“It’s exactly because they are your kin, your people, that you have to help them,” Lily said.
She truly had no idea how this man’s mind worked.
He was cruel, shamelessly unapologetic, and impulsive.
It made her wonder how this man could still have so many loyal followers.
Was it because of his powerful magic?
Surely there were a few other powerful spellcasters in the East Fox territory, right?
Lily had heard of kings of the past getting assassinated by their close allies because of tyranny, but how had this man not been assassinated yet?
Had he been using magic to control these fox beastfolks to absolute submissiveness?
Or was he a complete tyrant that ruled with iron hands?
The thought baffled her, and it was even worse to think the fox beastfolks seemed to worship and fear him at the same time.
“They can always leave if they don’t want to serve me,” Ren said nonchalantly.
“Instead of worrying about them, you should worry about yourself instead.” Ren used his tail to wrap around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
Lily gasped, but didn’t shriek nor fight back like when he first did it.
All because this devious fox kept doing it to her almost every day, wrapping one tail around her waist and carrying her around wherever he went, like she was an accessory.
In the end, all she did was try to push herself away from him, to no avail.
Fortunately, he had never tried to steal her second kiss after the first.
He’d tease her by rubbing her lips, but Lily would always cover her mouth or turn her head, just like now.
The moment her head landed on his chest, the warm herbal scent coming from his body relaxed her instantly.
Sadly, it was hard for her to resist resting on his warm chest.
The scent and the warmth were a fatal combination that could put her to sleep easily.
But she soon snapped out of it when the Fox Lord pinched her chin and forced her to look up.
As ruby met with brown, he slowly moved his finger onto her lips, tracing it with an obvious desire.
Yet, he did not act upon his desire.
He simply traced her lips over and over until Lily protested, “Ugh, you’re going to scrape my lips!” The Fox Lord scoffed, “You don’t want me to kiss your lips, yet you also don’t want me to even touch them?
Are you waiting for that filthy mutt to come pick you up before you give the second kiss to him?” “I told you before that I will give my kiss to my husband once I’m married!” Lily insisted.
“Yet you refused my offer to marry you.” “That’s because marriage is a sacred thing, not just an arrangement you can make in an hour and then break off the next,” Lily chided.
“I told you that many times, you know?
I keep telling you too, I see Gareth as my family, not a lover!” Ren was reminded of her forlorn longing for Gareth in that cave and slowly let her go.
“Doesn’t matter.
You’re going to meet him at the Court of Moonlight, so you need to stop fretting over small things at my camp, or you’ll ruin my mood,” Ren said.
“Then stop wrapping your tail around me.
I’m not your accessory!” Lily said before hitting his chest, though the Fox Lord did not seem to feel it.
“Don’t you remember that you’re going to be my spouse for the entirety of the Court?
You are indeed my accessory until the Court ends and my deal with Gareth is over.
After that…” Ren paused for a moment, staring at Lily with his ruby-like eyes before grinning.
“You can leave with Gareth.” “And what is the Court of Moonlight really?” Lily asked.
“How long will it last?
And will I have to be stuck with you the entire time?” “It’s a court that was formed twenty years ago as a result of the Moon Priestess’s disappearance.
Though, rather than a court, it is more like a truce.
The purpose of the Court is to prevent the beast monarchs from waging unnecessary wars and to solve the Moonless Curse that has been plaguing the beast realm together,” Ren explained.
“Twenty years…
huh…” Lily muttered, fairly surprised that the beast monarchs managed to keep peace for so long.
After all, recalling the hostility between Gareth and Ren, she found it obvious they hated each other even without her being involved.
“This year will be its twentieth meeting, and things have changed quite a bit since two years ago,” Ren continued.
“At the eighteenth meeting, the Moonless Curse had become egregiously alarming.
So the search for the next Moon Priestess was ramped up exponentially.” Lily listened attentively, but she still had no idea what Ren was talking about half the time.
“So, uhm…
what is the correlation between the Moonless Curse and the Moon Priestess?
How does one find the Moon Priestess?
Do you elect one, or is it determined by birthright?” Lily asked as she tried to remember everything she knew about kingship.
“The Moonless Curse is a natural occurrence.
Think of it like a natural disaster that comes every year.
The sky will turn red, and the moon will vanish for the entire day,” Ren replied.
“Only the Moon Priestess can dispel it through a ritual every year.” “As for how to find the Moon Priestess…
we don’t know.” Ren said it calmly, yet there was a trace of helplessness in his voice.
“You…
don’t know?” Lily frowned.
“Can’t you just give someone the title?” “The Moon Priestess is a gift from the Moon Goddess to the beastfolks, blessed with her beauty, allure, and sincerity,” Ren replied.
“In the past, the Moon Priestess would appear as a baby in the middle of the Lake of Fate.
So, she is not someone we can simply choose.” Lily found that rather ridiculous.
How could a newborn just appear out of nowhere?
Who was her mother?
But then again, she was talking to a man with fox ears and nine fluffy tails, so she ought to accept even the most ridiculous story right now.
“But ever since the previous Moon Priestess disappeared, there has been no sign of a new one being born.
So the beastfolks just keep waiting and searching, wishing that perhaps the Moon Goddess simply moved the birthplace of the new priestess somewhere else.” Ren stared at the confused Lily and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“No need to fret over the Moon Priestess.
You’re not even a beastfolk.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Apup Ohh~ and who is the next Moon Priestess would be?