep. He would not even notice that she was awake, not to mention she was just lying quietly in bed.
Raeleigh moved a little and Jepherson tightened his hold around her. He then raised his hands to stroke her, as if he was comforting her to stop wriggling around.
Raeleigh lowered her head and looked carefully at Jepherson's face. He was such a handsome man.
His nose was one of his most attractive facial features. It ran in a straight line from his eyes to the tip without a single curve. She had never seen any nose like his before.
After observing Jepherson, Raeleigh soon fell asleep in his arms.
That night, she had a dream. She dreamed of a boy named Arsel, who gave her some candy. She smiled back at the boy. However, a huge fire suddenly rose and soon, she was surrounded by fire. She was terribly frightened and was jolted awake.
By the time Raeleigh was jolted awake, it was already eight o'clock in the morning. However, that morning was unlike any other morning. She was awakened by a nightmare. She sat up in bed, panting.
Jepherson opened his eyes and pulled Raeleigh into his arms. He gently stroked her hair and calmed her down. "It's alright."
Raeleigh tried to calm herself down before she said to Jepherson, "It was terrible. The fire was terrible."
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