Chapter 416: End of a tragic love story.

As she approached the beast pavilion, she noticed it had expanded massively. It was almost the size of the arena in the capital!

"When did we expand again?" She asked Beauty.

[Yesterday. Host, there are currently more than twenty beast pavilions in the city. This particular one is yours, reserved mainly for you and the original beasts of the main house residents.]

She was left amazed. It seemed, she would have to take a tour around her city to see what other changes had happened while she was away from home. With quicker steps, she walked into the pavilion.

Hardly had she stepped inside when Red Sun noticed her and the monkey tossed his bucket of bananas aside. It sprinted over like an overgrown puppy and launched through the air, jumping straight into Zyra’s arms. It almost knocked the wind out of her. "Boss, you have finally come to see me. I missed you so much, boss. I love you so much boss. You are my idle boss."

Zyra smiled tentatively. "I love the enthusiasm but must every sentence end with ’boss’?"

The other beasts swarmed closer, making happy noises and crowding the entrance. The ’boss’ screams and squawks got louder and louder.

Zyra pointed a stern finger at a plump black raven waddling nearby. It couldn’t even fly anymore! What in the world was Scotty feeding it? "Hey, you! Cut down on your food portions! If you keep eating like a pig, you won’t be able to lift off the ground soon!"

"I am stocking up for winter." It replied.

Zyra rolled her eyes. She then commanded her system: "Beauty, transfer my beasts from the Dominion into the pavilion."

[Yes host.]

The moment her beasts materialized, a chaotic beast reunion erupted! The beasts that had been stuck outside immediately crowded around, asking endless questions about the new King Beasts.

Spice hissed softly. "The giant toad told me they were hypnotized by some waves to attack the humans. They didn’t even want to do it."

The other leopards gasped in horror, baring their fangs. "We don’t know much about their bosses, but they sound like monsters. And they call us beasts!"

Leaving the loud pavilion behind, Zyra walked to her private quarters and slipped into the Dominion. Waiting for her there were the towering King Beasts. The second they saw her, they dropped to their knees or bellies, bowing their heads in deep remorse.

"Boss... we apologize deeply for the destruction we caused," they rumbled softly.

"You have a chance to turn over a new leaf now," Zyra said calmly, looking up at them. "So, tell me... do you like living in this Dominion?"

"We love it!" the King Beasts chorused instantly.

"Good. This is your official new home," Zyra declared. "As long as you are ready to stand as part of my army whenever I call upon you, then you can live here as long as you like."

[Host, would you like to officially bond with these King Beasts now?] Beauty chimed in.

"Yes, start the bonding process." She accepted. In case of a war, she needed to stock up.

By the time Zyra finished and stepped out of the Dominion after many hours, night had fully fallen over the world. Her link band buzzed with a video call from Hunter. She answered cheerfully, "Hello, my illegal husband!"

However, the holographic screen popped up to reveal Hunter standing there with a pale, deeply sorrowful face.

Zyra’s cheerful smile faded. "What’s wrong?"

Hunter swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. "It’s my father... Horas. The moment he heard that Grandpa instructed the doctors to take my mother off life support, he jumped off the hospital roof."

Zyra shut her eyes tightly, her heart aching for him. Was Horas insane? Was that true love... or just a terrifying, dark obsession?

"They got to him too late. He’s dead, Zyra," Hunter murmured softly, looking down at his hands. "Sabrina is gone, and so is he. I guess... he just wanted to go and be with her in the afterlife."

Zyra let out a soft, sympathetic sigh and cut the call. Without wasting a single second, she told the system to teleport her to him.

[Yes host] It answered, teleporting straight into Hunter’s bedroom at the Kaelion estate.

Hunter was standing alone by the tall window, staring silently out into the dark night. He looked so defeated, as if the whole world had united to make him miserable. Zyra walked up behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his back.

"He chose to leave me." Hunter snapped, a lone teardrop falling from his right eye. "I guess none of my parents truly loved me at the end of the day. For a moment there, I thought he would choose me."

She gritted her teeth, cursing Horas in her mind. In her books, he was worse than Sabrina. At least, she never pretended to love Hunter, so her death didn’t hurt him so much. But Horas had played the role of the devoted dad. His choice to abandon his son and follow the wicked mother in death was truly cruel and heartbreaking.

"I chose you. I will never leave you, my love," she whispered softly. "I love you way too much to ever do that. So you can be confident in that knowledge."

Hunter froze. He slowly unwrapped her arms, turned around, and stared down at her with wide, bewildered eyes_ looking at her like she had just committed a absolute crime against nature! "Wait... You... you love me?" he stammered, pointing a shaky finger at her.

Zyra blinked, confused by his dramatic reaction. "Well... yes? I literally just said I do!"

Hunter shook his head frantically, throwing his hands up in the air. "No, no, no! This is all wrong! You’re doing everything completely out of order!"

Zyra tilted her head, thoroughly baffled. "What are you talking about?!"

"I’m supposed to say ’I love you’ first!" Hunter whined dramatically, pacing back and forth. "Not the other way around! That’s the rule!"

Zyra burst out into a loud, ringing laugh. "Oh, please! Who made the rule?"

She looked around the room, spotted a ring of door keys sitting on his desk, and walked over. She slid a plain metal key ring off the bundle, turned back to Hunter, and dropped down onto one knee with a brilliant, cheeky grin.

"Hunter Magnus Kaelion, will you marry me and jump off the roof after I die because you can’t live without me?"

Hunter’s jaw literally hit the floor. He stared at her kneeling there with a plain key ring, and then burst into a massive, booming laugh that shook his entire chest. She had taken one of the most painful moments of his life and turned into something to laugh about.

He rushed forward, scooping her up into a tight, spinning bear hug! "Stop it, you crazy girl!" he laughed, kissing her cheek. "I already had a whole grand plan to take you to the most expensive five-star restaurant in the Capital and propose properly after the war which may or may not be coming."

Zyra giggled in his arms, dangling the key ring. "So... is that a yes or a no?"

"It’s a huge YES!" Hunter grinned, his eyes sparkling with pure happiness.

Zyra slid the simple metal key ring onto his pinky finger. Hunter chuckled warmly, pulling her close and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist once more.

"You really are the brightest light in my dark world, Zyra," he murmured softly into her hair.

Zyra smiled, resting her head against his chest. "Then I’ll just have to shine so bright that your world will never be dark again."

They stood together by the window, chatting softly, laughing at silly jokes, kissing and enjoying the quiet night air. They didn’t mention his parents a single time. Horas had made his own choice, and they weren’t going to let the ghosts of the past drag down the bright future they were building together.