Breeding Season - Chapter 71
The reason she felt an immediate sense of aversion was because she already knew someone like that.
Angelique.
The way he described Aquafuran was exactly like Angelique.
“When she was angry, she never held back. She surrounded herself only with those who spoke words that pleased her. But it didn’t matter. There were plenty of subordinates who served Aquafuran with unwavering loyalty.”
“……”
“Those foolish subordinates worshipped and waited, never realizing they had been discarded. Aquafuran, in truth, had no interest in them at all.”
Yasamin’s self-mocking murmur made him look, for some reason, like an abandoned child.
Even though that couldn’t possibly be the case, that’s how he seemed—so Siren held him tightly.
“Am I really Aquafuran? Someone like me….”
“You do have a completely different personality. I can’t rule out the possibility that you’re not.”
“If I am Aquafuran, then I’d like my powers to return while keeping my current personality. So I can bring rain to the South.”
So that life could once again grow upon this land.
Having experienced the South firsthand… she knew it was not an environment fit for human life.
Even as she was treated as an honored guest in the royal palace, she found it unbearable.
How much harder must it be for ordinary people?
Thinking of that, she found she had no right to complain.
“You really are kind.”
Yasamin gazed at Siren in silence before letting out a quiet chuckle.
If you are Aquafuran, you have no idea what kind of fate awaits you.
There was no obligation to tell her.
After all, if she wasn’t Aquafuran, she wouldn’t be sacrificed. If she was… then she deserved at least that much.
She would be reborn in the end anyway, so wasn’t it fair to take revenge just once?
“Oh, by the way… I want to know how to handle two rakshas at the same time.”
“That’s the starting point of intermediate sorcery.”
“I tried it once, but….”
Yasamin absentmindedly explained the basics of sorcery.
It was impossible to focus—he was too distracted by the way Siren’s lips moved as she mumbled.
His mind, tangled with countless thoughts, suddenly felt too exhausted to think at all.
He just wanted to grab her, kiss her roughly, and torment her to his heart’s content.
Suppressing the dark desire writhing within him, Yasamin decided to wait for the banquet.
He had been patient long enough.
The morning of the banquet.
Three Wilkeron women came to Siren’s chambers.
After agonizing over their choices until yesterday, they had finally reached a decision—they did not want to get married.
“My name is Maria. I was a laundress at the palace. I have a sick younger sibling in Wilkeron. If I get m-married here, I’ll never be able to return to Wilkeron again.”
“My name is Tilly! I-I was a cleaning maid. My fiancé… My fiancé is in Wilkeron. I don’t want to marry a stranger here…!”
The two of them were palace maids. The last one, however, was somewhat unusual.
“I am Larisa Orm. My father is the head of the Orm trading company. As I am meant to inherit the business in the future, I must return to Wilkeron.”
“I see.”
Each of them had their own story.
She understood that their reasons for returning to Wilkeron were pressing and that this was why they had chosen to side with her.
‘If they make a good impression on me, I might put in a word with Yasamin, and perhaps they’ll have a chance to go back to Wilkeron.’
Crossing the desert was an extremely dangerous endeavor. Not only because of the infected but also due to the heat and dehydration.
To survive the journey, one had to travel with the king’s warriors.
Perhaps they were hoping that, one day, they would be included in that group.
‘That would lessen the burden on me. I don’t want to keep too many people by my side for long anyway. Pamilla is enough.’
Still, given that her position was not yet secure, she needed them now to expand her influence.
Having reached a decision, Siren smiled.
“So that I may one day grant what you wish for, help me grow my power.”
She knew well.
No, having spent a lifetime being compared to Angelique, she knew better than anyone.
Power was often determined by how many people followed behind you.
