Chapter 63: Ch 63. Golden Fruit Soup?

Axov Nourthen was stripped of his position as minister, and his entire family was imprisoned for hundreds of years—a sentence commensurate with how long the Besmooth family massacre had been buried before justice was finally served.

All their wealth was confiscated, their honor was destroyed, and worst of all, after those hundreds of years, Axov and Azvia would be beheaded as the most guilty parties.

"What are your plans from here on out?" Selena asked, looking at Briella, who was already smiling softly.

"I’m not sure yet, Your Majesty. It looks like I’ll be returning to my hometown since my family’s home has been returned to us. I want to go back and take care of that estate—there are so many memories there."

Selena smiled and nodded in understanding. "Starting today, as compensation, the Fox Palace will provide for you for the rest of your life. But I’ll be keeping an eye on you, because you’re quite dangerous with the poisons you can create. You’re not allowed to make poison illegally in Eldoria; otherwise, I could impose a harsher punishment on you than the one I gave that wretched family," Selena said firmly, making Briella smile so widely her teeth were visible.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I won’t do that. I’ve also provided an antidote for the Old Fox King, the Fox King, and the people of Eldoria who were exposed to the poison I created. I’ll reflect on my mistake and won’t dare do anything other than what you command," she said, bowing her head in devotion.

Selena nodded in satisfaction. "Very well. Today, the Old Fox King will place the spirit tablets of your father, mother, older brother, younger sister, and your entire family in the Hall of Heroes at the Main Fox Palace. Go there—they’ll escort you," she said, causing Briella to nod obediently.

She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for helping to bring justice to me and my family, Your Majesty. I’m sorry if I went too far and hurt a lot of people," she said, making Selena smile slightly.

"It’s fine. This time, I’ll forgive you because your reasons were clear and proven to be true. But there won’t be a second chance."

After exchanging a few more words, Selena watched as he climbed onto the horse-drawn carriage and departed, escorted by the Fox guards.

One problem was solved; Vylen Roxy’s life was no longer a threat. This brought Selena a sense of relief, even though she knew her business wasn’t yet finished.

"Your Majesty, what about Amena Cots?" asked Vee, who was holding an umbrella for Selena because the weather was quite hot this afternoon.

"She deliberately sought out Briella out of jealousy toward Your Majesty, since she was destined to become the Queen of the Five Beast Kings and also the Healer of Eldoria’s Extinction. I don’t think we need to feel too much sympathy for her, Your Majesty," said Kev, who was also there with Kav.

Wherever Selena went, they always followed her, to protect her, because Selena was someone they had to watch over at all times.

"Throw her in jail; let her stay there for the next year. After that, release her. If she continues to cause trouble and do harmful things, arrest her again and treat her the same way. Let’s see how long she can keep this up," said Selena before turning around and walking toward her office.

"Understood." Kev immediately headed out, while Kav followed Selena, who was already making her way to her office.

"Your Majesty, when are we going to treat those fox monsters?"

"Later. I’m completely exhausted after interrogating and dealing with them. I’m going to rest first; we’ll go there later with the Fox King."

Vee nodded, following Selena into her room. However, Selena paused when she saw Jhon there, standing to greet her.

"I brought some golden fruit soup—it’s delicious and refreshing. It’s perfect after expending so much energy dealing with all the issues in the Fox clan and handling those two stubborn foxes earlier," Jhon said, making Selena smile slightly.

"You’re really good at bribing people," Selena said as she walked closer.

Vee and Kav didn’t follow; they stopped at the door and stepped aside, joining Sovel, who had already been there.

"I’m just trying to learn more about how to pamper a woman," Jhon said as he pulled out a chair for Selena to sit in. "You’ve worked hard, Queen. You deserve the best treatment."

Selena gave a small smile; of course she knew—and still remembered—that her husbands were being nice to her because they each had their own agendas. Selena certainly wouldn’t be fooled so easily; a man’s words are incredibly hard to take at face value.

"Those ’pampering’ words you’re saying sound pretty ridiculous to my ears," Selena said, making Jhon grimace slightly, then she sat down in her chair. "Don’t you have any work to do, Your Majesty? Being the King of Phoenix has made you quite relaxed lately."

"Yes, there’s nothing too pressing. I took care of it before coming to see you," said John, making Selena smile and nod slowly. "What are your plans after this?"

Selena accepted the bowl that Jhon had filled with golden fruit soup. Golden fruit, he said? It looked like a pear, only it was more yellow in color and tasted just like a pear from the real world.

Okay, it seemed not all fruits had the same names. Selena understood that, so she didn’t ask too many questions about the fruit and just enjoyed it quietly.

"What else do I have to do besides taking care of the five of you and your never-ending problems?" Selena muttered, sounding more like she was complaining. "Being Queen turns out to be really complicated; I’m running out of energy almost all the time."

Jhon smiled awkwardly. "That’s why I brought you this food—it’s a natural energy booster. There are several fruits in the Fox clan that can boost energy; I’ll find some more and bring them to you," said Jhon, causing Selena to let out a heavy sigh.

It turned out her energy was indeed limited; what she did was quite taxing, so it consumed a significant amount of energy. Perhaps that was also what caused the mysterious voice inside her to urge Selena to make love with one of her husbands.

Eldoria isn’t easily accessible to a soul from the human world. Selena realized this too, as her energy was easily drained when she dealt with the toxic, troubled people in this world of wild beasts.

"You’re very understanding. This fruit is also delicious and sweet." Selena took another bite and smiled as she chewed. "But I want to rest. After this, I hope you’ll return to your palace, King Phoenix. I’m sorry—I don’t mean to be arrogant by sending you away; I just need to recover."

"No problem. Get some good rest. If anything happens, you can come find me—I’ll help you." John smiled, reaching out to Selena hesitantly but then gently taking her hand.

Selena felt the energy transfer that Jhon was giving her through touch. While she had felt very tired earlier, she was feeling much better now.

"I’ve been able to transfer a little energy to you through the touch of my hand after drinking the Ember Root decoction," said Jhon, making Selena smile. "I just need to finish drinking the decoction and resume practicing to gather pure energy within myself. Maybe after this I’ll be fully recovered; if you ever need energy like this, you can come find me."

Selena nodded, smiling with a face that looked a bit better than it had earlier, when she’d been a little haggard.

"Thank you."

"No need, my Queen, no need to thank me." Jhon smiled, making his face look even more handsome.

At times like this, Selena would forget just how annoying they could be.

"Is there anything else you’d like to discuss? If not, I’ll leave now so you can rest."

Selena was silent for a moment. "No, if there’s anything I want to say later, I’ll send my servant over."

"All right," John replied, then stood up. "We’ll meet at the dining table tonight."

Selena nodded, watching John leave, followed by Sovel. She finished the pear soup, then told Vee she wanted to go to sleep.

Selena felt quite content in this world because she was a queen; she could take a peaceful nap because, in the human world, she’d have to work all day long. Corporate slaves never have time for a nap. ℯℯ𝑙.

At least things were different here. Even though her job was more complicated and the dangers could be far more extreme than in the human world, Selena could still enjoy delicious food, the attention her five husbands vied to give her, naps, and the wealth she’d accumulated from the gifts her husbands had bestowed upon her.

So she was really happy because, at least here, she didn’t have to pay rent, water bills, electricity bills, gas bills, or anything like that.

"Why did I suddenly think of Stevan? I haven’t seen him since last night—why does it feel so strange?"

Selena rarely had premonitions or hunches, but this time she had a bad feeling. However, since she was so sleepy, Selena decided to get some sleep first and recharge her energy before going back to take care of them.

***

"Your Majesty, something has happened!"

"What is it?"