Chapter 30: Ch 30. You’re My Mate
Selena smiled coldly as she looked at Vylen’s panicked face, swallowed a few times, then shook her head quickly at him.
"Selena, I have absolutely no idea about that. Honestly, it’s been months since I’ve seen my father—ever since he started spending all his time in the forest and isolating himself. I have absolutely no idea about that; I don’t even know who Amena Cots is," the man said frantically, his ears pricking up in anxiety.
Vylen looked at Selena, who stood silent as if in disbelief, making him even more panicked—especially since the four kings with him seemed to be trying to intimidate him.
Damn it! How did it come to this?! Who spread this slander?!
"Coxy!" Vylen called out, his voice loud enough to make the door swing open, and Coxy immediately rushed in.
"Your Majesty?"
"Have you ever seen me have a relationship with that girl named Amena Cots? How could she claim to be the Fox Queen-to-be?" he asked, his face flushing.
He was truly panicking, but he was still rational enough to call his assistant over to ask.
"Your Majesty, I never knew you’d been with her. Ever since you were a child, I’ve always been with you wherever you went. This is the first time I’ve seen that woman—and even then, it was only because the Queen ordered her to be brought to the palace. Other than that, I didn’t even know she lived in Eldoria," Coxy replied, causing Vylen to look at Selena.
"I thought so too. I haven’t really spent much time outside all this time. I’ve mostly managed the fox clan’s affairs through the palace and messengers, and Coxy has often helped me handle things when I wasn’t able to. I’ve never once visited the cat clan, Selena... It seems there’s a misunderstanding here," said Vylen, his face still tense but looking more confident this time.
"I wasn’t accusing you either. I just said your father was the one who appointed her as your Queen-to-be. Why are you panicking?" Selena smiled as she said this, but the smile she showed was still enough to make Vylen swallow hard.
Selena sighed softly, gazing at those who were staring back at her, wondering what Selena would do.
"Besides, it doesn’t make sense—something’s off here. That’s why I hired two personal bodyguards I can use to both torture someone and interrogate them. Because this involves five beast clans—or even more. So I don’t want to use bodyguards from your group; it’s too much of a hassle," she said, then leaned back calmly.
"What do you mean there’s something off here, Queen?" asked Jhon, looking at Selena with a curious expression.
Selena gave a small smile, realizing that these five animal kings were pretty stupid, too.
"That’s really odd," Stoner replied softly, causing them to look in his direction.
"Oh? Do you know what’s odd about this case?"
Stoner looked at Selena, who had just asked the question; his gray eyes, which had always been sharp and haughty, now appeared softer.
"Ever since he was a child, the Old Fox King has been poisoning his son—who is now the king—and then suddenly there’s news that a woman claims to have been named the Fox Queen-to-be. His son is already on his deathbed; how could he possibly want to arrange another marriage when his son’s life is also hanging by a thread?" Stoner said, making a point.
That made Selena smile wryly. "Quite surprising—you’re not that stupid after all."
"I can analyze things too, and I feel this is indeed very strange. There’s a secret behind it; it needs to be thoroughly investigated."
Selena nodded slowly. "Sit down; the situation here is still interesting enough to discuss. Of course, if I ran off now, it’d be like missing out on an interesting show," she said, addressing them casually as if she were the one in charge.
But instead of objecting, the Five Kings obediently sat down in their respective chairs. Vylen looked pensive, as if deep in thought, while Dorven, who was quite close to Selena, raised an eyebrow.
"So you mean to hire a personal bodyguard to interrogate the Old Fox King, Selena? You don’t want to involve us in this matter because our bodyguards have their own access?" Dorven asked, making Selena smile again.
Their gazes were fixed on her face, which was growing more beautiful by the day. To be honest, Selena was now truly a sight to behold; she’d been smiling more often, and it highlighted her utterly captivating facial expressions.
"Yes, you could say that. Besides, I don’t want to ask for any more of your help. You might think I need you, and then you’ll trample on my pride again," Selena snapped, causing them to immediately lower their heads.
Selena rose from her seat; the moment she moved, the gazes of her two bodyguards and her personal servant, Vee, would always follow her.
"I’ll have them interrogate the Old Fox King and Amena Cots today. Specifically, where that old man obtained that strange and deadly poison, how long he’s been studying poisons, what his motive was for poisoning the Fox King, and so on. As for Amena Cots, she also needs to be thoroughly interrogated because she knows quite a lot about Eldoria and the court’s decisions. That’s very suspicious," said Selena as she walked around them.
The gazes of her five husbands followed her, until John looked at her in surprise.
"Does Amena Cots know about the Eldoria court’s decision? Quen, is what you said true?" Jhon asked, causing Selena to nod without looking at him. "What exactly? What did she say to you that’s made you so upset?"
"I’m not upset, but I’m offended." Selena looked at Jhon, who immediately fell silent. "She said that after I healed you all, you’d cast me aside; she said that was a decision and something already planned by the Eldoria court. Second, she said you already have soulmates who were also chosen by the Eldoria court. So after you cast me aside, you’ll marry those soulmates who were destined for you. I’m offended—it turns out my status is nothing more than that of a woman to be used."
Jhon immediately stood up. "That’s impossible!" he exclaimed with a serious expression; his voice was so forceful it startled the other four kings. "I don’t have a predestined partner! I’m a king—no one can force me to marry someone I don’t like! Not even my own mother can arrange my marriage—on what grounds could the Eldoria Court possibly do so?"
Selena said nothing; she simply stared at Jhon’s angry face. Her other husbands did the same—they each stood up and nodded in agreement with Jhon Nix’s words.
"Yes, that’s right!"
"Marrying you wasn’t something we were forced into, even though we knew from the start that you’d be useful for our healing. But we don’t have any destined partners! There’s no such strange arrangement in the world of Eldoria!"
"That’s right, what the heck! That woman is way too bold! At your first meeting as Queen, how could she act so recklessly and ruin our reputation?"
"I can’t believe it—what kind of fool would say something like that? In Eldoria, no marriage ends in divorce. Once married, he will forever be that woman’s one and only partner. In Eldoria, men aren’t allowed to remarry, but a woman with a special status like yours can have more than one husband. She’s absolutely ridiculous! There’s no way she’s that stupid—she must not understand Eldoria’s rules!"
Selena watched them as they ranted, then turned her gaze to Stoner Grey, who remained silent and unresponsive. With a small smile, Selena leaned toward him, looking at the Wolf King, who stared back at her sharply, his brow furrowed.
"So what about you, Wolf King? As far as I know, a Wolf King usually has a Luna—a woman specifically chosen for him by the Moon Goddess. Is it possible that in the world of Eldoria, you follow the same rule? Why don’t you refute what Amena Cots said, like everyone else?" Selena asked in a tone that was both mysterious and intimidating.
Vylen, Stevan, Jhon, and Dorven looked at them with concern. None of them had ever shared any secrets with one another, so until now, they knew nothing about each other’s lives.
"I am the cursed Wolf King, no longer the perfect Alpha," Stoner said calmly, gazing deeply into Selena’s eyes—a gaze she admitted was quite captivating.
Moreover, Stoner had a handsome face that looked as if it had been sculpted by a renowned artist. At this close distance, Selena could feel his powerful aura of authority. It sent a shiver down her spine when Stoner’s somewhat rough and large hand clasped hers on the table.
"You are my mate; long before we were married, the Moon Goddess had already ordained it. There is no other Luna in my life; you are the woman destined for me. That is why I was the one to take your virginity first—because I needed to mark you as my wife while you were still pure," he said with absolute seriousness.
Selena swallowed hard upon hearing those rather blunt words. She slowly pulled her hand away, trying to keep her composure so she wouldn’t act awkwardly.
Damn it! Why was Selena’s heart pounding so hard?! She couldn’t let this happen—she didn’t want them to control her!
"All right, then," Selena replied after trying to calm herself down. "Vee, Kav, Kev, follow me!"
"Queen, where are you going?" Vylen asked in a panic, afraid that this time Selena might run away.
"To interrogate the Old Fox King and that damn Amena Cots!" Selena snapped, walking away.
The four kings immediately breathed a sigh of relief, while Stoner smiled to himself as his heart began to race.
"Selena’s body smells so good... Damn, can she really turn me on?"