A beast, at the end of the day, was a beast. Even if they looked like humans, Medusa and Inara were not humans.

And for a stronghold that had been in constant battle against beasts, making countless people lose countless loved ones to them, the very idea of welcoming two dangerous beasts was something they would never accept.

Especially when one could control monsters, and the other could poison the entire stronghold in a heartbeat.

And it wasn't only the common people who felt restless, but also the few nobles who had managed to keep their lives from falling into the peaceful embrace of death.

So the only solution for Medusa and her remaining people to stay in this stronghold came in one form…to swear allegiance to Waverith.

In doing so, they would have a shelter, a way to obtain food, a way to build a stable life without the constant fear of the forest's nightcrawlers.

It was a good alternative, not to say the only possible one. But Inara didn't like it.

She didn't want to bind herself to Waverith. Doing so would bring her more headaches than she was willing to endure. Not to mention, she didn't believe Waverith deserved such an honor.

Having the Heiress of the Mother of Monsters serve as a guardian, a protector to call upon when other monsters knocked? Inara was not arrogant, but the very idea repulsed her being.

And yet, she needed to bind herself. Otherwise, she would never be welcomed. So if she didn't wish to bind herself to Waverith, then she would bind herself to one person.

To the person who, by some twist of fate, had given her the courage to take her own path, to grow strong, and had unknowingly made her become who she was.

And so here she was, a smile tugging at the edge of her lips, hands on her hips, as she declared to Kaden that she would swear loyalty to him and him alone.

Kaden was taken aback by the suddenness of her words. It wasn't that he didn't understand the reasons behind them, he actually did, but still…

"Are you sure about this?" Kaden asked. "If you're doing this just to repay me for saving you back then…"

He shook his head.

"…then there's no need to."

He stared at her intently, his blood-red eyes diving deep into her green ones, and for a fleeting moment, Kaden saw eight pairs of eyes looking back at him from within her.

He was startled. It was his first time seeing something like that, and it made him curious about the origin Inara possessed.

Still, he acted as though he hadn't seen anything and continued calmly, "I didn't save you to be rewarded, or for any reason like that. I saved you because… I could, and I wanted to."

Inara's lips curled upward, her eyes — still shimmering like a pool of green water — squinting, before her mouth cracked open as she spoke:

"If you saved me because you could and wanted to, then just consider that I'm doing all of this because I can, and I want to. And besides…" she pivoted swiftly, turning to look at the scenery outside the window,

"It's not like I have much choice in this matter, do I?"

"It's either I swear my loyalty to you and it's over, or I throw a fit and my mother damns me for it. After all, I won't bind myself to this place."

Kaden nodded. "Understandable." But then he tilted his head. "So… your mother beats you?" His tone was genuine, he was honestly intrigued.

His words made Inara pause as she looked at him strangely. "You…" she began, voice hesitant, "…you were never beaten by your mother?"

He shook his head. "Never. Why would she even beat me? I'm the exemplary child in this house."

Inara fell silent. She stared at him for several seconds, looking for any trace of sarcasm or jest…but found nothing.

Kaden was actually serious.

Inara cursed.

"Damn me! Of fucking course! I almost forgot I'm talking to the great, the talented, and the magnificent Kaden Warborn! The Lord of Blood! The Hero of—!"

"Please stop!" Kaden almost begged, his face cringing as he put a hand over his chest, as if struck by a heart attack, while raising his other hand toward her in a desperate attempt to make her stop.

Of course, it was a useless endeavor.

Inara never stopped. From the beginning, Kaden had been far too calm for her taste, and now that she'd found a way to make him show a face other than that quiet, smiling one…stopping here would be something she'd forever regret.

So, with renewed intensity and a flair for drama, Inara opened her mouth, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"O Hero! The one who never tasted the hard slap of the Mother! The Favored One! The Chosen—!"

"Bloody hell, stop it! Or do you want me to start telling the story of you crying in front of those pathetic wolves?"

"Hey! That's not the game we're playing! And they were pathetic for you, but for me they were fucking strong!"

"What bloody game? You're the only one playing here!"

Their banter went on for a while before Kaden finally raised his hands in defeat. He had never thought he would lose in a battle of tongue and retort, but bloody hell…Inara was persistent.

Finally, he sighed, running his hands back through his silky hair.

"I just don't want you to regret it."

"I won't," Inara replied, raising an eyebrow. "Or will you make me regret it?"

"Who knows?"

"Damn me, that's not reassuring, hero."

"I wasn't trying to be."

Inara chuckled.

"You acting like this only makes me more motivated. So give up, hero. And if you really knew who I was, you wouldn't be hesitating right now."

"You are just a crybaby. But fine, we could—!"

BAM!

The door of the room exploded into a whirlwind of ice shards, the temperature plummeting instantly. The sound of footsteps echoed across the frozen air.

Both Kaden and Inara immediately recognized the person the moment they felt that distinct mana. Kaden smiled wryly. He had been so focused on Inara that his perception had dulled for a moment, making him miss Meris's arrival and now…

"Inara." Meris's voice echoed coldly…so cold that Kaden could have sworn, for an instant, the whole room had become a blizzard of icy storms.

He subtly took a step back from Inara and turned his head aside, pretending none of this concerned him. He almost wanted to whistle, but he knew better than to attract Meris's attention right now.

Inara turned her head toward Meris.

She was slowly walking forward, dressed in a sleeveless blue robe adorned with snow-white lotus patterns that framed her body and reached just below her knees. Her purple hair was braided into a single thick knot flung over her left shoulder. Her neck, wrists, and fingers were decorated with jewelry that shimmered with a purple luster.

She walked unhurriedly, her hips swaying just enough for Kaden to stare a bit longer than necessary.

He turned his head away in embarrassment, face flushed.

In seconds, she was standing just an inch from Inara, her silver eyes carrying a frosted, exasperated look.

"I told you to wait for me," she said, her cold breath steaming in the air and slamming softly against Inara's face.

Inara smiled.

"I wanted some alone time with him, Meris," she said, unfazed by Meris's tone. "And I wanted to talk to him about something important."

"And what is that?"

Kaden was now leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching with mild amusement. 'They seem close enough,' he remarked.

"What else? The only way for me not to lose a tooth or two," Inara said, and Meris immediately understood. Her glass-like eyes widened slightly.

"Don't tell me…?"

"Yes." Inara nodded. "I want Kaden to be the one I pledge my loyalty to. Something I'm sure no one would dare deny especially since now he is…" she turned her eyes toward Kaden and smirked,

"…our hero."

Meris looked at her with raised eyebrows. It was no small thing to pledge loyalty. And if Inara was willing to go that far…

'Another one…?' she mused, her lips pressing into a thin line.

She turned toward Kaden, about to speak, but the already repaired door to burst open once more with a loud bang, making her swallow back her words.

Kaden's lips twitched.

He turned sharply, ready to unleash his death glare on the culprit. But he didn't manage to as he faced Sabine.

She stood there, eyes wide with apprehension.

"Young Master, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have an urgent matter!" she said, her voice rushed, body already half-turned toward the hallway.

Kaden frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked, striding toward her, only to stop as her next words cut through the air.

"It's Patriarch Eliot Thornspire, Master! He wants to see you. He… he's dying."

—End of Chapter 273—

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