Sisi smiled as she watched the harmonious sight of Jojo and his father.
When Jojo had asked her to feed the Beast King, she had felt that it was simply inappropriate.
First, feeding soone was a sign of affection. She didn’t want Kael’s subjects to misunderstand the situation between them. They might assu she was to beco the second concubine, but Sisi had never wanted to be bound with a man in this life.
She had seen too much during her ti at the orphanage.
So children were abandoned by a single parent who could no longer care for them. Sotis the father died in war or an accident, leaving behind a mother who had relied entirely on him and could no longer feed her children. With no choice, she left them at the orphanage.
Other tis, the mother died—either from illness or during childbirth. The father would remarry and find himself unable or unwilling to care for a motherless child, or he would be conscripted into war and left the children in the orphanage so they wouldn’t starve while he went to war and possibly died.
When Sisi later lived on the farm, Mr. Piker had beco a looming shadow in her life.
She knew not all n were bad, but Mr. Piker had acted like a decent man until Mrs. Piker died.
Then the finally revealed his true nature once all of Mrs. Piker’s inheritance belonged to him.
The thought made Sisi shudder.
Binding herself to a man felt like gambling with her life.
If he turned out to be good, then perhaps she and their children would be safe and happy.
But what if he beca another Mr. Piker?
Acting all good and gentlemanly at first, but once she was bound to him, he would reveal his true nature and she and her children would suffer in the end.
’Maybe once Jojo is old enough to stand on his own,’ Sisi thought, ’I can return to the orphanage and beco a nurse, just like the Matriarch once asked to. I’ll stay celibate for the rest of my life.’
Or maybe she could beco a nun.
She didn’t have particularly strong faith, but she could still fulfill the duty, right?
Either way, she had never planned to settle down.
She was too afraid.
The second reason she wanted Jojo to feed his father... was the concubine.
Sisi had noticed it clearly, no one in this court truly regarded Jojo as important. He might be adorable, but he wasn’t respected.
That was why they allowed Ruela to dress so vulgarly at a banquet ant to welco a toddler.
They truly believed Ruela could seduce Kael, bear his child, and secure her position.
Jojo, motherless and young, would be easy to overshadow. Maybe Ruela would influence Kael to pay more attention to their child, or even worse, kicking Jojo out of the kingdom entirely.
Sisi didn’t know how far Kael would go to defend Jojo once another child was born. She couldn’t trust him completely, especially after she found out that he had a concubine.
So she had to improvise and made sure that Jojo would be well respected in this court.
She had promised herself that she would stand on Jojo’s side. She would protect him and raise him properly.
She no longer needed to worry about wild beasts because Kael was undeniably powerful.
’But I still need to protect Jojo from this court,’ Sisi thought as she calmly observed everyone in the banquet hall. ’Jojo is still too young, and Kael is still a man in the end. How long will it take before he sires another child with his concubine and abandon Jojo?’
So she placed the spoon in Jojo’s hand.
She let everyone see it, the guards, the servants, the high-ranking beastn, that Jojo could feed the Beast King.
Which ant Jojo held undeniable importance in Kael’s eyes.
Fortunately, her plan worked.
She saw astonishnt ripple through the crowd, followed by whispers—and then fear.
Satisfied, Sisi finally looked at Kael, who had been watching her for so ti now.
They were both startled when their eyes t, and quickly looked away, afraid that their true thoughts might be exposed.
Sisi cleared her throat to break the awkwardness.
"Why don’t you tell your people they can eat now?" she suggested. "They’ve probably been hungry while waiting for you."
"R-right," Kael replied, turning to face his subjects. The faint smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a stern expression, especially as his gaze landed on Vestor, who had arranged the banquet.
"To celebrate my son’s safe return, you may all eat whatever the chefs have prepared," Kael declared. "My son and I will return to our den to rest for now—"
"Daddy, what about Sisi?" Jojo interrupted. "Will she sleep with us in the den too?"
Kael stiffened.
"My son and his—"
"—caretaker," Sisi finished smoothly.
Kael hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes. My son and his caretaker will return with to rest. I will personally escort them to the summit, then head to the throne room to review what happened while I was away."
His gaze sharpened as it landed on Vestor.
"Vestor, wait for in the throne room. I expect a full report and responsibility of whatever you’ve arranged here."
"Y-yes, My King!" Vestor replied shakily.
Kael turned back to Jojo.
"Did you eat enough?"
Jojo patted his belly proudly. "I’m full, Daddy! Sisi said I shouldn’t overeat!"
"That’s right," Kael nodded, then glanced at Sisi.
"I had enough too," she said.
"Good," Kael replied. "My den is at the summit. I’ll take you there."
He lifted Sisi onto his arm once more, while Jojo nestled comfortably in her embrace, refusing to let go.
From afar, the three of them looked strangely stacked. They looked awkward, yet harmonious.
Kael left the banquet hall decisively.
Yet, even after the Beast King had left, the unease and fear still lingered in the air inside the banquet hall.
Everyone now knew they had made a grave mistake by allowing the concubine to dress so provocatively at the little prince’s banquet.
As for Vestor—
His legs had already gone weak.
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