Breeding Season - Chapter 68
If she couldn’t vent this resentment, she would lose her mind.
Nicoletta finally screamed at the top of her lungs.
If even one thing could go back to the way it was, maybe her heart would feel lighter.
If there was even a single thing she could control, she might be able to endure this, to somehow return to Wilkeron.
But… but…!
How could the one person who should have remained the same change so easily, as if flipping a hand over?
Don’t be ridiculous!
“Nicoletta Brienne. This is the last time I overlook your rudeness.”
Yet, even now, Siren did not shrink before her.
Damnably, she remained completely composed.
With her final weapon failing, Nicoletta’s face twisted.
She quickly sensed a shift in the atmosphere among the women standing behind her.
They were the ones who had feared her, who had followed her like lackeys.
But now… cracks were forming.
“T-That…!”
One of the maids stepped forward.
Pushing past Nicoletta.
“Please take us with you. P-Please accept us as your ladies-in-waiting…!”
“Ladies-in-waiting?”
“Yes! They said that if we don’t want to marry a southern warrior, we must become Your Highness’s ladies-in-waiting. I… I don’t want to be forced into marriage like this. I will serve you with all my heart!”
There was desperation in her frantic plea.
Because of that, Siren did not ignore her. She stopped and listened.
It was the first time she had heard such a thing.
‘My ladies-in-waiting… This must be Yasamin’s doing as well.’
When she turned to Jin, she saw the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.
It seemed safe to take it as a positive response.
‘But it’s enough if Pamilla looks after me. She’s the only one who knows my secret. And the only one who accepts it without hesitation… because she, like me, is also different.’
Other people made her uncomfortable.
Having made up her mind, Siren shook her head.
“I don’t need any more ladies-in-waiting.”
“T-Then a slave is fine too! I don’t care what it is…!”
“……”
To that extent?
She must not know what kind of treatment slaves received.
‘No. That’s not it… She just doesn’t want to stay beside Nicoletta and Daphne.’
Those two treated her harshly. It was obvious how they must have treated commoners.
‘Jin seems willing to let me do as I please.’
Though these women were from the Wilkeron royal court, whom she loathed, they had never directly harmed her.
They had likely stood by and done nothing… but still.
“Those who wish to follow me, come this way.”
At the very least, they held no real power.
She didn’t want to hold them accountable just for being bystanders.
‘Am I being foolish?’
She hesitated.
‘I do need more allies. This isn’t entirely a thoughtless decision.’
At Siren’s words, the blue-eyed women hurriedly moved to her side.
Some still remained with Nicoletta, but the majority had chosen to stand with Siren.
Leading them away, Siren pondered how she would take care of them.
She planned to ask Yasamin.
* * *
“There was a confrontation between Madam and the Wilkeron nobles in the back courtyard of the royal palace. But Madam handled it masterfully and even won some of them over to her side.”
“Is that so?”
“Will you not go see for yourself?”
A short distance from the royal palace—
At the training grounds,
A man, dressed in nothing but a pair of short trousers, was training.
His body, drenched in sweat, was solid and powerful, radiating an overwhelming presence that made it nearly impossible for an ordinary person to look directly at him.
Fortunately, the one standing beside Yasamin was Jin, who was unaffected by his master’s physique.
“I suppose I should. And the banquet preparations—are they going well?”
“I hear that Sir Chris assisted. But Madam handled most of it herself. She seems to have gotten close to the kitchen staff. The quality of the food being served has noticeably improved.”
“That’s a relief. She manages well on her own.”
Accepting the towel Jin handed him, Yasamin wiped the sweat from his body. Then, channeling Raksha, he cleansed himself entirely.
“Remove all the people stationed around my chambers.”
“Yes.”
“No one is allowed to enter until morning.”
Burying himself in training, avoiding Siren’s presence, had at least helped clear his mind.
He felt lighter now. It was probably time to return.
In the dark night, a half-moon rose.
It reminded him of Siren’s chest—
‘I’ve lost my mind.’
