Chapter 202: Seville Has Taken the Beast Husband Virtue Class
"I... Am I getting my period?"
Su An’an’s face turned deathly pale as she suddenly remembered something Little Pink had said.
"Your Highness, once you get your period, your beast form will instantly mature, and you will be able to bear offspring."
In the Empire, such a moment would be regarded as a sacred ritual.
The female would be cherished like a fragile treasure, receiving meticulous care comparable to the human custom of "postpartum confinement."
But now, with the acid rain season approaching and a great battle imminent, even a sip of hot water was a luxury.
’Why did it have to be now!’
Su An’an’s whisper was cut short by a sudden, wrenching pain in her lower abdomen, and a cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.
Seville’s gaze darkened. His Adam’s apple bobbed sharply, and he spun around abruptly.
"I’ll go get the Witch Doctor."
"No!"
Su An’an gripped his wrist tightly, her eyelashes glistening with tiny flecks of moisture, her dark eyes like water-soaked Obsidian.
"The final assault is tomorrow. We can’t let morale falter..."
Before she could finish, another wave of agony ripped through her abdomen like sharp claws.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, her body curling up uncontrollably.
Cold sweat soaked through her top in an instant, a bone-chilling coldness spreading through her in the night breeze.
"Stop pretending you’re fine!"
Seville swept her up into his arms and carried her to the animal-hide bed, his palm gently supporting her side as he laid her down.
"I’m really okay."
Su An’an forced herself to sit up, but he pushed her back down.
Seville looked down at her pale lips, his voice still cold and hard.
"Lie down. Close your eyes."
But the Golden Light that rose from his palm was like melted honey.
It flowed from his fingertips to her waist and abdomen, weaving a warm, glowing net of light.
"If you move again,"
he leaned in close, his dangerous aura brushing against her ear, "I’ll tie you to the headboard with a rope."
Su An’an licked her lips and meekly burrowed deeper into the animal hides.
She clutched her aching abdomen, saying awkwardly,
"Could you please go get Jin Zhu for me? And ask her to bring me a new animal-hide skirt."
"No need to call her."
Seville’s tone was unquestionable. "Take it off. I’ll wash it."
Su An’an’s ears instantly turned beet red. "N-No! I’ll do it myself!"
"The cold water is bad for you."
Seville cut her off, suddenly turning his face away.
His silver-purple hair fell forward, hiding the tips of his slightly red ears.
"I’ve taken the Beast Husband etiquette course. This is nothing."
"O-Okay!"
Su An’an buried her face in the animal-hide blanket, only the trembling top of her head visible.
After the RUSTLE of clothing being removed, a pair of black combat pants was passed out from under the edge of the blanket.
As Seville took them, the pad of his finger accidentally brushed against her cool wrist, and he recoiled as if he had been burned.
"I’ll go get you a bowl of hot soup."
As Seville turned away with the combat pants, his spread Wings gently swept across her cheek.
He returned a short while later carrying a large earthenware bowl, the rising steam filling the entire hut.
Translucent slices of Crystal Meat floated in the amber-colored broth.
A few tender Gang Vine shoots unfurled on the surface, and even the rim of the bowl was carefully wrapped in animal hide to prevent burns.
When Seville handed her the clean black pants, they carried the faint scent of snow pine.
Su An’an jerked her hand back when her fingertips touched Seville’s, then took the pants with a blush.
The high-tech fibers had already been cleaned by Seville’s Energy.
"Use this as a pad."
Seville suddenly pulled a long, cloth-wrapped bundle from his robes and, with a stern face, stuffed it into her hand.
Unfolding it, she saw it was a white, soft pad woven from fine down.
When she pressed her finger against it, she could feel a faint Golden Light flowing through the down.
Su An’an looked up sharply and noticed that on Seville’s left Wing, which was once like snow-white satin,
a palm-sized patch of primary feathers was missing, revealing the tender pink skin underneath. Even the surrounding down was dotted with dried blood.
"What happened to your feathers?"
Su An’an reached out to touch the wound, but he sidestepped to avoid her.
Seville’s silver-purple hair swung over his shoulder, hiding the lingering red on the tips of his ears.
"Just molting. It’s no big deal. Hurry up and drink your soup!"
Seville thrust the earthenware bowl into her hands, his tone like ice-quenched iron.
Su An’an’s eyes grew warm. She lowered her head, cupped the bowl, and began to drink in small sips.
The scalding broth slid down her throat, and a warmth like melting snow seeped into her very bones.
Seville took the empty bowl and turned to leave, lifting the animal-hide flap of the entrance.
Su An’an quickly put on the special sanitary pad Seville had made.
After changing into the dried combat pants, exhaustion suddenly washed over her like a tidal wave.
She had just slumped onto the animal-hide mattress when her eyelids became too heavy to lift.
When the tent flap was lifted again, Seville, carrying the damp chill of the night, quietly approached.
He looked at Su An’an’s furrowed brow and, as he lay down, deliberately shifted closer to her.
The crisp scent of pine, mixed with a dry warmth, gently enveloped her.
"Sleep. I’m here."
Seville spread his Wings, covering her side like an umbrella shielding her from the wind.
"I’m glad you’re here."
Su An’an murmured drowsily, instinctively snuggling deeper into the warmth of his Wings.
Her nose brushed against the new down feathers at the base of his wing.
Seville’s whole body stiffened for a moment before he relaxed, wrapping her more tightly in his Wings.
Listening to her breathing even out, the hand hanging at his side quietly moved to cover her cool lower abdomen.
The Golden Light rising from his palm passed through the fabric, weaving a net that soothed her pain.
The sound of the wind outside grew louder, but it could not penetrate this little world warmed by his Wings and body heat.
「Midnight.」 The bonfires of the Gray Stone Tribe had long since turned to cold ash.
The warriors slept soundly, using their Bone Spears as pillows, while only the eagle-eyed patrol Warriors pierced the thick curtain of rain.
A dark green acid rain, like corrosive silver needles, poured down, crashing against the ground with the pungent smell of sulfur.
But it hit the Gang Vine canopy with a SIZZLE of white smoke, filtered into harmless water droplets by the leaves.
Five hundred soldiers of the Divine Army crept like ghosts to the forest at the edge of the tribe’s territory.
They were wrapped in black cloaks soaked in poison, each step leaving a steaming footprint on the ground.
The Liger Beast leader licked his deathly white fangs, a greedy and crazed light flashing in his eyes.
"Raze the Gray Stone Tribe to the ground, and the Divine Female will be ours!"
"KILL! KILL! KILL!"
The Divine Army behind him raised their arms and roared, the sound wave making the curtain of rain tremble.
In that instant, a tide of purple-black Mutant Beasts surged from the acid rain.
The lanterns of several hundred Nightlight Frogs burst one after another in midair.
Green fluorescence mixed with the acid rain and fell to the earth, dyeing the muddy ground into an eerie graveyard of phosphorus fire.
"Enemy attack!"
The sound of a patrol Warrior’s bone whistle tore through the night sky.
When Su An’an awoke in sharp pain, Seville was already standing like an Obsidian statue at the entrance to the hut.
His Gang Vine hat was pulled down low, and his black-and-white Wings spread in the shadows into an arc as sharp as a blade.
"Stay down and don’t move."
The Swan Beastman’s voice was colder than the falling rain.
"No, I have to fight with you."
Su An’an threw off the animal-hide blanket and, ignoring the heavy ache in her abdomen, put on her Gang Vine armor.
"Don’t push yourself. Protect yourself."
Seville suddenly swept Su An’an into his arms. With a few beats of his black-and-white Wings, he shot toward the stockade wall like an arrow released from a bow.