Beastly savior 90

Chapter 90. Howling like an animal

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"Hirpus..................."

Even after the chamberlain retreated, Hashad’s furrowed brow refused to straighten.

The hollow sound he'd just heard had been grating on his nerves the entire time.

The wolf warriors claimed that Kayan was the embodiment of Hirpus.

Hashad had a hard time dismissing the story as mere fantasy, as they had no reason to usurp the throne.

Their testimonies of seeing Kayan turn into a wolf were very specific.

It wasn't the first time the chamberlain had heard such reports.

For some time now, his entourage had dismissed the occasional tale of Hirpus as nonsense.

But when enough people talked about it constantly, it was hard not to listen.

'Maybe...................'

Maybe it was true.

Hashad's recollection went back about a year.

There were reports of a strange beast in the spring of Apeso.

It had black fur and was very large.

In hindsight, Kayan's appearance bore some resemblance to the legendary Hirpus.

With black hair, blue eyes, and a physical strength that belied his humanity, the idea of deifying himself as a descendant of Hirpus was, well, plausible.

But what Hashad had heard was not merely symbolic.

The rumor now circulating was that Kayan was a spirit, not a man.

It was a far-fetched assumption, but what if the strange beast that was said to have emerged from the spring of Apeso was really Kayan?

Suddenly, his mind brightened, like a partially shrouded shade of daylight.

Like an intractable knot, the random thoughts in his mind seemed to unravel.

Hashad's keen sixth sense was once again connecting Kayan and Ihedia.

‘It wouldn't hurt to be prepared, just in case.’

Despite his assurances that he could defeat Kayan, his army had suffered a disastrous defeat and was hanging on by a thread.

At worst, he might have to abandon the palace and flee.

If he was captured by Kayan, he had to have something to trade for his life.

Hashad pulled a short knife from the drawer of his nightstand.

The sharp edge caught the light and flashed ferociously.

His eyes clouded with impure energy.

***

Hashad's attention was focused on the war at hand.

Because of this, more than a month after Ihedia gave birth, the emperor had not once shown his face, let alone named the child.

Ihedia decided to call her Adeline.

It was one of the noble names given only to those of Elmir royal blood.

It was a very exotic name for Anut, but she was the only one who would call her child by it.

No one cared what the child of an outcast concubine was called.

People in the palace gossiped that Ihedia had already lost the emperor’s favor, but in truth, she was glad of Hashad's coldness and neglect.

The emperor's indifference allowed her to spend time with her lovely daughter, whom she could put in her eyes all day long and it wouldn't hurt.

Despite having a nanny, Ihedia never wanted to be separated from her child.

She didn't know what was going to happen at any given moment, but she wanted to savor these precious moments for as long as possible.

It was like heaven in hell.

Ihedia stopped humming the lullaby as the child drifted off to sleep, breathing softly.

Ihedia lay down beside Adeline, her arm around her.

The corners of her mouth curled upward in the peaceful silence of the room, and the corners of her lips slowly snapped back into place.

One by one, she pushed the thoughts floating around in her head away.

It had been more than a year since Ihedia had been confined to the West Palace, the residence of the consort, and cut off from the outside world.

She asked the courtiers for news of the outside world, but they gave her no answers, and her frustration never abated.

Ihedia blinked her unfocused eyes lazily, and the shadows on her long lashes shifted slightly.

A million questions floated through her mind, all of which made her chest tighten just thinking about them.

What would have become of Evan by now?

Had the Marquis and Marquise Lloyd succeeded in getting him out?

If not, what would Lena do with the child after the fall of Hashad?

Was Lucas still waiting for her in that deep cave?

Or was he living peacefully in the wolf forest, as he always has, pretending she never existed in the first place.

She wondered if Aurora had ventured into the wolf forest as she had told her.

How many times did she hesitate in front of it before turning back, because she was afraid.

When would the war end?

Would she and Adeline ever get out of here alive?

Kayan..............

Ihedia's rambling thoughts came to a screeching halt at Kayan.

Her last memory of him was as vivid as if it were yesterday.

The events of that day had scarred her deeply.

It was the second time she had inflicted such cruel pain on someone that she would never forget.

The first time was Lucas, and the second time was Kayan.

Without thinking, Ihedia superimposed Kayan's face over Lucas's faded image.

Their faces blended together as if they had always been one.

Somehow, it didn't feel foreign.

Ihedia felt a strange sensation at the realization.

‘When will I be able to forget?’

As time passed, the longing she had hidden deepened.

She had spent far more time apart than together, but still, every time she thought of him, she felt a tingle in her chest.

Ihedia glanced sideways at Adeline.

She was grateful that there was nothing about the child's appearance that reminded her of Kayan, but she wished there had been some resemblance.

Ihedia closed her eyes with a sigh as she watched the child's belly move with her breathing.

It was when she and Adeline had drifted off to sleep.

She woke up with a start as someone invaded her space.

Ihedia's eyes opened of their own accord as the child whimpered in her sleep.

An unpleasant face entered her vision.

Hashad.

The Emperor's first visit to the West Palace.

In his hand was a hideously gleaming dagger.

Ihedia instinctively reached for the child, but the courtiers grabbed her arms.

"Let go!"

Ihedia, fearful of any harm to the child, struggled furiously like a madwoman.

To her disgust, Hashad lurched forward and slapped her across the cheek, hard.

With an eerie crack, her white cheek turned swollen with a reddish tinge.

"I've been in a bad mood lately, so you’d better behave."

"Please, my child................."

"If you're so worried about the child, shouldn't you be behaving yourself?"

Hashad's eyes flashed, a stern warning.

Hashad sat on the bed and looked down dryly at the sobbing child.

Then his hand moved swiftly, and Ihedia let out a muffled scream.

Red blood trickled down Adeline’s arm where the knife had grazed.

The child cried out at the sudden sensation, but Hashad seemed unmoved.

He pulled a small, narrow-mouthed vial from his pocket and filled it with the child's blood.

"What are you doing!"

Ihedia howled like an animal.

Hashad frowned at the ear-splitting noise.

His wrinkled face straightened a little as the blood filled the empty jar.

Finished with his business, Hashad glanced at Ihedia before leaving the room.

The corners of his mouth slowly parted to form a satisfied smile.

He shook the vial of Adeline’s blood slightly before opening it.

"This gift will be used sparingly. In return, I will allow you to spend some quality time with the child in the spring of Apeso."

As soon as he was gone, Ihedia, who had managed to shake off the power of the courtiers, hurried to Adeline.

She tore the hem of her dress to bind the child's wound.

The wound was not deep, but the longer she waited to treat it, the greater the risk of infection.

Ihedia shouted to the courtiers to prepare to travel to Apeso's spring immediately.

The emperor's permission to use the spring had been granted earlier, and the courtiers were obedient to oblige.

Ihedia scooped Adeline up in her arms and glared  at the spot where Hashad had left.

What were his plans to do with Adeline’s blood?

Hashad's schemes were always so despicable, so unimaginably personal.

Could he be trying to harm Adeline this time, too, using a magical tool as strange as hypnotic incense?

'A magical tool using blood...................'

At that thought, Ihedia's pupils visibly dilated, and a chill ran down her spine.

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