Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 195: Episode : Terrifying Mother

Nerissa inhaled deeply, smelling the vanilla, the surface flowers, and the faint, lingering scent of warm blood and fear.

Then a toothy grin that made Roxy shiver.

"You smell soft," Nerissa whispered, her voice a terrifying caress. "Like something that belongs in a nursery, not a war room."

She tilted her head, her black eyes narrowing as she inspected every inch of Roxy’s face.

"Tell me, little pink thing," Nerissa murmured, her nail tracing the line of Roxy’s jaw. "Where do you come from?"

Well, I would be damned if I tell you.

The Queen’s fingernail, sharp as a dagger, traced the line of Roxy’s jaw.

Roxy held her breath. She didn’t dare swallow, lest the movement drive the blade into her throat.

Up close, Queen Nerissa was a landscape of terrifying beauty. Her skin was like white marble that had never seen the sun, and her eyes were two endless, lightless trenches.

"You are... delicate," Nerissa critiqued, her voice a low rumble that vibrated through the water. She let go of Roxy’s chin and grabbed her wrist instead, lifting her arm to inspect the fin. "Your scales are thin. Your fins are translucent silk. You look like a dessert, little one. A sweet thing meant to be looked at, not touched."

She dropped Roxy’s arm with a dismissive splash.

"How did this soft thing survive the Abyss?" Nerissa asked, turning her gaze to Caspian, who was hovering anxiously a few feet away. "Did you keep her in a bubble, my son? Did you shield her from the currents?"

"She is not soft, Mother," Caspian lied, puffing out his chest. He swam forward. "She is the one who struck the final blow against the Kraken. While I distracted the beast, she used her... strange iron weapon to pierce its brain."

The court gasped.

Nerissa slowly turned back to Roxy. She looked at the frying pan tied to Roxy’s waist.

"That?" Nerissa raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A cooking tool killed a God?"

Oh? How did she know that this was a cooking tool?

"It is a magical artifact of the Surface," Caspian insisted, sweating visibly in the water. "It is... dense. Unbreakable."

Nerissa stared at Roxy. Roxy tried to look like a warrior. She squared her shoulders and gave the Queen a solemn nod.

Nerissa stared for a beat longer, then let out a short, sharp laugh. It sounded like an underwater explosion.

"A lie," Nerissa declared, smiling, a terrifying expression that revealed rows of needle-like teeth. "But a bold one. You protect her reputation to strengthen your claim. That is politics, Caspian. I accept it."

She reached out and grabbed Roxy’s hand again.

Nerissa’s grip was cold, firm, and absolutely inescapable. Her hand engulfed Roxy’s entirely.

"Come," Nerissa commanded.

She turned and flowed toward the massive throne at the center of the dais. Her tentacles writhed and pulled her along the floor with terrifying speed, dragging Roxy behind her like a toddler being led by a very aggressive grandmother.

"Mother," Caspian started, following them. "She is tired. We should—"

"Silence," Nerissa snapped without looking back.

She ascended the dais. She settled her massive, octopus-like lower half onto the throne, her tentacles curling around the armrests.

Then, she pulled Roxy up.

She didn’t let go of Roxy’s hand. Instead, she forced Roxy to sit on the wide, velvet-cushioned armrest of the throne, right beside her.

It was a power move. A display of dominance and possession.

Roxy sat there, her pink tail dangling over the side of the massive black throne, looking like an ornament on a funeral monument. She was physically attached to the most dangerous creature in the ocean.

"Begin," Nerissa waved her free hand at the court. "Report."

The doors opened, and a stream of generals and officials swam in. They ignored Caspian, who was hovering awkwardly to the side with Nimue, and focused entirely on the Queen and the glowing pink stranger sitting at her right hand.

"My Queen," a General with a scar across his nose bowed low. "The Kraken’s death has caused a vacuum in the Southern Rift. The scavengers are swarming. The Deep-Sharks are fighting over the carcass."

"Let them fight," Nerissa said dismissively, idly stroking Roxy’s knuckles with her thumb. "When they are fat and tired, we will send the Legion to cull them. More meat for the larder."

"My Queen," an Elder stepped forward, holding a scroll of woven kelp. "The seismic shock damaged the Western Spires. We need mana crystals to repair the structural integrity."

"Take them from the reserve," Nerissa ordered. She turned to Roxy, leaning close. "See how boring it is? They whine about rocks and sharks. They lack vision."

Roxy gave a stiff, terrified smile. "Fascinating. Really."

She looked over to Caspian, and he was already looking at her. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

She tilted her head toward the door and mouthed, Get. Me. Out. Of. Here.

Caspian winced. He made a small, helpless gesture with his hands. I can’t. She would capture us back.

Roxy gritted her teeth. She tried to gently pull her hand away.

Nerissa’s grip tightened instantly. Not enough to crush, but enough to say don’t even think about it.

"And the blockade?" Nerissa asked the General, her voice sharpening. "Have the Surface beasts been sighted?"

"None, my Queen," the General reported. "But there are... tremors. Strange echoes from the upper currents. Metal sounds."

Roxy’s heart skipped a beat.

My mates?

"Ignore it," Nerissa waved a hand. "The Landwalkers cannot reach this depth."

She stood up, or rather, uncoiled slightly, causing the water around the throne to swirl.

"Enough business," Nerissa declared. "The King has returned. He has brought a mate. We shall not talk of repairs today."

She turned to the court, her voice booming.

"We shall feast!"

A cheer went up from the gathered nobles.

"A Banquet!" Nerissa announced, pulling Roxy closer until their shoulders touched. "We will open the Vault of Aged Wines. We will serve the Hearts of the Leviathans. And we will formally introduce the Princess of the Tide to the Lineage."

Roxy’s stomach dropped.

A banquet meant hours. It meant staying. It meant being paraded around and possibly forced to eat raw Leviathan hearts.

And every minute she spent here felt like she was losing her life from the surface.

"No," Roxy blurted out.

The cheer died instantly.

Silence slammed into the court. Caspian’s eyes went wide. Nimue covered her mouth. The General looked at his feet. No one said "no" to Queen Nerissa.

Nerissa turned her head slowly. Her black eyes bored into Roxy.

"No?" she repeated softly.

Roxy realized her mistake, but she couldn’t back down now. She was tired, she was scared, and she just wanted to go home to her babies.

"I mean..." Roxy stammered, trying to soften the blow. "I mean... Thank you, Your Majesty. It’s a great honor. Truly. But... I can’t stay for a banquet."

"You cannot stay?" Nerissa tilted her head. Her tentacles began to writhe slowly around the base of the throne.

"I... I have to go," Roxy said, her voice trembling but determined. "My... My family is waiting for me. I only came to make sure Caspian was safe. Now that he’s home, I really need to get going."

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Thalassa looked like she was about to faint. Vespera looked impressed by the suicide attempt.

To leave a Royal Banquet was an insult. To reject the Queen’s hospitality was treason. To imply that the Deep City wasn’t the final destination was heresy.

Nerissa frowned.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. She didn’t let go of Roxy’s hand. She pulled her closer, bringing her face down until they were nose-to-nose.

Nerissa wasn’t angry. She looked... confused. And suspicious.

"You wish to leave?" Nerissa whispered, her voice dangerous and low. "You saved the King. You wear the scales of a Royal Consort. You sit on my throne."

She looked past Roxy, fixing her terrifying gaze on Caspian. Caspian shrank back, his fins flattening against his head.

Nerissa looked back at Roxy, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"Why would a mate wish to flee the nest so quickly?" Nerissa asked, her grip tightening on Roxy’s hand until the bones creaked.

She leaned in, her voice echoing in the silent hall.

"Did my son do something wrong?"