The next morning, Zora slowly woke from her sleep.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and the first thing she saw was the familiar figure seated beside her bed.
Kael was there, his posture straight despite the exhaustion in his eyes, as if he had not moved even for a mont.
His presence was steady and quiet, like a wall built to keep the world away. When he noticed her waking, the coldness that had been lingering in his gaze imdiately softened, and a gentle smile appeared in his eyes, as if the storm of yesterday had never existed.
"You're awake," he said softly, his voice low and careful. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Zora smiled faintly, her lips pale but curved with sincerity. "No."
But Kael did not believe her completely.
He knew her too well.
He knew she would rather swallow pain than let others worry.
Without saying anything more, he poured a cup of warm water and moved closer, supporting her slightly as he fed her to drink. His movents were gentle, patient, and precise, as though she were sothing precious that could not be handled carelessly.
Zora allowed herself to lean into him, feeling the warmth of his hand and the calm steadiness of his presence.
Even though her ribs still scread with pain every ti she breathed too deeply, she did not speak of it. Being alive, being here, and seeing him beside her was already enough.
Kael then set the cup aside and brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, his gaze filled with tenderness that could drown a person. "Darling, you must be hungry," he said, his tone almost like coaxing. "You didn't eat anything yesterday. I'll have them warm the food."
Zora watched him stand and move about the room, and the corner of her lips lifted into a quiet, contented smile.
Yesterday, she had truly believed there was a chance she would not survive.
She had already prepared herself for the worst outco, and the only thing she regretted in that mont was not being able to see him again.
Now, not only had she survived, but everyone had made it out safely. Even though her body still ached and the wound throbbed with every heartbeat, the pain felt light compared to what she had feared. The outco was far better than she had dared to hope.
At that mont, Black, White, and Shihtzu rushed toward her bed. Their eyes were full of worry, and even their usual playful greediness was nowhere to be seen. Black's expression was especially tense, its small brows furrowed tightly as it stared at the bloodstains still faintly visible on her clothes.
"Master," Black asked anxiously, "how is your injury?"
Zora reached out and gently patted the heads of the three beasts. Her touch was slow, soothing, and affectionate, like a mother calming frightened children. "Don't worry," she said softly. "I'm fine. You must be hungry too. I'll have Kael prepare sothing for you as well."
Under normal circumstances, the three little gluttons would have brightened instantly at the ntion of food, their eyes sparkling as if they could already sll at in the air.
But this ti, they only remained close to her, their gazes fixed on her pale face. Their hunger could wait. What mattered was that their master was still breathing, still smiling, still here.
"Master," Black then said, its black eyes burning with a paranoid seriousness, "if you run into a situation like yesterday again, don't think about anyone else. Don't think about consequences. Just leave it to White and ."
Its claws tightened against the bedding, and the anger it had been swallowing since the royal court seed to surge up again. Even though it understood why she had stopped them from revealing their strength, the helplessness had gnawed at it like poison.
White's expression was just as solemn, its black fur bristling faintly
"Yes," White agreed quietly, but the calmness in its tone made it even more frightening. "We can't keep hiding forever. Sooner or later, the world will find out. If that's the case, we might as well stop being shadows."
Zora's fingers paused as she stroked their heads.
Her gaze softened, but a trace of heaviness settled into her eyes. She understood them too well. Black and White were not ornants. They were not toys she carried around for comfort. They were proud, fierce beings who had followed her through life and death, yet she had kept them hidden like secrets locked in a box.
Yesterday, she had done it to protect them, but she could not deny the truth: it had also been unfair.
If news spread that she had contracted three beasts, and two of them were as terrifying as Black and White, it would shake the entire Holy Mystic Continent. People would not just stare. They would covet. They would sche. They would hunt. The trouble would be endless.
But trouble was already endless at the mont.
She had offended the Lion Dynasty royal family, humiliated their princes, and gained the protection of Heaven's Gate. Whether she liked it or not, her na had already stepped onto a road where secrecy could no longer shield her forever.
Her eyes flickered with thought, and for a mont the room was quiet except for the faint sound of her breathing.
Before she could speak, the door opened.
Kael returned with warm food, the fragrance filling the room in an instant.
The mont his figure appeared, Black and White moved almost like instinct, shrinking back into their usual harmless bead-like forms and slipping into the red makeup's hair as if they had never existed.
Only Shihtzu remained at her bedside, calm and unbothered, as if it had no interest in hiding at all.
Zora's gaze lingered on the spot where Black and White had disappeared. A strange feeling rose in her chest, half warmth, half guilt. They had hidden themselves so naturally, so quickly, because this was what they had always been forced to do.
Kael set the tray down and noticed her expression imdiately. His brows knitted slightly, the gentleness in his eyes sharpening into concern.
"Darling," he asked softly, "what are you thinking about?"
Zora lifted her head and smiled at him, but there was sothing deeper in the curve of her lips.
"Kael," she said, voice quiet, "co here first."
His expression eased, and he walked over without hesitation, sitting down at the edge of the bed. His fingers naturally brushed against her hand, as if confirming she was real, alive, still here.
"What is it?" he asked, a faint smile appearing. "What does my wife want to tell ?"
Zora's eyes curved slightly. "I want to introduce you to two little friends of mine."
Kael froze for half a breath. His gaze swept across the room instinctively, sharp and wary, the way it always beca when danger might exist. But aside from Shihtzu, there was no one else in the room.
His voice lowered, carrying a trace of disbelief. "Little friends?"
Zora nodded, then raised her hand and gently plucked the two beads from her hair.
"These two," she said.
The mont Black and White appeared in her palm, they seed almost embarrassed, but they did not resist. Their earlier determination still lingered in their eyes. They had wanted to stop hiding, and now their master was giving them exactly that.
Under Zora's gaze, the two little beasts began to expand.
Their bodies grew swiftly into cute-looking fur balls.
Kael stared at both of them.
For the first ti since Zora had t him, the calm, unshakable heir of Heaven's Gate looked genuinely stunned. His pupils tightened, his breath paused, and the air around him seed to still.
"This…" His voice was low, as though even speaking too loudly might shatter the mont. "These are…"
He had noticed those beads before, of course. He had even assud they were simply decorations she liked, sothing cute and harmless that suited her appearance.
But who could have imagined that those two tiny ornants were living contract beasts?
Not only that, but their aura was terrifying, ancient, and utterly abnormal.
Kael's gaze slowly shifted from Black to White, and then back to Zora. Shock still lingered in his eyes, but beneath it, realization dawned upon him.
Zora then gently rubbed the furry heads in her arms, her voice calm and natural, as if she were simply introducing two ordinary pets instead of heaven-defying existences. "This white furry one is called Black, and this black furry one is White. Like Shihtzu, they are also my contracted beasts."
Black lifted its chin proudly, its eyes glinting with a smug arrogance, while White sat beside him with an expression of cold dignity, as if it were so ancient noble beast inspecting the mortal world.
Kael stared at the two of them. The more he looked, the stranger the feeling beca. At first glance, they were simply fluffy, almost ridiculously cute, the kind of beasts that might sit obediently in soone's arms.
But that was only the surface.
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