Chapter 321: Lenard’s ex.
It was almost mid-day when the fruit harvest came to an end. Sienna was stretching her arms in the courtyard when the first royal arrived: Lenard. He was not the favorite member of the royal family around here. Not even in top three. The fuss people made when the queen, king and any other princess or prince arrived was not made.
Sienna narrowed her eyes. So they’ve finally sent someone to fetch the runaway princess, she thought. She turned to Mija. "Tell Lina to pack her things. She will be leaving with Lenard. I am sure the servants polishing the fruit will be very happy to hear this."
But Lenard shook his head and snapped his fingers. Two guards walked forward, dropping a heavy trunk at Sienna’s feet. "Not at all. I’ve brought more luggage. The princess should stay here for a while. Things are....hot in the palace. The king does not want to see her face for a while."
Sienna’s lips tightened. She had a suspicions that the the royal family was using her home as a convenient dumping ground for Lina. "How convenient," she muttered. "I will make this clear, I don’t want to see the Queen mother here. Not even to visit her daughter. They can meet outside. Those are my words, when you take them back, report exactly as I have said."
Lenard snorted. "Yeah, I heard about the spa."
"You hear about everything." Sienna muttered.
"I have good ears." Lenard smiled like a viper.
Sienna got a chill. She wanted to kick him out imemdiately, but Elias arrived just then, his cold aura filling the courtyard. The fox lord looked like he had been forced to eat something bitter only a moment ago. He gave Sienna a curt nod before Timothy appeared in the courtyard, ushering in a man and woman, accompanied by what looked like a pair of lawyers.
Lenard whistled low, his eyes widening at the sight of the woman. "Is that Miss Gene-haven?"
Sienna looked at the woman who towered over everyone. She was built like a giant, her hair a blazing red mane. She was a fox beast woman, but unlike any she had seen before. Her size was frightening. Instinctively, Sienna stepped back.
Elias’s hand closed firmly around her waist. "Don’t be alarmed. Gene-haven is from a small, unique group in the fox tribe--the Titan foxes. They are not many left in number, only two hundred eighty six. They grow to twelve feet tall, with large physiques and incredible physical strength that we call godly. Their bones are denser than ironwood, their claws sharper than metal. A single Titan fox can uproot a giant tree with one hand and swing it as if weighs less than a small spoon. In war, they are weapons. In times of peace, they stay out of everyone’s way by choice. They don’t like being gawked at, so they live in Uproot town as part of the protection vanguard."
Sienna knew the town. It was where foxes expelled from the tribe were sent to live. It provided a chance for them to prosper and set down roots, rather than wander aimlessly around the empire.
Lenard bumped his shoulder against Sienna’s with a smirk on his face. "She is my ex-girlfriend."
Sienna blinked. "Excuse me?"
Lenard shrugged casually. "We date for a day. Met when I was chasing a fugitive who escaped to Uproot. She took down my fugitive with a single punch, broke his neck, nearly killed him. I took her to dinner as a thank you. We shared drinks, spent the night together, and never saw each other again."
Sienna snorted. "That’s not a relationship. That’s a one night stand. She is not your ex!"
Lenard chuckled. "I will say this though, don’t date a Titan fox if you can’t last in bed or you will end up in a coma."
Sienna rolled her eyes. He was the last person in the world she ever expected to share his bedroom adventures with her. Or, he was sharing them with Elias and she just happened to be standing between them.
"You don’t know much about Titan foxes, do you?" Paul asked her. "They are promiscuous by nature. A wife of one brother is the wife of every brother and their father."
Sienna gasped. "Wait, you mean sons and fathers share a woman!"
Lenard’s eyes gleamed with a spark, "Oh yes. It’s their culture because it’s not easy for their sons to get married. How many average sized women do you think are willing to marry a Titan fox? So, because of this culture, children are raised communally, no one cares whose DNA they carry. It’s a system of shared bonds, not individual ownership."
Sienna made a mental note to look this up later as she had never heard about it.
Lenard sat down on Lina’s trunk, eager to share more. "They also believe that are demi-gods and strength is inherited through touch. A child who wrestles an elder gains fragments of their power. That is why they were the greatest fighters in all wars fought in beast man history. They didn’t fight because one side was right or wrong, they fought because they wanted to steal strength from those they defeated.
Today, there are less wars so they hold contests where infants are tossed into the air by uncles and caught by strangers to steal strength and imbue them with resilience. And their funerals? They burn the body with weapons so the spirit fights its way into the afterlife armed."
Sienna raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know a lot for someone who only lasted one night."
Lenard grinned. "Some experiences stick. Besides, their culture is very fascinating. You should try sleeping with--"
Elias’s voice cut through the banter like a blade. "Enough Lenard, shut up." He looked at Sienna. "Prepare for a divorce hearing. That’s why Gene-haven and Teddy Banks are here."
That viper like smile returned to Lenard’s lips. "Divorce? Gene-haven is getting divorced!" He sniggered. "I guess I will be making up with my ex tonight. She deserves to be welcomed back to land of the free with a bang."
Elias rolled his eyes. Was anyone in the royal family normal?