The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 594: Hunters and a Sacred Egg

The days slipped by, and the air grew colder. In the mornings, a thin layer of frost sometimes clung to the grass, sparkling faintly when the sun hit it.

Inside the village, the men were more active than ever.

They were not only preparing for winter. They were also busy fighting an invisible battle among themselves.

Isabella had not declared any competition.

But the men seemed to have decided on one anyway.

...

On one of the hunting days after her new orders, Cyrus returned before noon.

He walked through the village gate with steady steps. On his back, he carried a fat, medium-sized beast that looked perfect for roasting. In his hands, he held a bundle of roots and wild vegetables he had dug along the way.

The villagers greeted him casually. They were used to seeing him bring back practical catches.

Cyrus did not stop to talk. He went straight to where Isabella was sitting near the stone hall, reading over the new patrol notes that she had made with some resources.

He lowered the beast gently to the ground in front of her.

"This one has thick fat," he said. "Good for soup. I also found roots and greens that can be boiled. They are easy for you to digest."

Isabella looked up from the notes.

The beast was not the biggest she had ever seen, but it looked perfect for food. The roots and greens were washed clean already. Cyrus’s hands were damp and slightly red from the cold water.

Thoughtful as always.

"Thank you," she said. "This will be good for winter stock."

Cyrus’s shoulders relaxed a little. His eyes softened as he watched her touch one of the roots.

Then he noticed movement behind him.

Zyran strutted through the gate.

He was dragging something huge by a rope tied around its horns. It took a moment for everyone to realize what it was.

A massive horned beast, almost as tall as two males standing on top of each other, with a wide chest and heavy legs.

Several villagers gasped. Children ran after him, eyes wide.

Zyran stopped directly in front of Isabella and let the beast’s head drop with a loud thud.

He flicked his hair back and placed his hands on his hips. "Look what I brought."

Isabella stared at the giant body lying at her feet.

"Where did you find this?" she asked.

"It challenged me," Zyran said seriously. "I accepted. Now it is dead. I will call it a fair fight."

Cyrus, standing to the side, pressed his lips together.

The beast he had brought suddenly seemed very average.

Zyran leaned in closer to Isabella. "This one has very thick hide. We can turn it into blankets for you. And for the babies. Soft and warm. When they are born, they can sleep on it and remember that their father was very powerful."

"Which father?" Isabella asked.

Zyran blinked. "Me, of course."

A stone flew lazily from somewhere and hit his shoulder.

Osiris appeared on top of the nearest wall, crouched like a bird. He held a long spear in one hand, and his hair was slightly singed.

"Do not talk nonsense," Osiris called down. "The babies will also remember their beautiful phoenix father."

He jumped lightly from the wall, his body twisting in the air. For a brief second, faint flames flashed around his feet, boosting his leap. He landed smoothly near the group.

Behind him, several colorful birds fell from the sky, their feathers still drifting. He had caught them with precise throws while in the air.

He picked up two of them and walked forward with a proud smile.

"These are for you," he said to Isabella. "You said you wanted different flavors. Birds taste different from beasts. I will roast them with fruit juice."

Isabella blinked at the men, the last time she checked she only had one mate and one father to her children. So...

The villagers murmured. Fire-assisted jumps, colorful prey, and good looks. He really looked like a phoenix playing around.

Cyrus and Zyran both narrowed their eyes at him.

Before anyone could talk, a shadow fell over them.

Kian walked through the gate.

He was dragging something too. Unlike Zyran, he did not bother making a show. He held the rope in one hand, his expression as calm as ever.

Behind him, a large striped beast with long fangs slid across the ground. Deep claw marks scarred its body. It was clearly a dangerous predator.

The guards at the gate saluted him in awe.

Kian stopped in front of Isabella, let the rope fall from his hand, and said quietly, "For winter."

Isabella looked at the beast. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

This one was clearly more dangerous than the others. Even in death, it looked like it could bite someone’s head off if they got too close.

She lifted her eyes to Kian. "Did it give you trouble?"

He shook his head. "Not much."

Not much.

The other three men felt their hearts clench.

Cyrus’s practical beast, Zyran’s showy trophy, Osiris’s birds with their beautiful feathers. They all looked smaller when compared to Kian’s silent threat.

The villagers sensed the strange atmosphere and quickly found excuses to leave. This was not a place for normal people anymore.

Isabella did not say anything about their silent competition.

She only pointed to the side. "All of them go to storage. And do not forget to leave some fresh meat for tonight."

"Yes," Cyrus replied.

The four males moved at the same time, bumping shoulders before realizing they were going in the same direction. Zyran tried to walk faster. Osiris flicked his hair back and took longer strides. Cyrus made sure none of the meat touched the dirty ground. Kian simply walked and still reached first.

Isabella watched their backs with a small sigh.

"What are they doing?" she asked Bubu.

[Competing for who the babies will like more, probably.]

"I did not ask them to do that."

[You did not need to. You exist. That is enough.]

...

As winter drew closer, Isabella’s belly grew faster.

By the time the wind became frosty every morning, her old clothes felt tight. Her steps became slower, and sometimes, when she got up too quickly, her waist and back ached.

The men noticed every small change.

When she tried to bend down to pick up a fallen bowl, Cyrus rushed over and picked it up first. "You should not bend," he said. "Your balance is changing."

When she reached for a water bucket, Kian took it from her hand without a word and carried it himself.

When she tried to help move a basket of herbs, Osiris swooped in and snatched it. "You only need to sit and look pretty. Leave the heavy work to us."

Zyran simply picked her up once when she was standing for too long. He carried her to a chair and refused to put her down for a while.

"Is this how people treat precious eggs?" she asked dryly. "Do you plan to put a nest under me next?"

"If necessary," Zyran replied.

The villagers had started their own habits.

Some older women would pat her hand and say, "Our future guardians are growing well."

The younger ones whispered and giggled, calling her belly "little prince nest" behind her back. Some braver children would run up and gently press their ears to her stomach.

"I heard something!" one boy declared.

"You heard your own stomach," his friend replied.

Isabella felt like she had turned into some sacred egg that everyone wanted to protect.

She grumbled about it one evening while chewing on sour fruit slices that Zyran had specially pickled for her cravings.

"They treat me like a walking sacred egg," she said. "I cannot even drink water without three pairs of hands appearing."

Cyrus sat beside her, watching her cheeks puff slightly as she ate. "It is normal. Females are precious."

Osiris was lying on the floor with his arms under his head. "You are not just an egg. You are the entire nest."

Zyran leaned in from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. "You can complain as much as you want. We will still treat you like this."

Kian sat in the corner, repairing a spear, but his eyes kept drifting toward her.

She knew very well that if she tripped on a pebble, four males would probably cry before she did.

She swallowed another piece of sour fruit and looked at her round stomach.

"Fine," she muttered. "I will be an egg for one winter."

[Two winters, maybe,] Bubu whispered.

"Shut up."

She pretended to be annoyed, but deep inside, she felt a quiet warmth.

Even if the world outside was cruel, inside this crowded little village, she had noisy men, nosier villagers, recovering beasts, and fast-growing crops.

And in her belly, the future guardians were listening to everything.