Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103: (Xmas Special) The Tree of Stars

Day six of the Solstice.

The blizzard had finally broken, leaving the world covered in a blanket of pristine, sparkling white.

It was the perfect day for a field trip.

Grand Duke Bastion had sent a message at dawn: "The sky is clear. The forest is awake. Bring the cubs. It is time to hunt the Stars."

Primrose wasn’t entirely sure what "hunting stars" meant, but knowing the West Wing, it probably involved high-level magic and a risk of frostbite.

The caravan of carriages arrived at the Obsidian Estate. The gates opened, revealing a winter wonderland. The vast fields were untouched sheets of snow, and the dark pine forest beyond looked like a scene from a holiday card.

Waiting by the entrance, bundled in a thick coat of black fur and gold trim, was Grand Duke Bastion. Beside him, bouncing on her toes, was Lady Ellia.

The carriage doors opened.

"Release the hounds!" Jax yelled.

"And the cats! And the fish!" Finn added.

The Daycare Delegation poured out.

"ELLIA!" Clover screamed, hopping through the snow. The snow was deeper than she was, so she looked like a little lavender submarine surfacing and diving.

"CLOVER!" Ellia shouted back.

She didn’t care about royal protocol. She ran forward and tackled the bunny into a hug.

Luna ran out after her, holding two scarves. "Clover! Wait! You forgot your mittens! You will freeze your ears off!"

Luna tried to be the responsible one, but seeing Ellia, she dropped the scarves and joined the hug. "Group hug!"

Vali joined the pile-on. "I am cold but happy!"

Arjun walked over, trying to be cool, but his tail was wagging. "Hello, Ellia. I brought you a snowball. It is in my pocket."

"It’s going to melt, silly," Ellia giggled, poking him.

Orion stood by the carriage, looking at the snow with suspicion. He poked it with a gloved finger.

"Analysis," Orion droned. "Frozen precipitation. Temperature is Sub-zero. Why are we here?"

"We are here for tradition," Caspian said, stepping out. He took a deep breath of the crisp air. "And because Primrose said we need fresh air."

The group gathered around Bastion. He looked regal, but his eyes were warm as he watched Ellia play with the cubs.

"Welcome," Bastion smiled. "Today, we do not hunt for meat. We hunt for the Tree of Stars."

"Is it made of stars?" Jasper asked, pulling out a notepad. "That would imply a nuclear fusion reaction."

"Metaphorically," Bastion corrected gently. "Deep in the Blackwood Forest, there grows a rare type of pine. During the Solstice, these trees absorb the ambient mana of the earth. If you find one and touch it with a heart full of joy... it glows."

"Whoa," Finn whispered. "Magic flashlight trees."

"Exactly," Bastion nodded. "We need one for the Great Hall. But the trees are shy. They hide from those who are angry or greedy."

He looked pointedly at General Rajah and Lord Rurik.

"So no fighting," Bastion warned. "If you fight, the trees will stay dark."

"I am full of joy," Rurik grunted, crossing his arms. "I am a delight."

"You are a menace," Cassian sighed.

"Let the hunt begin!" Primrose cheered.

---

They split into teams.

Rurik and Vali charged into the forest first.

"Come out, tree!" Rurik roared at a random pine. "Show me your lights! I am joyful! LOOK AT MY SMILE!"

He bared his teeth in a terrifying grin that looked like he was about to eat the bark.

The tree did not glow. In fact, it seemed to droop slightly in fear.

"Dad," Vali whispered. "I think you scared it."

"It is a coward tree!" Rurik huffed. "We find a braver one!"

---

Cassian and Jasper took a more scientific approach. Cassian had deployed several small floating drones that were scanning the forest for mana signatures.

"Readings indicate a high concentration of sap in sector 4," Jasper reported.

"Excellent," Cassian nodded. "We shall triangulate the luminescence. Joy is simply a biochemical reaction. We can simulate it."

They walked past a beautiful pine. Cassian tried to "simulate joy" by offering a polite, stiff smile.

The tree remained dark.

"Inefficient vegetable," Cassian muttered.

---

Duke Lucien and Silas did not run. They slid into the darkest part of the woods, moving silently over the snow.

"We do not hunt with noise," Lucien whispered, his voice like velvet. "We hunt with presence."

Silas nodded, his violet eyes scanning the gloom. He walked up to a tall, twisted pine that looked suitably gothic.

"This one looks lonely," Silas noted.

Lucien placed a gloved hand on the bark. He didn’t smile. He just projected an aura of intense, brooding calmness.

The tree didn’t glow gold. It glowed a faint, spooky purple for a second, then went dark again.

"It is not a Tree of Stars," Silas concluded. "It is a Tree of Angst."

"We will take a branch," Lucien decided. "It matches the curtains."

---

Jax and Finn were not looking for trees. they were looking for an angle.

"Okay," Finn whispered, pulling a shiny chocolate wrapper from his pocket. "The Duke said the trees like joy. Candy is joy. Therefore, the tree wants candy."

He approached a sapling.

"Psst. Hey. Tree," Finn whispered. "I have a limited edition chocolate wrapper. It’s shiny. You glow for me, I give you the wrapper. Deal?"

The tree did nothing.

"It’s playing hard to get," Jax noted, flipping his coin. "Maybe it wants cash."

"You can’t bribe nature, Jax," Finn sighed. "Nature has no pockets."

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