Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 284

Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Lan Yue’s Family
Rong Ye felt anger rising to his face, his jaw tight, his eyes dark. For a moment, there had been no hostility toward Lan Yue, but the instant he realized she was going to marry the new Lord of the Fox Beast City, everything inside him turned cold.

She was not just a stranger anymore.

She was connected to his enemy.

He could not allow anyone from the Fox Beast City to learn that he was still alive. No… never. He did not want to return to that old life.

He had a new family here. He had his Lan Lan… their future children… and even those beast men, Han Jue, Hu Yan, and that annoying snake.

How could he leave everything behind and return to that cursed place?

Killing intent slowly leaked out of him.

Lan Yue froze.

Her heart trembled. She realized she had said too much. In her whole life, she had never faced such cold, terrifying hostility. She had only spoken casually… but now it felt like her words might cost her life.

She wanted to run, but she could not.

This was their territory.

She would be killed before she even took one step.

Just when she felt the pressure closing in on her, the killing intent vanished.

Su Qinglan wrapped her arms around Rong Ye from behind and rested his head against her shoulder.

His gaze shifted away from Lan Yue, his body stiff at first but slowly relaxing as Lan Lan gently patted his back. He rubbed his face against her neck like a quiet, wounded beast.

Qinglan spoke calmly, her voice soft but firm.

“Lan Yue, how could my Rong Ye be from the Fox Beast City? He grew up here. He is my beast husband. He only painted his fox ears with purple berries because I like the color.”

She smiled sweetly, though her smile was clearly forced.

“If he was really the prince of the Fox Beast City, then why would he be living here?”

Lan Yue sat there in silence for a moment, her mind struggling to process everything. Then slowly… she nodded.

“Yes… that makes sense,” she said quietly.

Su Qinglan’s words sounded calm and natural. They flowed smoothly, as if everything she said was the simple truth. And even if some of it did not make sense… Lan Yue felt there was no reason for her to question it.

After all… what did this matter have to do with her?

Why should she involve herself in someone else’s life or identity? She was only here as a guest. This was not her territory, not her people.

And it wasn’t as if she cared deeply about that arrogant fox lord.

In fact… she had disliked him for a very long time.

Everyone in the Fox Beast City knew the rumors… how he had killed all his brothers, one after another, just to seize the title of Lord. The more she learned about him, the more dread filled her heart.

Sometimes, when she was alone at night, a terrible fear would rise inside her.

If her child was born…

If the child inherited his blood…

If it grew up like him…

Would it also kill its siblings someday?

Would her own child become a monster like its father?

This thought haunted her again and again.

It was like a dark shadow pressing against her chest, making it hard to breathe. She wanted to refuse the marriage so badly. She wanted to run far away… to choose her own future… to protect any child she might one day have.

But she couldn’t.

The Fox Beast City and the Dragon Tribe were too close. Their alliance was too strong. If she resisted or angered him, the consequences would not fall on her alone…they would fall on her people as well.

So she swallowed her fear. She could not escape or fight back.

The only thing she could do… was delay.

Delay the mating ceremony. Delay the bond. Delay the future she was terrified of facing.

Su Qinglan sensed the suffocating tension in the room and knew she had to break it before Rong Ye’s killing intent returned.

She forced a bright, cheerful smile and patted Lan Yue’s hand.

“It seems this Fox and Dragon City are very far away from here,” she said, her voice light and airy.

“We are just mountain people; we don’t know much about those big places. Why don’t you rest for a few more days? Once I talk to my father, maybe I can give you more information about the paths out of these mountains.”

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Hu Yan, sensing Su Qinglan’s lead, stepped forward and grabbed a still-stiff Rong Ye by the shoulder.

“The washed clothes isn’t going to dry itself, little brother. Let’s leave the females to their chat.”

Rong Ye didn’t argue. He allowed himself to be dragged away, though his violet eyes lingered on Lan Yue for a split second too long. Once the men were gone, the air in the room became much easier to breathe.

Lan Yue let out a long, shaky sigh and sat back down, her expression softening.

With the “scary fox” gone, she became much more talkative. She looked at Su Qinglan with a spark of pride in her eyes.

“You asked about my family,” Lan Yue said, her voice filled with sudden enthusiasm.

“I have my mother. She is the most prestigious female in all of Dragon Beast City. She is the Great Priestess! She only has three mates, but each one is very powerful.”

Su Qinglan leaned in, genuinely curious. “Three mates? That sounds like a very close-knit family.”

“It is!” Lan Yue chirped, her earlier fear forgotten. “My father is the first beast husband, and he is a mermaid from the East Sea. He is the reason I have such a connection to the water. I am their eldest child.”

“Then there is my second father, a Hawk beastman from the soaring peaks. He has three sons from the same nest, but they are still just boys, only fifteen years old. They are always flying around and causing trouble.”

She paused, a look of deep respect crossing her face. “And then there is my third father. He is an imoogi, basically a very ancient serpent, and everyone says he carries the ancient bloodline of the Dragons. He is the current Lord of Dragon Beast City! He has a son too, a little brother for me, who is only five years old.”

Su Qinglan’s lips curled into a gentle smile as she listened to the girl chatter. It was clear that Lan Yue loved her home deeply.

“My own beast husband was also from a mermaid tribe,” Lan Yue continued, her voice dipping into a shy, blushing tone.

“I met him when I traveled to the East Sea with my father. We fell in love instantly. We had only been mated for one month when I found out I was pregnant. It was so fast!”

She looked down at her stomach, her face glowing with a mix of sadness and pride.

“People were so shocked. It’s unheard of for a female to conceive so quickly. They say it’s because I inherited the fertility of my mother, the Priestess. But…”