The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 591: If the king and his mate say this forest is protected, then it is protected!
Isabella left the interrogation room after giving her orders. The air outside felt cooler than before, but her heart was still hot.
She walked along the stone corridor until she reached the back of the palace, where a tall tree grew through a crack in the floor. The branches stretched out above the roof and leaves shook gently in the wind.
She sat down on a thick tree root that had been carved into a simple bench and placed a hand on her stomach.
"I am tired," she muttered.
[You did a lot today.]
Bubu’s screen appeared in her mind, floating lazily. [You cut off arms, adopted a mountain beast, scared grown men, and collected free labor. Very productive.]
Isabella leaned her head back against the trunk and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I do not want to just survive," she said quietly.
Bubu’s screen paused.
"I thought you wanted to build a small safe village, raise your babies, cook good food, and bully your mates. When did the plan change?"
"It did not change," Isabella replied. "I still want that. But if I just sit in one corner and act like the rest of the world is none of my business, more females will end up like those taken to Duskspire. More tribes will vanish like Osiris’s people. I do not like that."
A thought settled clearly in her chest.
"I want to control the routes," she said. "I want to make sure no rare beasts and no females are dragged around like livestock. If some cities insist on treating people like goods, I will crush them one by one."
There was a long silence.
Then Bubu coughed dramatically.
[Oh. So my lazy pregnant user is secretly a future conqueror.]
Isabella opened one eye. "I am not conquering. I am tidying. The world is already rotten. I will just put it back in order."
[That is exactly what a conqueror would say.]
She pouted in her mind.
Bubu’s screen brightened. [Fine. Since you are finally thinking long term like a proper host, I will give you something special.]
Golden text scrolled down.
[Chain Quest unlocked: Unify the Beast World’s scattered safe zones.]
[Goal: connect, protect, and strengthen villages and tribes that shelter females and rare bloodlines, starting from this small lion village.]
[Progress: 0 percent.]
[Rewards: random, but all helpful. Expect things like stronger village barriers, reinforced totems, beast companions, and... improved stats for one selected mate. For example, a permanent buff for Cyrus.]
Isabella straightened slightly.
"Buff for Cyrus?"
[Yes. Better body, stronger power, higher chance for his bloodline to awaken properly. Also more useful in bed later, probably.]
Isabella’s ears felt hot. She rubbed her stomach and tried to sound annoyed. "You really like saying stupid things."
[You are smiling.]
She realized she really was smiling a little.
Then her face wrinkled again. "Why is it a chain quest? That means work. A lot of work. I am pregnant. I want to sleep. I want snacks. I want a soft bed, not a long mission list."
[Too late. You already said you want to control routes and crush rotten cities. The heavens heard you. I heard you. The quest has been registered. You can complain while walking.]
Isabella sighed loudly in her heart. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"I hate you."
[You love me.]
She stayed quiet for a while. The wind brushed past the leaves above her. Somewhere in the distance, children were laughing. The smell of roasted meat drifted faintly from the village.
Finally, she nodded.
"Fine. I agree. I will do it."
[Correct choice.] Bubu sounded satisfied. [I will update the quest later. For now, go act like a proper village ruler.]
"Who said I am a ruler?"
[Everyone who saw you today.]
Isabella stood up and adjusted her clothes. "Annoying thing."
But her steps were steadier as she walked toward the village square.
...
The village square was a wide open space between the stone palace and the wooden houses. A tall totem made from stacked beast bones stood in the center. Fire pits had burned here many times during winter gatherings.
Today, the guards had already gathered everyone. Original villagers stood on one side, muscular men in animal skin skirts, bare chests, and striped markings on their arms.
On the other side were the refugees they had taken in recently. Some still looked thin and wary, but their faces were no longer as hopeless as before.
When Isabella appeared, the noise dropped a little.
She walked to the base of the totem and turned around. Kian stood behind her on her right, calm and imposing. Cyrus stood on her left, gentle but serious. Zyran and Osiris flanked the sides, one smiling lazily, the other quietly observing.
A pregnant female surrounded by four strong males.
Isabella opened her fan and held it loosely in one hand.
"Today," she said, "we captured several men who used this forest as their hunting ground to catch rare beasts and females."
The villagers muttered. Some people spat on the ground in disgust.
"In the past," Isabella continued, "people like them would have either died quickly or escaped to cause trouble elsewhere. This time, they will stay here."
Someone in the crowd frowned. "Stay? As what?"
"As workers," she replied. "They will build, carry, and repair. They will work for the food they eat. They will be watched. If any of them try to run or cause trouble, I will personally deal with them."
The villagers’ expressions slowly changed. Some started to grin. Free labor did not sound bad.
Isabella looked up at the mountain ridge in the distance. "The beast we brought back is a Mountain Ridge Beast. It belongs to the mountains. It was chased and injured for someone else’s greed. From today onward, it is under this village’s protection. No one will touch it without my permission."
A whisper ran through the crowd. Protecting such a rare beast was bold.
She lowered her gaze back to the people. "Also, listen carefully. From this day, any female standing under this sky and within this forest is under my protection. No outsider is allowed to capture, trade, or threaten females in this territory. If someone tries, they will not leave alive."
The words were not shouted, but they landed heavily.
Several refugee men lowered their heads, their eyes turning red. They had lost sisters, mothers, or mates to poachers and cities. Hearing someone declare such a rule made their throats tighten.
The original villagers looked at each other, shocked. Then a spark of excitement lit up among them.
A pregnant female had just drawn a clear line in front of the whole world.
Isabella raised her fan slightly. The afternoon light caught on the polished surface, making her look like she was glowing. Her belly was not too big yet, but everyone knew she was carrying life. To them, it looked like the village itself had planted a seed and it was already sprouting.
She looks like a goddess.
Several young males thought this at the same time and quickly lowered their eyes when they saw Kian and the others glaring.
Someone in the back shouted, "We will follow!"
Another voice answered, "If the king and his mate say this forest is protected, then it is protected!"
Laughter and cheers rose slowly. The mood grew lighter. The refugees and villagers mixed a little more than before.
As the crowd began to disperse, two figures squeezed their way through the people.
Ophelia rushed up first, almost tripping over a child. She grabbed Isabella’s arm with both hands. "You were so cool just now. My heart was beating very fast the whole time. You looked like a real queen."
Shelia stood beside her with her arms crossed, pretending to be calm. "You sounded strict. I thought you were about to sentence everyone to death."
Isabella flicked her forehead lightly with the edge of her fan. "Do you want me to practice on you first?"
Shelia covered her forehead at once. "No. I was praising you. You looked very powerful. Like a tyrant who secretly likes to feed stray animals."
Ophelia nodded eagerly. "Exactly. A soft tyrant."
Isabella did not know whether to laugh or cry. "What strange words."
Cyrus walked over carrying a small basket. "You must be hungry after talking so much," he said. "I brought snacks."
Ophelia’s eyes widened. "Snacks? For everyone?"
Cyrus smiled gently. "For Isabella. You can watch." He said with a hint of joke in his voice.
Ophelia looked betrayed.
Shelia patted her shoulder sadly. "This is fate. We should eat at home."
Isabella watched the two girls sigh dramatically and link arms as they walked away. Their steps were light, and Ophelia was already whispering that she would stand beside Isabella next time so that food might fall in her direction by accident.
The sight made Isabella’s headache fade a little.
With noisy friends, a stubborn village, and trouble brewing far away in distant cities, her life felt messy but strangely warm.
She decided it was not a bad place to start tidying the world from.
