My first day in the book, I was kneeling in the Great Hall with other new ladies before I even knew the palace layout. The King, unlike his "patient and wise" reputation, pointed at the pale girl beside me and roared, "Ill omen. Kill her!" Trembling, I watched her be sentenced. When my turn came, the tyrant smiled cruelly at my fear. "This one stays." That night, he dragged me to his chambers and tormented me endlessly. Afterward, he used me wherever he pleased. I suffered silently as his plaything. Then, the day I gave birth, I saw a furry wolf cub between my legs. Shock overwhelmed me. A court drama, not a fantasy zoo! Was this heaven’s way of ending me? 1. Fear sent my mind into overdrive. Shaking, I frantically dug through my hazy memories of the original novel. The book had an unfinished, rushed ending. The main character, King Cyrus, presented a facade of a diligent and benevolent ruler. In reality, he was a dark, violent tyrant who killed without a second thought. And the original owner of this body, Clara—which was now me—was nothing more than insignificant cannon fodder. After her first night with the King, she had secretly drunk a contraceptive tonic. Cyrus caught her in the act. "Since you love your medicine so much," he’d said, his voice cold as ice, "We shall let you drink your fill." And so, the original Clara was forced to drink an entire barrel of the bitter tea until her stomach literally burst. The bloody lesson was seared into my brain. To survive, I had spent the last year being utterly, meticulously obedient. If he wanted a bed warmer, I'd be silent as a stone. If he commanded me to submit, I wouldn’t dare resist. If he wanted me on my stomach, I wouldn’t dream of turning over... I had tried so hard. I had been so compliant! And for what? Staring at the furry little wolf cub between my legs, I managed a weak, desperate smile. This wasn't just deceiving the Crown; this was corrupting the entire royal bloodline. This was witchcraft. A dark omen that would throw the kingdom into chaos! Would that damn King feed me to the wolves? Or worse... tie me and this little cub to a stake and burn us alive? Was this my punishment for trying to change the plot? My mind was a tangled mess. I watched as the little cub clumsily rolled over. It stuck out a tiny pink tongue and began licking its soft fur. He was… almost cute? No! Get a grip, Clara! That thing is your death sentence! Just as I was staring at the "evidence" on the bed, paralyzed with terror, a voice from outside sent a chill down my spine. "How is Lady Clara?" "Your… Your Majesty, the child is born, but..." The servant's voice trembled like a candle flame in the wind. "As long as the child is born, that is all that matters!" Cyrus’s voice actually sounded… pleased. Almost eager. Don't tell me he was excited to be a father. "All that matters?" If you knew what I gave birth to, you’d be saying, "As long as they’re both dead!" The footsteps grew closer. My body was as taut as a drawn bow, my heart hammering against my ribs. 2. There was no time for maternal bonding. With the fastest hands I’d ever had, I snatched the wolf cub by its tail and shoved it deep under the bed. "Be a good boy," I whispered frantically. "Don't you make a sound, or the royal kitchens will be serving a new special tonight! Wolf stew, and you're the main course!" The cub let out a tiny, wounded whimper and then, miraculously, fell silent. Cyrus strode into the room. Though he was in his plain robes, the oppressive aura around him was as potent as ever. His eyes scanned the empty bed, a flicker of impatience crossing his features. "Where is the child?" Lie? Lie to this man, whose face could silence a crying child? I couldn't do it! "The… the child… didn't… didn't…" The gruesome image of the original Clara's death played on a loop in my head. The fear was bone-deep. My lips trembled like dead leaves in a gale. The words "make it" were caught in my throat, refusing to come out. Cyrus's brow furrowed in annoyance. He closed the distance between us in a single step and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Well? I asked you a question. Where is the child?" His fingertips were like ice, sending a shiver through my entire body. I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowed hard, and summoned every ounce of acting talent I possessed. "It is my fault, Your Majesty," I sobbed, my voice cracking with anguish. "I was too weak… I couldn't save our child…" Cyrus froze. The light in his eyes instantly died. I knew that look. I knew it all too well. The royal family had always struggled to produce heirs. A new child was a matter of national importance. Cyrus had been selecting new ladies for his court for years, yet at over thirty, he was still childless. To finally have a child, only to have it "not make it"... Of course he was devastated. CRASH! A deafening sound exploded next to my ear. The disappointment on Cyrus's face vanished, replaced by a storm of cold, violent rage. He sneered and kicked over a nearby wardrobe with brutal force. "Good! Excellent! A fine job!" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Couldn't save him, you say..." The King's fury was a terrifying thing. Outside the room, a chorus of shrieks and pleas for mercy erupted. "Your Majesty, calm your anger! Please!" A cold sweat drenched my body. I was paralyzed by a fear so profound it felt like I was drowning. Then I heard Cyrus let out a sharp, chilling laugh. His voice dropped to a frigid whisper. "You have the face of an angel, the body of a goddess... but you're just as useless as the rest." Tears streamed down my face. Useless? Who was it that held me all night, taking me seven times without stopping? Now that he's pulled up his trousers, he doesn't recognize the work I put in? The room fell into a deathly silence. The Lord Chamberlain spoke up, his voice trembling. "Your Majesty, what shall be done with Lady Clara...?" Cyrus didn't even bother to look at me again. He released my chin, his tone as flat and lifeless as stale water. "Since she is so useless that she cannot even secure a royal heir... leave her here. Let her rot." A massive weight lifted from my chest. Thank God! My life was spared! Let me rot? Wonderful! No more early morning greetings, no more bed-warming duties! And no more dealing with this unpredictable, terrifying man! I fought to keep the corners of my mouth from turning up into a grin and bowed my head to the mattress. "This servant… thanks Your Majesty for his grace." 3. Within half a day, the Rose Pavilion was stripped bare, as if it had been looted. As for the terrified midwife, I had worried she would talk. But Cyrus had acted first. She was executed for "incompetence," leaving no loose ends. And so, clutching the furry little wolf cub in my arms, I officially began my life in the forgotten North Tower. At first, it was grim. The food was barely fit for pigs. But my spirits were high! No bed-warming, no boss to please, and I could sleep in every day! It was the retirement I'd always dreamed of! Then, one night about a month later, a guard on patrol knocked on my door. His name was Ethan, and he had been my childhood sweetheart before I was brought to the palace. His eyes were full of a complex mix of emotions as he looked at me. I learned he was now married, with a child of his own. Though things had changed, Ethan was a good man. Seeing my difficult situation, he started leaving a basket of hot food outside my door during his nightly patrols. It was risky, but the temptation of a decent meal was too much to resist. Besides, with some proper food, the little wolf cub could grow strong, couldn't he? I named the cub "Howl." Howl was incredibly smart and grew astonishingly fast. Before he was even a year old, he was already the size of a large puppy. He seemed to understand everything I said. He would trot over with pretty flowers in his mouth to cheer me up and would sleep dutifully at the foot of my bed when I was scared at night. The North Tower was deserted, so as long as Howl didn't make too much noise, he went unnoticed. The days drifted by peacefully. More than half a year passed, and it felt as if the tower and its inhabitants had been completely forgotten. Until the Harvest Moon Festival in August. The moon outside was huge and perfectly round. As I lay on the hard wooden bed, a strange unease crept over me. Howl was unusually quiet tonight, already curled up asleep on his straw mat in the corner. Drowsiness eventually won. I yawned and closed my eyes. In the hazy space between waking and sleeping, I thought I heard a long, mournful wolf's cry. Before I could make sense of it, the rickety door to my room was kicked open with a violent BANG! A tall figure, reeking of alcohol, stumbled inside. It was Cyrus. He stood by my bed, his eyes bloodshot, radiating a familiar, predatory aggression. I shot upright, my heart pounding. He lunged forward and tied a silk ribbon over my eyes, plunging my world into darkness. I shifted nervously, instinctively reaching to tear it off. "Touch it, and you die." Right. Got it. Blindfolds. The damn King had learned a new trick and decided to practice on me in my exile. My mind raced with sarcastic comments, but my body was frozen in fear. His movements were rough and urgent, leaving no room for refusal. I could only bite my lip and endure. To be fair, though the King was a tyrant, he was… well-endowed and technically skilled. A rare specimen of the dominant-yet-restrained type. After half a year of a vegetarian diet, this was a feast. My head was spinning, and I soon found myself lost in the heat of the moment. Just as I was completely surrendering to the dizzying pleasure, my hand brushed against something soft and furry. The texture… it was unmistakably Howl's fur! What was Howl doing on the bed?! A violent tremor shot through me, and a cold sweat trickled down my spine. 4. "Your… Your Majesty! Wait!" I gasped, pushing against his chest. "Hmm?" Cyrus murmured against my lips, not slowing down in the slightest. I twisted my body, struggling with all my might. "Not tonight… we can't!" In a panic, I tried to rip the blindfold off, but he caught my wrist in a crushing grip. His voice was a low growl, laced with lust and annoyance. "Can't what? Are you hiding something?" I had always been docile in his bed. This was the first time I had ever fought back. My voice trembled. "No… nothing, it's just that this place is so dirty, I fear…" Before I could finish, a steady knock came from the door. It was my kind-hearted childhood friend, Ethan. "Clara? It's the festival today. I brought you some mooncakes and roasted meats." He must have been confused by my silence. After a pause, his voice took on a worried tone. "Clara? Are you asleep? Is everything alright?" When he still got no answer, the door creaked open. "Cla—" He only managed to get one syllable out before an enraged Cyrus sent him flying with a vicious kick. In the next instant, Cyrus dragged me from the bed and threw me to the floor. "Hah…" He stared down at me, a horrifying, cold smile on his face. "No wonder you were so content to rot in this tower. You had a lover!" he snarled. "Bringing you food in the dead of night? How touching!" I hit the ground so hard that my vision went black. It was over. It was completely and utterly over. "No… it's not…" I shook my head desperately, coughing until tears streamed from my eyes. "Not?" Cyrus's voice was laced with ice. "If I recall correctly, this is the boy you were promised to before you came to the palace, is he not? Can't forget your old flame, can you? Daring to carry on right under my nose!" A massive wave of terror seized me. I crawled forward and clutched the hem of his robe, my voice shaking. "It's not like that! He was just… just bringing me some food! We've done nothing wrong!" Ethan scrambled to his knees, banging his head on the floor. "Your Majesty, I swear! There is nothing between Lady Clara and myself! I was only—" "Silence!" Cyrus roared, kicking the delicate food basket and sending its contents scattering across the floor. "A man and a woman, alone in the middle of the night! Do you take me for a fool?" His chest heaved with fury. The murderous intent in his eyes was unmistakable. "Guards! Seize this adulterous pair!" Two guards immediately entered, their swords drawn. Cyrus leaned down, his icy fingers digging into my chin. "Clara, the one thing I despise above all else in this world is being deceived." At that critical moment, a small, childish voice cut through the tension. "Don't you bully my mommy!" Everyone froze. A small boy, no older than two or three, rushed out from the shadows of the antechamber. He was wearing the little tunic I had sewn for him, his face tight with anger. He bravely planted himself in front of me, glaring defiantly at Cyrus. Staring at this child who had appeared out of nowhere, my mind went completely blank. "H-Howl?" I whispered in disbelief. Howl glanced back at me, his voice ringing with courage. "Don't be scared, Mommy! I'll protect you!" Cyrus's gaze darted between me and the boy. First came shock, then a dawning, terrible understanding. "So that's it… no wonder you were so desperate to get rid of me!" He laughed, a sound that seemed to crawl up from the depths of hell itself. He lunged down and wrapped his hand around my throat, his voice a demonic whisper. "You were afraid I would discover that you and your lover… had already produced this… this abomination?!" "No… it's not…" I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. The injustice and terror were suffocating me. "Bad man! Let my mommy go!" Seeing Cyrus choking me, Howl leaped forward and sank his teeth into the King's arm. Cyrus grunted in pain. The fury in his eyes intensified, and with a powerful wrench of his arm, he flung the boy across the room. "Ah—!" Howl's small body hit the far wall with a cry of pain. The moment he landed, something impossible happened. A brilliant silver light erupted from his body, flooding the room like liquid moonlight. Within the light, his small form shifted and changed— In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a wolf cub, his fur the color of pure, polished silver. Its fluffy wolf ears twitched with rage, and a long, gray tail stood erect behind it. It bared its fangs, snarling viciously at the King. The entire tower was plunged into a dead, terrifying silence.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386346", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel