Chapter 337: The Queen
"I am merely taking a look at the situation, mother, to make sure that our guest is not troubled by the children and nothing else," replied Rong Xian, his voice a shade too stiff because it was the first time he was actually facing a situation like this in his life. Usually, he would ignore his mother whenever she teased him like that, but for some reason, he could not do that this time around. It was as if he wanted to make sure that his mother would not doubt him and Ruan Chanchan.
But doubt them over what? They had nothing between them!
"Of course, I was also quite troubled whenever your father’s attention was on someone else other than me," remarked the queen with a light chortle. She said to her son, "However, I do hope that this time you are speaking the truth, Ah Xian. because that woman already has a mate, and he is not someone who would let his mate move over to our tribe. I don’t want you to get your heart broken over something like this."
Rong Xian clenched his fists when he heard the remark of his mother. He stubbornly said to his mother, "They are not together."
"At the moment, yes, but they are not separated by hearts. Are they?" questioned Queen Rong. She tilted her head with her eyes closed. "I know that you wish to get close to the woman, but you should also understand that her mate is not someone you can just ignore. Nor will your status allow you to get close to the woman or move over to her tribe. So what do you think you should do in such a situation?"
"But she is safe here!" Rong Xian spoke. His voice was a mere whisper as he continued, "The elders here will never be able to harm her, and I can assure her safety if she were to become my consort. Her life will be free of every trouble as long as she stays here."
"Are you sure about that?" Queen Rong opened her eyes as she raised her head and looked in the direction of the entrance of the gigantic cave. She curled her lips into a small smile and then said to Rong Xian, "If you absolutely believe that, then I am afraid that you are in for quite a big surprise. Isn’t that right, Elder Huo?"
Elder Huo stepped inside the cave. He looked at the queen and then bowed in front of her. "Your majesty, I hope that you are doing well?"
"Of course, I am. In fact, you will find me in great health as long as you all don’t cause any trouble for me," stated Queen Rong with a bitter smile. "But I believe that it is quite impossible, because there is no way you all will allow me to live a life of peace." Tipping her chin forward, she asked, "Now tell me, what do I owe the pleasure of your sudden visit to?"
Elder Huo pretended not to hear the sarcasm. Instead, he bowed his head as deeply as he could and then said in a low voice, "Your majesty, forgive me for coming so suddenly. But it is all due to some urgency that I had to come here; if not, I would have never dared to disturb your peace. But because this matter is quite urgent, I had no other choice but to step forward."
"And what kind of urgency is this?" Queen Rong asked with a raise of her brows.
"It’s related to the prince."
Queen Rong lifted a single brow and turned to look at her son, who was now looking at the elder as well. The two of them did not seem to know why the mer came to look for them, but at the same time, they seemed to have realised what was going on. Sighing, Queen Rong tilted her head to one side and then said in a low voice, "Alright, let’s hear what you have to say."
"Your majesty, you need to regain control of the prince before he gets out of your hands! Such a monstrosity! I have never thought that I would hear him say such things. He actually wanted to take a woman with no beast core as his consort! You need to speak to him, or else things will become even more chaotic!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Rong Xian slowly rose to his feet. He looked at the older mer in front of him and wished to kill him at that very moment. But he couldn’t because if he did that, then his people would fear him as a tyrant. "Elder Huo, you are crossing your line!" Rong Xian roared as he smashed his fist onto the wall behind him. The impact was not light, causing the cave to shake and cracks to appear on the wall.
Rong Xian looked like he was about to lose control, making everyone tremble not only inside but also outside the cave.
"Rong Xian!"
Queen Rong’s loud voice echoed through the entire cave, and Rong Xian, who was about to lose his temper, snapped out of his daze. He raised his head and looked at his mother with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Why? Why was his mother stopping him? This mer deserved to be beaten to death for his audacity. How dare he question him of all people?
Queen Rong then turned her attention to the little mer who had dared to question her and her son. She was still smiling, but there was an air of danger around her as she questioned in a light voice, "So, since when did the elders start to worry about the affairs of the royal family? Should I take it as an intervention?"
"No...No, your majesty." Elder Huo trembled like a little leaf under the pressure that was emanating from Queen Rong. He never expected that the easygoing queen would suddenly change her tune out of nowhere. And that took him by surprise. He raised his head and looked at the woman sitting in front and what he saw made his legs give up.