Chapter 4

There was still some distance to the Beastkin Federation, and our carriage traveled alongside Seraphina's.

The atmosphere in their carriage seemed vastly different from ours.

Peculiar noises, mingled with Jax Lycan's and Seraphina's voices, made both Kaelen and me quite uncomfortable.

Kaelen and I took the opportunity of a carriage stop to stretch our legs outside. Again, those odd sounds drifted from Seraphina's carriage. I stole a glance at Kaelen, whose ears flushed a deep, telltale red, completely beyond his control.

But he immediately turned to me, his face a patchy red, feigning annoyance. "Don't listen in. You're still too young."

Seeing his attempt at bravado, I lowered my head and stifled a laugh.

A moment later, Seraphina was carried out by Jax Lycan.

She seemed not to expect us to be there, and for a fleeting moment, she looked shy. But upon seeing me, an inexplicable smugness returned to her expression.

I discreetly observed her, feigning ignorance and bewilderment.

Jax Lycan set her down, then went off to hunt on his own. Lycans, before achieving full human form, had to eat wild game.

Kaelen softly explained what he was going to do, then stroked my head and left.

Seeing our intimacy firsthand, Seraphina's eyes glinted with naked jealousy. She leaned closer to me.

"Little sister, you and the Serpent Crown Prince seem very close, but there's still a hint of distance, unlike Jax Lycan and me..."

As she spoke, she seemed too shy to continue, her face flushed as she looked at me, the trace of desire not yet fully faded from her eyes.

She thought I would envy her and the Lycan Prince's early intimacy, believing it would secure her status within the Lycan Clan.

She had no idea the endless captivity that awaited her.

I sneered inwardly, but kept my expression neutral, my eyes wide and innocent as I sincerely congratulated her: "Congratulations, Sister, on your harmonious relationship with the Prince. May you soon be blessed with an heir."

Hearing my words, her face flushed even deeper, her eyes filled with the languid, sated contentment of one who'd had their fill. She cast a dismissive glance at me and returned to her carriage.

As if she couldn't be bothered with me anymore.

Watching her retreating figure, many past memories surged through me. Good. She was still so arrogant and dismissive.

People who are too proud sometimes pay a heavy price for it.

Seraphina came from a noble background; her mother was from the White Feather Clan, one of the four great families of the Spirit Fox Clan. Both mother and daughter were immensely favored in the palace, which fostered her haughty and self-important personality.

My birth mother, however, was merely a minor palace attendant. I was conceived during one of Father King's drunken dalliances.

Father King, naturally promiscuous, forgot about my mother as soon as he had taken his pleasure. We lived in a small, remote courtyard. In my memory, she would often lean against the doorway, hoping that unfeeling man would grace her with another glance.

She developed a chronic illness after my birth and worried herself sick day in and day out, eventually falling ill within a few years. I cared for her while foraging for food everywhere.

During our hardest times, we barely ate any meat every two days, which meant my fur was sparse and I looked rather homely even at five years old.

Consequently, the princesses and princes of the palace often bullied me, Seraphina most of all. Her mother's family held considerable power, so no one dared to defy her.

I had survived all these years by playing naive and foolish.

I held no expectations or affection for that royal family anymore; this strategic marriage was my farewell.