That little cub resembled Silas so closely that it was almost unsettling. "Alright then," Emma murmured, holding him close. "How exactly am I supposed to keep you?" The teary little one looked up at her, his big watery eyes lighting up with hope. However, the glow quickly faded as his shoulders sagged again. "I… I don't know either," he mumbled, brows furrowed in thought. After a moment, his eyes brightened again. "Daddy will know! You can ask Daddy!" "Ms. Tibarn…" Emma's eyes fluttered open to Marcus' worried face hovering over her. "What's wrong, Marcus?" The instant she spoke, relief washed across his features. "Ms. Tibarn, you've been asleep for three days," he spoke gently. "Get up, have something to eat, and then you can rest again.""Three days?" Her eyes widened. She could hardly believe it. In her dream, she'd only talked to that little cub for what felt like a few minutes. How could three days have gone by out here? Her hand instinctively moved to her head. The spot that had itched earlier now showed a small, firm bump under the skin, roughly the size of a pea. It was thumping gently under her touch, itching more intensely than before. She retrieved one of Silas' flowers, gave it to Marcus, and instructed him to crush it. He spread the juice on the bump, and the itching disappeared almost instantly. Corvin appeared at the door carrying a tray of food. Downstairs, Edric was keeping an eye on Cotton Candy. While Emma was unconscious, Malrik visited her multiple times, but Marcus always kept him away. His overprotectiveness increased Malrik's worry, especially since Emma's condition seemed to decline daily, and she'd been sleeping continuously for three days.As Corvin took the tray upstairs, Malrik quickly realized Emma was awake. He also wanted to go up, but Edric stopped him before he could move. Corvin entered Emma's room with the food and broke into a smile as soon as he saw her stepping out of the bathroom. "Emma! You're finally awake!" If he hadn't been balancing the tray, he probably would've hugged her on the spot. After three full days of sleep, Emma looked at the tray and nearly drooled. A plate of dumplings and a few muffins weren't nearly enough. "Corvin, I'm starving," she said. "Can you make me some noodles too? Add beast meat—lots of it." Corvin nodded quickly. "Right away." Marcus had already explained everything: Emma wasn't pregnant. What she had was the early stage of Silas' vine growth. The symptoms mimicked pregnancy almost perfectly. They'd done their research, so her sudden hunger made sense—her body was nourishing the vine about to sprout. Once it emerged, everything would return to normal.Corvin hurried downstairs to start cooking while telling Edric to hide Cotton Candy. Meanwhile, Emma finished every bite of food on the tray. By the time she put the plate down, she felt alive again. As she waited for Corvin's beast meat noodles, she finally asked Marcus, "Did Cotton Candy do anything strange while I was asleep?" Marcus frowned. "He's been more agitated lately. Last night, he bolted out of the manor before I could react. Too fast to track." He hesitated, thinking aloud. "Didn't seem smart to leave the place undefended. For all I know, it was bait to pull me away." His gaze darkened. "That rabbit isn't ordinary. Something about him doesn't add up." Emma thought for a moment. "Then it's time. We've let this play go on long enough. Tonight, we end it." Her fingers brushed the bump on her head again as her mind wandered to that dream—the small cub crying so intensely in her arms. She paused briefly before opening her lightcore and messaging Silas, 'Silas, do you know how to make the flower I grow produce fruit?'Silas had just finished coordinating troop movements and was heading back to the strategy hall to report to Lucien and the others when her message came through. He stopped dead, eyes wide. His legs nearly gave out, and he would've hit the floor if Lucien hadn't caught him. "Whoa. What happened?" Lucien steadied him, alarmed. He'd never seen Silas look so rattled. "Nothing!" Silas stammered, waving him off. "You guys go ahead without me. I'll be back in a bit." The current campaign, led by Lucien and Drake, was already winding down. The end of the war was near, and soon they'd be returning home. Lucien frowned but relented. "Alright, just don't take long. Once you're back, I need you to relieve me. I haven't contacted Emma in days." He'd just gotten back himself and had been planning to message Emma after the debrief. Silas nodded quickly. "Got it. I'll be fast." He slipped out of the command room, scrolling through his lightcore as he walked. No calls were allowed in the facility, so he had to type. 'Emma, why are you suddenly asking about that? I thought you said you didn't want cubs.' He was unable to lie to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth either. The most he could manage was to divert her from that idea.