The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts

Then one of the cubs waddled toward her.

That was it.

Isabella’s heart completely melted.

She lowered herself as much as she could, though the movement was hard now because her stomach made everything more difficult, and the moment the village women saw her trying to bend, they immediately rushed over in panic.

"Goddess Isabella, don’t stress yourself."

"Please, we can bring them to you."

"These cubs are too stubborn. You should sit first."

Their worry came out all at once because none of them wanted Isabella straining herself over a few naughty babies. She was carrying children, and everyone in the village already treated that fact like something precious enough to guard with their lives.

Still, Isabella only laughed softly and waved them down.

"It’s fine," she said. "I only want to touch them."

The cub reached her boots first.

Then it sniffed.

Then, with the shameless confidence only babies and beasts seemed to have, it rubbed its little face against her wrapped leg.

Isabella let out the smallest gasp.

"Oh my gosh."

The other cubs came running too.

One of them bumped into the first one.

Another pawed at the fur around her leg.

A third sat down in the snow and stared at her as if deeply suspicious of her face.

Their mothers looked tired.

Isabella looked enchanted.

The village women around her could only exchange helpless smiles, because seeing Isabella this happy over a few baby beasts made the whole scene feel warm in a very simple way.

One of the mothers sighed and said, "They never listen."

"That is because they know they are cute," Isabella said seriously.

The woman blinked.

Then she laughed too, because that was actually true.

One of the cubs suddenly stood on its hind legs and reached for Isabella’s hand with both little paws.

The movement was clumsy and bold and so ridiculously adorable that Isabella felt like she might cry and laugh at the same time. So she finally gave up trying to bend further and simply stretched her hand down more.

The cub grabbed her fingers.

Its paws were so tiny.

Its fur was so soft.

Its little claws were barely even claws yet.

Isabella’s face softened at once, and she gently stroked its head with one finger. The cub immediately closed its eyes halfway and leaned into her touch like it had already decided it belonged there.

The other cub saw that and became jealous.

Then the second cub also tried to climb onto her boot.

Then the third one joined too.

For one brief, ridiculous moment, Isabella found herself being mobbed by three lion cubs who all wanted attention at once.

The mothers looked horrified.

The women beside her looked worried.

Isabella looked like she had already entered heaven.

Then one of the cubs tried to climb her wrapped leg properly and failed, sliding down in the most pathetic way possible before landing on its bottom in the snow.

The cub looked stunned.

Then it looked up at Isabella as if the fall were somehow her fault.

That made Isabella laugh so hard that she had to hold her stomach.

"Aiya, you little actor."

One of the women quickly stepped closer. "My lady, sit first. If you keep standing there, your back will hurt again."

That part was true.

Isabella could already feel the strain in her lower back and legs, so she allowed them to bring over a low stool covered in fur. The moment she sat, the cubs became even bolder.

One came near her knee.

Another circled behind the stool.

The smallest one walked straight to her and then placed both front paws against her leg like a tiny king demanding affection.

Isabella stared at it.

Then she slowly reached down and patted its head again.

The cub instantly began making a strange soft sound in its throat.

One of the mothers said helplessly, "It likes you."

"Clearly," Isabella said.

Then she smiled and scratched under its little chin.

The cub almost tipped over from pleasure.

That made the other women laugh.

Even the mothers, who had originally been trying to act strict, could no longer keep their faces straight. Their children were too silly, and Isabella looked too happy. The whole thing had become too warm and too sweet for anyone to stay serious.

At some point, Glimora came padding over too.

The little white beast had probably noticed that Isabella’s attention was being stolen and naturally found that unacceptable.

She sat near Isabella’s side and stared at the lion cubs with a proud face.

One of the cubs noticed her.

Then it waddled over and sniffed her.

Glimora held still.

Then the cub patted her paw with its own tiny paw.

The women around them all gasped softly at the same time.

Because that one little action had somehow become even cuter than everything before.

Glimora looked deeply offended by the disrespect.

Then she flicked her tail and moved closer to Isabella on purpose, clearly showing the cub who actually belonged there.

Isabella saw that and laughed again.

"Look at you," she said, reaching down to scratch Glimora behind the ears too. "You are jealous of babies now?"

Glimora blinked and acted as if she had never experienced jealousy in her life.

The mothers eventually started gathering the cubs properly, though the babies clearly had no wish to go inside yet. One kept trying to bite the hem of its mother’s clothes. Another one twisted in her arms and kept looking back at Isabella with betrayal in its eyes, as if she had personally failed it by allowing the fun to end.

That made Isabella laugh again, but the laughter softened quickly when her hand drifted to her own stomach.

Because now, after looking at the cubs for so long, she could not help thinking about the babies inside her.

Her snake children.

The thought made her expression grow gentler.

She had been wondering for a while now.

When the time finally came, would they come out in snake forms?