"Mas," Kirk said with a firm yet collected tone, his arms folded across his chest, posture steady and eyes calm. "You must rember to be respectful toward our guest. Even though the Princess has yet to confirm with her own words that he's her lover, both I and the Chief have already acknowledged it as truth. That much, at least, you should accept, no?"
Mas's eyes darkened. He shifted his gaze toward , his lips curling slightly into a disdainful sneer. A guttural growl rumbled from his throat, low and animalistic, vibrating with suppressed emotion. "There's no way I'm going to just accept that so easily," he snarled, his voice coated with pure, unfiltered resentnt.
Kirk tilted his head with a slight smirk. "As expected," he said softly, almost sympathetically. "You still carry feelings for our Princess, don't you?"
The air around us grew thick with tension. It wasn't hard to tell—Mas was clearly emotionally compromised. The fire in his eyes, the stiffness of his stance, the subtle twitch in his clenched jaw... All of it pointed to one thing and it was a deep, lingering affection for Princess Trill.
And honestly? I couldn't bla him.
From his perspective, I was nothing more than an unknown outsider who had suddenly appeared out of thin air, making bold claims of being Trill's lover. And for a man who had been trying, perhaps for years, to win her heart—only to have that dream stolen away by a stranger—it must've felt like a dagger plunged straight into his chest.
"Don't say it right to his face," Mas muttered under his breath, though loud enough for everyone to hear. His tone was laced with a bitter mix of wounded pride and frustrated resignation. "But fine. Let this guy at least see the face of soone who refuses to recognize his place."
His glare was sharp—so sharp it felt like it could slice skin. There was no mistaking it... in his eyes, I wasn't a guest. I was a rival. No... more than that. I was an enemy.
"And because I won't acknowledge you," he continued coldly, "I won't give you what you want."
His words hit hard, like an iron door being slamd in my face.
I needed that smartphone. Desperately. And now, it seed, the path to it ran through him.
"Now, now, Mas," Kirk said, letting out a short exhale, like a teacher trying to calm an unruly student. "You promised you'd let him borrow it. And even if he hasn't officially been confird as the Princess's consort yet—since the Chief's wives might still bear a son—technically, he is the closest thing we've got to a future Chief Consort. That's assuming Princess Trill becos the next Chief, of course."
I hadn't really thought of it that way before. But hearing it spoken aloud made pause. If things went the way they implied... then yeah, I suppose that title might really be mine one day.
Mas didn't back down.
"I'll give him what he wants," he said with a smirk, his tone cool and calculated, "but only after I fight him."
Kirk pressed his fingers to his forehead, as if trying to ward off a developing headache. "Of course. I had a feeling this would happen..." he muttered. He stared at Mas with half-lidded eyes. "Do you truly think that picking a fight with him is going to make Princess Trill suddenly look your way?"
Mas scoffed and looked off to the side, as if the very idea annoyed him. "I don't expect anything in return," he said quietly. "But if I win, then it only ans one thing—that the Princess chose the wrong man."
Kirk's expression softened, but there was a flicker of sothing deeper in his eyes. Concern, maybe. Or regret.
"I see," he murmured. "You're holding back a lot, aren't you? I can feel it. All that emotion... all that tension, just sitting there inside you, waiting to explode. I want you to release it, sure—but not recklessly. Don't go overboard with Leon."
Then he turned to . His eyes scanned my face. There was a flicker of amusent in them.
"Leon, are you fine with this? You must be worn out after last night, if you catch my aning."
His words hit , and I realized quickly what he ant.
Chloe. Of course.
Kirk must have heard her moaning last night. Not surprising. She had been screaming her lungs out in ecstasy, and let's be honest—the walls of the accommodation weren't exactly built to keep secrets. Add to that the heightened senses of the lion beastfolk, and yeah... it wasn't shocking that he knew.
"It's fine," I said with a calm nod. "If this is what it takes to prove to him that Trill didn't make the wrong choice, then so be it."
Kirk's lips twitched, then curled into a smirk. "Alright," he said with a satisfied breath. "Then it's settled. A fight it is."
***
Before I even had ti to fully process it, I found myself standing at the center of a large gathering.
The Chief was there. The villagers surrounded us in a perfect circle, murmuring to one another with expectant eyes. I could feel their stares pressing against my skin like weightless stones. In front of , Mas stood with his back straight, eyes unwavering.
A circle had been drawn beneath our feet—roughly fifty ters wide in radius, a sacred boundary that marked the duel. The dusty ground had been disturbed only slightly, the space within untouched and pure. Around us, the villagers ford a wall of fur and muscle, watching silently, many of them with folded arms or narrowed gazes.
The Chief stood at the far side of the ring, arms crossed as he looked on with quiet authority. I hadn't expected it to co to this.
"Mas has challenged Leon to a matrimonial duel," one of the villagers announced in a loud, clear voice that echoed through the open air. "The prize at stake—Princess Trill."
"Huh...?" I couldn't stop the stupid sound that left my mouth. My thoughts stumbled. I had thought this was just a simple challenge. A fight to prove myself. But this...?
This was matrimonial?
Kirk turned to , his expression a bit apologetic, yet unsurprised.
"Sorry," he said softly, "but that's usually how it goes. If you fight soone for the Princess's sake—and since she hasn't officially married you yet—it ans she can still be taken away. If you lose, you lose her too."
So that's how their tribe handled things?
I exhaled slowly and gave a small nod.
Well... I guess it wasn't that big of a deal after all.
I steadied my breath, grounding myself with unwavering resolve. Mas had made his intentions clear—he wanted Trill. But to have even the slightest chance of that, he'd have to defeat first. And I wouldn't allow such a thing to happen—not in this lifeti.
As the surrounding crowd held their collective breath, Kirk slowly lowered his hand, signaling the start of the duel. The instant his fingers dropped, I moved.
My figure blurred through the air.
"Wha...!? So fast!"
Mas's startled gasp broke through the silence, his voice tinged with disbelief and raw surprise. His eyes widened, darting left and right, only to find no longer where I had been a second before. Before he could fully process what had happened, I was already behind him.
I didn't wait for him to react.
Without hesitation, I gripped Ayuru in reverse and brought down her blunt edge with a swift, precise motion—striking the back of his head. The force of the impact caused his body to stiffen, his eyes rolling up until only the whites remained.
A dull thud echoed through the arena as his body collapsed to the ground, limp and unresponsive.
The crowd stood frozen, stunned into silence.
Kirk exhaled a long, resigned sigh from the side, as if confirming what he had already predicted. Then, the silence shattered.
A deep, thunderous laugh erupted from the Chief, echoing through the open space like a victory drumbeat.
"As expected of my son-in-law! Bravo!" the Chief roared with glee, his arm rising high into the air with pride.
The mont his hand went up, the villagers followed, exploding into applause and roaring cheers that shook the ground beneath our feet.
That… was easier than I'd imagined.
***
Ti passed.
After being tended to and regaining consciousness, Mas reluctantly—almost bitterly—handed his smartphone. His face was tight with frustration, but he said nothing.
Luckily, I had Amon's number etched into mory. My fingers moved swiftly across the screen, typing out a ssage and sending it within monts.
Almost imdiately, the ssage receipt changed.
Read.
Satisfied, I returned the phone to Mas, who snatched it without a word.
Now, all that remained was to wait. They would co for soon.
For the ti being, I chose to wander around the tribe and take in my surroundings. As expected, the atmosphere was brimming with a kind of primal energy—these people were undoubtedly battle-hungry, their very presence exuding a readiness for combat. And, quite surprisingly, they also seed to take great pleasure in sex, indulging in it even during broad daylight. It was only the middle of the afternoon, yet I could distinctly hear the unmistakable sounds of soone fucking nearby.
Additionally, I discovered sothing new today. Kirk had a daughter of his own. She was just a year younger than and was currently enrolled in the academy as well, which ant she was likely a first-year cadet.
Kirk, it turned out, had a total of eight wives. And from the looks of it, that number wasn't final. He appeared to be pursuing yet another woman at the mont. It was quite amusing to observe him as he made his clumsy yet earnest attempts to woo her while I trailed behind.
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