I Got Cheated On and Ended Up in A Beast World

Chapter 182: Chapter 182

The afternoon sun hung low above the snowy mountains, casting long, dark shadows across the stone walls of the Supreme Citadel. Inside the quiet courtyard, Lin Wan sat beneath the thick branches of an ancient pine tree, her hands wrapped tightly around a warm cup of herbal tea.

Sister Yun sat nearby on a low stool, quietly sorting dried green herbs on a wooden tray while two younger maids swept the stone path a short distance away. For the first time in many days, the peaceful courtyard did not feel like a cold prison.

A sudden, chilly breeze brushed against Lin Wan’s face, causing her to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

"The wind smells different today," Lin Wan murmured, her voice soft as she opened her eyes.

Sister Yun looked up from her wooden tray, her hands pausing over the herbs. "What do you mean, Lady Lin?"

"It smells like... fresh snow from somewhere far away," Lin Wan explained, looking up at the gray sky.

The older woman smiled gently, returning to her work. "Your senses are sharp. It snowed heavily in the northern valley last night. The cold air always travels south down the mountain peaks."

Lin Wan nodded in understanding as a peaceful silence settled between them once more. The only sounds were the rustling of the pine needles and the steady scrape of the maids’ brooms against the stone.

After a long while, Sister Yun looked up again, her eyes softening with sympathy. "Do you miss your home?"

Lin Wan looked past the high stone walls, her gaze fixing on the white mountain peaks in the distance. "I miss it every single day."

She let out a faint, sad smile, her shoulders dropping slightly. "Though... sometimes I feel like I am slowly beginning to forget what it actually looked like." The thought of her life back on earth had become somewhat blurry, even unreal, almost as if it was just a dream.

Sister Yun stopped sorting the herbs immediately, her expression turning serious. "You must not say such things, child. You cannot let yourself forget."

Lin Wan laughed quietly, though there was no real joy in the sound. "It is the truth. I can still remember the small cave where we stayed, my little vegetable garden, and the shallow stream where the cubs always loved to play. I remember the sound of the running water." Her voice gradually softened, and she lowered her eyes to her teacup. "But their faces... their faces are starting to become blurry to me in my dreams."

A painful silence followed her words. Sister Yun opened her mouth as if to comfort her, but she simply could not find the right words to say.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed outside the courtyard. The wooden gate creaked open, and a heavily armored Shadow Guard appeared.

The guard bowed respectfully toward Sister Yun before turning to Lin Wan. "Lady Lin, His Majesty requests your presence in his study immediately."

Lin Wan frowned, her fingers tightening around her warm cup. "He wants to see me right now?"

"Yes," the guard confirmed, keeping his head lowered. "He is waiting for you."

Lin Wan slowly stood up from her seat, handing her empty teacup to Sister Yun. "Did he mention why he called for me?"

"He did not say, Lady Lin," the guard replied.

Lin Wan sighed quietly, smoothing down her heavy robes. "Very well. Lead the way. I am coming."

A few moments later, Lin Wan entered the spacious, warm study. Cassian stood alone beside a massive wooden table, a large map of the northern territory spread across the surface.

Several generals and elder advisers were already bowing and leaving the room in a hurry. As soon as they saw Lin Wan enter, the men bowed respectfully to her before walking out, leaving the two of them entirely alone.

Cassian slowly rolled up the map, his golden eyes locking onto her face. "I hear you have been walking in the courtyard today."

Lin Wan nodded, keeping a polite distance. "I was. The fresh air was quite nice."

"How do you feel?" he asked, his voice steady.

"I feel better," she replied simply.

Cassian studied her face for a moment, his gaze lingering on her cheeks. "You look less tired today. The color is returning to your face."

"The fresh air helped me recover," she said, looking past him.

A faint, heavy silence settled between them. Lin Wan’s eyes drifted back to the rolled-up map on the table, her brow furrowing.

"There really is a war coming, isn’t there?" she asked quietly.

Cassian did not answer her immediately. He simply stared at her, his golden eyes unreadable.

Seeing his silence, Lin Wan let out a small, bitter smile. "Sister Yun lied to me. She told me it was just a routine military drill."

"I instructed her not to tell you," Cassian finally spoke, his voice calm and level.

"I am not surprised," Lin Wan noted, looking directly into his eyes. "I already guessed as much when she said it. She is not a very good liar."

Cassian folded his arms across his broad chest. "I did not want you worrying about matters that do not concern you."

"I am worrying anyway," Lin Wan pointed out, taking a step closer to the table.

Cassian did not deny her words. Lin Wan reached out and gently touched the edge of the large map, tracing the lines that represented the northern mountains, the frozen valleys, and the marked supply routes. Even without any military knowledge, she could understand the terrifying scale of the drawing.

"Many people are going to die," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "How many lives will be lost in this?"

"As many as necessary," Cassian answered coldly.

Lin Wan slowly turned her head toward him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Necessary? How can you use that word so easily?"

"Our enemies chose this path, not me," Cassian argued, his expression hardening. "They crossed my borders with an armed force. They brought a war to my gates."

"And what if you simply let me go?" Lin Wan challenged, her voice rising slightly. "What if you let me return to them?"

Cassian’s golden eyes met hers with absolute intensity. "The enemy would still have come, Lin Wan."

She frowned deeply, shaking her head. "No, they wouldn’t. They are only coming because of me. They want to take me home."

"They are coming because they want to challenge my authority," Cassian clarified, his voice remaining perfectly steady. "A king cannot show weakness to rival clans."

"But I am the sole reason for this!" Lin Wan insisted, her eyes flashing with anger.

"You are here regardless of the reason and will remain here," Cassian interrupted her sharply, cutting off her words.

The room became completely quiet again, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Lin Wan slowly lowered her eyes to the floor, her shoulders slumping.

"I do not want innocent people dying because of me," she whispered.

Cassian walked slowly toward the high window, looking out over his vast fortress. "The warriors marching toward us are entirely willing to die for their clans. It is their duty."

"I never asked them to do that," Lin Wan noted softly.

"They do not need your permission to fight," Cassian countered, his back still turned to her.

Lin Wan bit her lower lip, her voice cracking slightly. "I never wanted this conflict. I never wanted any of this."

"I know," Cassian agreed immediately.

The quickness of his agreement surprised her. She looked up at his back, her brow furrowing. "If you know that, then why won’t you stop it? You have the power to end this before it begins."

Cassian watched the white snowflakes drift past the window. "If I retreat today, another clan will challenge my borders tomorrow. A king who yields is a king who falls. My people do not have the luxury of kindness."

Lin Wan stared at his rigid back, a heavy sadness washing over her. "You always speak like a king, Cassian. Every single word is about power and territory."

"I AM A KING," he affirmed, turning around to face her.

"And what do you personally want from all of this?" she asked, looking at him with genuine curiosity. "When the fighting is over, what do you want?"

Cassian remained silent for several long seconds, his golden eyes scanning her face.

"I want peace," he admitted quietly.

Lin Wan blinked in surprise, not expecting that answer from him.

"But peace without strength never lasts," Cassian added, his voice dropping to a low murmur.

Lin Wan looked away from him, unable to argue with the harsh truth of his words. "Perhaps... perhaps that is true."

Outside the Citadel, the Silver Leopard army finally reached the top of another steep mountain ridge just as the sun began to set.

The tired soldiers immediately began setting up their camp for the night, lighting large campfires across the thick snow to keep the freezing cold at bay.