Chapter 1

After my three-day trial marriage with Nathan Moonshadow, a naga, I ran into Julius Lockewood and his cervitaur friends as I left my residence.

When they spotted me, they looked at me mockingly. Someone even failed to suppress a snort.

"Nathan looked pretty upset when he left just now. Queenie, did you fail to satisfy him?"

"Julius won the bet. I told you Queenie would keep herself pure for him even if she were driven mad with lust."

I frowned. Humans and beastmen had been living together peacefully for a while now, but some impudent rodents still liked to defy human laws.

Julius looked at me with similar disdain and said, "My friends were just joking around. It's harmless. Don't tell me you're actually offended?"

He knew his friends were being disrespectful toward me, but he was sure I wouldn't punish him. After all, I had never once gone against him in the last five years.

Everyone said that I was utterly infatuated with him. However, this was the last time.

When I was 14 and couldn't wake up from a high fever, Julius's face kept showing up in my dreams. Through divination, the court seer found out that there was unfinished business between us.

I was indebted to him in our past life, so I needed to do 99 favors for him to repay him. As of yesterday, I had completed 98 favors for him.

For his final favor, I thought that he would ask me to let the cervitaurs stay after my father, King Francis Sinclair, issued the royal decree to banish them. To my surprise, he made me drink a glass of spiked wine just to bet with his friends that I would endure the flames of desire to stay pure for him.

Listening to their mocking laughter, I said calmly, "All I did was stop him from touching me wherever he wants with his tail. What's there to be upset about? Forget it. I'll send him a gift to cheer him up."

Julius's face darkened, but he quickly schooled it into neutrality. He said mockingly, "Did you think saying things like that would make me jealous? Queenie Sinclair, your schemes are vile and ridiculous.

"You've been pursuing me for years. There's no way you don't know that cervitaurs take virginity very seriously. Even if I asked you to sleep with him, you wouldn't dare to do it."

My heart clenched. When I first met Julius, he didn't treat me like this.

Back then, a horse suddenly went wild, and he shielded me with his body. Even though the horse had broken several of his ribs, he didn't care at all. Instead, he worriedly asked if I was hurt.

After that, we spent five whole years together. It was only natural for feelings to bloom.

However, when Wendy Brightwater, another cervitaur, got into the picture a year ago, he immediately changed.

Seeing my face contort in pain, Julius thought he was right and grew even more pleased. However, I didn't try to argue or explain myself like I used to.

"Don't loiter outside the my residence for no reason, Mr. Lockewood. The attendants are making preparations for Mr. Zachary Stonehart's arrival. You're disturbing them with your presence."

Hearing that, Julius frowned. "Zachary? Are you talking about that sly, silver-tongued werefox? All he has going for him is his face. Just kick him out when he gets here," he said commandingly.

Then, he looked at me scornfully. "Forget it. You're probably not so desperate that you would fall for scum like him."

I ignored him and left.