I Got Cheated On and Ended Up in A Beast World

Chapter 169: Chapter 169

The towering black gates of the royal citadel groaned open.

A cold wind swept through the palace courtyard, carrying with it the scent of mountain frost and damp pine.

Rows of armored guards immediately dropped to one knee, their fists pressed hard against their chests as the familiar, suffocating pressure of their sovereign washed over them.

"Your Majesty."

No one dared raise their heads.

Cassian strode through the gates without slowing his pace.

His long black robes fluttered heavily behind him, the crimson lining stained with flecks of dark mud from the Whispering Woods.

Resting securely in his arms was the unconscious Female, her small body wrapped tightly inside his heavy cloak.

He held her tucked close against his chest, his large hand anchoring her against his heartbeat as if defying the world to take her back.

Her pale face was almost completely hidden under the dark fabric, only a few strands of her short black hair escaping into the cold night air.

Behind him, the three Shadow Hounds padded silently across the polished stone, their crimson eyes sweeping over every servant and guard they passed like living executioners.

The atmosphere inside the palace became unbearably tense.

No one spoke until Cassian’s shadow disappeared into the inner courtyard.

Only then did the whispers break the silence.

"...She’s back."

"So the Shadow Hounds actually found her."

"I heard she escaped all the way to the neutral valleys."

"Captain Jarek..."

A maid lowered her eyes, her voice shaking, barely above a breath. "He died because of her."

Another servant clenched her fingers tightly around the tray in her hands. "His Majesty executed the captain himself."

"If she had simply stayed obedient, Captain Jarek would still be alive."

"And now she returns as though nothing happened."

A younger maid glanced toward the distant corridor where the king had vanished. "...Did you notice?"

"What?"

"He carried her himself."

The others fell silent.

No one could remember the last time Cassian had carried anyone.

Not a dying commander.

Not an elder.

Not even members of the royal family before the purge.

Yet tonight...

He hadn’t allowed a single soul to touch the Female from the moment he entered the palace gates.

—

Cassian crossed corridor after corridor without stopping.

Servants hurried to flatten themselves against the stone walls as he passed, keeping their eyes glued to the floor.

The palace seemed quieter than usual tonight.

Even the hanging lanterns flickered more gently, dimming beneath the crushing aura surrounding their king.

He stopped before a pair of enormous golden doors.

The doors were engraved with soaring manticores surrounded by countless tiny birds trapped inside intricate cages of gold.

With a flick of his wrist, dozens of ancient formations rippled across the surface, glowing brightly before fading away one after another.

The heavy doors slowly ground open.

This was no longer the chamber Lin Wan had escaped from.

Everything inside had changed.

The balcony overlooking the mountains had vanished completely, replaced by a solid wall of white jade reinforced with spatial arrays.

The wide crystal windows had been sealed behind layers of transparent spiritual barriers that shimmered faintly whenever the moonlight touched them.

Golden chains of formation light ran beneath the polished floor like flowing rivers of fire, silently feeding the countless defensive arrays hidden throughout the room.

Outside the chamber, twelve elite Shadow Guards immediately took their positions, drawing their blades halfway in a silent vow.

No one would enter.

No one would leave.

Not without the king’s permission.

Cassian walked to the enormous bed carved from white spirit jade and gently laid Lin Wan onto the soft mattress.

For a long, unbroken moment... He simply looked down at her. Her face was terribly pale against the silk pillows. Dried mud still clung to the hem of her torn dress.

Tiny, bloody scratches covered her hands where branches had torn at her skin during her desperate flight through the forest.

Her breathing remained shallow.

Almost fragile.

The image of her clinging desperately to Wei Xiang’s neck flashed across his mind.

Cassian’s jaw tightened, the muscles ticking violently.

"Summon the royal physician."

The order echoed quietly, yet the underlying ice made the air in the room drop several degrees.

A guard disappeared from the threshold immediately.

Only moments later, hurried, trembling footsteps approached.

An elderly physician entered, clutching a large medicine case carved from fragrant sandalwood.

The old man immediately dropped to his knees, his forehead pressing against the floor.

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

"Examine her." He said simply

"At once."

The physician approached the jade bed cautiously, keeping his spine bent.

He gently lifted Lin Wan’s limp wrist, closing his eyes as he allowed a thin thread of spiritual energy to enter her meridians.

His brows slowly furrowed. He checked again.

Then once more, a bead of cold sweat forming at his temple.

"The Female has suffered severe spiritual exhaustion," he reported, choosing his words with absolute care. "Her meridians have been repeatedly strained over the past several days. There are clear signs of forced movement despite an unstable body."

He shifted his fingers slightly higher up her wrist.

"The royal mark is also unusually active. It appears the recent escape caused considerable backlash against her spiritual core."

Cassian remained silent, standing over them like an immovable statue.

The physician swallowed hard and continued.

"Fortunately, there are no life-threatening injuries. She merely needs complete rest and nourishing medicine for several days. Once her spiritual flow stabilizes, she should recover."

He hesitated, looking at the dark aura rolling off the king.

"However... her body is exceptionally weak. If she continues resisting the royal mark, the damage to her meridians will only worsen."

The room fell into a suffocating silence once again.

Cassian finally spoke, his voice dangerously low. "Will she wake tonight?"

"Most likely before dawn, Your Majesty."

Cassian nodded once, his gaze shifting back to the bed. "Leave."

The physician immediately bowed deeply, scrambling backward. "This servant obeys."

The heavy doors closed behind him.

Silence settled over the chamber once more.

Only the quiet, rhythmic crackling of the incense burner remained.

Cassian walked back to the bedside.

His golden eyes rested upon Lin Wan’s sleeping face. For the first time since bringing her back from the river... His shoulders lowered ever so slightly, a heavy breath escaping him.

Slowly... he reached out.

His large, calloused hand moved toward her face, intending to brush away the loose strands of hair covering her forehead.

Before his fingers could even graze her skin

—

Lin Wan whimpered softly in her sleep.

"No..."

Her body instinctively shrank away, curling inward as she slid across the mattress to get away from him.

Even unconscious... She was trying to escape. Cassian’s hand froze in midair.

He remained completely motionless.

His hand lingered in the empty air for several long seconds, his fingers trembling slightly before he slowly forced his arm back down to his side.

The room was silent.

Too silent.

He had expected anger. Tears. Perhaps even another desperate, foolish attempt to escape the moment she opened her eyes. But not this.

Not her body recoiling from his shadow without a single thought.

His golden eyes narrowed, lingering on the physical distance she had unconsciously placed between them on the wide bed.

A faint, pained crease appeared between his brows.

"...Afraid."

The word left his lips so quietly that it was swallowed by the silence of the room. She feared him.

Not as a subject feared a strict ruler.

Not even as prey feared a predator.

It was deeper than that.

It was the instinctive, bone-deep terror of someone whose body had learned pain before their mind could even wake.

A strange, suffocating heaviness settled inside his chest. He could still hear her frantic screams echoing from the riverbank.

’I hate you.’

’I’d rather die than spend another night inside your jade prison.’

His hands curled into tight fists at his sides.

Outside the chamber, careful, whispering footsteps approached before stopping at the sealed doors.

A soft, hesitant knock echoed through the room.

"Enter."

The doors opened just enough for an elderly maid to step inside, her head bowed low, with several younger servants following closely behind her.

Each carried silver trays filled with steaming medicinal soup, clean silk robes, warm water, fresh bandages, and soothing incense.

Every maid immediately lowered her head to the floorboards.

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

Cassian’s gaze never left the sleeping girl on the bed. "Clean her injuries."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The maids moved with practiced, ghostly quiet, placing their trays upon a nearby table before cautiously approaching the sleeping Female.

None dared breathe too loudly while the king remained inside.

One carefully dipped a soft cloth into the warm water.

Another prepared a rare healing ointment for the raw scratches covering Lin Wan’s small hands and knees.

The eldest maid gently gathered the torn edges of the gray servant’s cloak to change her, but her eyes briefly froze upon the dark marks around the Female’s wrists.

She paused, her breath catching, the bruises were dark and Fresh.

And perfectly finger-shaped, Before she could dwell on it, Cassian’s voice cut through the quiet.

"Be gentle."

The entire room froze.

The words weren’t loud. They weren’t delivered as a threat, yet every maid stared at the floor in absolute disbelief.

His Majesty... had just ordered them to be gentle?

The eldest maid quickly recovered, lowering her head even further. "This servant understands."

The cleaning continued in complete, agonizing silence, the deep cuts along Lin Wan’s fingers were carefully washed.

The dried blood near her temple disappeared beneath the warm cloth.

A cooling healing ointment, carrying the soft fragrance of snow lotus, was lightly spread over the raw abrasions left by the forest branches and stones.

Throughout it all... Lin Wan never woke.

She merely frowned now and then, her chest heaving as tiny, panicked whispers escaped her lips.

"...Wei..."

"...Don’t..."

"...Run..."

The broken words were barely audible.

But Cassian heard every single syllable.

His expression hardened, his features turning into stone as his eyes darkened.

The room grew noticeably colder, even the flames of the candles seemed to dim under the sudden spike of his possessive aura.

The younger maids exchanged terrified, fleeting glances but kept their heads pinned down.

Once the treatment was finished, the eldest maid carefully pulled a thick, embroidered silk blanket over Lin Wan’s trembling body before stepping back.

"Your Majesty... everything has been completed."

Cassian finally looked toward them, his face an unreadable mask. "Leave."

The servants bowed deeply, backing away. "As Your Majesty commands."

One after another, they quietly withdrew from the chamber, closing the heavy golden barriers.

Only after the doors shut completely behind them did several of the younger maids finally release the ragged breaths they had been holding.

They walked together down the long, dim corridor in a hurried rush.

It lasted only a few moments before the gossip broke out.

"...Did you hear him?" one whispered, clutching her tray to her chest.

Another nodded quickly. "He told us to be gentle."

"I’ve served this palace for twelve years."

"So have I."

"And I’ve never heard His Majesty use those words for anyone."

The eldest maid stopped walking and turned, her expression severe. "Do not speculate about the King’s thoughts if you value your heads."

"But..." A younger maid bit her lip, her voice turning bitter. "...Captain Jarek is dead."

Another servant’s expression darkened with resentment. "The entire Vanguard mourns him."

"All because of that human Female."

"If she had just accepted her place..."

"He would still be alive."

Several maids nodded quietly, a dangerous mix of jealousy and anger burning in their eyes.

One looked back toward the heavily guarded golden doors. "She’s only a Female. A captive."

"Yet His Majesty personally carried her through the gates."

"He has never even looked at the rest of us."

The eldest maid’s expression became incredibly stern, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Enough."

The authority in her tone cut through the complaints instantly.

"Whether we like it or not..."

"She is the one His Majesty chose to keep alive."

"And unless you wish to join Captain Jarek beneath the frozen mountain..."

"Keep your opinions inside your own mouths."

Dead silence returned to the hallway.

The maids lowered their heads once more, their footsteps fading as they disappeared into the endless, twisting palace corridors.

Behind the sealed golden doors...

Cassian remained exactly where he was.

Standing in the shadows, watching over the sleeping Female who feared his touch more than death itself.