Chosen Mate Of The Beastmen Empire

The group of seven stood frozen, staring at Nyx, motionless like statues carved from weathered stone.

It wasn't until the little white cat let out an annoyed growl that they snapped out of their trance. Shaken, they quickly regained their senses, looking down and no longer daring to meet the woman's gaze, their faces filled with awe.

They thought, 'It is astonishing that someone can hold Aurelius as if she is holding an ordinary pet. No, even an ordinary pet wouldn't be this well-behaved...

Seeing the little white cat nuzzle against the woman's shoulder, everyone couldn't help but wonder if they were seeing correctly. They thought, 'Is this really His Majesty?"

But the unique dark hair on his forehead was undeniable; it was indeed Aurelius.

Aron wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

But the little white cat stayed there, unmoving, as though he hadn't seen Aron, completely ignoring him and giving him nothing but a cold, turned back.

Aron could only brace himself and bow to Nyx. "This... this is..."

"Is this your cat?" Nyx smoothly picked up his unfinished sentence.

"N-no, no..." Aron shook his head repeatedly, his face turning bright red as he stammered even more.

He thought, 'How could I dare call Aurelius his cat? Even if it were just a verbal joke, it would be a serious crime.

Hearing the slightly shrill voice in front of her and seeing how nervous he looked, Nyx quickly understood his identity and made a clearer judgment about her mate.noveldrama

After being the lady of the Duke's Mansion for so long, she wasn't as clueless as when she first arrived in this world.

She had overheard conversations about the current emperor, who was young and had spent a long time living at the Duke's Mansion as a child, being childhood friends with Pale Wolf, with whom he shared a deep bond.

That seemed to fit perfectly.

She pretended not to know, lowering her eyes and thinking. She asked, "Then... is it your master's cat?"

The little white cat made a short sound.

Aron immediately understood and nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's right."

While lowering and raising his head, he sneaked a glance at Aurelius, struggling to hide the strange expression on his face.

After serving Aurelius for so many years, he had never heard Aurelius make such a soft and delicate sound-this was truly a first.

Aurelius didn't like anyone touching his fur, and he rarely even transformed into his beast form. But today, it seemed like a completely different person, as though his personality had changed completely.

"Go on; you

should

go

home now." Nyx rubbed the little cat's head. "You can come find me again if you have time."

She couldn't really keep the ruler of a nation locked up at home as her personal warming pet, neglecting state affairs.

Hearing this, Aron opened his arms in preparation to welcome the cat back, but the little white cat ignored him completely.

The cat hummed and parmed in thy's arming her righty with both pres day on wang ber

Myrarma,

There was no morning court tomrose few if he der go back tonigh

Aron, panicking, scratched his head in frustration, completely be a to brow to bend fr

"No use in being stubborn Nyx was unretrating, separering the life cars werk and orging. Therese any selle waiting for you. Go back now, so we'll meet again next fina

There was no turning back from this

Aurelius threw a fit, rolling and acting pitiful, porting on a show Best despite her breeds e confer be wamed and had to reluctantly hop out of Nyx's arms, looking back with each ep and clearly wiling to leave

"Goodbye, Nyx smiled, waving at him, then turned to leave, so they wouldst lock each fear for so long the

a

and have little cat regret it and start whining again.

The little white cat stayed where he was, watching her figure disappear at the Duke's gates before finally reacting on geze He shook his fur and glared at Aron, saying in human speech. "Foolish"

Compared to the not-so-smart guards, he had always thought Aron was quick- witted, but this time. As data cands on

"You should have told her that your master is busy and unable to keep a cat, and that none of you are good a king can f one. Ask her if she could temporarily take me in and look after me... Aurelius bluntly ungesch

Aron stood there, stunned, his mind struggling to keep up with Aurelius's thoughts. He thought. Ha Majesty wants to le outside the palace?

Actually, if it were at Duke's Mansion, there wouldn't be much of an issue. The Duke's family has been trusted by Acetons for generations, and Aurelius himself had once lived there as a child. He and Erik were very close friends

"I want to sleep with her," Aurelius said boldly, his eyes burning with desire. 'She said she wants me to warm her bedr

"I already agreed to it, but she kicked me out. Do you think she's not satisfied with me?" He lowered his head to inspect himself, wondering if his fur wasn't fluffy enough or soft enough, or if something else was wrong

Aron was struck like lightning. All his thoughts were instantly interrupted, and he felt like he was about to explode.

He shouted, “Your Majesty, you can't!"

Then, he thought, "This is absurd. She's a married woman. She's Duke Read's

wife.

Having served Aurelius for over ten years, Aron had always been a firm supporter of him.

Aurelius had been intelligent since childhood. After ascending the throne, he displayed rare and outstanding talent, showing both kindness and decisiveness, a ruler the likes of which came once in a lifetime.

But at this moment, Aron could see the signs of a foolish ruler in Aurelius.

He thought, 'As the emperor, he was declaring that he wanted to warm a woman's bed. Does that even make sense?

Looking at Aurelius's serious expression, Aron couldn't detect any hint of joking. Despair started to grow inside him, as if he could already foresee a terrible future where the royal family and Duke's Mansion would split apart.

vise him.

"Your Majesty, you cannot do that," Aron said, braving the risk of angering Aurelius as he desperately tried t "Erik and his wife are in harmony. If you forcibly break them apart, it will not only hurt the feelings of Duke's Mansion, but the lady will also harbor resentment toward you..."

As he spoke, Aron furtively glanced at the little white cat's reaction, only to see that he wasn't angry. In fact, his tail was held

high, showing signs of a happy mood.

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"Who says they're in harmony? Aurelius narrowed his eyes, flicking his tail as he quickly walked ahead. "Back to the palace."

He was going to send someone to investigate what exactly was going on between

the woman he had fallen for and Erik.

He didn't want to force her into the palace, he wanted her to like him and follow

him willingly. So, he needed to plan carefully, figure out what she liked, and slowly win her over.

Nyx returned to the courtyard.

A few young maidservants had already cleaned the kitchen and the dishes, but when they saw that Nyx didn't bring the little cat back, they all looked a bit disappointed.

"There really is an owner?

"Oh."

"Since the lady likes it, why not just buy it?"

They thought, 'It's rare for such a spirited cat to come to the door and get along so

well with the lady. It would be wonderful if it could stay with her and keep her company. It's such a shame it couldn't stay.

No matter how much its owner asks, the Duke's family could afford it, and surely

the owner would be willing to sell as a favor to the Duke's family

"It's okay," Nyx said with a light laugh, shaking her head confidently. "It'll come

back to find me."

The maidservants exchanged glances, each seeing the confusion on the other's face, not understanding why Nyx was so optimistic.

They didn't dare voice their thoughts but silently hoped the cat would come back a few more times and not disappoint Nyx.

Nyx returned to her room to rest.

The room fell silent. She closed her eyes and lay down, gradually feeling her mind

clear up. Then, suddenly, she realized something was off.

She thought, "What has Pale Wolf been so busy with lately?

Since the emperor was Aurelius, all her previous concerns were gone. Aurelius might assign Pale Wolf official duties, but he wouldn't force him to do

anything. At least, he wouldn't push Pale Wolf to the point of only focusing on work and spending all his time in the study, leaving no time to be with her.

Nyx furrowed her brows slowly.

That night, the room was pitch dark when Erik appeared quietly. He first removed

his outer robe and shook off the cold at the heater, and then carefully climbed into

bed and gently pulled Nyx into his arms.

"Pale Wolf... Nyx murmured in her sleep, causing Erik to freeze.

He held his breath and looked down at Nyx, who had her eyes closed and her breathing steady. It didn't seem like she was awake-probably just talking in her sleep. He quietly let out a sigh of relief but instinctively shifted his injured leg away.

The next second, Nyx suddenly opened her eyes, staring straight at him "What happened in your be

Without warning, Erik's pupils contracted violently, and he gasped, newly falling at

the he

Nyx reacted quickly and grabbed him, but her grip was too weak and light to stop bins. Instead, die newly got potted hom

with him.

In the critical moment, Erik managed to steady himself, preventing both of them

from falling to the good.

He panted heavily, holding Nyx tight, not even bothering to hide his ley. The scars

were fully exponed, dew to wrpose to

sec.

Nyx's eyes were wide awake now, and her gaze precisely caught sight of the wound, which looked very different from betre Her eyes widened in surprise, "Your leg..." She leaned in for a closer look, making sure she wasn't mistaken. “Is it much better than before

Seeing Pale Wolf trying to hide his injury, she had thought it had worsened, and it had made her heart sink. Yot so, the realized she had been wrong.

A smile appeared on her face, and the icy look in her eyes melted away.

"How are you awake?" Erik carefully watched her expression, and seeing she seemed to be in a good mood, he dared to wh "Couldn't sleep?"

He thought, 'Usually, she sleeps soundly, so why is she suddenly unable to sleep tonight? Could something have happened during the day?'

He should have kept quiet, but the moment he spoke, Nyx immediately stiffened

and said, "Come on, what have you been hiding from me lately?"

Erik's face turned pale, and his guilt was impossible to hide.

He had always been an honest, almost clumsy person. He rarely lied, so when he

did, the pressure weighed heavily on him. Now that he'd been caught, he was panicking, unable to control himself.

"What are you panicking about?" Nyx raised her hand and pinched his ear,

squinting her eyes and pretending to threaten him. "Did you secretly keep a concubine?"

"No!" He was desperate to clear up the misunderstanding, his eyes reddening. "I don't have a concubine."

With no way to hide it anymore, Erik decided to come clean. "I just wanted to heal

my leg before seeing you."

"Jinx and Jules got the antidote from Banon, and the doctor worked overnight to

find a way to detoxify. I've been treating the poison and the injury these past few days," he revealed everything, worried Nyx wouldn't believe him.

He lowered his head, feeling both guilty and scared, waiting for her judgment. He added in a small voice, "I really don't have a concubine."

Before meeting Nyx, he hadn't even had a mistress. He was a complete blank

slate in that regard.

All these years, he had never been particularly interested in relationships, but he

was deeply drawn to Nyx.

He could find many people to vouch for him, but if Nyx didn't trust him, it wouldn't

matter how many people spoke on his

behalf.

For the first time, the fearless Erik felt a deep sense of unease, his lips pressed

tight, looking as if he might burst into tears. He appeared utterly pitiful.

09:59 Thu, 13 Mar

"Okay, I understand." Nyx relaxed her grip, then gently touched his soft car,

soothing him as she stroked his hair. I was just joking. I believe you."

She thought, 'Who would keep a concubine in the study?

She never doubted her mates' feelings for her; she faked suspicion only to make

Pale Wolf a bit more obedient and honest.

"I can help with your leg, too. Why keep it from me?" She softened her tone and continued to ask, trying to get to the bottom of it. "Because detoxifying takes time," Erik, no longer willing to hide anything, answered honestly. "The poison flares up intermittently, and I might look terrible during those times..."

His pain tolerance was exceptional, but even he couldn't avoid appearing

distressed when the poison acted up.

Nyx fell silent, quietly holding Erik close.

She thought, 'How much pain could there be that even Pale Wolf couldn't bear?'

She couldn't help but feel resentment toward the Heavenly Law who had

designed all of this and a deep hatred for the unseen Banon.

"I understand." She bent down and kissed Pale Wolf's forehead. "Don't worry so much."

No matter what kind of Pale Wolf he was, she would never despise him.

"If you want me to stay with you, just stay here. If you don't want me to see you

like this, then continue detoxifying in the study. It's fine, as the choice is yours." She gave him the option, letting him decide.

She could easily understand his thoughts by simply putting herself in his shoes.

In front of the beloved, everyone had their burdens. They just wanted to show

their best side and hide the less flattering

parts.

Erik lay on Nyx's lap, wrapping his arms around her slim waist. His nose filled with

her sweet scent, and his heart, which had been racing, finally began to calm

down.

"Give me ten more days, and the poison should be almost gone." His voice was hoarse as he estimated a rough timeline.

Once the poison was cleared, he would come back to stay with Nyx. "While I'm gone these days, do you feel lonely?" He realized too late that he hadn't been considerate enough, and felt guilty. "Don't just stay in the courtyard looking at account books. Have the maids take you outside for a walk. Buy whatever you want. If you need more money, just ask Arlong."

At first, it sounded like a typical wealthy man, only offering money and no

affection. But in reality, his love was worth more than money. Nyx couldn't help but chuckle. She shook her head. "I am a bit lonely, but it's fine

today. A little kitten came to the courtyard, so sweet and clingy."

"A cat?" Erik frowned.