Chapter 17: Ch 17. Gifts From Husbands
Selena looked down at her dress, which was quite beautiful and adorned with several animal-inspired accessories. These included soft, shimmering golden bird feathers, beautiful bead-like stones, and a simple crown she was wearing.
The necklace she wore was also made of rare, hand-selected natural stones, not to mention the special shoes on her feet, crafted from the extremely expensive leather of an ancient animal.
"I remember back then, my clothes and accessories weren’t nearly this good—I used to wear cheap leather or plain fabric. Why is everything so over-the-top now?" Selena remarked as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
Several servants attending to her bowed their heads, as if unsure of what to say. Meanwhile, the servant who had politely escorted her to John’s room the previous night replied.
"Your Highness, that was a mistake. Kings do tend to be arrogant; that’s because they feel they’re above everyone else and don’t know how to pamper a woman. They’re used to living only for themselves, so they’ve disappointed you, but they’re slowly trying to make things right," said the servant, causing Selena to snort.
"Them?"
"That’s right. This dress you’re wearing was sent by the Dragon King. Last night, as soon as he returned to his palace, he immediately asked one of his court tailors to make you a special dress from some fine and rare materials. All the animal accessories on your dress right now are parts of rare and extremely valuable animals. The Dragon King said he’s ready to treat you well, which is why he had this outfit delivered first thing this morning," she said, leaving Selena speechless.
"The necklace you’re wearing was delivered by the Fox King; he said it was a heirloom from his mother, so he’s giving it to you as his lawful wife. Then the crown you’re wearing was given by the Lion King—he loves collecting all kinds of jewelry and is quite skilled at crafting pieces like this. He spent the whole night making the crown for you, then hurried to deliver it before breakfast," the servant explained.
Selena gave a wry smile. "Just those three? No gifts from Stoner or John?" she asked, and the servant shook her head.
Ugh, what did Selena expect from those two annoying men? Arrogant and stubborn—even after what Selena had done for them, they still had no intention of reciprocating at all.
"I’m too concerned, even though they don’t even need me. In that case, I’d better focus my strength and thoughts on the other three kings. I have to figure out how to make them fall in love with me; that way, it’ll be better when I offer my body to perform the Healing," she muttered, then sighed.
Shortly after, the door—which had been knocked on from the outside—suddenly opened. There stood Vylen Roxy, trying his best to put on a brave face, though it didn’t quite work, after spending the entire night wondering what mistake he’d made that had led his father to want to eliminate him.
But for now, he tried to ignore it as the man’s steps led him toward Selena, admiring her beauty.
When he reached Selena, he bowed slightly and extended his hand.
"Come join me at the dining table; let’s have breakfast with the others, Queen," he said softly.
Selena flashed a cynical smile, realizing that this man was becoming increasingly bold in how he treated her. Selena certainly wasn’t stupid; after what she had done, Vylen was undoubtedly even more convinced that her abilities were truly proven. Her status as the Healer of Extinction certainly made this man willing to do anything.
After a moment of silence, while Vylen waited for her hesitantly, Selena finally looked at her servant, who was already bowing politely.
"Help me up," she asked the servant pointedly.
Vylen immediately looked at her, while the servant had already moved closer and was carefully holding her arm.
Selena noticed the slight frown of disapproval on Vylen’s face, prompting her to meet his gaze with as much confidence as she could muster.
"I’m sorry, I’m not used to your kindness yet, Your Majesty the Fox King," Selena said deliberately, causing Vylen—who had been silent—to look at her as she stood gracefully before him. "Especially if you’re doing this on purpose just to win my heart, or only because you realize I’m useful to you. To be honest, it’s pretty painful when my husband only treats me well once he thinks I’m useful."
Vylen shook his head quickly. "I didn’t mean it that way," he said, but Selena remained silent, even deliberately turning her face away slightly.
She was playing a game of give-and-take, trying to find an opening, trying to do whatever she could to make her husband realize that he could try to love her.
That way, Selena wouldn’t have to see their act of atonement as something done solely for personal gain, with no intention of actually loving her at all. Meanwhile, Selena currently needs their deep love; at least that way, they’ll appreciate her more—both before and after they make love later.
Seeing that Selena wasn’t responding to his words, Vylen lowered his head again with a guilty expression.
"I was just trying to act formally as a king toward his queen; that way, maybe you’d find it easier to accept me. I thought the way I acted would make you realize I didn’t do this on purpose just to win you over. I’m sorry," said Vylen, making Selena smile slightly.
"Oh, is that so? It turns out I misunderstood," Selena replied, her expression turning calm but her gaze serious as she looked directly at Vylen, who immediately grew nervous.
Had he done something truly wrong again? Vylen wasn’t entirely sure, but he knew Selena seemed offended.
"I’m sorry, I just didn’t know there was such a thing. All this time, every morning, I remember you guys always leaving me behind and not caring whether I’d have breakfast or not. You only invited me to breakfast a few times; after you saw that I wasn’t very useful because my powers hadn’t awakened yet, you never paid any attention to me again."
Vylen swallowed hard and felt stung by that remark. It was true—the way they’d treated her all this time had been quite cruel. Even in the early days of their marriage, Selena was only picked up by a servant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They acted too busy and indifferent toward her, making her feel out of place when Vylen treated her with royal etiquette.
"It’s not your fault; this is entirely our fault." Vylen slapped his own face several times. "If you’re still upset, you can punish me. I’m willing to do anything to make it up to you."
Selena watched as he continued to slap his face several times. "Stop, stop doing that—you don’t need to be so hard on yourself," Selena said, then, with a worried expression, she touched Vylen’s slightly reddened cheeks. "Don’t hurt yourself; I can’t stand seeing anyone get hurt."
Selena said this with the kindest expression she could muster, in a tone that tried to sound sincere and caring. This made her realize that Vylen was a little taken aback but also felt happy; his aura revealed those feelings, which is why Selena could read them when she looked into his eyes.
"Does that hurt? Please don’t do it again," Selena said again, making Vylen smile with tears in his eyes.
"It doesn’t hurt, I’m fine..." Vylen took Selena’s hand, which was cupping his cheek, and gently held it. "Selena Grece, let me make up for my mistake. I’ll try to respect you and take care of you. Please trust me—give me a chance to do that..."
Selena bit her lower lip, staring at the man’s face, which looked so sincere. Yes, at least Vylen was really trying; he wasn’t hiding his intentions or his guilt at all.
Selena didn’t need to go too far to test him; his sensitive feelings of guilt would make it easy for him to comply with whatever she said. Although Selena didn’t know if making him fall in love would be easy or not, since she’d have to plan it out very carefully.
The slightest mistake, and it was highly likely that the men who held the status of kings in this beast world would catch on to her intentions.
"All right, then let’s head to the dining table now. I happen to be hungry," Selena said with a smile.
Vylen smiled back, seeing that Selena didn’t resist his touch. Carefully, he gently guided Selena as they walked, feeling very happy and proud that, so far, Selena was willing to let him touch her.
"They’re all already there; we’re going to have breakfast together. I hope you feel comfortable—maybe some of them haven’t apologized to you yet. So if you feel uncomfortable later, you can let me know," Vylen said carefully.
Selena turned her head. "Oh? They’re all there?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, at first it was just the three of us who planned to join you for breakfast. But who would’ve thought—the personal bodyguards of King Phoenix and King Wolf informed us that their kings would also be joining us for breakfast," Vylen explained as he continued leading Selena along. "Do they want to apologize to you as well?"