Chapter 29: Ch 29. Special Plaque
Just because Selena saved him last night, Dali Hawksen and everyone in his household immediately considered it something special.
Selena was surprised, because the man gave her such a warm welcome. He even went so far as to prepare a delicious meal for her.
"This female servant is from the Dove Clan; she is kind, clever, agile, and loyal. As long as you treat her well, she’s willing to do anything, Your Majesty. Meanwhile, the two bodyguards you chose are from the honey bear race—they’re kind when treated well and loyal. But they can also be cruel, skilled in martial arts, and capable of torturing anyone you order them to. Are you sure you want to choose these three to protect you?" asked Dali Hawksen, looking at Selena, who was smiling contentedly.
"I’m certain. I do need bodyguards who can torture someone. As it happens, being queen is quite a hassle—there are always people who hate and envy me. Having them around will be quite helpful in ensuring my safety in this world," Selena replied, gazing at the three beastkin who were bowing politely before her.
Dali Hawksen nodded in understanding. "It’s true that in the world of Eldoria, there are still many people who are likely to be rough, wild, and savage—especially since you have five husbands; you absolutely must have your own protectors," he said, making Selena smile.
"I’m glad to meet you—you really understand what I’m thinking."
Dali laughed nervously. "It just so happens that I’m good at judging people, Your Majesty. You’re so kind and sincere—willing to help anyone, even someone you don’t know, like me yesterday. What you did was very kind, but being too kind in Eldoria isn’t safe either. I’m quite worried after hearing how they treated you before; you need strong supporters behind you to stand tall," he said, causing Selena to let out a soft sigh.
"You’re right; I realize that now. I used to be too foolish to let them treat me however they pleased, and I’m still too foolish for wanting to go back to care for those who nearly killed me. My nature is somewhere between sincere and foolish—I can’t even tell the difference myself," Selena replied, causing Dali to look at her with a wistful expression.
Selena was only thinking about it now, since the incident had happened just last night and today had already brought plenty of problems; it wasn’t too late to reconsider everything she was about to do.
Yeah, who would’ve realized that all of this had happened in less than a day?
In just one night, Selena had saved the lives of her good-for-nothing husband’s three companions. Vylen, who had nearly been poisoned again; Jhon, who had nearly died; and Stoner, who didn’t really count—but Selena had also done what she could to prevent him from losing his memory.
"I’ve just realized that time in this world moves very slowly; there’s still so much to go through, so of course I won’t stick to just one plan. I’m still relatively new to understanding the structure of this world; I’ll have to study it more thoroughly after this." Selena thought to herself, considering what was to come.
"The gates of this residence are always open to you. I’ll also need to consult with you later about my illness. I hope you won’t forget me—if anything comes up, you can always ask me for help, Your Majesty," Dali said, bringing Selena back to her senses.
"Ah, of course. I’ll take good care of you. In a few days, if your condition hasn’t changed, I’ll come here and bring you some medicine. For now, the poison inside you isn’t life-threatening yet; you can go about your daily activities as usual," Selena said, then stood up from her seat.
Dali smiled, stood up as well, and took out a small plaque with several symbol-like markings on its surface.
"Being queen of the world of Eldoria is indeed quite terrifying. So please accept this, Your Majesty," said Dali as he politely handed her the object.
"What is this?" Selena asked, furrowing her brow as she took it.
"This is one of the gifts I’ve prepared for you after thinking about it all night. It’s a secret-code plaque I made—there’s only one in all of Eldoria. In the center is a button that’s directly connected to the Eagle troops I’ve handpicked from the special forces unit. If you press it, no matter where you are, they’ll come and rescue you." Dali explained earnestly until Selena’s eyes widened.
"You don’t have to give me something this valuable."
"No, Your Majesty. You need it—should any trouble ever arise at the palace that puts you in danger, you can use it. The troops I’ve assembled have a special understanding; they’ll save anyone holding that code plaque from anything.
"As it happens, we don’t have a king within the Eagle group, so there’s no one in Eldoria we fear or have to submit to. You must keep it; I believe you are a good and honest person. There are hundreds of these Eagle troops—I entrust them to you," Dali said at length, leaving Selena speechless.
She truly hadn’t expected such a generous gesture. Clutching the plaque tightly, Selena bowed politely, filled with gratitude, prompting Dali to do the same.
"I’ll definitely take good care of it."
"I trust you will."
Selena smiled, feeling happy about what Dali Hawksen had given her. Even though she had only saved this man once, his reward was truly extraordinary. It was even far more valuable than anything her royal husbands had ever given her.
"Are you ready to go home? Let me walk you to the front," said Dali, making Selena smile and nod.
When they reached the front, Selena’s eyes widened again at the sight of several boxes filled with gold and silver. Not to mention the jewelry and various precious gemstones.
"This is too much, Young Master Hawksen," Selena said, her voice catching.
"No, Your Majesty. This is nothing out of the ordinary—please accept it... You don’t need to feel awkward; this is to ensure our relationship remains strong." Dali smiled as he said this.
Damn it, he actually looked even more handsome when he did that so sincerely! Why didn’t Selena just marry him back then! Even the Five Beast Kings—who are now her husbands—can’t compare to what this man is doing for her!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Selena was about to speak but stopped short when she heard the fox servant who had been following her running frantically from the direction of the gate. Earlier, while Selena was talking to Dali, she had asked the woman to wait outside because she didn’t want anyone from the palace to know about her plan.
"What’s going on?"
"I just got word from the palace—the Kings found out you left and have the wrong idea. They think you ran away because you were angry at how Amena Cots treated you! Right now, they’re frantically searching for you all over Eldoria! We’d better head home immediately, Your Majesty, before things get even more chaotic," she said, her face a picture of panic.
Selena snorted in annoyance at the embarrassing news. Why were her husbands so stupid? Who had come up with this bizarre story that made it sound like Selena had actually run away?
There’s no way they came up with this on their own—someone must have exaggerated the situation!
"Let’s go back, then send someone you know to summon them back to the palace! Tell them I’m back!" Selena ordered, clearly annoyed by her husbands’ behavior.
They seemed afraid she’d leave, afraid she’d get angry, afraid she’d be sad—but they were the ones causing all of it! Selena simply couldn’t wrap her head around it—where was their logic as kings that they could believe something so untrue?!
Selena quickly climbed into the horse-drawn carriage after saying goodbye to Dali, who was still dumbfounded by the strange news. Once all the gifts had been loaded onto the cart, her new bodyguard immediately began pulling it, leisurely following the carriage Selena was riding in.
"Stupid kings... I wonder what other problems you’ll create in the future." Dali shook his head, his face still filled with disbelief. "A woman like Queen Selena is truly unlucky to have to marry you lot."
***
Vylen, Stevan, Dorven, Jhon, and Stoner stood with their heads bowed before Selena, who sat with a look that was both annoyed and haughty. None of them dared to look at her; they were even afraid to raise a hand to scratch their itchy heads.
"You really have the nerve to humiliate yourselves—I can’t fathom how you ever became kings," Selena said flatly, causing them to bow their heads even lower.
Selena massaged her head, which felt dizzy. Behind her, Kav and Kev—her two new bodyguards from the Bear Clan—stood as still as statues, while her servant, Vee, poured her a drink as soon as Selena’s glass was empty.
When Selena didn’t speak for quite a while, Vylen mustered the courage to lift his head slightly and look at Selena, who was drinking again. Her movements were irritated, as if she were upset about something caused by them.
"Where did you go just now, Queen? Why didn’t you tell us at all?" he asked softly, causing the others to swallow hard.
For some reason, they felt Selena’s aura was completely different—like an executioner ready to tear them to pieces for acting so foolishly.
"I went to Dali Hawksen’s residence," Selena replied, causing them all to immediately look up.
Dali Hawksen?! The polite man Selena had helped at the Eldoria court last night? And also the heir to the god of war of Eldoria’s Beast World? What was Selena going there for? Did they have a deeper connection?
"I’m hiring a bodyguard who can be used to torture anyone who fails to please me," Selena continued with a serious yet dramatic expression as they looked tense.
"T-torture someone? What do you mean?"
Selena gave a small smile to Vylen, who had just asked the question. "Yes, torturing someone. For example, I’d have them torture Amena Cots—the girl from the cat clan who used to be my friend and who claimed to be your future wife," she said, causing Vylen to swallow hard in shock.
He stared at Selena as fast as lightning. "Huh? Me?!"
"Yes, she claimed to have already been granted the status of Fox Queen-to-be—your father appointed her."
"What?!" Vylen’s eyes widened in shock, while the others stared at him in horror.