Ruela held her breath as she heard the declaration.
To say she was stunned was an understatent. At that mont, she truly felt as though the heavens had been turned upside down, as if the Moon Goddess herself had descended to the earth to personally bestow her grace.
She gazed at the Beast King in confusion, unable to believe what she had just heard.
But Kael had already moved on, as if bestowing such great favor upon her was not sothing worth dwelling on.
He simply turned to Vestor and said, "I’ll be leaving now. Get an eagle beastman—or Grishaw himself—to guide to that strange family in the south."
"Certainly, My King," Vestor replied. He followed Kael as they began descending the summit to et the eagle beastn.
Ruela quickly stood when she realized she was about to be left behind and raised her voice. "M-My King!"
"Hm?" Kael halted and turned around, his crimson eyes settling on his new concubine with indifference.
Ruela was nervous.
She had never imagined she would be chosen as the first concubine of the Beast King, especially when he was infamous for never taking anyone to his bed.
Did that an she was so gorgeous and tempting that even the Beast King couldn’t resist her?
Ruela didn’t consider herself vain enough to believe she was an unrivaled beauty. But beauty lay in the eye of the beholder, and maybe... just maybe... in the Beast King’s eyes, she was soone worthy enough to replace his fated mate in his heart.
With that thought supporting her courage, she asked, "W-what should I do next, My King? D-do you want to enter your den and... u-undress myself?"
Her entire body burned from head to toe. She had believed herself confident, but the mont the thought of mating with the Beast King crossed her mind, her words scattered and she stamred her sentence.
Vestor snorted softly, finding the young and beautiful female beastman rather endearing. Indeed, n were like this regardless of species, they enjoyed won who were ek and obedient, at least in bed.
He half-expected the Beast King to abandon his plans and drag Ruela into his den, doing what he should have done since the mont he was crowned. Vestor wouldn’t have blad him in the slightest if Kael suddenly refused to leave the den too.
But Kael rely frowned, hiding his contempt, and said, "Leave my summit at once. You are not permitted to enter my den."
Ruela’s eyes widened. "B-but, My King, aren’t I... your concubine?"
"And so what if you are?" Kael scoffed. "Do you think I am so insatiable beast who would devour you simply because I chose you as my concubine? Get your mind out of the gutter. Vestor, explain her duties to her while I’m away. She will be the temporary figurehead, after all."
"Yes... My King..." Vestor sighed inwardly.
Once again, he had underestimated his king’s self-control.
If Kael could go years without a mate, then even a beautiful woman would not sway him.
Still, the young woman looked sincere enough. Vestor suspected it wouldn’t be long before the kingdom welcod another litter of pups, aside from the missing little prince.
Ruela was disappointed and embarrassed, but not heartbroken.
He was right. She had been too hasty, assuming the Beast King would mate with her imdiately.
If he could restrain himself for so long, then rejecting her now was well within his control.
Perhaps it was because he was too handso. Or perhaps it was because she had seen him in his beastman form, wearing only a loincloth that barely concealed his impressive size.
All of it made her feel restless, like a female in heat, just from imagining it.
"I-I’m sorry, My King. I will obey your orders," Ruela said hastily, bowing.
"Good. Now go."
*
Kael and Vestor left the summit first, with Ruela trailing behind, struggling to keep up without wings or exceptional strength.
By then, Kael had already forgotten about his new concubine. His thoughts were consud by the strange family in the south.
Still, Vestor couldn’t help asking, "Forgive my curiosity, My King, but may I ask why you rejected your concubine earlier? Surely a brief mating session would have eased you before your departure."
...
"Or is it because your fated mate was so beautiful that you can’t imagine being with Ruela?" Vestor pressed.
He dared to push the question because Kael showed no anger. Moreover, as an advisor, Vestor was concerned for the kingdom’s future. It would be disastrous if the Beast King refused to mate while their little prince remained unfound.
Kael did not answer imdiately.
His gaze drifted to his chest, where the athyst was pinned securely to his cloak.
He couldn’t recall her face clearly after he woke up, but her violet eyes remained vivid in his mory.
And whenever she appeared in his dreams, she beca the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes upon.
So the answer was yes.
Even if he didn’t truly know her, he knew she was the apple of his eye.
"She is beautiful," Kael said calmly. "I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as her."
Vestor sensed there was more behind those words, but he dared not ask further. They had already arrived at the valley of Rantel Hill, where Grishaw, the eagle leader, and his search corps awaited Kael.
"Glory to the Beast King!" the eagles cried in unison.
Kael stood before the kneeling eagle beastn—these proud creatures who once refused to acknowledge any being but their prey.
After Grishaw had been defeated by Kael in a near life-and-death battle, they had finally recognized him as their king.
Vestor cleared his throat. As the advisor, it was his duty to speak when the Beast King had no inclination to do so, which was clearly the case now.
"The Beast King has decided to travel south to investigate the strange family you discovered. He will co personally, accompanied only by Grishaw. However, I recomnd sending a few eagle beastn ahead to scout the area before our king departs."
Reviews
All reviews (0)