The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 597: Newcomer Management

She pointed to the refugees first. "You escaped from places that treated you like wild dogs. You are not wild dogs. You are men. You will work for this village, and in return, this village will keep you fed and warm. As long as you follow the rules, no one will sell you, no one will beat you for fun."

Several pairs of eyes turned red.

Then she turned to the poachers.

"You hunted beasts and females for cities and traders," she said. "You caused deaths. I could have killed you."

They all lowered their heads.

"But I did not," Isabella continued. "Not because I pity you. Because you are still useful. You will work to repair what you helped destroy. You will reinforce walls, dig storage pits, and carry materials. You will not touch weapons unless I say so. You will not leave this valley without permission. You will not bully anyone."

A few of them nodded quickly.

"If you follow the rules and show that you can live like proper humans, we will talk about your future in spring," she said. "If you try anything stupid, you already know I will not give you a second chance."

Everyone remembered the arm that had been cut off in one stroke.

She turned to her own villagers and refugees. "I do not want to hear about petty revenge. If they are working, you do not get to beat them just because you hate their past. If someone disobeys, you report it. I will deal with it."

The men exchanged glances.

They had suffered at the hands of people like these poachers. But hearing her say this, they could not help but feel a strange mix of relief and respect.

She was strict, but she was fair.

Isabella pointed at a tall refugee man with calm eyes. "You. What is your name?"

"Raghnar," he replied.

"You will lead the refugee group," she said. "If someone in your group causes trouble, you will tell me first. If work is too heavy for the weaker ones, you will adjust it."

"Yes," Raghnar said. His voice was rough, but steady.

She turned to one of the younger poachers, who had been working quietly without complaining these days.

"You," she said. "Name."

"Tor," he answered.

"You will be the temporary head for the poachers," she told him. "You will keep your group in line. If someone talks about running away or contacting cities, you will report it."

Tor hesitated. "If I do that, they will hate me."

She smiled coldly. "If you do not, I will hate you. Decide who you fear more." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He shivered. "I understand."

Kian stepped forward and gave a series of work orders, dividing the men into smaller teams.

Some were sent to finish strengthening the walls. Others to carve the watchtower steps into the hill. Another group went down to the river to gather stones for the base of new storage pits.

Osiris watched from a distance with his arms folded.

"Honestly," he muttered under his breath, "she really looks like a queen giving orders on a battlefield."

Zyran nodded slightly. "If it were me, I would have made them kneel in a row and beg three times. Then slowly chop them into pieces."

Zyran has a smug smile on his face as his simply imagined ways he could torture these poachers. Isabella was really too kind. If it was him, they wouldn’t have lived to see the next day.

Cyrus glanced at them both. "Good thing it is not you."

Isabella ignored their comments.

Once she was sure the men understood their roles, she walked back toward the palace.

Zyran, of course, couldn’t let the moment pass without opening his mouth.

He fell into step beside her, matching her stride with that lazy, predatory grace he always wore like second skin.

His voice dropped low, just loud enough for the others to hear if they were paying attention—which they were.

"You know, my queen," he drawled, "watching you command that rabble like it’s nothing... it does things to a man. Makes me want to drop to my knees right here in the frost and offer you something far more personal than work orders."

Isabella’s steps faltered for half a heartbeat. Heat crawled up her neck despite the biting cold. She shot him a glare that could have frozen the river solid.

"Zyran," she snapped, voice tight, cheeks unmistakably pink. "If you don’t shut that shameless mouth of yours, I’ll have you hauling stones with the poachers until spring. Naked."

Zyran’s grin only widened, delighted. "Promises, promises. You say that like it would be a punishment."

Behind them, Osiris blinked slowly, head tilting like a confused hound. "Wait... naked hauling stones? Is that... allowed? I thought we were trying to look civilized now."

Isabella sighed, soft and long-suffering, as she shot Osiris a side glance"Don’t encourage his stupidity, Osiris. You’ll only make it worse."

Kian had been silent the entire time, watching everything with that unnerving calm of his.

But the second Zyran’s words landed and Isabella’s blush deepened, something shifted in the set of his shoulders.

Without a word he closed the distance in three long strides.

His hand found the small of Isabella’s back, warm through the layers of her cloak, and guided her firmly to his side.

His body angled slightly, placing himself between her and Zyran like a quiet wall.

Zyran’s eyes flicked to the new position. His smirk faded immediately, and he said with jealousy "Oh? Claiming territory now, Kian? How territorial."

Kian didn’t look at him. His voice stayed low, even, velvet over steel. "She’s walking to the palace. Not to your entertainment."

Isabella felt the warmth of Kian’s palm seep through her cloak. She thought about pulling away at first then decided not to.

If anything, she leaned into it a fraction...enough that only he would notice. Kian lips curved up as he tried to contain the warmth blooming in his chest.

Zyran muttered annoyed under his breath. "Gosh always so annoying" He shot Kian one last annoyed glance then looked at Isabella again. "But you blushed so prettily, my queen. I’m going to dream about that color tonight."

"Keep dreaming," she muttered, still flushed, "and you’ll wake up missing teeth."

Cyrus coughed to hide a smile. Osiris scratched his head. "I still don’t understand the naked part..."

Kian’s thumb traced one slow, deliberate circle against her lower back...unseen by the others, felt only by her. A silent promise. Mine.

Isabella exhaled, the heat in her face slowly cooling as they neared the palace gates. Her stomach grumbled again, louder this time.

"I want soup," she thought.

[Craving detected,] Bubu chimed in at once, practically bouncing in her mind. [New mini quest: Soothe the belly beast. Reward: tiny increase in winter resistance for you and the babies.]