"Why don’t you let her speak up for herself?"

The room went deathly quiet. All eyes were focused on Princess Samahita, who up until that moment was yet to say a word.

Her heart beating nonstop. Fast and heavy breathing. Big lumps formed in her chest.

Princess Sheana, watching from the side, felt her chest clenched. Her eyes watered, mind racing a mile a minute.

She knew her sister well and read through her silence like she majored in that language, and it made her so angry that invisible steams were coming out of her ears.

"How could you?" Sheana asked, disbelief written all over her face.

Of all the beasts around, her sister was the first and last person she expected to be behind Zeyron’s arrival.

Part of her wished Samahita would open her eyes and realize that their father wasn’t as great as she believed him to be, but with years of cruelty, fake affection and a need for validation drilled into her growing up, it was impossible to expect her to change overnight.

"Your filial love will be the end of us," she spat out.

She squeezed in between Nytherael and Rhysandor and dipped her hand into the basket, and picked a ripe essence apple. She took a big bite.

"I’m unable to stomach drama on an empty stomach," she said and joined Nytherael in being an indifferent spectator.

"Did you really do this?" Theren turned around, stunned by Sheana’s conclusion. He faced Samahita, waiting to hear the confirmation from her.

Princess Samahita fidgeted with the edge of her dress. She kept her eyes down, unable to meet Theren’s eyes and admit her doing.

He had stood by her and bodly defended her blindly. She didn’t wish to wound him by admitting that she did indeed use the Aether wing spirit beast that her father had given her before the mission to send him message reporting updates on their mission.

Theren’s eyes nearly popped out. He read through the silence and felt his heart twitch.

"Why? When?"

He hadn’t left her side since he picked her messy frame and took them back to her room. He even went as far as to sleep on the run-down chair in her room to keep her company all through the night and make sure she doesn’t self-harm.

However, not only was she sane of mind, but she even had the time to contact the emperor and snitch on the team.

"I didn’t expect this from the righteous Princess of Lume dynasty," Nerezza expressed, disappointed.

Samahita’s brows pulled together. Eyes frozen open as she dared not make eye contact with any beast. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Let me guess," Sheana moistened her lips with her tongue. "You weighed your options and your sister, your team that is on the ground with you, going through the hardships against father’s disappointment and decided thar we were worth throwing under to be in his good books, right?"

Princess Sheana leaned her head on Nytherael’s shoulder, slowly muching on her fruit as though commenting on a passerby’s predicament and not a situation that affected her directly.

Nytherael pushed her head off only to have her put it back shamelessly. The back and forth push and pull went on until Nytherael gave up and let her do as she pleased.

"Now what?" Princess Aenyra asked.

The team as a whole hadn’t discussed the next plan. The way forward was unknown, and their determination wasn’t as steady as steel as it had been at the beginning.

"Now, we move to Abyssal Coil," a voice drifted in from outside.

Zeyron prowled inside with air of arrogance like he owned the place and all the beasts inside.

Eyes rolled at his arrival. Nytherael didn’t even spare him a glance. He had made his point clear. He wasn’t in the mood to play fetch with the emperor’s loyal dog.

"A meeting and no one informed me?" Zeyron teased, his eyes narrowing provocatively at Nytherael.

Nytherael raised to the challenge by meeting his gaze with a flashing charming face that lit up the entire room.

"I only invited good-looking beastmen and beastwomen. If you didn’t get an invitation... blame your looks," he smirked.

Zeyron’s eyes turned bloodshot immediately. He squinted his eyes, fists clenched and teeth gritted. There was no beast he disliked more than Nytherael, and his spoilt beast attitude.

"Should I get you a mirror, Zeyron?" Princess Sheana had Nytherael’s back, joining hands to show her resentment for her father’s lap dog.

The other beastfolks burst into unmasked laughter and chuckles. Zeyron huffed and puffed, his face darkening with contempt.

"You’re just an overrated fox. Don’t think too highly of yourself," he spat out.

Nytherael scoffed. Finding a comfortable position before crossing his hands and resting his feet on the table.

"And don’t you think being a loyal dog on a leash is also overated?"

"I think it is," Sheana agreed.

Others enjoyed the jab but dared not join in. Theren wasn’t royalty, and his family wasn’t well off to offend the emperor without consequences, so he remained silent.

Nerezza and Rhysandor came to a silent agreement to remain neutral for the time being. After everything they went through to rebuild the family reputation and wealth, declaring war on the rulling seat wasn’t the best decision.

Princess Aenyra, however, couldn’t care about the back and forth. Her mission was different from the others, and so were her duties and bosses. It didn’t matter who was leading the team or who allied with whom as long as they had a clear way forward and her mission could move along.

Although she hated Zeyron’s ’I’m incharge, bow at my feet’ attitude, she took peace in a silent corner and ignored his presence. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Nytherael didn’t mind fighting Zeyron. He wasn’t just a nine-tailed fox. He was an Auryn, and his wealth alone was enough for him to bat heads with the emperor, not to mention his power.

Ontop of that, he was married to a sovereign with a kingdom of his own and a serpent who ruled the dangerous Abyssal Coil. He was practically untouchable.

Because, however much he and his husbands argued, when an outside attack comes for him, he was more than confident the two wouldn’t hesitate to go to war for him.

He was perfectly certain that the emperor was aware of that too, and that was why the team mostly consisted of trusted faces and beasts he was connected to.

While Princess Sheana had right about had enough of her controlling father. She didn’t mind being defiant. What’s the worst her father can do? Kill her? He was already attempting that regardless, so she stopped caring.

"Why don’t you go and bark outside," she let out.

Nytherael smiled all the way to his eyes, "That sounds like a good idea, Sheana."

"Nytherael!"