Transmigrated To A Beastworld As The Lazy Wife Of The Fox Lord

Chapter 265: The king finally rides a bee.

As grandma Jess said the King and Queen arrived within five minutes. They came with a hoard of followers, including royal relatives, guards and a clean up crew. The king and queen walked side by side, followed by a swarm of royal press, their drone cameras and pens poised to capture every word and heroic angle of the leader of the empire.

The king’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the expanded hives. "Ah, it is two times bigger than it was when I last was here. The new hives must be the home of the crimson bee." He strode forward, "Hurry, take pictures of me astride this legendary creature. I want to look mighty and heroic, not silly like Sienna."

Sienna twisted her lips. The only silly one between them was the king who started an underpants group chat and tried to ride on the backs of bees! For crying out loud, did he even know that he was the king?

The king cleared his throat. "Ahem, come out, crimson bee. I command you."

The residents of the compound raised their brows or hid their smiles.

Red queen had the opposite response to what the king expected. It buzzed furiously, refusing to leave its hive. The press leaned in, pens scratching paper, fingers flying on screens of their phones, as the king attempted to coax the crimson bee with grand gestures and promises.

The poked its head out, hissing, antennae twitching, and one sharp lunge sent the king stumbling backward into a patch of flowers. The press gasped, then scrambled to delete the footage or figure out a way to use it to boost the king’s image.

To Sienna, they had not come to capture triumph but humiliation. She folded her arms, biting back laughter. "Perhaps," she said dryly, "you should let me, the beekeeper, speak to them." She approached Honey Thunder, whispering softly.

Her first bee had poked its head out to see who was creating trouble in her territory. She stroked its head, calming it. Honey Thunder’s hum became steady, "Baby, for the sake of dignity, give him a ride. I promise another basin of that sweet nectar I gave you today."

Reluctantly, Honey Thunder came out of the hive, revealing her large form. The press gasped and captured images.

Sienna turned to the king. "Red queen doesn’t give rides and she is still hostile. After the attack last night, she is wary of all strangers. But Honey Thunder can give you a ride, if you are willing."

The king grinned widely. "Of course I am willing." The last time he came for a ride, the bee snubbed him. Whether he rode on the back of this bee or the red one made no difference, bragging rights mattered more.

He climbed onto its back and the press erupted in cheers, snapping pictures or drawing sketches of the king perched proudly, flower petals in his hair. He waved as if nothing had happened, basking in the glory.

He rode around for ten minutes and returned. To Sienna’s surprise, he didn’t make a fuss when it came to dismounting. He straightened his crown and dismissed the press, ending the spectacle.

The queen sunk into Sienna’s side, leaning against her like one would against a tree. "Well, at least now he will shut up about riding bees. You would not believe how many times the subject comes up at dinner, breakfast, bed time, prayers." She straightened herself, "I heard you had a rough night. Are you okay?"

Sienna nodded. "I am unhappy about my plants which were tramples, my table which was broken, and my children who were frightened. When I find out who sent these thieves, I will squeeze them dry for every penny I can get."

Serenya whispered, "You didn’t hear it from me, but at least two of the groups were sent by someone from the bear clan. Many, many...many years ago, they used to have the monopoly on red honey. It used to be royal tribute and only nobles could buy it. Of course, they would give out some as rewards to servants so it would make its way down to the commoners. I guess the bears still think they have natural given rights over it. This morning, the chief of the black bear tribe rushed to the palace to petition the king for the crimson bee to be handed over. He claims it will die under your care."

Sienna snorted. "Many people said the same thing about Honey Thunder."

The king reached them and this ended their private talk.

Straightening his crown, he said to her, "I was very disgusted to hear about the cowards that broke into your home in the dark. If you need any help with this matter, the royal family will stand with you." His voice carried weight now, less pomp, more steel.

Sienna inclined her head, though her eyes narrowed. The king’s promises could be slippery as mud. He was swayed according to what was good for his empire and image.

"Now," the king boomed, clapping his hands, "breakfast!" His gaze swept the compound until it landed on Geo. With a dramatic flourish, he marched over and seized the caretaker by the arm. "Tell me, young wolf, do you plan to return home and claim your true position as heir of the wolf tribe. Your father wants to retire in a year, you don’t have a lot of time left to decide on whether you will be Lord wolf or just Geo for the rest of your life."

Gasps rippled through servants and guards who were not aware of Geo’s true identity. The wold tribe’s heir, hidden in plain sight, gardening, raising horses and doing chores with them!

Sienna glare could have cut stone She leaned toward the queen, whispering through clenched teeth, "Why did he do that? What is your husband plotting? Why expose Geo’s identity? Does he know how many hopeful daughters of nobles are going to flock here in attempts to catch his eye?"