I Got Cheated On and Ended Up in A Beast World

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Cracks in the Ice

Morning settled quietly over the Supreme Citadel.

Unlike the lively mornings of ordinary cities, where merchants shouted and children chased one another through crowded streets, the royal palace awakened in disciplined, suffocating silence.

The first rays of dawn filtered through the heavy layers of protective formations surrounding the palace, bathing the golden rooftops in a sharp, metallic glow. Spiritual cranes glided lazily above the jade courtyards while streams of pure spiritual energy surged beneath the palace foundations like unseen, roaring rivers.

Outside Lin Wan’s chamber, twelve elite Shadow Guards remained stationed exactly where they had been throughout the night.

None had moved a single inch.

None had spoken.

The only sound breaking the dawn was the occasional rustle of their heavy black cloaks whenever the biting mountain breeze swept through the corridor.

Inside the chamber, Lin Wan had already been awake for nearly an hour.

She sat quietly beside the sealed crystal window, her knees drawn tightly against her chest, arms locked around her shins as she watched tiny flakes of snow drift beyond the transparent barrier.

She no longer reached out her hand to touch it, She had already learned her lesson yesterday.

Instead, she simply watched, her eyes blank.

The mountains beyond the palace walls looked peaceful.

Free.

Somewhere beyond those endless, jagged peaks... Wei Xiang was alive.

The thought eased the tight, choking sensation around her heart ever so slightly.

She still clearly remembered the dizzying relief she’d felt when Cassian had finally agreed to spare the cultivator’s life.

Although she knew the king’s mercy had never truly been mercy, It had been another chain wrapped around her ankles, Another silent promise hanging over her head.

If she resisted... If she tried to escape again... If she did a single thing Cassian deemed unacceptable... Wei Xiang would pay the price with his blood.

She lowered her eyes, a heavy sigh escaping her chapped lips.

"...I’m sorry..."

The whisper disappeared into the vastness of the quiet room.

She wasn’t even sure whether she was apologizing to Wei Xiang for drawing him into her nightmare.

To Captain Jarek for the life he had thrown away, Or to the tiny life quietly growing inside her own body, Her hand unconsciously drifted downward, her palm resting flat against her lower abdomen.

It had become an automatic habit over these past few days, Not because she could actually feel anything yet, The child was still far too small, a mere whisper against her soul.

But somehow... touching that place reminded her that she wasn’t completely alone inside this golden cage.

A sudden knock interrupted her thoughts, breaking the silence.

Three soft, measured knocks.

Not hurried, nor forceful.

"The morning meal has been prepared." The familiar, measured voice of the eldest maid sounded through the heavy wood.

Lin Wan slowly stood up, her limbs stiff as she pulled her oversized cloak tighter around her shoulders.

"You may come in."

The doors ground open, the same group of palace servants entered, carrying heavy silver trays.

Unlike yesterday, none of them dared to speak carelessly or trade whispers the moment they stepped inside. The memory of Cassian appearing behind them like a wrathful ghost still lingered fresh and terrifying in their minds.

The eldest maid moved efficiently, directing the younger girls with sharp gestures of her hand.

"Set the soup there on the table.. the medicine beside the bed."

"Replace yesterday’s wilted flowers." The younger servants silently obeyed, keeping their heads pinned down.

One carefully placed a fresh vase of white winter lilies near the window.

Another exchanged the extinguished incense for a fresh stick, a thin trail of smoke releasing the gentle fragrance of sandalwood into the air.

A third laid out the lavish breakfast.

Warm rice porridge, Steamed spirit buns, Honey-glazed fruit and Fresh herbal broth.

Everything looked exquisite. Everything looked impossibly expensive, Lin Wan quietly walked over and stared down at the food.

Her stomach immediately twisted into a violent knot.

Not from hunger.

From pure revulsion.

She couldn’t even explain why her body was reacting this way. The moment the rich scent of the herbal broth reached her nose, a wave of bitter nausea climbed straight into her throat, She swallowed hard, forcing herself to look away.

The eldest maid noticed the sudden tension in her posture immediately.

"Lady Lin."

Lin Wan lifted her eyes, her gaze hollow.

"The royal physician explicitly instructed us to make sure you finish at least half of the meal today."

"I’ll try."

She genuinely meant it. She didn’t want to provoke Cassian any further.

Walking slowly to the table, she picked up a delicate porcelain spoon, her fingers trembling slightly, and scooped a small mouthful of the plain porridge.

She forced herself to swallow it down.

For several seconds... nothing happened.

Perhaps... Perhaps today her body would finally cooperate., She reached for another spoonful, exhaling softly.

But as she did, the sweet, heavy scent of the honeyed fruit drifted across the table, hit her senses, and shattered her resolve.

Instantly—her face turned completely translucent, stripped of all color.

She hurriedly clattered the spoon back onto the silver tray, pressing both hands over her mouth as her chest violently heaved.

The eldest maid reacted first, her eyes widening.

"The basin. Quickly!"

A younger servant rushed forward, shoving the brass basin onto the table.

Lin Wan barely reached it before retching violently, her shoulders shaking under the strain.

Again... nothing but bitter gastric water came up.

Her entire body trembled, her fingers gripping the metal rim so hard they lost color. By the time the dry heaving finally eased, a sheen of cold sweat coated her neck, and involuntary tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Behind her, a younger maid narrowed her eyes, quietly whispering to her companion, "Is she pretending again?"

The other frowned, keeping her voice low. "She hardly touched a thing yesterday either."

"I’ve never seen anyone become physically ill just from smelling fresh food."

The eldest maid shot them both a vicious, warning look that cut them off instantly.

"Enough."

She walked over, gently taking a clean cloth from a tray, and looked back toward Lin Wan’s hunched figure.

"Lady..."

"Would you prefer plain, unseasoned rice instead?"

Lin Wan slowly shook her head, wiping her mouth with the back of her trembling hand.

"I don’t think it’ll help."

Her voice sounded entirely drained, a ghostly echo of herself.

"I’m sorry."

Again. Always apologizing.

The eldest maid sighed inwardly, a complex emotion flitting through her eyes.

She had served the royal household for almost forty years, had watched arrogant princes rise to power.

She had watched favored concubines fall into disgrace, She had seen noble ladies scheme against one another with venomous smiles plastered on their faces.

Yet...

She had never met anyone quite like this Lady Lin.

She apologized for everything. Even when she was clearly the one suffering.

As the servants quietly began clearing away the untouched luxury meal, hurried, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the outer corridor.

The chamber doors burst open.

A young palace guard stepped through, dropping to one knee immediately.

"Elder Sister Yun."

The eldest maid turned around, her expression tightening. "What is it?"

"The royal physician requests your presence at the infirmary immediately."

Her brows knitted together. "Has something happened to the medical stores?"

"He says... he urgently wishes to discuss the Female’s underlying condition."

The head maid glanced briefly toward Lin Wan’s pale, unmoving back before nodding firmly.

"I understand."

Turning toward the remaining younger servants, she calmly but strictly instructed, "Remain here. Do not disturb the Female under any circumstance."

"Yes, Elder Sister."

With that, she turned on her heel and followed the guard out of the chamber.

Several palace corridors away... The royal physician stood inside his private medicine hall, pacing frantically. The space was packed, surrounded by massive shelves filled with thousands of rare spiritual herbs.

Bundles of dried roots hung from the dark ceiling, casting long shadows, medical scrolls lay scattered carelessly across a large wooden desk.

The old physician slowly stroked his long white beard, his fingers shaking as he reread the spiritual pulse records he’d taken from Lin Wan the previous night.

His brows remained tightly furrowed, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

"It shouldn’t..." he muttered to the empty room.

"It truly shouldn’t be possible..."

A sharp knock broke his frantic thoughts.

"Elder Physician."

"The head maid has arrived."

"Send her in! Quickly!"

Sister Yun entered the hall, bowing respectfully. "You summoned me so urgently?"

The physician nodded quickly, gripping the edge of his desk. "I have a question regarding her daily behavior."

The maid waited, her posture straightening.

"Since the Female was brought back from the river..." the old man began, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Did she suffer from frequent, unprovoked dizziness?"

"Yes."

"A sudden, complete loss of appetite?"

"Yes."

"Repeated, violent nausea upon smelling spiritual ingredients?"

Sister Yun blinked, her mind connecting the pieces. "...Also yes. Just moments ago, she vomited bitter water again."

The physician fell completely silent, his hands dropping to his sides.

He looked once more toward the glowing ink of the pulse record on his desk.

His fingers lightly tapped the wood in a frantic, uneven rhythm.

Then... almost absentmindedly... he murmured beneath his breath, "Strange... completely unprecedented..."

"These symptoms... why do they resemble..."

His voice trailed off entirely before the final, terrifying thought could be uttered aloud.

Outside the medicine hall, a sudden, cold wind swept through the palace courtyard, rattling the jade tiles.

Far above... Standing completely alone upon the highest observation terrace of the Supreme Citadel...

Cassian silently overlooked the endless, snow-capped mountain ranges stretching toward the grey horizon.

His massive hands were rested firmly behind his back, his posture rigid.

His expression remained as unreadable and cold as carved mountain stone.

Yet his burning golden gaze... never once drifted away from the distant courtyard where the Female remained imprisoned.

For reasons he still fiercely refused to acknowledge to himself... His thoughts kept pulling him back to that room.

The silence inside the palace infirmary stretched until it became entirely suffocating.

The elderly royal physician was now kneeling flat on the floor, his forehead pressed hard against the polished white stone, his entire body trembling uncontrollably as the king’s oppressive shadow loomed over him.

He had examined countless powerful royal bloodlines over the centuries.

He had watched kings ascend thrones.

He had watched arrogant princes bleed out on the battlefield.

Yet never—not once in nearly four hundred years of practice—had his diagnostic energy discovered what now rested inside the fragile, broken female sleeping in the master tower.

The old man’s voice shook violently, clicking against his teeth.

"...Your Majesty..."