Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 184

Chapter 184: The Tide’s Memory

The sun was barely up when Jax unveiled his masterpiece in the courtyard.

"Behold," Jax announced, wiping grease from his forehead. "The Sidecar."

It was attached to the Iron Wyvern. It wasn’t just a box with a wheel. It was a plush, leather-lined pod painted a deep, royal blue. It had suspension runes, a windscreen made of enchanted glass, and—most importantly—a cup holder.

"It’s ridiculous," Primrose said, staring at it. "It looks like a baby carriage for a Warlord."

"It’s magnificent," Ophelia declared. She was already wearing her leather jacket and sunglasses. She vaulted onto the bike seat. "Get in, Little Fox. We have an ocean to inspect."

Primrose climbed into the sidecar. It was surprisingly comfortable. She looked up at the palace balcony where Caspian stood watching them.

"We’ll meet you there?" Primrose called out.

Caspian nodded. He tapped the blue scales on his wrist. "I will take the coastal route. The currents are fast today."

"Don’t be late, Fish-Boy!" Ophelia revved the engine. "I hate waiting!"

VROOOM.

They shot out of the gates, leaving a trail of blue mana-exhaust and terrified pigeons in their wake.

They didn’t go to the public beaches of Solaris. Ophelia guided them further north, to a jagged peninsula known as Cape Solitude.

In the current age, it was just a rocky outcrop where seabirds nested.

But Ophelia didn’t see the rocks. She saw the ghost of a castle.

She parked the bike near the edge of the cliff. The engine ticked as it cooled.

Ophelia walked through the tall grass, her hand trailing over invisible walls.

" The Great Hall was here," she whispered, stepping over a fallen pillar covered in moss. "The floor was made of pearl mosaic. When the sun hit it, it looked like we were walking on water."

Primrose followed her silently. She could feel the Ninth Tail buzzing at the base of her spine—a sympathetic vibration to Ophelia’s grief.

"And here," Ophelia stopped at a crumbling stone archway that led to nowhere but the open sky and the sea below. "This was the balcony. This is where he asked me."

"Etienne?" Primrose asked softly.

"Yes," Ophelia smiled, tracing the rough stone. "He was so nervous. He dropped the ring. It rolled right off the edge."

Primrose gasped. "He lost the ring?"

"Oh, no," Ophelia laughed. "He dove after it. In full ceremonial armor. Splashed into the sea, retrieved it, and climbed back up dripping wet with a crab stuck to his pauldron. He proposed while coughing up seawater."

She leaned her forehead against the archway.

"He was an idiot. But he was my idiot."

A splash echoed from the cove below.

A moment later, water coalesced on the cliff edge, forming a staircase. Caspian walked up from the surf. He wasn’t wet—the water simply rolled off him like oil.

He approached them, wearing his King’s attire—a deep teal tunic embroidered with silver waves.

"Cape Solitude," Caspian noted, looking around the ruins. "The Jaoiren records call this the Summer Spire. It was destroyed during the Second Serpent War."

"Of course the Serpents broke it," Ophelia scowled. "They ruin everything. No offense to the little alchemist boy."

Caspian walked up to the archway. He stood next to Ophelia.

For a moment, the resemblance was striking. The same jawline. The same eyes. The same way they held their shoulders when looking at the ocean.

"He wrote about you," Caspian said quietly.

Ophelia froze. Her hand, resting on the stone, flickered transparent for a second before solidifying.

"He... he did?"

"Every day," Caspian said. He reached into his tunic and pulled out a small, waterproof cylinder made of dragon-bone. "The Royal Journals of King Etienne I. They are kept in the deepest vault of Sunless City."

He handed the scroll to Ophelia.

Ophelia took it with trembling hands. She sat down on a flat rock, her legs suddenly unable to hold her weight.

She unrolled it. The ink was faded, but legible.

Cycle 4, Year of the Tide.

The Fox is angry with me again. I told her the tails looked fluffy. Apparently, ’fluffy’ is an insult to a warrior. I must apologize with roasted chicken. She loves the crispy skin.

Cycle 10, Year of the Tide.

She is sleeping. The crystal has closed around her. I cannot break it. I tried. I broke my trident against it. The Mages say she is safe, but she looks so cold. I will wait. Even if it takes a thousand tides, I will wait.

Ophelia read the words. A tear splashed onto the parchment.

"He waited," she whispered. "He didn’t hate me for leaving?"

"He visited this cliff every year until he died," Caspian said gently. "He never took another Queen. The lineage continued through his brother, my ancestor. But his heart... his heart stayed in that crystal with you."

Ophelia clutched the scroll to her chest. She let out a sob that sounded like something breaking and healing all at once.

"That stubborn, stupid fish," she cried, laughing through the tears.

Primrose sat beside her, wrapping an arm around Ophelia’s shaking shoulders.

"Are you okay, Grandma?"

"I’m better than okay," Ophelia sniffled. She wiped her eyes on her leather sleeve. "I got my letter. It only took a millennium for the mail to arrive."

She tried to stand up.

"Right! Enough crying. We need to—"

She stumbled.

Her legs didn’t just give out. They vanished.

From the knees down, Ophelia turned into pure white light.

"Whoa!" Primrose caught her before she hit the ground.

Caspian moved instantly, kneeling to support her other side.

"Grandma!" Primrose panicked. She could feel the lack of weight in her arms. Ophelia felt like a bundle of dry leaves. "Caspian, stabilize her! Use the Heart!"

Primrose looked. Ophelia’s blue eyes were bright, burning with the last of her will. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

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