The Beauty's Hidden Beast

43 - The Leopard Queen (1.62k words)

I was there when the Ape King pulled off his magic trick and showed us the future-it was grim. He conjured up an image of a mountain blowing up, with ash and smoke darkening the sky.

People freaked out, crying and panicking, so he quickly switched it up with a vision of himself calming the volcano spirits. After that intense display, he collapsed from exhaustion and had to be carried back to his castle.

A few days later, he was back on his feet, boasting about how the Beast God had listened to his plea to stop the eruption with his divine intervention. But for that, he would need lots of energy, which equaled an emerald from the leopard, tiger, and wolf kings every year.

The kings struck a deal with the Ape King under one non-negotiable condition: he had to guarantee the protection of their tribes. With a sly grin and a nod, the Ape King agreed, happy to take on more power.

However, the leopard, tiger, and wolf kings weren't born yesterday. Trusting but cautious, they began scouting out new territories, just in case the Ape King's promises turned out to be scraps. After all, it was always good to have a backup plan-or a backup kingdom, in their case.

After The Ape King assured everyone he had everything under control, I covered the streets with scorpion attacks, droughts, and floods.

Whether they happen or not, who cares?

Fear is fear. Needless to say, it caused the Ape King to pass out a few more times. It was about time that monkey started preaching everywhere that battle scars were a badge of honor, not something to be ashamed of.

· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·

"What if he finds out it was us this whole time?" Muir asked.

I couldn't help but laugh, pulling my cloak tighter around me. "And what's he going to do? Admit to everyone that he's not the hero we've made him out to be?" The absurdity of it all made the idea too delicious not to savor.

"Well... no, I guess not," Muir replied with a chuckle as he opened the gates to reveal a stunning female.

Her skin was pale as moonlight, her hair golden like the sun. Her eyes, a striking shade of bright purple, fixed on me with an intense gaze. She was a vision of elegant beauty, held aloft by one of her males, with a group of formidable two to triple-stripped leopards trailing behind.

"I am Queen Memi of the Leopard Kingdom," she declared, her voice as captivating as her appearance. "My cub has told me that you and your males have refused him to court Bai Qingqing, even though Bai Qingqing, herself, showed no objections to it."

"So, did your cub call you here to finish what he couldn't?" I replied, my arms crossed. "Parker kept barging into our territory, starting brawls, and bolting off whining when he tasted defeat. It's a miracle I let him escape alive." With only his tail tucked so tightly between his legs, he could barely walk straight, of course.

"You speak the truth, and I appreciate your leniency," Queen Memi acknowledged with a polite smile, "I wish Parker would listen to reason more. He is young and reckless and needs a firm hand to guide him. My other cubs were more open to advice, but not him. He thinks he is invincible. I would be lying if I did not say that I wished him to forget Qingqing and find another female, considering her parents' difficult nature."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to listen to your family drama," I said, walking away from her.

The leopards were seething with fury at my treatment of their queen. Their snarls echoed through the air.

"Wait," Queen Memi called out, striding purposefully toward me. With a deliberate motion, she unveiled a gleaming emerald held delicately in her palm, "Please give Parker another chance. At this rate, he will die alone and unfulfilled. No parent wishes that for their cubs."