Chapter 157: Episode 156: Her eyes seemed to be saying something.

Onyx steps out from the tree line.

He had been watching them in silence. His dark robes blended perfectly with the deep shadows of the ironwood branches. He did not make a single sound when he moved. He just appeared on the edge of the bright green grass, looking like a grumpy ghost haunting his own backyard.

Rue jumped slightly, surprised by his sudden arrival. Drax stiffened beside her, his broad shoulders tensing up.

Onyx refused to look directly at Rue. He kept his icy blue eyes fixed on a patch of moss near the water. He crossed his thick arms over his chest. He acted dismissive, pushing a messy lock of white hair out of his face with a rough grunt.

Then, he points toward the manor.

"There are plenty of women’s clothes in the spare rooms," Onyx said. His voice was a harsh, scraping sound. "Mother left a lot of things behind in the east wing. Just go pick something so the fish stops whining about it."

Zale stopped paddling in the warm water. The merman let out a loud gasp. His eyes went wide with pure shock. Drax turned his head and stared at his brother. Both men looked at the wild wolf like he had just grown a second head.

Onyx had been icing her out all day. He glared at her in the main hall. He yelled at Drax and stormed off on a fake patrol just to get away from her scent. Now, he was standing in the sunlight, offering her clothes so she could play in the pond. It made zero sense.

"Onyx," Zale laughed, slapping the surface of the water with his hand. "You are actually being nice! I knew you had a heart buried under all that dirty leather."

"Shut up, fish," Onyx snapped back. His pale cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. He turned his face away, glaring at the dark trees. "I just hate loud noises. If she swims, you will stay quiet."

Rue looked at the moody wolf. She saw the tight clench of his jaw. She saw his broad chest rising and falling with fast, uneven breaths. The system told her they were fated mates, and she could see the heavy toll the bond was taking on him. He wanted to hate her, but his wolf biology wanted to take care of her.

She turned to Drax. "Can we go look?"

Drax gave a slow nod. He didn’t trust his brother, but he wanted Rue to be happy. "I will show you the way."

They left Zale splashing in the warm turquoise water. They walked back across the stone terrace and entered the dark, quiet manor. Drax led her away from his private tower. They walked down a long, dusty corridor in the east wing. The air smelled like dry leaves and old memories.

Drax stopped in front of a heavy cedar door.

"This was her storage room," Drax murmured softly. "I will wait right here. Take your time."

Rue gave him a small smile and pushed the door open.

The room was large and round. Thick velvet curtains blocked out most of the sunlight, leaving the space bathed in deep shadows. A large bed sat in the corner, covered in a dusty white sheet. A massive wooden chest with heavy iron bands sat at the foot of the bed.

Rue walked over to the chest. Her bare feet made no sound on the old rugs. She grabbed the heavy iron latch and pulled it up. The hinges gave a loud, rusty squeak as she lifted the heavy lid.

She expected to find thick wool dresses or rough animal furs.

Instead, she found a pile of miracles.

Rue goes ahead to change and finds items that Roxy previously had. It was a chest full of modern items from Earth.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her hands started to shake. She reached into the chest and pulled out a faded blue graphic t-shirt. The cotton felt so soft and familiar. Underneath the shirt lay a pair of worn denim jeans. There was a small plastic hair claw, a tube of dried-up pink lip gloss, and a pair of white canvas sneakers.

Seeing these normal, everyday things in a magical stone castle felt surreal. It made her chest ache with a sudden, fierce homesickness. She traced her thumb over the metal zipper of the jeans. Roxy really did come from Earth. She brought pieces of their old world right here to the Beastworld.

A bright blue light suddenly flashed in the dark room.

The familiar glowing screen popped into the air, hovering right above the open chest.

[Memory Archive Triggered.]

[Host Identity: Roxy.]

The system chimed in her mind. The glowing text began to scroll fast.

[Reviewing past data. Roxy was a true legend in this realm. She was a badass who feared nothing. She tamed kings. She conquered mountains. The gods really loved her. She bent the rules of magic to her own will.]

Rue frowned. The strange use of modern slang from the system felt jarring. It sounded like a proud fan talking about their favorite hero.

She didn’t want to continue hearing it. She felt a heavy wave of exhaustion wash over her. She was so tired of standing in Roxy’s giant shadow. Every time she turned around, someone was talking about how amazing the first mother was. Roxy was brave. Roxy was fierce. Roxy saved the world.

Rue was just a girl who liked quiet naps and sweet fruit tea. She didn’t want to conquer any mountains. She just wanted to swim in the pond.

She swiped her hand through the air, trying to dismiss the glowing screen. The blue light flickered and vanished.

She reached back into the chest to find a simple dress to wear into the water. As she pulled out a thin white cotton shift, she looked up.

She saw Roxy’s frame again.

A large wooden frame hung on the stone wall right above the chest. It held a detailed painted portrait of the legendary woman.

Rue froze. She held the white cotton dress to her chest and just stared at the painting.

Roxy looked beautiful, but wild. She had bright silver hair, just like Rue, but hers was cut short and jagged. She wore a dark leather jacket over a Beastworld tunic. Her bright pink eyes stared straight ahead with a fierce, challenging smirk. She looked like a woman who could punch a bear and win.

Rue had to stare at it for a very long time.

The room grew very quiet. The dust motes floated slowly in the dim light. The longer she looked at the painted face, the more the shadows in the room seemed to shift and play tricks on her tired eyes.

The fierce smirk in the painting faded into something much more serious. The bright pink eyes seemed to pierce right through Rue’s skin, looking deep into her soul. It felt like the painting was alive. The air in the room grew thick and heavy, making the small hairs on Rue’s arms stand straight up.

It seemed like she was trying to tell her something.

A deep, silent warning radiated from the canvas. The painted eyes seemed to say, Be careful.

Rue felt a cold chill run down her spine. Her heart started to pound a fast, messy rhythm against her ribs. She didn’t like this feeling. She didn’t want to hear ghost messages from a dead queen. She just wanted to be a normal person.

She quickly left.

She slammed the heavy wooden lid of the chest shut. The loud bang echoed off the stone walls. She grabbed the thin white cotton dress and practically ran out the door.

She bumped right into Drax in the hallway.

The Dragon King caught her arms, steadying her fast. He looked down at her pale face and wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" Drax asked, his voice dropping to a concerned rumble.

"I am fine," Rue lied, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart. "The room was just very dusty. It made me feel closed in."

Drax didn’t ask any more questions. He just wrapped his warm hand around hers and led her back down the winding halls.

They stepped out of the dark manor and back into the bright, warm sunlight. The fresh mountain air cleared the creepy feeling from Rue’s lungs. She took a deep breath of the pine-scented breeze and let her shoulders drop.

Zale was still in the middle of the turquoise pond. The merman floated on his back, his massive blue tail swishing lazily through the warm water. He looked so peaceful and happy.

Onyx still stood near the tree line.

The white wolf hadn’t moved an inch. He still had his arms crossed tight over his chest. He watched her walk back to the grassy bank. His icy silver eyes tracked her every step. He saw the thin white cotton dress bundled in her hands. He knew she found the clothes.

He lifted his chin, acting like he didn’t care at all. He put his cold, distant mask back on. He wanted her to think his offer was just a casual, annoying chore. He wanted to push her away before the mate bond made him do something stupid.

Rue stopped at the edge of the water. She looked at the moody wolf.

She felt a sudden spark of stubborn fire in her chest. She was tired of feeling scared. She was tired of feeling small in front of legendary paintings and glowing blue text. She didn’t want to run away from this angry man just because he had a bad attitude. He offered her a way to swim, and she was going to take it.

Rue narrows her eyes at the moody wolf but accepts the offer. "Fine. I’ll swim."