Chapter 25: Around the Castle

"Our queen?" The beastmen looked at each other before staring at Swan. They all tacitly agreed that Princess Swan was gorgeous. Yet, she looked timid and feeble. 

Could a timid and weak human like her lead the kingdom?

They all doubted it.

But of course, they dared not to voice their discontent. They kneeled lower and said in unison, "Please forgive us, Princess!"

…

There was no response from Swan, and the situation tensed. They apologized for the second time, but Swan still didn't respond. 

Meanwhile, Swan was frozen on the spot. She blanked out because everyone's eyes were on her. 

It reminded her of that time when she was a child. Aria lied to everyone that Swan stole her necklace, and the guards quickly surrounded her and beat her up before dragging her to the edge of a window. It had become a constant nightmare for her, and that nightmare still paralyzed her.

"Princess? Do you forgive them? If you are angry, I can punish them later on your behalf. I'm sure His Majesty wouldn't mind," Rock said seriously.

Swan snapped out of her daze and stammered her answer, "P-p-pardoned. L-l-leave now."

"You heard her. You may leave now and spread to the others that I am Princess Swan's protector. You are dismissed."

Under Rock's order, the beastmen soldiers quickly dispersed.

Swan took a deep breath, relieved that she didn't need to become the center of attention anymore.

Rock pushed the wheelchair and said, "Sorry about that, Princess. They didn't know better because His Majesty hasn't announced your presence to the public yet. But worry not, everyone will know about you soon."

Swan nodded weakly, but she doubted that. 

She had a feeling that Gale would replace her soon with a better-looking mate, who would be more suitable to be the Queen of Beasts.

The day went on smoothly after that. Rock brought her to various locations around the castle. However, she wasn't allowed to leave the castle as it might be dangerous, considering this domain was once a thriving city under Holy Achate's order.

"The beastmen outside are still very racist against humans. I can always protect you, but I don't want to risk it," Rock stated. "If you want to venture out of the castle, I can always tell His Majesty about it, and he will be the one to protect you. He is ten times stronger than me."

"N-no need," Swan refused as she didn't want to demand anything from Gale. She had been touring around the castle and realized the beastmen were very self-sufficient at everything. It made her feel a little sad because she wanted to be useful somehow. 

But her skill was similar to that of a maid, and she doubted Gale would need another one. Especially a crippled one like her. 

"The castle ground is not as lavish as Holy Achate's palace as this was once a border city before it got conquered by His Majesty a few months ago," Rock explained as he toured her around the castle. "You know, we, beastmen, are used to living in small tribes in the forest. His Majesty is the one who unites us all under one banner. However, we are still ignorant of how humans can make everything look so shiny. His Majesty doesn't lack wealth and fellow beastmen to do hard labor. I hope you can use your general knowledge to decorate the castle and make it a grandiose place."

"I—" Swan wanted to refuse, saying that she had no ability to do that. After all, she spent most of her time with the maids, or in the kitchen to hide from Aria. 

But she quickly changed her mind when she realized this might be one of the things she could do to repay all the good treatment she received from Gale.

'I can't keep freeloading in his castle. I have to be useful somehow until Gale kills me as a sacrifice or something more useful later on,' Swan told herself, and thus, she had the newfound resolution. She nodded and replied, "I will try my best!"

"Oh, really? Nice!" Rock grinned from ear to ear. "I will tell His Majesty and Lady Jade about this later. I'm sure His Majesty will be very happy about it!"

Rock continued pushing the wheelchair until they passed a stone path leading to an area covered by lush trees outside of the castle. 

Rock didn't say a thing about it, so she asked first, "Uhm… where is this stone path leading to?"

"Oh, that leads to a private lake used by His Majesty to clean himself. It's off limits for anyone except him, Lady Jade, and I, though," Rock replied. "What's wrong, Princess? Are you curious about it?"

"I-If it's off limits, then I don't need to know," Swan shook her head. 

"Hehe, it's fine. You are his mate, I'm sure he will be more than happy to have you visit his private lake from time to time," Rock teased, causing Swan's face to redden.

"I-I don't want to peek!" Swan denied, raising her voice for the first time. Rock giggled mischievously.

"How about I help you to get there tonight? His Majesty will come tonight after a long day, and to have you in his private lake would be a pleasant surprise, right?"

Swan looked over her shoulder while biting her lips. Her face was so red that people might think she had a heatstroke, but Rock simply winked at her, "Just a little help won't hurt."

Swan wanted to reject the suggestion, but the idea of waiting for Gale in his private lake was exciting, so she nodded slowly.

"Great! Well, we are done with the castle tour now, so I will carry you back to your room for lunch, Princess!" Rock exclaimed enthusiastically. "I will come to your room again after dinner."

Meanwhile, the cat maids had been silently tailing them. They looked at each other. How come Rock Silverfang seemed to be ten times friendlier than usual? Was it because it was His Majesty's order, or was he simply fond of the beautiful princess?