Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 18: Wait and See

The Kingdom of Erelith was once an epitome of strength and power, renowned across the continent for its majesty and power.

It stood at the heart of the land, a proud nation whose influence spanned across the boundaries of the three neighboring kingdoms: the fierce Beast Kingdom in the north and east; the solemn Ashval Kingdom to the west; and the enigmatic Bridvar Kingdom in the south.

Once thriving under the noble rule of the royal family, Erelith had now fallen into a dark age of fear under the iron-fisted tyranny of Queen Althea. Still, with King Yanis' weakened state, her reign, marked by cold despotism, was the last thread holding the kingdom together.

In days long past, however, the land Erelith now claimed had not always been a human domain.

It had once been a lawless and dangerous place, home to rogues, wild beasts, and vampires. These creatures roamed freely across the territory, existing outside the order that the other kingdoms had forged. For decades, the region had been a deadly and chaotic place, until the human crusades swept through like a relentless storm.

Driven by ambition and a thirst for conquest, the humans set out to rid the land of these monstrous creatures.

Battle after battle, the vampire lords were defeated, their dark castles shattered, and the rogue beast clans were hunted down until their numbers dwindled.

As the dust settled on this brutal campaign, the humans had nearly eradicated the rogue threats. But in a twist of fate, it was the intervention of the Beast Kingdom—a powerful nation of united beasts—that changed the course of history.

The Lycan King, a ruler who valued survival above conquest, saw the destruction of the non-human factions and knew that the same fate could one day reach his subjects. Rather than risk war with the humans, he chose diplomacy.

In an unprecedented move, the Lycan King offered a treaty: peace between the humans and the beasts, in exchange for sovereignty over the kingdom they would leave untouched.

Thus, the Treaty of Erelith was born, marking the end of the non-human reign over that land. The territory was placed under the rule of the Erelith royal family, and the Lycan Kingdom swore to keep its distance, never meddling in human affairs again. In return, the humans vowed to respect the borders of the beast territories, sealing the pact with a celebration that would continue across generations.

Every twenty-five years, the entire continent came together to honor that treaty.

The Continent Union Celebration, as it was called, served as a reminder of the fragile peace that had been forged after years of bloodshed.

Representatives from each kingdom—Erelith, Ashval, Bridvar, and the Beast Kingdom—gathered within the walls of Erelith's grand capital for the festivities.

In the last century, however, the Beast Kingdom refused to come to celebrate such an important event.

Strictly ruled by the pureblooded lycans, the beasts began to harbor hatred toward humans, still bearing the memories of their past genocide. On the surface, it appeared that the beasts were simply arrogant and proud creatures who did not care much for humanity, but many knew that the truth was not as straightforward.

Even though it was the mercy of the Lycan King that brought peace to the continent, humans still disliked those who were not of their own nature and thought of them as nothing more than mere animals.

In recent years, many whispered that the time of peace was nearing its end. The fragile unity, once symbolized by the celebration, was beginning to crack. And when the cracks broke open, the fate of the entire continent would hang in the balance.

'Is this why they decided to come to Erelith this time?'

Lorelai shifted in her chair and crossed her arms before her chest, frowning as she began to think about such a dangerous possibility.

'Does it have something to do with the fact that they now have a new king sitting on the throne?'

Somehow, that seemed like the most plausible conclusion.

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Unlike the human kingdoms, where the throne could only be ascended by a member of the reigning royal family, the beasts had a different rule of succession.

Although it was generally accepted that the power had to stay in the hands of lycans as they were the most powerful beasts within their realm, if there was a lycan ambitious enough to desire the throne, he had to fight for it.

Of course, there were rare cases of humans usurping the throne of their kingdoms in the past, but that practice was considered horrendous, and in the end, was entirely forbidden by the Great Temple and the Royal Human Pact.

As much as the royals feared the idea of having their throne snatched from them by force, they simply did not want to be like "those animals".

In the Beast Kingdom, however, the one aspiring to become the next king had to challenge the current king to a fight and was only left with two choices: kill or be killed.

'His name is Rhaegar, they do not carry on a family name because their families are their packs...'

Lorelai shifted her green eyes to the window as if in hopes of getting a glimpse of the Beast Kingdom herself.

'Once he killed the previous king, he has never shown his face anywhere so nobody knows what he looks like. There are many rumors about him; they go as far as to label him a slave who killed his masters and reclaimed his freedom, but it is impossible to confirm any of this for now.'

The mere thought of King Rhaegar made Lorelai unexpectedly flustered.

Shrouded in mystery, he was branded both fierce but also incredibly gorgeous.

Once a slave, he was now a feared ruler; an intriguing enigma, a fascinating secret.

"Aren't you worried, Your Highness? The beasts will be here with their new king... How unsettling!"

Marianna's sudden question brought the princess back to reality. Her aide pushed a stack of papers toward her, setting a quill between her bony fingers as she waited for her reply.

Lorelai twirled the quill in her hand for a short while, then shrugged her shoulders, and started writing something over the first document.

"Well, they were invited, so... We shall just wait and see."

Don't forget to check out the characters' pictures on the novel's page!