Chapter 23: The Young and Carefree Beta

Swan was stunned for a few seconds as she stared at this man who introduced himself as Rock. 

He was a tall, handsome man with chocolate skin. What surprised her the most wasn't his appearance but rather his youth.

He had short hair, a boyish look, and a bright smile that reminded her of a young knight. 

She wondered if this man was around Aria's age.

Rock sensed the awkwardness from the Princess, so he thought he didn't recite his 'knightly' introduction perfectly. 

He wanted to repeat his introduction by kissing her hand first, which Swan quickly denied by pulling her hand off.

"Ah, sorry, Princess. Did I make a mistake in my introduction? I was told by Lady Jade that Holy Achate has people called knights, whose job is to protect the royal family," Rock quickly returned to his real demeanor of a bright and chatty young man. "I am His Majesty's beta, or in your culture, I'm the highest-ranked knight. Even though I'm still young, you can count on me to protect you!"

Swan froze on the spot. She wasn't used to talking with such a chatty young man. She opened her mouth, wanting to introduce herself so as not to appear rude, but her words stuck in her throat.

However, Rock didn't seem to mind her silence at all. He continued chatting while standing in front of her, "This is the first time we met, but I've heard from His Majesty that you are a wonderfully beautiful lady. I can see he is right!"

Swan's heart exploded in an instant.

This man was so upfront with his flattery that it caught Swan off guard. She knew that Rock was lying because Gale would never call her beautiful. Nobody would because she was ugly.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel giddy when someone flattered her so enthusiastically, even though it was a lie.

Swan slowly lowered her guard and cleared her throat, "T-t-thank you. J-just call me Swan."

"Absolutely not, Princess," Rock refused. "That's only reserved for His Majesty. Though, I'm happy you permitted me to call you by your first name. I guess we are closer than we thought then?"

Rock was a little bashful, but he kept his high energy before continuing, "I've been instructed to accompany you around the castle. As long as I'm with you, you are free to roam the castle and also a few areas outside."

"I-I don't need to be accompanied," Swan muttered. "I'll never be in danger."

"What are you saying, Princess? You are a human in the beastmen's kingdom! Though His Majesty favors you greatly, some beastmen still hate humans," Rock explained. 

His words made sense, but Swan felt that she had no worth, so there was no point in trying to harm her. It was like trying to harm an insignificant flea. 

"I'm using crutches. I walk very slowly," Swan muttered in a low voice as she felt insecure about her left leg, but Rock could still hear her clearly and replied;

"Well, His Majesty already told me about your condition, so I came prepared!" Rock glanced at the cat maids, and they nodded before leaving the room.

They later returned with an exquisite wooden wheelchair that seemed to have been owned by a king before, especially with the comfortable cushion. 

"I will push you around, Princess. Don't worry, the cat maids will accompany us, and they will carry the crutches for you," Rock said as he stood in front of the wheelchair and held the handle. "We can go after you have your breakfast."

Swan nodded. She was happy with all the arrangements made only for her. Thus, she began to eat faster since she wanted to get out of the room quickly. 

However, she was disturbed by the fact that Rock and the cat maids were watching her as she had her meal. 

She grabbed two plates of meatloaf and offered it to Rock, and the cat maids, "P-please have this."

"W-we cannot, Princess. We—"

"Can I really eat this, Princess?"

The cat maids were shocked when Rock accepted the plate immediately.

"Yes, I can't eat everything myself," Swan replied with a relieved smile. She was glad that Rock wasn't as stiff as the cat maids. "Y-you can sit with me at the table, too."

"Nice! Thank you, Princess!" Rock sat at the table with her and then started eating the meatloaf with his hands. "Ah, I'm glad that you're not as uptight as I expected. I was worried because royals from the human kingdom usually have strict rules of etiquette."

Swan wanted to say that she wasn't a princess. She was just the daughter of a prostitute who happened to have been impregnated by the late king.

Knowing she couldn't say that, Swan kept her mouth shut and turned to the cat maids instead, "You two should eat with me too."

Maya and Myra shook their heads at the same time. Their faces paled a bit as they stared at the beta, Rock, in disbelief. 

"We are full, Princess," Maya politely refused.

"Y-yes! We had our breakfast before attending to you!" Myra added. In the end, Swan and Rock were the only two having breakfast at the table. They looked very harmonious together, and the cat maids couldn't be more frightened. 

Rock seemed to be oblivious to the cat maids' glare, stuffing his face with food that Swan offered a few times. However, Swan realized their glare and asked, "D-did I do something wrong?"

"No, Princess," the cat maids replied in unison. 

"Then why are you glaring at him?" 

"It's because I sit at the same table as you, Princess," Rock shrugged. He didn't seem to be as oblivious as he looked, "There aren't many etiquettes in any beastmen's culture. But the King of Beasts is revered. He is basically a God, so to have his mate having breakfast together with another wolf is treason. Or so they said."

Swan's eyes widened. She panicked, thinking that Rock would get killed because of her ignorance, "I-I will tell His Majesty that I-I am the one who told you to have breakfast!"

Rock chuckled, "No need to worry. Lady Jade told me that I need to be close to you so you will feel safe. That's why, even though I'm your protector, just treat me as a friend, alright?"