Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 43: Han Soi Is Here!
The hall exploded into silence. Not the calm kind... the kind that felt like the world had been slapped across the face.
Everyone’s jaw dropped and their eyes widened. No one had expected this. A female... refusing marriage to an SSS grade Orc, and not just any orc, but the heir of the Winged Serpent Clan? In front of the entire Winged Serpent Clan?
Their gazes snapped away from Yue Yue and rushed toward the groom. He stood there with a calm expression. No one could judge what he was thinking.
Then all eyes turned to the clan master, Han Qiaone. The old man’s expression froze completely. But his clenched fists trembled violently, veins bulging along his arms as his aura surged outward without restraint.
The entire hall stiffened. Orcs sucked in sharp breaths. Elders straightened uneasily in their seats. Even the guards tensed on instinct.
This wasn’t just an insult to his son... it was a slap to his pride, authority, and the entire Winged Serpent Clan.
No female had ever dared to reject their young master. The clan master’s anger rolled like a gathering storm... yet strangely, it didn’t touch the two people standing at the altar.
Yue Yue stood trembling, her heart hammering violently in her chest as she waited. Her hands clenched tightly into the fabric of her dress, making her knuckles even paler. She braced herself for punishment, humiliation, or something far worse.
The silence dragged on too long. It pressed against her nerves until her breathing turned shallow. Then a deep, magnetic voice rose through the silence.
"Yue Yue."
Her heart leapt straight into her throat. She snapped her head up.
"It’s me. Han Soi."
Her breath caught. Her eyes searched wildly and then froze. Deep violet eyes met hers like a galaxy folding in on itself. Han Soi stood there with a faint smile, as if chaos didn’t exist.
"Han Soi..." she whispered breathlessly.
He nodded once. "I’m sorry," he said softly. "This must be shocking."
Her mind went blank. Before she realized it, her hand moved on its own and grabbed his.
The moment their skin touched, her chest loosened. This man was the only one she trusted, the only one who could protect her.
She didn’t realize it, but by taking his hand, she was already giving him access to her marriage. And once that bond formed... there would be no easy escape.
Han Soi gently pulled her closer, guiding her fully onto the altar beside him. Her head spun as she looked at him in disbelief, her voice shaking. "How... how are you here? Where did the other groom go?"
Her eyes darted around the hall, panic flashing through them, half expecting that bastard to suddenly appear and drag her away.
Han Soi didn’t explain. He only turned to face her fully and then knelt on one knee.
"Yue Yue," he said clearly, his voice calm yet filled with emotion. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"Will you marry me? Will you give me the chance to become your beast husband?"
The devotion in his voice made her chest ache. Before she could answer... before fear could twist her thoughts... Han Soi leaned closer and whispered urgently, meant only for her ears.
"I’m afraid you’ll deny me again," he admitted quietly. "And I... I wouldn’t survive that." His hand squeezed hers gently. "As long as you’re an unbonded female, any male can pursue you by force. I have no right to stop them."
His voice softened. "This is the only way. If I become your beast husband, I can protect you openly. I never wanted to push you like this, but this is all I can do."
Yue Yue understood. This world had cruel rules. Only a bonded beast husband could openly defend his mate. Without that bond, she was vulnerable... like bait. If not today, then tomorrow. If not this clan, then another.
She lifted her head slowly. She trusted Han Soi. She was drawn to him. And right now... she needed him.
So she gently nodded, because at this time this felt like the most right thing.
Han Soi’s eyes widened before crinkling as tears shimmered inside them. Only he knew how shattered he’d felt earlier, when she said she would never marry. Even if those words weren’t meant for him, they had still torn his heart apart.
Now... she was choosing him. The two stepped forward together.
"We are ready," Han Soi said calmly.
The clan master finally moved, sinking back into his seat as his expression slowly returned to control. The hall followed his lead, settling into uneasy silence.
Only one person remained still. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Fang Yanshen stood to the side. His blindfolded gaze looked toward them, but it also looked like he was not looking at them.
His expression was calm and serene, like nothing could touch him at all. But if someone noticed, they would see the veins popping on his hands as he clenched the beads made from the core of a polluted beast.
His lips suddenly turned into an upward arc at Han Soi’s words, but for Yue Yue it was nothing sort of a calm smile.
"I will bless this marriage myself," Fang Yanshen said slowly.
A chill ran down Yue Yue’s spine. Something about his voice... about the way he said it... felt wrong.
The priest cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"The male and female," he announced solemnly, "should step forward."
The altar lit beneath their feet. Runes carved into the stone glowed as spiritual energy gathered around them. This was not a human wedding. This was a beast bond.
"By the laws of the Beast God and the first priestess blessings," the priest declared, "two souls may bind as mates for life. Blood, spirit, and beast... witness this bond."
Energy slowly swam around them before suddenly disappearing into their joined hands, invisible threads wrapping Yue Yue and Han Soi together. The priest tied a silver thread around their wrists.
"From this moment," he said, "you are bound as mates. May the Beast God and its subjects bear witness."
The light flared and the bond was sealed as the silver thread slowly disappeared.
