Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 145: The Empty Fox

The rain had returned to the Capital, washing away the last traces of the party. The black balloons were shriveled on the floor, and the legendary Meat Cake was nothing but a few crumbs on a platter.

In the kitchen, Primrose was scrubbing a pan with aggressive energy. Her Sun-Fire Tail was flickering with irritation, drying dishes as fast as she washed them.

"It doesn’t make sense," Primrose said, tossing a spoon into the drawer. "Jax is a prankster. He’s a Fox. Maybe he was drunk? Maybe he was undercover?"

She turned to the table. Luna sat there, clutching a mug of tea with both hands. Her long rabbit ears were drooping so low they touched her shoulders. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"It wasn’t a prank, Prim," Luna whispered, her voice trembling. "He looked at me like I was a stranger. No... worse. Like I was furniture."

"He wrote you letters every week!" Primrose argued, wringing out a cloth. "He sent you that dried flower from the coast! You don’t just forget the person you’re... you know... courting."

"He did," Luna sniffled. "He said, ’Run along home.’ He called me ’Rabbit’. He never calls me Rabbit. He calls me ’Bun-Bun’ or ’Sweetheart’."

Primrose felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach.

She knew Fox-Kin. They were tricksters by nature. They lied to protect themselves, to get out of trouble, or just for the fun of it. But they were fiercely loyal to their packs. Jax had fought beside them. He had protected the Daycare.

For him to treat Luna like that... it wasn’t just mean. It was wrong.

"Where is he?" Primrose untied her apron. Her three tails lashed behind her—White, Silver, Gold—fanning out in agitation.

"I don’t know," Luna wiped her eyes. "He walked toward the merchant district."

"Get your coat," Primrose commanded. "We’re going hunting."

---

The merchant district was bustling despite the drizzle. The smell of wet wool and spices hung heavy in the air.

It took them an hour to find him.

Primrose spotted the flash of orange fur near a stall selling travel supplies.

Jax was standing there, inspecting a map. He looked... pristine. His cloak was perfectly pressed. His boots were polished. He stood with a rigid, military posture that looked completely unnatural on his usually slouched, relaxed frame.

"Jax!" Primrose shouted.

She marched up to him, Luna trailing nervously behind her.

Jax turned. His green eyes landed on Primrose. He didn’t blink. He didn’t smile. He didn’t even look surprised to see a woman with three tails storming toward him.

"Can I help you, miss?" Jax asked. His voice was smooth, polite, and completely hollow.

"Drop the act," Primrose snapped, crossing her arms. "You scared Luna last night. It wasn’t funny. Apologize."

Jax tilted his head. "I am afraid there has been a misunderstanding. I do not know this... Luna. Or you."

"We worked together!" Primrose hissed, stepping closer. "You ate my kimchi stew! You stole Rurik’s boots as a joke! You’re Jax!"

"My name is Jax," he agreed calmly. "But I have no memory of stew or boots. I am a courier for the Jade Serpent Dynasty. I am here on official business."

Primrose froze.

"The Jade Serpent?" she repeated. "That’s in the East. You were in the West. You were escorting a caravan to the Western Ports."

"My assignment was changed," Jax said robotically. "I have just returned from the Jade Valley. My previous mission is... irrelevant."

He turned back to the map merchant.

"I require a route to the Eastern border. The most direct path."

Primrose grabbed his arm.

It was a mistake.

Before she could blink, Jax moved. It wasn’t a sloppy tavern brawl move. It was a blur of martial arts precision.

He twisted his arm, broke her grip, and swept her leg.

Primrose gasped, instinctively flaring her Silver Tail. A spark of lightning pushed her back upright before she hit the mud.

Jax watched the lightning, unimpressed.

"Please refrain from touching the merchandise," Jax said coldly. "I do not wish to harm civilians."

He tossed a coin to the merchant, rolled up the map, and walked away. He moved like a machine. Efficient. Soulless.

Luna grabbed Primrose’s arm to stop her from chasing him.

"See?" Luna sobbed quietly. "He’s gone, Prim. That’s his face, but... nobody is home."

Primrose stared at his retreating back. She saw something swinging from his belt.

It wasn’t his usual lucky rabbit’s foot charm. It was a jade token, carved in the shape of a coiled snake with ruby eyes.

"He’s not gone," Primrose whispered, her eyes narrowing. "He’s been overwritten."

---

They ran back to the Daycare.

As they burst through the front door, soaking wet and breathless, they nearly collided with a tall, elegant figure in the hallway.

Cassian, the Snake Lord, was standing there. He was dressed in deep emerald silk, looking immaculate as always. He was holding a small suitcase.

"Careful," Cassian drawled, stepping aside. "You are dripping on the parquet floor. I am here to collect Jasper. Is he ready?"

"Cassian!" Primrose grabbed his silk sleeve, ignoring his grimace at the wet contact. "We need you. It’s Jax."

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "The fox mercenary? Did he finally get arrested?"

"No," Primrose said, catching her breath. "He’s... empty. We just saw him. He doesn’t know us. He moves like a robot. And he said he’s working for the Jade Serpent Dynasty."

Cassian went still.

The bored, aristocratic expression vanished from his face. His green eyes—so similar to Jax’s but sharp with intelligence—darkened.

"Did you say Jade Serpent?" Cassian asked, his voice dropping an octave.

"Yes," Luna nodded, twisting her hands. "He had a jade token on his belt. A snake with red eyes."

"And his eyes?" Cassian demanded. "Did they look... glassy? Like there was a film over them?"

"Yes!" Luna cried. "And he was so polite! Jax is never polite!"

Cassian swore. It was a filthy word in the ancient tongue of the East, something that sounded like hissing steam.

He turned and walked into the playroom. Rurik was there, reading a newspaper (and wearing his new dagger sheath). Lucien was meditating in the corner.

"We have a problem," Cassian announced.

"Is it the drain?" Rurik asked without looking up. "Did the fish clog the drain again?"

"It is the Hollow Husk," Cassian said grimly.

Rurik dropped the newspaper. Lucien opened his eyes instantly.

"The Husk?" Lucien asked quietly. "I thought that technique was forbidden."

"What is the Hollow Husk?" Primrose asked, following Cassian into the room.

Cassian paced in front of the fireplace. He looked rattled.

"It is an ancient alchemical technique from my homeland," Cassian explained. "From the East. It uses Void Qi and specific neuro-toxins to... scrub a mind."

Luna let out a horrified squeak.

"It doesn’t kill the victim," Cassian continued, his face grim. "It severs their emotional connections. It wipes their personal memories, leaving only their skills. It turns a person into a perfect, obedient soldier. A Husk."

"Can it be reversed?" Primrose asked immediately.

"It is difficult," Cassian said. "The original memories aren’t gone, just... locked behind a wall of poison. But if he was in the Jade Serpent Dynasty..."

Cassian stopped. He looked out the window, toward the East.

"My family," Cassian whispered. "The Snake Clan. They are the only ones who possess the recipe. And I burned that recipe before I left."

"Someone found it," Rurik said, standing up. He checked his sword. "Or someone recreated it."

"The Boss," Primrose realized. "He’s in the East. He’s working with the Snakes."

---

Cassian closed his eyes. He took a deep breath.

"I left the East to get away from this," Cassian murmured. "I left because I didn’t want to be a monster who enslaved minds. I refused the Lordship because I refused to be part of the corruption."

He looked at Jasper, who had just walked in with his backpack, ready to go home. The little boy looked up at his dad, confused by the tension.

Cassian looked at his son. Then he looked at Primrose and Luna.

"If Jax has been Husked," Cassian said, "it means my cousin, Venetia, has betrayed our laws. She is the Head of House Viper now. If she has allied with the Void..."

"So we go get him," Primrose said firmly. "We go to the East. We find the antidote. We bring Jax back."

"It is not a vacation, Primrose," Cassian warned. "The Jade Valley is not like the Jungle. It is a place of shadows, poisons, and lies. Venetia... she does not fight with swords. She fights with smiles and tea. She will be polite to you while she stops your heart."

"I have three tails," Primrose said, flaring her Sun-Fire Tail. "And I have a really angry Rabbit friend."

She put an arm around Luna.

"We aren’t leaving Jax behind."

Cassian looked at them. A small, sad smile touched his lips.

"Very well," Cassian said. "I suppose I cannot avoid it any longer."

He picked up Jasper’s bag.

"Pack your things," Cassian commanded. "We are going to the Jade Serpent Dynasty. I have to go deal with my cousin."

The Invitation

Just as Primrose turned to pack, a sharp sound echoed from the window.

THWACK.

A black bird—a large hawk with glowing purple eyes—crashed through the glass, landing on the floor in a heap of feathers.

It wasn’t dead. It was a messenger. Tied to its leg was a scroll sealed with green wax.

Cassian walked over and untied it. He broke the seal.

He read the message. His expression turned to ice.

"He knows," Cassian whispered.

"What does it say?" Primrose asked.

Cassian held up the scroll. The calligraphy was elegant and sharp.

To the Prodigal Son,

I see you have decided to return. Excellent.

Come home for the Ascension Ceremony. The dragon is waking.

— Duchess Venetia.

Cassian crumpled the note in his fist. Green flames flickered around his hand, burning the paper to ash.

"She didn’t just invite me," Cassian said, his voice cold. "She dared me."