CHAPTER 9

The castle consists of a large great hall, bed chambers, sollars, boudoirs, and other necessary parts of a usual castle of a lord.

It is has a dark motif that is usual to a castle owned by a lord of the Beasts who lives his life in countless bloody wars for almost all his life.

Ana does not seem surprised to what she is seeing. Instead, she is fascinated with the new feeling she have in a place she just visited for the first time.

She can't even hide the fascination in her eyes that only made Gabriel shake his head because of embarrassment. But, on the other hand, it only being viewed by Riegne and Prinnx as adorable while following her closely.

Portraits and some statues are displayed in the great hall to the sollar where Redson officially received the guests.

"I am honoured to receive your noble presence inside of my humble abode, your holiness." Redson greeted Ana who turned to him after making an eye-tour.

"I am still in the middle of fixing my schedule. It's already two weeks and yet, I am still wasting my time making a tour around the two territories. I just want to use this opportunity to get to know the places I will be taught for the next a hundred year. I apologize for our arrival without prior notice, Beast Lord." Ana apologized.

"You don't have to apologize to me, your holiness. I am more than grateful to have you here. It's just that, please forgive this humble lord for not leading and disciplining my people properly and let you witness such embarrassing side of our territory. Please punish me, your holiness." Redson said and was about to kneel in front of Ana when Gabriel stopped him for it will make Ana upset.

"Her holiness do not want to see someone lower themselves in front of her because of something such as this, Beast Lord." Gabriel whispered in Redson's ears.

Redson stared at the floor, to Ana's white feet. His heart is beating disorderly that makes him catch his own breath.

'It is just her feet but why am I being like this?' He thought until his eyes fell on the hem of her clothes.

"I know that everyone has their own shortcomings, Beast Lord. I am not that shortsighted to not see it. I am just upset to see what my fellow Hybrids are experiencing in their homelands. Please forgive my childishness." Ana said with poignancy.

"Please, do not blame yourself, your holiness. I'll make sure that they will be reminded and be disciplined accordingly."

"They are your people. I know that you will do what is right, Beast Lord." Ana said with a smile.

At that sight, Redson is stunned.

Without realising it, his Beta Theodore already led the party to their rooms to take a rest.

"What are you playing at, huh?" Theodore asked Prinnx when there are only two of them left in the hallway.

"What do you mean?" Prinnx asked curiously.

"Who would have thought that you will play pitiful in the day when the Saintess will come? Why? You want to get closer to her and get out of this place? You want to get closer to her and what? Use her to execute your revenge towards Alpha? How pathetic!" Theodore is furious.

Theodore grew up with Redson, Blue and Silver. Because Prinnx was as always, oppressed by the others in the pack and he never even flinched even in a slightest, Theodore only find him an eyesore.

He regarded Prinnx as weak and a jinx. But after the massacre a hundred years ago, he finally found Prinnx as a thorn on his side. He felt threatened despite of the fact that he is Redson's irreplaceable Beta, while Prinnx is nothing but a Shadow who holds nothing significant.

"I do not know what you are talking about, Beta! I don't even know that she is the Saintess! What do you want me to do? Fight back to those people and hurt them? I protected myself from their lifetime persecution to me. You never heard anything from me but why are you treating me like this, Theodore? As far as I know I lived a life that can be considered as a life of a ghost. So please, don't talk to the Saintess like that in front of me. Or else I will not show you even an ounce of mercy!"

After that, Prinnx left the dumbfounded Theodore in the hallway.

But instead of being left alone, a huge shadow suddenly appeared from behind.

Theodore turned to the source and his eyes widen at the sight of the Saintess loyal knight, Gabriel.

"You see him as a thorn. You see him as a jinx. You see him as a threat. The unknown Shadow of the Beast Lord who made his own name unnoticed by the man he served is now being persecuted by a mere Beta who only knows how to stand behind his master like a dog... Wait! You're a kind of a dog, right?" Gabriel smirked.

"The Shadow was spotted by the Saintess being beaten up from the sidewalk, protecting himself foolishly. But how did the renowned Shadow was discovered by the people in here despite of hiding in the dark?" Gabriel asked with a grin.

Theodore knows. Those words have hidden meaning in it. His question is not because of a simple curiousity but it is a provocation due to the clear suspicion of the said incident.

And he knows... He knows what Gabriel is implying. Who is the subject of his suspicion and all the scenarios have been gathered inside his head. And he who lived only for more than a hundred years cannot be compared to the might and prowess of the man in front of him.

He gulped while his eyes cannot be separated from Gabriel's challenging gaze. His mouth is gapped open, he holds his own breath in fear of Gabriel's unknown reaction when his breath touches his skin. Words cannot escape his lips as he was frozen in that state until Gabriel is already gone in front of him.

Pressure and intimidation. Those are the words that can describe what happened to him. But the feeling of Theodore can be described as: chaotic.

'Is this the feeling of facing a person from the Angel Tribe? If so, I am in a real danger when Redson learn about my scheme.' Theodore's face turned pale that made him speechless throughout the day.