Chapter 58: Beneath The Beast Goddess

At some point, Kaelith entered one of the side rooms bordering the castle halls.

Before Mirabelle could properly question where exactly they were going, he stepped out onto the balcony with her still in his arms, balanced effortlessly across a thick branch stretching toward another section of the estate and then—

he simply jumped.

Everything happened so suddenly Mirabelle didn’t even have time to scream properly.

Her heart dropped violently.

"Warn me next time!"

She slapped his shoulder while trying to recover from the shock.

Kaelith only grinned.

Then he carefully lowered her back onto solid ground.

For one uncertain second, Mirabelle wasn’t convinced her legs would hold her.

But eventually she steadied herself again.

Unfortunately, Kaelith remained standing very close in front of her.

Close enough that they shared the same air.

How intimate can one situation possibly get?

For the first time, Mirabelle noticed that Kaelith had slight dimples whenever he smiled.

And for some reason, her knees immediately started going weak again.

Which was honestly unfair considering she had only just managed to stabilize herself.

His reddish-brown eyes shimmered mischievously beneath the sunlight.

"Ready?" he asked.

And without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him.

They entered a long rose passageway.

Massive flowering vines climbed over elegant arches above them, blooming in deep crimson, pale peach, ivory, gold, and soft pink.

The fragrance hung so thickly in the warm air that it practically demanded people slow down and savor it.

Apparently nobody had informed Kaelith of that.

Because the hyena Beastman walked with such absurdly long strides that Mirabelle had to hurry after him while the heavy rose scent swirled around her in waves.

At the end of the floral corridor stood a low stone wall.

And resting neatly folded atop a bench bevor it lay a bundle of pale blue fabric.

Before Mirabelle fully processed what was happening, Kaelith had already placed it into her hands.

Curiously, she unfolded the soft airy material.

A cloak.

"So you won’t stand out because of your dress."

Mirabelle glanced down at herself.

...Right.

The serpent-skin fabric was admittedly impossible to overlook.

Especially with the open back and exposed shoulders.

"Wait."

Kaelith took the cloak back before gently placing it around her himself. A silver brooch fastened the fabric neatly at the front.

Mirabelle tilted her head suspiciously.

"How did you know you’d need to prepare a cloak?"

"Hoping," was all he answered.

Then he suddenly lifted her again and vaulted effortlessly over the low wall in a single motion.

It genuinely didn’t even seem physically demanding for him.

"Oops." He grinned while slowly removing his warm hands from her waist again. "I was supposed to warn you first."

His sharp teeth flashed playfully. He winked at her.

"I’ll do better next time."

"Who says there’ll be a next time?"

Mirabelle blinked at him teasingly.

A warm smile spread slowly across Kaelith’s face.

Under the afternoon sunlight, his golden-brown skin almost resembled sunlit sand.

Which somehow made his grin appear even brighter.

Mirabelle immediately looked away.

They now stood near the outer edges of the settlement surrounding the estate.

Towering trees stretched high into the sky before them, enormous enough that entire sections had been hollowed out and transformed into homes.

Through the circular entrances, Mirabelle could glimpse warm interiors filled with woven fabrics, carved furniture, drying herbs, and softly glowing crystals.

Massive bridges connected the trees across second and third levels, swaying heavily whenever wind moved through the branches.

Only a few Beastfolk wandered through this quieter section, most moving with clear purpose.

"Come."

Once again, Kaelith naturally took her hand.

Her fingers settled into his as though they had always belonged there.

This time he no longer dragged her hurriedly behind him.

Instead, he slowed his pace to match hers and allowed her time to take everything in.

Only occasionally guiding her gently with small pulls or pressure from his hand whenever they needed to turn.

And notably—

he stayed quiet.

The hyena Beastman had instantly realized Mirabelle was so overwhelmed by the visual impressions around her that she had practically forgotten every other sense.

The deeper they moved into the tree settlement, the livelier everything became.

The smell changed first.

Smoke.

Sap.

Warm wood.

Roasted meat.

Flowers hanging from windows.

Animal fur warmed by sunlight.

Somewhere nearby, someone was cooking something sweet with honey and nuts.

The sounds followed next.

Voices echoed through the canopy overhead while ropes creaked softly beneath shifting bridges.

Somewhere above them, children shrieked with laughter as they raced across hanging walkways far too high above the ground.

A group of raccoon Beastfolk carried crates between buildings while arguing loudly over prices.

An elderly owl female sat outside one of the homes weaving cloth while softly humming to herself.

Several lanterns hung unlit between the bridges overhead, clearly waiting for evening when the entire settlement would probably glow like floating stars beneath the trees.

The farther inward they walked, the more crowded the district became.

Here, people no longer rushed from place to place.

Families strolled slowly through the pathways between the roots.

Young Beastfolk sat together along railings sharing food and gossip.

Merchants sold fruit, carved jewelry, fabrics, dried herbs, and glittering crystals from open wooden stalls built directly into the giant roots.

And through all of it—

Mirabelle kept staring upward.

Because somehow the city didn’t feel built inside the forest.

It felt like the forest itself was the city.

The lynx female slowly began noticing that more and more Beastfolk seemed to be moving in the same direction as them.

Curiously, she glanced toward Kaelith.

But the hyena Beastman only smiled mysteriously and motioned for her to keep walking.

They rounded an enormous tree root.

It towered so high above them that Mirabelle couldn’t even see over it.

And then—

she saw the destination of their little excursion.

She would have stopped walking entirely if the Beastfolk behind her hadn’t continued pressing forward.

Before her, within a massive natural clearing surrounded by five gigantic trees, something resembling a festival was in full swing.

The air felt heavy with unfamiliar spices and the scent of food.

Directly inside the enormous roots to their left, open food stalls had been carved into the wood itself.

Beastfolk stood around sizzling stone plates layered with roasted root vegetables, glazed meat skewers, grilled mushrooms dripping with herb oils, honey-coated fruits on sticks, steaming grain dishes mixed with nuts and dried berries, and sweet baked seed cakes wrapped in leaves.

Somewhere nearby, something smoky and spicy crackled over open fire.

To the right, musicians played lively melodies on stringed instruments and carved wooden flutes while drums echoed rhythmically through the clearing.

A large open space had formed before them where couples danced together.

Not the stiff polished dances of noble society.

These movements were wild.

Fast.

Joyful.

Skirts spun through the air while loose hair flew behind laughing Beastwomen.

Partners pulled each other close only to separate again in flowing turns and dramatic spins that looked more instinctive than practiced.

The entire crowd radiated warmth and life.

Between the remaining tree roots, one merchant stand stood beside the next.

Jewelry made from polished bones and crystals.

Dyed fabrics in rich desert colors.

Carved pottery.

Weapons.

Medicinal herbs.

Cultivation materials stored inside sealed glass containers.

Rare monster teeth and claws.

Decorative hairpieces made from feathers and metal.

The merchants themselves very obviously did not originate from here.

Their skin carried warm honey to olive undertones rarely seen in Bergheim1.

Mirabelle spotted crocodile Beastmen, desert foxes, camel Beastfolk, flamingo Beastfolk and—

was that a scorpion?

Her brain immediately supplied inherited memories.

Scorpion Beastfolk belonged to the so-called demonic Beast races.

Species that had originally descended from ferals before gradually evolving through countless generations into stable Beastfolk bloodlines.

Mirabelle decided immediately that she did not want to think too deeply about that right now.

It was obvious these merchants had traveled from extremely far away.

Bregenz, if Mirabelle had to guess.

She remembered the earlier political discussion between her mother and Silas about how rare contact with Bregenz usually was.

So how had the Rotwald family managed to bring merchants from that far here?

Wonder filled her completely as she slowly walked beside Kaelith.

The hyena Beastman had tightened his hold on her hand and subtly pulled her closer against his side.

Even beneath the cloak, Mirabelle radiated such obvious noble beauty that people constantly stared whenever they noticed her.

She was simply too pretty.

Kaelith glared threateningly at every male who looked too long, ears flattened slightly backward.

And surprisingly enough...

nobody approached them. (Yet)

At the center of the festival stood a raised platform.

Upon it towered the statue of a woman.

She possessed the antlers of a stag.

Fox ears.

Beneath them softer drooping rabbit ears.

Sharp fangs.

Massive eagle wings.

And the lower body of a serpent.

The Beast Goddess.

Flowers and forest fruits had been placed around the statue as offerings.

This entire gathering was clearly some kind of celebration.

Mirabelle simply didn’t know what exactly they were celebrating.

"And?" Kaelith’s voice vibrated warmly beside her ear.

"Was the surprise successful?"

Please vote with a comment:

Who should become Mirabelle’s first mate?

Silas ->

Kaelith ->

Lucien ->

> I had to change the name because there’s a famous club in Berlin, Germany called Berghain, and the name is trademarked.So I wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any problems later.