Free Web NovelChapter 39: Chapter 39: He is a monster!
The cold sound of the moving military-grade battleship was the only sound in the cabin, a low vibration that seemed to rattle Yue Yue’s very bones.
She sat huddled in the corner of a high-tech alloy seat, her wrists burning from the grip Han Ruyan had maintained earlier.
She looked at the man standing by the viewing port. Han Ruyan didn’t speak. He didn’t offer an explanation, an apology, or even a threat. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
He simply stood there, his back to her, watching the stars streak past like tears of light.
Whenever she tried to move or protest, he would cast a sideways glance at her...a gaze so heavy, so predatory, and so filled with a sickening sense of "ownership" that it made her stomach churn.
It was a gaze that stripped away her dignity, treating her not as a person, but as a rare ore he has finally snatched from his rival. Every time their eyes met, Yue Yue felt a surge of genuine physical revulsion.
She wanted to vomit at the sight of his handsome yet utterly hollow face.
How can someone look so human but feel so monstrous? she thought, pressing her back against the seat.
The silence was finally broken as the ship began its docking sequence.
Yue Yue looked out the window, and her breath hitched. She thought Han Soi’s estate was grand. She thought the Fang Command Tower was the peak of power.
But she was wrong.
Below them stretched a sprawling, vertical fortress that looked like a giant serpent coiled around a mountain of obsidian walls...more like a sleeping dragon.
And this was the Winged Serpent State...the heart of one of the empire’s most ancient and terrifying bloodlines.
"Welcome home, female," Han Ruyan said, his voice breaking the silence with a leisurely tone that made her skin crawl. He turned to her with a thin, mocking smile playing on his lips. "So, this will be your new home. After all, it is your husband’s home." freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Yue Yue’s eyes snapped toward him, burning with a fire that surprised even her.
"Husband?" she said with a disgusted expression. "How dare you? I would rather die than have a beast husband like you. You’re not fit to be called a man...you are a monster."
Han Ruyan didn’t get angry. Instead, he chuckled, the sound echoing unpleasantly in the small cabin.
"Oh? Did I get something wrong? Are you not in a relationship? I thought you were so fond of Han Soi."
Yue Yue stiffened. And she instantly realized his intentions; he was baiting her. He was testing the depth of her feelings for Han Soi, trying to see if she would break or plead. She immediately clamped her mouth shut, turning her face away and choosing the only weapon she had left: absolute silence.
Han Ruyan’s eyes darkened for a split second at her dismissal, but he quickly masked it with a shameless grin. He walked toward her, the heavy thud of his boots sounding like a death knell.
"This is the Winged Serpent clan," he continued, gesturing out at the massive city below. "The empire’s biggest clan. Home to thousands of Orcs. Of course, most of them are diluted blood, mere commoners. But don’t worry... your ’husband’ is a pure-blood, high-ranking Orc."
He reached out, his long fingers closing around her hand despite her attempt to jerk away. She was powerless against his steellike grip.
"Why do you think you’ll be able to become a beast husband to anyone?" Yue Yue suddenly hissed, her eyes narrowing with a sarcastic glint.
"With your personality, you’re more fit to be a decorative rug in a hallway where people can step on you all day."
Han Ruyan’s expression stiffened. The mask of the elegant gentleman cracked, revealing the ugly arrogance beneath. His grip on her hand tightened painfully, but he pulled his fake smile back into place without any effort.
"Only the future will tell whether I am capable or not," he whispered, his gaze roaming over her face with a terrifying intensity.
"Don’t underestimate me, female. I am way more capable than Han Soi. He is only a meager Duke...a soldier who follows orders. But I? I am the Master of this entire Winged Serpent clan. A duke is nothing in front of me. I can crush him under my foot like an insect. So you better behave."
The ship’s doors hissed open. The air of the Winged Serpent State was thin and smelled of ancient stone. As they disembarked, a squad of robotic females stepped forward.
"Escort her to her chambers," Han Ruyan ordered coldly. "Ensure she is bathed and fed. Use force if you must."
As the robots surrounded her, their cold, metallic hands gripping her arms, Han Ruyan stepped closer. He reached out and lifted her chin with a rough finger, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Prepare for the wedding," he announced loudly, his voice carrying across the docking bay so every orc could hear. "I am going to marry my female. Prepare her well... my bride."
The words felt like a physical blow to Yue Yue’s chest. Her blood starts boiling at this shameless man; she has never met someone so detestable like him.
Without thinking, she swung her hand to slap him, and when that failed, she tried to bring her knee up with everything she had, aiming straight for his groin. She wanted to ruin him. She wanted to make sure he could never even think about a "bride" again.
But Han Ruyan was not as unprepared as before. He moved with the fluid speed of a high-ranking predator. He caught her wrist mid-air and blocked her knee with his own leg, pinning her against the side of a transport vehicle.
"I told you," he whispered against her ear, his breath cold. "I know you’re like a hedgehog. Every time I touch you, you try to prick me. But eventually... even a hedgehog runs out of needles."
He pushed her toward the robotic escorts.
"Escort my female, she has a bit of a temper."
Yue Yue struggled, kicking at the robotic maids, but they felt nothing. As she was dragged away toward the towering spires of the fortress, she looked back at Han Ruyan.
She wanted to kill this man. Never in her entire life had she been manhandled like this. Only now did she realize that this beast world was far worse than her own.
At least there, she had a will of her own...she could choose. But here, females were nothing more than tools... tools for spiritual comfort and reproduction.
All the titles and all the respect women supposedly received were nothing but a façade.
A female’s entire life was decided by the empire. They had no power to resist at all. For the sake of so-called safety, they had traded away their freedom. And she knew...if he forcefully married her, she could do nothing. The empire would do nothing to protect her either.
And this detestable man knew it too. Because both he and the empire would benefit from it.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She felt utterly powerless.
All she wanted was for Han Soi to come back and take her away from this place. She didn’t want to stay here for even a second.
She was terrified.
