novel bin Chapter 665: Sold to the Throne by His Own Parents
Chapter 665: Sold to the Throne by His Own Parents
Meanwhile, inside the cozy inner room, a small snow-white nine-tailed fox was currently lying comfortably on a large, plush cushion. His official name was Rong Ciaoxuan, but everyone in the household simply called him Ciao Ciao.At this exact moment, the little fox king was lazily waving his nine fluffy, cloud-like tails while bossing his elder brother and sisters around.
"Yip!" the little fox cried out authoritatively, pointing one tiny paw toward a scattered toy across the room.
His elder siblings immediately ran over on their chubby legs to fetch it for him. Completely satisfied with his absolute authority, Ciao Ciao proudly raised his furry little chin.
Just then...
"Achoo!"
The little fox suddenly let out a massive sneeze. His entire fluffy body bounced off the cushion from the sheer force of it.
Ciao Ciao rubbed his small nose with both paws, his round fox eyes blinking in total confusion.
Who was talking about him behind his back? Or perhaps... Who was plotting against him?
The little fox stared suspiciously toward the kitchen doorway, his large ears twitching. He had no idea that his completely shameless father was already planning to pack him up and push him onto the grand throne of Fox Beast City.
And he wouldn’t have imagined that his mother loves his father more than him.
Completely unaware of his upcoming fate as a toddler ruler, Ciao Ciao happily swished his nine tails and went back to lying on his cushion like a tiny king.
For now, life was still peaceful. Very, very peaceful.
Far away from Su Qinglan’s house in Dragon Beast City, the winter chill was just as fierce.
By the edge of a completely frozen river, a female sat bundled up tightly from head to toe.
She was wrapped in so many heavy layers of animal skins that she looked like a round ball; only her small face and her hands were peeking out. Her fingers were already bright red from the biting cold as she forcefully poked at the thick layer of ice covering the riverbed.
The entire riverside was completely silent. The weather was far too freezing, so none of the other beastmen had dared to come outside today, but she had quietly sneaked out of her warm house anyway.
After using all her strength, she finally managed to poke a decent-sized hole through the frozen surface, breaking past the thick crust of ice to reach the freezing water flowing underneath.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she quickly opened the large woven basket sitting right behind her on the snow. She looked inside at her son, who had already grown so big that he was almost the length of her entire arm.
She gently patted his smooth little fin. "Baby, let’s go. Mommy has brought you here for a swim."
With careful hands, she lifted the little orca baby out of the basket and lowered him straight into the icy hole.
The moment his body hit the freezing water, the little orca felt right at home. He let out a happy squeak and began to swim around in joyful circles, completely unbothered by the cold.
"Don’t go too far, baby! Mommy is waiting right here for you," she called out loudly into the hole.
The little orca popped his tail up out of the water, giving it a playful flip against the ice as his way of nodding in agreement.
With a final splash, he dove deep under the ice sheet to enjoy his morning swim, leaving his dedicated mommy waiting patiently by the edge.
Lan Yue looked down into the icy water with a deeply loving gaze. Her son was already almost six months old.
In her mind, she had quietly planned for them to return to the sea by next year.
However, now that the harsh winter had arrived, her mother absolutely refused to let her leave. Her mother was constantly worried about her, wondering how she could possibly be safe and comfortable in that distant Eastern Sea away from the safety of the city.
So, Lan Yue had agreed to stay for now. But she resolved that the moment the winter passed, she would leave for the ocean with both of her husbands.
Still, living on land was taking a toll on her. She was a mermaid, after all, and she hadn’t been able to properly swim for so many days. Her body was literally aching for the water.
Watching her happy son swim freely beneath the ice, she couldn’t resist the urge any longer.
She quickly looked around the snowy riverbank. The area was completely deserted; not a single person was in sight.
Back at the house, she always soaked herself in tubs of warm water, but it just wasn’t the same. The natural, chilly river water brought a unique kind of peace to a mermaid’s mind.
Without hesitating any longer, she untied the knot and removed the thick outer coat wrapped around her.
Soon after, as she shed her heavy winter skirts and sandals, her legs disappeared, and a shimmering, beautiful fish tail appeared in their place. She carefully folded all her clothes and sandals, stacking them neatly on the rock.
Sitting at the edge, Lan Yue raised her tail and brought it down hard against the frozen river surface to make the swimming hole bigger.
With just one powerful slap of her mermaid tail, the thick ice instantly cracked and shattered into several large pieces.
Her face cracked into a self-deprecating smile.
It seemed her fish tail was still far more powerful than her hands. She had spent so much time and strength poking at the ice with her hands earlier just to make a tiny opening, yet one strike from her tail broke it instantly.
Lan Yue slid into the opening, submerging the lower half of her body into the freezing river.
A deeply contented sigh escaped her lips. The cold water felt incredibly good against her scales. She gently slapped her tail against the water, enjoying the familiar weightlessness.
She didn’t dare go for a full swim or submerge her upper body. If her hair got wet, she would never be able to explain it to her husbands.
They constantly watched her like hawks, strictly forbidding her from soaking in the chilly river water.
Her son, who had been swimming further away under the ice, immediately noticed his mother’s presence.
He swam back toward the hole at top speed. Mother and son happily greeted each other, playfully flapping their tails together in the freezing water.
Lan Yue patted her son’s smooth head, her heart swelling with affection.
"Go on. Keep playing. Mother is right here waiting for you," she whispered lovingly.
The little orca let out a happy yip and immediately dove back down, swimming deeper into the river.
Left alone in the opening, Lan Yue sighed and closed her eyes, letting herself float peacefully.
This feeling was absolute heaven for a mermaid. She wasn’t actually afraid of the cold water, but her sweet, overprotective husbands simply refused to let her be.
It seemed that after living on land for so long, they had started treating her like any other delicate land female. That was exactly why she missed the ocean so much, even if her mother wouldn’t let her return just yet.
For now, she just leaned back against the ice crust, closing her eyes in pure bliss as her beautiful tail drifted lazily in the quiet, frozen river.