I Got Cheated On and Ended Up in A Beast World

Chapter 174: Chapter 174 — The First Change

Cassian walked toward the heavy doors. Just before stepping out into the corridor, he paused. Without turning around, he spoke quietly, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

"Prepare every high-grade medical tonic suitable for early human pregnancy. Only the safest ones. If there is a single trace of impurity, the alchemist who produced the tonic will lose his hands. And send away every palace maid who cannot keep her tongue under control. Replace them with the mute ones."

He paused, the air dropping to freezing temperatures. "If I hear even a single rumor regarding her condition spread through this palace... they will accompany that bastard Jarek beneath the mountain."

The attendant’s face turned stark white, a shiver running down his spine. "...Understood, Your Majesty."

Cassian finally stepped through the threshold, his massive shadow vanishing from the room. The heavy golden doors slowly closed behind him with a deep, final thud.

Inside the enormous, glittering chamber, only Lin Wan remained, still fast asleep. She was completely unaware that Cassian had found out about the pregnancy.

And far outside the palace walls, across the frozen peaks, a silver leopard was already sharpening his claws, preparing to tear the heavens apart for war.

Cassian did not return to the war hall immediately. The palace attendants could only watch as their king stood alone beneath the long jade corridor outside the infirmary. Snow drifted quietly through the open courtyard beyond the carved stone pillars, covering the palace gardens in white. No one dared approach him.

The old royal physician remained kneeling several steps behind, his forehead pressed against the cold floor. He had already repeated the diagnosis four different times, and each answer had been exactly the same: the female was carrying a child. A royal child.

Cassian’s golden eyes slowly closed. For the first time in centuries, his thoughts were completely disordered.

A child. His bloodline had survived. He actually has a child.

He remembered the council meetings held over the last few hundred years. Every elder had spoken about the same problem—the royal line was dying. Generation after generation, the number of newborns became fewer, then ceased entirely.

Many noble females had entered the palace; some stayed willingly, some arrived through political marriages, and some desperately wanted to bear the next heir. None succeeded.

The palace eventually stopped preparing nurseries. The old toys stored inside the royal treasury gathered dust, and even the servants stopped speaking about children. It became something everyone quietly accepted, the Manticore royal family would end with him.

Yet now, the impossible had happened inside the female who hated him most.

His fingers slowly tightened behind his back. "...Leave."

The physician immediately bowed lower. "This servant obeys." He hurried away, almost running from the corridor.

Soon only Cassian remained. The cold wind lifted the ends of his black robe as he stared toward the distant tower where Lin Wan rested. His expression remained cold, but something inside him had already begun changing.

Inside the royal medical hall, several physicians gathered around the old doctor, speaking in hushed voices.

"Master... is it really true?"

The old physician nodded slowly. "I confirmed it myself."

A younger doctor frowned. "But... how? The royal bloodline hasn’t produced an heir for centuries."

"I don’t know," the old physician sighed. "I only know that heaven has shown mercy."

Another physician lowered his voice. "If the High Council learns about this... they will celebrate. They’ll probably declare a palace festival."

"No." The old physician’s answer came sharply. "No one speaks of this."

Everyone fell silent.

"The King has already given his order. If even one rumor reaches outside these walls... none of us will live to see tomorrow."

He slowly looked at every physician in the room. The space fell dead quiet; everyone understood that this secret could shake the entire Upper Realm.

Meanwhile, Lin Wan sat quietly beside the crystal window. Her breakfast had long gone cold, but she wasn’t looking at it. Her eyes remained fixed outside, where snow continued falling, small white flakes drifting peacefully across the mountains.

She wondered whether Wei Xiang had managed to find shelter. His injuries had looked terrible.

She lowered her head. "I’m sorry..." Another apology escaped her lips without thinking, it had somehow become a habit, maybe a coping mechanisms.

A soft knock came from the door. "Lady."

Sister Yun entered alone this time. She carried a small wooden tray, but it didn’t hold the usual luxurious breakfast. Instead, there was a plain bowl of warm rice, steamed vegetables, and clear soup.

Lin Wan blinked. "...Where is the herbal broth?"

Sister Yun smiled gently. "The physician changed your meals. He said rich spiritual herbs are temporarily unsuitable."

Lin Wan looked surprised. "He... changed them?"

"Yes." Sister Yun carefully placed the tray onto the table. "Please try."

Lin Wan hesitated, but the smell reached her. It was plain, light, not sweet, and not heavy. Her stomach didn’t reject it immediately. She slowly picked up the spoon and took one mouthful. She waited; nothing happened. She tried another, and still nothing.

For the first time in several days, she managed to eat almost half the bowl.

Sister Yun secretly released a sigh of relief. "Very good."

Lin Wan quietly placed the spoon down. "I think... this is enough." Her face was still pale, but there was at least a little color returning.

Sister Yun couldn’t help smiling. "I’ll tell the physician."

Lin Wan looked confused. "Why is everyone suddenly so concerned about whether I eat?"

The maid froze for the briefest moment, then quickly smiled again. "His Majesty gave the order."

Lin Wan’s expression immediately cooled, and the little warmth in her face disappeared. "...I see."

She looked back toward the snow. Of course, everything always returned to Cassian. Even eating, even breathing—nothing belonged to her anymore.

Sister Yun watched her silently. She wanted to say something comforting, but in the end, she simply bowed and quietly left the room.

Outside, two younger maids immediately surrounded her. "Elder Sister, did she eat?"

Sister Yun nodded. "A little."

Both girls looked relieved. One quietly whispered, "His Majesty has replaced every servant in this tower. The loud ones were all transferred. I heard four guards were punished this morning."

The other maid shivered. "I’ve never seen His Majesty care this much about anyone."

Sister Yun looked back at the closed golden doors. Neither had she. Not in forty years, not once. Yet somehow, the palace felt even colder than before, because everyone understood one thing: Lady Lin had become the single most important person in the entire Supreme Citadel.

And she was also the unhappiest one.

—————

The sun had already climbed high above the snowy mountains when the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the long palace corridor. Every guard standing outside Lin Wan’s chamber immediately knelt.

"Your Majesty."

Cassian walked past them without slowing, his black robes sweeping silently across the polished jade floor. The guards lowered their heads even further as the great golden doors opened.

Inside the room, Lin Wan was sitting beside the crystal window once again. She had changed out of the torn gray servant’s clothes after Sister Yun spent nearly an hour persuading her.

Now she wore a simple pale-blue robe without any jewels or embroidery. It was the plainest outfit the palace could offer, and she had chosen it herself.

Cassian noticed immediately. She had ignored every luxurious dress prepared for her, preferring something that looked ordinary. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before moving to the empty bowl on the table. Half the rice was gone, and the soup had been finished.

For some reason, the tightness in his chest eased slightly.

Lin Wan heard the footsteps behind her, and her shoulders stiffened. She slowly turned her head. The moment she saw him standing there, her fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the window.

Cassian noticed that too. Every time she saw him, she became nervous, as though she expected him to hurt her. The thought left a bitter feeling inside him.

"...You ate." His deep voice broke

the silence.

Lin Wan simply nodded. "You ordered it."

Cassian frowned slightly. "I ordered you to recover. I did not order you to fear every meal, I assure you it’s not poisoned, no one would dare."

Lin wan looked away.

Silence settled between them. Outside, snowflakes drifted gently through the courtyard.

Cassian walked toward the table, his eyes sweeping over the untouched fruits, the expensive spiritual herbs, and the nourishing wines. Then he looked back at the simple bowl she had emptied.

"So..." he spoke quietly, "you only wanted plain food."

Lin Wan answered without emotion. "My stomach doesn’t like strong smells. I didn’t refuse because I wanted to anger you."

Cassian remained silent. He remembered every report he had received over the past two days—Lady Lin refuses breakfast, Female refuses medicine, Lady Lin refuses to drink the soup. Each report had made him believe she was deliberately resisting him. Now, he realized she truly couldn’t eat it.

He looked toward her again.

She seemed thinner than when he first brought her here; even her cloak hung more loosely around her shoulders.

"You should tell someone if something troubles your body."

A faint smile appeared on Lin Wan’s lips. It wasn’t warm or happy; it was just tired.

"Who would I tell?"