"Tsk. Stop calling yourself a re caretaker. Don’t you realize how important you are to Jojo?" Kael stated matter-of-factly. "I may have introduced you as his caretaker in front of my court before, but that’s because you said it first, so I agreed without hesitation."
"Thinking about it now, I should’ve introduced you in a better way," Kael said with regret. He had been too hasty during the royal banquet. He blad Ruela for ruining his son’s banquet with her vulgar display, leaving him unable to make a sound decision.
Now that his mind was clearer, he realized that introducing Sisi with such a low position had been an insult. After all, Jojo regarded her as one of the most important figures in his life.
"I’ll reintroduce you at the assembly tomorrow morning," Kael said. "I’ll let them know that you’re more than just a caretaker."
"Don’t do that," Sisi said hastily. "I don’t want headaches from your royal court. I know they’ll start scheming around , trying to gain my favor or use to get closer to the Little Prince. I’m here to take care of Jojo, not to seize any position in your court."
"Why are you worried about nonsense like that? I just want them to know that you’re important to Jojo—" Kael wanted to add—
And to .
But he quickly halted his speech.
Why was she important to him?
They were practically frenemies. The only reason they treated each other civilly was because of Jojo. Why would she matter beyond that?
Kael blad his instincts. Sotis, they went directly against his logic. Why would he even consider Sisi part of his family?
’Still... she’s important to Jojo. No one in this kingdom should dare look down on her while she is under my protection,’ Kael thought.
"Don’t worry," he said aloud. "If anyone dares to cause you trouble, just tell . I’ll make sure they learn their place."
"But—"
"Let’s go," Kael cut in, grabbing Sisi’s hand and pulling her toward the main building. "I haven’t shown you your room yet."
Sisi had no choice but to follow him. As they entered the largest building in the courtyard, she was once again stunned by how lavish the place was.
The main building had underfloor heating as she could feel warmth rising from beneath her feet the mont they stepped inside. The furniture was delicate and artistic, entirely different from what she had seen in the rest of the palace.
The Queen’s Courtyard felt as though it had been transplanted from an advanced human kingdom. It looked completely out of place compared to the rest of the Beast Kingdom.
"Since I don’t need anything in my cave at the summit, I put my entire treasury into this courtyard," Kael explained. "I wanted to make sure this is the best place in the entire kingdom. I had a beaver architect design underfloor heating for winter and cooling ventilation for sumr."
He continued, "The wooden structure is coated with Agoet extract—a glue-like substance made from Agoet fruit. It protects the building from insects and heat. Even if soone tries to burn this place down, the fire will only consu the coating and release a strong stench that alerts everyone in the palace."
Kael finished his lengthy explanation with a smug tone.
"I designed this place to be the safest in the kingdom. So you don’t have to worry about anything, just like I told you before." He smirked. "As long as you’re by my side, I’ll make sure everything will be just fine."
Sisi looked around the lavish interior and couldn’t help comparing it to Kael’s den.
While he lived in a shabby cave atop the summit with Jojo, she was given all this luxury. The thought made her feel uneasy and guilty.
She even wondered whether Jojo should be living here with her instead.
"This is too much, Kael," Sisi said quietly. "Why don’t you assign sowhere less... fancy? I didn’t even live like this back in human civilization."
"No take-backs," Kael said firmly. "I promised Jojo I’d give you the best, and I intend to keep my word. If he finds out otherwise, he’ll throw another tantrum."
"Then why don’t you and Jojo live here, and I move sowhere else?" Sisi suggested. "This place is warm. Jojo would be happy."
"Jojo grew up in hard-to-reach caves," Kael replied. "He won’t feel cold at the summit, especially with my body heat. If he ever tells you he’s cold, that’s just an excuse to snuggle closer. He’s always been clingy."
"Well... that’s true," Sisi nodded. She had noticed that long ago. Jojo didn’t actually feel cold, especially in his wolf form, but he liked pretending when he wanted affection.
"He can co visit you from dawn till dusk anyway," Kael added before turning around. "I’ll have the maids attend to you. You look like you could use a warm bath."
"Wait—"
Sisi’s protest went unheard. Kael had already strode out, speaking with the head maid to arrange care for the new mistress of the Queen’s Courtyard.
Sisi sank weakly into a cushioned chair. She had never experienced such luxury before. Even the chair felt too soft, far more comfortable than her bed at the farm.
Once Kael finished speaking with the head maid, at least ten maids of various beastman species entered the room and bowed deeply before Sisi, treating her as though she were the queen herself.
A long silence followed as they waited for orders from the new mistress of the courtyard. When Sisi remained quiet, a middle-aged raccoon beastwoman finally stepped forward.
"Mistress, my na is Diane. I am the head maid of this courtyard," she said respectfully. "Our King has instructed us to attend to all your needs. So maids are already boiling water for your bath. While we wait, is there anything else you desire? Food, snacks, or perhaps music from the palace musicians—"
"That’s enough," Sisi interrupted, rubbing her temple. "Thank you, but I’ll just take the bath. Everyone except Diane may leave the room."
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