Ethan Gray looked down at her sneaky movements and couldn't help but find it amusing. She was crawling all over him—he wasn't dead, after all, so how could he not feel it?
The steward was drenched in cold sweat. He stole a glance at Ethan Gray, trying to gauge his mood and explain himself. But when he saw Ethan's face full of laughter, the words died in his throat. Wasn't the Prince supposed to be angry?
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him—the more brilliantly the Prince smiled, the more ruthless his actions would be. It had to be that! His legs trembled even harder. The Prince’s smile was a rare sight, maybe once in a hundred years, and now he was smiling so brightly. He was done for!
Ethan Gray looked up at the steward, whose face was ashen, and showed a hint of impatience. "Steward!"
The steward shuddered and stammered, "It... it was Emperor Augustus. Emperor Augustus took advantage of your absence while you were searching for the Divine Beast and sent the Princess Consort to the manor, saying the wedding could be skipped!"
Ethan Gray said with displeasure, "Why didn’t you mention this earlier?"
The steward was on the verge of tears. "Prince, you told me to handle it myself!"
Ethan Gray frowned, thinking back. It seemed he had said something like that. But he hadn’t said that this woman was different from the others! He was already unhappy with a house full of freeloading women, and now this one wanted the title of Princess Consort. How could he ignore it? Even if it's just a title, does anyone think they can take what's his so easily?
"Send someone to the palace to tell Emperor Augustus that the manor is too noisy. I plan to go out for a few days to find some peace!" Since the Emperor was so free, he could handle the state affairs himself!
"Yes, sir!" The steward wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, relieved to have escaped disaster.
Only the Prince would dare to call the Emperor by name—he was the only one with the courage and the privilege.
The woman, who had kept her head bowed, finally looked up at Ethan Gray with a hint of grievance. "Is the Prince leaving again?" she asked softly.
She truly felt wronged. What Princess Consort had ever waited over a month in the manor just to see the Prince? Not only was there no wedding, but he hadn’t shown her a shred of kindness. She’d just met him, and now he was leaving again.
Besides, it was clear that until now, he hadn’t even known she existed. How was she any different from those nameless women sent to the manor?
After all, her father was the Minister of Revenue. During her month in the manor, the other women had fawned over her because of her Princess Consort title and her family’s status. But if they learned that, in the Prince’s eyes, she was no different from them, who knew how they’d mock her!
Ethan Gray gave her a cold look and snorted, "Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?"
The woman’s face turned pale, and she lowered her head. "I wouldn’t dare, Your Highness!"
Though he said he was leaving, Ethan Gray hadn’t really planned to go. He’d just returned, and even if he left, it wouldn’t be so soon. Besides, he was waiting for that idle Emperor to come and take the whole group of women back.
After a nap, Yuna was lively again, unable to sit still—so much so that she got lost in the garden once more.
Staring at the sea of flowers before her, Yuna felt overwhelmed. Now that she’d turned into a small beast, her body was even tinier, making the garden seem enormous and the path all the more confusing!
"Wuwu..." Yuna crouched in the flowerbed, poking at ants in misery, waiting for someone to come rescue her.
"Huh? Where did this little kitten come from? It's so cute!"
The woman had an oval face, delicate brows, and eyes as gentle as water. Her lips curved with a soft smile, making her look sweet and graceful. Yuna couldn't help but grumble inwardly—Big Bad sure had his share of beauties! Though, it seemed he didn't much appreciate them.
The woman reached out to pick her up, but before Yuna could react, her body instinctively jumped away, feeling a strong aversion.
She was a person! Even as a beast, she was a Divine Beast—not a pet!
Thinking she was scared, the woman tried to soothe her. "There, there... I won't hurt you. Let me hold you, okay?" she coaxed, reaching out again.
Yuna was furious. Did she really think she was just a cat? Extending her paw, she swiped at the woman, leaving three bloody marks on her fair hand. It wasn't as deep as the ones she'd left on Ethan Gray’s chest—just a warning!
"Ah..." The woman cried out in pain and withdrew her hand. Her maid, seeing this, scolded, "Where did this filthy little beast come from! So ungrateful—I'll skin you alive today!"
"Heh... Wen Yuan, what are you doing?" The maid froze at the sound and turned to see another woman approaching—none other than Ethan Gray’s nominal Princess Consort, Lu Xiruo.
Wen Yuan disliked the domineering Princess Consort, but she was always impeccably polite, never giving anyone a reason to fault her. After a respectful bow, she softly explained, "Princess Consort, I was just here to admire the flowers when I found this kitten alone. She was so cute, I wanted to hold her."
Her maid muttered, "That beast is so ungrateful—it actually scratched Miss!"
Wen Yuan shot her maid a glare. The Princess Consort was a formidable opponent, and she suspected the kitten belonged to her. She worried Lu Xiruo would use this as an excuse to cause trouble. Normally, her maid was clever, but now she was blundering with careless words!
Lu Xiruo smiled, her beautiful face rivaling Wen Yuan’s. Suddenly, she snapped, "How dare you! Even a dog deserves respect for its master! This beast may be just an animal, but it’s the Prince’s pet—how dare a lowly maid speak out of turn!"
Lu Xiruo had only seen Ethan Gray holding Yuna, so she assumed the kitten was his pet. She had heard rumors about the Divine Beast but hadn’t paid much attention. Now that Ethan was back, her mind was set on winning his affection—she had no energy for anything else.
Hearing the kitten was Ethan Gray’s pet, the maid was terrified. She’d never met the Prince, but the rumors alone were enough to instill fear. Besides, a favored pet was far more precious than a mere maid!