Yaya's POV - Part 1/2

Mitchell's father brought up an idea of them traveling together as a family, but he didn't seem to like the idea, "What about the Flame City? Who will watch over it?"

"Who cares?" St. Zachary waved his hand dismissively, "We can leave it unguarded for a while, and it would still be the same as before. The beastmen would continue their meaningless existence and die without leaving a trace. We only live once, son. We should spend more time with the ones we love and create fond memories."

"The ones we love, huh," Mitchell muttered under his breath.

"It will be a great bonding experience for you and your mother," St. Zachary said, looking at Mitchell and Chris with anticipation before giving me a scold, "This is a family issue. It doesn't concern a stranger. Why don't you leave and fetch us something to eat and drink, would you? There is no need for you to stick around."

I could fetch his head on a pike, would that work? I stood up and walked out without saying a word.

"Hey, where are you going?" Mitchell called out, getting to his feet. As he passed by, I tripped him. He jumped, turning to give me a nasty look. "That was on purpose, wasn't it?"

I didn't answer, continuing my way outside. He didn't catch up to me, nor did he call after me. I walked out and leaned on the wall outside the room.

That's what I get for caring.

A fucking asshole.

He knew where his place was. He knew that the only reason he was safe was that I allowed it. Even though he could go fuck himself, I still wanted to spoil him rotten.

Ah, the bitterness of love.

It didn't take long before Mitchell came out. "Don't act butthurt all of a sudden. Where's the fearless, and ruthless female? You've changed a lot, you know. If I didn't know you better, I would say you have become weak. No, you've become weak."

When I remained silent, he closed the doors and leaned on the wall next to me, looking at my mask. "Do you still love me?"

I nodded.

"How much do you love me?"

"More than your father loves Chris."

"..." He was speechless for a moment before raising another question, "What about now?"

"More than the last time."

"Now?"

"More than ever."

"How can you be so sure?"

"It's because I'm in love with a stupid male that keeps on pissing me off, so my feelings are becoming stronger with each passing moment... to counter his growing stupidity."

"..." He looked at me with a troubled expression, "I can't read your thoughts, but I know you are talking shit."

He became immune to my flirting and didn't seem affected by my words anymore. He worked hard to become stronger both physically and mentally, and I admired his dedication to resist the spousal bond that connected us. But if I were honest, he was giving me the cold shoulder a bit too much.

"You didn't get hurt when I said those things, did you?" he asked while taking off my mask, his golden eyes staring at me, his brows furrowing as if he was genuinely troubled by his own words.

I snorted, "Me? Hurt? By you?"

He moved his face closer, his lips brushing against mine like a smug thug, "You foul female, how dare you make me feel guilty?"

I licked my lips, tasting the saliva that he left behind, "You can always dump me and find someone better."

"Yeah, sure. Then, will you let me go?" He squeezed my cheeks together, "The chains are getting tighter and tighter. Do you want me to choke and die? Is that why you keep on doing it? To drive me insane?"

I blinked, unable to speak with my face being squeezed like a squishy toy.

Mitchell pressed my face against his body and I could hear his heart beating fast in his chest, "Don't just stand there. Hug me back," he muttered, "You listen when others tell you to leave the room and when your male asks you to hug him, why aren't you doing it? Do you like my father more than me or what? Of course, you do, or else, you wouldn't go that far for his happiness. Don't even think of denying it. I'm not dumb. Anyone would love to be pampered and cared for like he does if they could survive his touch."

"..." I raised my arms in defeat at his wild imagination, and slipped out of his hold, "I didn't sign up for this."

"Huh? What's with that attitude? Come back here," he said, trying to grab my sleeve, but I evaded his grasp.

"Nuh-uh. Your father's more my type now," I replied and made a run for it, "I think I'm going to steal him from Chris."

"Get back here!" he shouted, chasing after me, "Say that again, I dare you!"

"What are you two doing?" Zachary's voice came from the room's entrance to check on the noise that interrupted his lovely time with Chris.

Mitchell tackled me to the ground and rolled around the floor with me, "Give me a hug, will you? Stop struggling and open your arms. Listen when your male tells you something."

I avoided the kisses, turning my face left and right, grinning ear to ear, causing him to become even more irritated.

He butted his head with me and bit my shoulder, his teeth sinking deep. His hands wrapped around me, pressing me closer as he pinned me underneath him.

I didn't expect a large shadow to fall upon us, and before Mitchell could react, I flipped our positions, placing myself on top.

A powerful force crashed into my back, slamming my chest into Mitchell's. I could feel his heart stop beating for a second, and his eyes widened.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Mitchell yelled. His voice was strained as he quickly popped an emerald inside my mouth and checked on my injuries, "Are you out of your mind?! Wasn't killing mother enough for you, now you want to kill my female as well?!"

"What are you talking about? Your mother is alive and kicking," his father paused for a moment, switching the topic, "What did you just call that female? Your female? She doesn't look like she wanted to be yours to me," he said, "Did you just use her as your shield? I told you to wear your soul stone, didn't I? You would have known how to treat a female if you did. Wipe the blood off your mouth, it's making you look even more like a rootless."

Mitchell lifted me up, placing my head on his shoulder and supporting my bottom, "I was waiting for a right time to introduce her, but you were too busy with mother to even pay attention to us, so I didn't want to interrupt. I was being considerate of you, and this is how you repay me?! Interrupting my moment with MY female?! I can treat her however I like, so don't stick your nose into our business, and don't try to act all high and mighty. You are just as much of a rootless as me!"

I peeked at his side profile, to see his expression, "..."

"..." St. Zachary's mouth twitched, he raised his fist, ready to swing it at his son, but my body was in the way, blocking his target. "What are you waiting for? Bring her to the infirmary. Don't blame me if she dies for real! Do you want the responsibility of killing your own female?! Go!"

"You are the one, who injured her in the first place!" Mitchell snapped back, "Where's the infirmary? How far is it?"

Zachary rushed back to pick up Chris before leading the way, "This way. Follow me."

The merfolks began to flood the palace when they heard that I came for a visit, and when they heard that the Cloud Nine's madam was badly injured, they began to panic.

"Oh no, Madam. Please stay alive," they prayed.

"Don't die, please. You have to survive, for our sake!"

"You can't leave us, Madam. Please, hold on."

"You must live."

Their worries echoed through the corridors, their pleas loud and sincere.

"Who is she?" St. Zachary asked after a group of mermen paid their respects, "They don't even show this much respect toward their mermaids."

A merman overheard and answered, "Our Chief's female, of course. Who else would be worthy enough?"

"Chief's...female? You mean Gold's female?" Zachary asked.

"Not only that. She's the Cloud Nine's Madame! Her males are the ones, who rule the underworld, the undersea, and the sky above, and she's the one, who rules their hearts!"

Mitchell clicked his tongue, "What contribution is that? She just collects hearts, what's so amazing about that? That's not something to boast about. She's not that special. And who said she rules our hearts? I can't speak for anyone else, but my heart is definitely not hers."

"Oh, the Scorpion King! Please don't misunderstand, I wasn't referring to your heart as in love. Of course, that's not possible. I was referring to your way of choosing your female. Is it true that madam is just a helpless female in the face of the owners' overwhelming power? Our mermaids said that Madam was just unlucky enough to be their target, and got tricked into submitting to their commands."

"When we thought about it. It started to make much more sense than her enchanting males with dark magic. How could such powerful and intelligent males get tricked by a mere female? They didn't lose their minds over her. Madam is just a bait. The true rulers are the owners. They are the ones, who should be revered."

"Yes, yes. The Cloud Nine's owners are the most amazing! It's because they are the real deal. They have the looks and the brains and the power. They are the epitome of what a male should be. If something were to happen to madam, the world would lose the greatest males that ever existed!"

"..." Mitchell turned to the merman, his face expressionless, "Do you really want to live, or should I end your misery right now?"

"..." The mermen bowed, and scattered away, scared for their life.

If my boys could spread shit about me, why couldn't I do it too? It's just a rumor, anyway. Rumors were meant to be shared and shattered, not taken seriously.

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Part 2/2

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Mitchell entered the ward and carefully put me on the bed.

"What's going on here?" Gold's voice came from the door as he rushed toward my bedside. He held my hand, checking on my state.

"That's what I'd like to ask." Zachary spoke up as he placed Chris down, "I haven't been paying attention to the worldly affairs, but it seems like I missed a lot. My son found himself a female he doesn't even like, and is sharing her with males, who doesn't care about her and are just using her for their own benefits too?"

Gold opened my eyelid and gave it a stinky look, "Not even an hour passed since I left you."

I turned to the side and curled up in a ball, pointing at Zachary silently.

Gold followed the direction I was pointing and stared at Zachary.

St. Zachary returned his gaze, and a heavy tension hung in the air, suffocating the atmosphere, "I tried to save her from my son, and he used her as a shield. It was an accident."

"What in the bloody moon?!" Mitchell yelled and flung his stinger in his father's direction, "Why do you keep on blaming me, huh?! You should be begging for her forgiveness! Get on your knees and plead for her to not hold a grudge against you. Shield? Me using her as a shield? I would rather die than hide behind behind my own female."

"What? You used to hide behind your mother all the time! Are you saying it was all an act?!" Zachary barely dodged the attacks, shocked by his son's strength and speed.

I couldn't help but peek again, but Gold covered my eyes as if saying I couldn't watch until I recovered, "..."

"Don't mention my mother. You can't even protect your own spouse, how can you talk about mine? If anything happens to her because of you, I will end your miserable existence and burn the remains!"

"Do you know who you are talking to, you ungrateful idiot?! How dare you raise your voice against your father! I will teach you a lesson!" Zachary roared, releasing his beast aura, pushing Mitchell back.

Mitchell stood his ground and didn't retreat, his aura rising to counter his father's.

Chris' aura, I mean voice, rose as well, "Honey, stop, please. He's your son. Think about it. What are you doing? Calm down."

"..." Zachary took a deep breath and turned to Chris, his beast aura subsiding.

Mitchell was fuming, and his eyes were bloodshot red as he stared at Chris, "Stop it! You're giving me goosebumps with your disgusting display. What's the point?!"

Chris paused, her smile freezing, "He's your father. Don't you want him to be happy? To enjoy life and not be sad?"

Mitchell gritted his teeth and turned his head, not bothering to answer as he avoided his father's punch for disrespecting his mother.

I sat up and wrapped my arm around Gold's waist, pressing my chin on his shoulder for a better view, "You should have taken me to visit the mermaids first. I would have loved to spend time with them instead."

Gold placed his palm over my hand, "The less people you interact with, the better. I shouldn't have brought you here. I was wrong."

I wrapped my other arm around his shoulders, "So you could spend more time with Chris, hm? You don't seem to be as strict with her. She's getting special treatment."

Gold rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, "Don't be ridiculous. What happened?"

"It's nothing much, really. Just a bit neglected, a little heartbroken. The usual stuff when it comes to Mitchell, you know? He didn't even want to introduce me to his parents, and then he went on complaining about me. His words hurt. They pierce my fragile heart."

"Did you punch him?" Gold asked.

I shook my head.

"Kick him?"

I shook my head again.

"Then you can only blame yourself. You've spoiled him too much."

"..." How did the blame land on me again? I dropped my arms and flopped back on the bed, drawing circles on the sheet with my pointer, "Romeo, Romeo. Where are you, my Romeo? These two idiots don't get the concept of romantic relationship, at all."

Chris gave me a pitiful look before sitting on the bed next to me, patting my head. "Poor thing. Your heart is breaking, huh? It must have been tough on you."

I nodded, "It hurts, and it hurts a lot."

Mitchell and Zachary were speechless for a second, but then they began yelling at the same time.

"See what you've done! Look at your female, she's so depressed. Apologize. Hurry, before it starts to affect Chris as well!"

"She's faking it. Can't you tell?!"

"It doesn't matter if she's faking it or not. You still owe her an apology! No one likes to hear someone badmouthing them! It's only normal for her to feel hurt."

"Hurt? She's not hurt. I know better when she is hurt!"

"You are too young, and lack experience. How could you possibly understand a female's feelings? If she says that you've hurt her, then you've hurt her!"

"Are you kidding me? I have more experience with her than you will ever have. I'm more than capable of telling when she's upset and when she's not!"

"No. You don't. Look at her!"

"I'm looking!"

"Doesn't she look depressed to you?"

"She looks like she's enjoying herself."

"How could a female look happy when her male is yelling at her? She's crying on the inside, and you are not even apologizing. She's so hurt that she can't even speak."

"I told you, she's faking it. Look. Her shoulder is twitching. She wants to laugh."

"No. She's quivering because she's holding back the tears."

Gold tucked me into the bed and sat on the ground, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't blame Mitchell or Zachary. What happened between me and Gold the last time I visited the mermaids also ended with me getting hurt.

The same went with the rest of my boys, nobody got off scot free. Bad luck has been following me like a shadow and everyone has had a taste.

I've been waiting for Karrak's nudes. Some compensation was long overdue, and he promised to deliver. It's not like I could die if I didn't get the pics. It was a stupid, trivial thing, but it felt like a forbidden fruit that would kill me if I dared to have a peek. And damn, was it annoying to be deprived of something that rightfully belonged to me.

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

I have no words for this chapter. 😂 Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it! 😁😁

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