Inside the dim stone house, the beautiful Little Female tilted her head, looking at the tall male beside her with a serious expression.
Her lips parted slightly. "Brother, can I not say?"
Seeing his younger sister’s solemn look, Laxus sighed. "If you don't want to say, I won't ask, but you must promise me you won't put yourself in danger, and you won't let Father, Mother, or me worry. Is that all right?"
Ophelia nodded. "Don't worry, Brother. I'll be fine."
"Here is 50 pounds of rice. Take it back to the Golden Dragon Clan. Leave half for Mother and have Father distribute the other half to the pregnant Little Females and those currently in their postpartum month." Because the Dragon Clan's Little Females had high fertility rates, most gave birth to a litter of little beastmen once a year, and very few could manage two. Thus, rice was in high demand.
Only by increasing the number of tribespeople could the tribe flourish.
She remembered that in her previous life, a torrential downpour occurred during the rainy season shortly after this time. The rice planted by the Goat Clan was completely submerged, resulting in zero harvest. Following that, an extreme blizzard hit in the winter; the little beastmen born that winter failed to survive, and many Little Females in the tribe even froze to death, nearly leading to the annihilation of the clan.
Therefore, she now wanted to subtly let her brother and father know that she could produce plenty of rice, so that when she provided a massive amount of food once winter arrived, it wouldn't raise suspicion.
"There are ten pregnant Little Females in the tribe; they are indeed in urgent need of rice." Seeing that his sister could produce fifty pounds so easily, Laxus knew she must have more, so he did not stand on ceremony.
After Laxus left, Taylor entered with roasted meat and rice porridge.
"Princess, let's eat." Taylor placed the food on the stone table and stood to the side.
"Taylor, don't call me Princess anymore. Call me by my name—Ophelia."
Taylor shook his head nervously. "I am not qualified to speak the Princess's name."
"I, this Princess, allow you to say it. No one has the right to say otherwise."
"Say it now. Let me hear it."
Taylor’s tongue darted across his lips, and his brown eyes sparkled like fireworks. "Ophelia."
Those four simple words stirred Ophelia’s memories of her past life. In that life, to save her from captivity, Taylor had been strangled to death by Loki. As he died, she had seen his lips move; though he made no sound, she knew he was calling out *Ophelia*.
That was the first and last time she had heard him call her name, even as he didn't dare to speak it aloud even in his final moments. He had been loving her in silence!
Her eyes burned with tears. Ophelia wrapped her arms around the male's sturdy waist and buried her face in his chest.
"Prin—Ophelia."
"Let me hold you for a moment, Taylor."
She wanted to embrace the male who had risked everything for her in her past life, and she wanted to hold the man who still stood by her side in silence in this one.
Feeling the Little Female's sorrow, Taylor finally dared to embrace her. The Little Female’s body was so delicate, soft, and warm, and her fragrant scent made his blood boil. Sensing a certain reaction, Ophelia laughed through her tears. "You little thing, you're still quite energetic."
The atmosphere of sadness was swept away.
"I'll go hunting in the forest with you tomorrow."
"You'll protect me, won't you?" Under the Little Female’s expectant gaze, the male could not bring himself to refuse, nor did he want to disappoint her.
Meanwhile, at the Chieftain’s stone house.
A sharp slapping sound echoed, and the air in the room froze. Loki covered his face in disbelief. "Father, why did you hit me?"
"I hit you because you're a fool! You have a Golden Dragon Clan princess, yet you refuse to appreciate her, obsessing instead over some Fox Clan female who has nothing. You and your mother have no vision."
"Father, I don't like Ophelia. If you hadn't forced me, I never would have formed a mate bond with her. You know perfectly well that Michelle and I are truly in love, yet you had to tear us apart." Mentioning this, Loki’s eyes filled with hatred.
He hated his father, and he hated those tribesmen who mocked him for climbing the social ladder by relying on a female. His abilities and his cleverness seemed to diminish after bonding with Ophelia, as if everything he possessed now was given to him by the Little Female. He worked hard at hunting every day, and he was always the most active and the first to rush forward when leading a hunting party, yet all his efforts were overshadowed by the glittering title of "Golden Dragon Clan Princess" that Ophelia held.
Ophelia, the Golden Dragon Clan princess, was like a mountain pressing down on him, leaving him unable to breathe or hold his head high. Only when facing Michelle did he feel like a true male.
"Do you know how much rice Laxus took when he left?"
"A whole back-basket, at least 50 pounds."
"What? Where did she get so much rice?" Loki was stunned.
"It certainly wasn't provided by the Golden Dragon Clan, and I suspect she has much more than that." Solo narrowed his eyes, a calculating glint flashing within them.
"Go to her today. Use whatever method you must to find out where she’s hiding the rest of the rice. Ideally, make her hand it all over."
His father was telling him to seduce her. Loki felt humiliated, but he was also tempted by the thought of so much rice. Seeing Loki’s clear reluctance, Solo said coldly, "If you aren't willing to do it, there are plenty who are."
"Don't forget, you aren't my only son."
Male cubs from the same litter often looked similar. If Ophelia hadn't taken a liking to Loki first and been tricked into signing the Sole Mate Contract, he wouldn't have had to pin all his hopes on this one son.
Loki’s heart sank, and he gritted his teeth. "Yes, Father, I understand."
The moon hung high in the sky. The silver-grey-haired male dragged his heavy footsteps forward, his emerald eyes filled with resentment and humiliation.
In the stone house, Ophelia was about to go to sleep when she heard the sound of the door opening. She pulled a sharpened bone knife from under her pillow and, by the moonlight, saw a tall figure walking in from outside.
"Who is it?"
Loki’s gloomy voice sounded. "It's me."
Ophelia’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly in the darkness. "What are you here for? Get out."
Loki lit the firewood in the stone house, and by the flickering orange glow, he slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. He softened his voice, a rarity for him. "I know I’ve neglected you these past few days. I’ll stay and keep you company tonight. Let’s put those unpleasant matters behind us and live our lives well from now on."
Seeing his hand reach toward her, Ophelia sat up sharply.
"Have you lost your mind? What are you babbling about? No one wants to 'live well' with you. I’ll say it again: I want to dissolve our mate bond."
Being repeatedly told she wanted to dissolve their bond made Loki’s chest tighten with frustration. He said sternly, "Ophelia, I will not dissolve our mate bond."
With that, he reached out to pull at the Little Female again. "Amy is growing up; we should give her a younger brother or sister."
His emerald eyes glowed in the dim night; looking at the exquisite face before him, he felt his entire body heat up.