Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Mother-in-Law from Hell

Primrose wasn’t buying it.

"Atmospheric pressure" was a flimsy excuse. She knew how magic worked in Beastly B.A.D.S. Teleportation circles might fail in a storm, but simple "I’m Alive" pings? Those cut through anything.

Caspian was hoarding her.

So, she decided to investigate.

For the next two days, Primrose played the role of the dutiful Chef. She made Kimchi Jjigae (sealed in spicy dumplings). She made fluffy pancakes. She smiled.

But the moment Caspian went into his Meditation Cycle, she moved.

She tried to sneak into the Echo Room.

The door had a new lock. A biometric scale-scanner. She didn’t have scales.

She tried to bribe a guard with a cinnamon roll.

The guard took the roll, ate it, and then politely escorted her back to the kitchen, saying, "The King worries you might get lost."

She tried to eavesdrop on the Council Meeting through the water flow system pipes.

Just as she got into position, Caspian appeared floating right next to the vent.

"Chef," he said smoothly, leaning against the wall with a smirk. "The water flow system is for air circulation, not for eavesdropping. Besides, it is dusty in there. You hate dust."

He reached up, plucked a spiderweb off her ear, and steered her away.

"Come. Orion wants to show you a hexagon."

He was too good. He knew the palace like an architect (because he was one), and he knew her moves like a gamer (because he was one). He was blocking her at every turn, smiling that devastatingly handsome smile that made it hard to be mad at him.

But Primrose was stubborn. She was planning a break-in using a soup ladle and a hairpin when the trumpets sounded.

The blast of the Conch Horns shook the palace foundations.

"The Queen Dowager approaches!" a herald boomed, his voice trembling.

Caspian froze. The playful, relaxed demeanor he had worn for the last few weeks vanished instantly. His face hardened into a mask of stone. His shoulders tensed.

"Morana," he whispered. The name sounded like a curse.

"Who?" Primrose asked, wiping flour off her hands.

"My stepmother," Caspian said, his voice tight. "The Queen Dowager. The Guardian of Tradition. And the woman who made my life a living hell before I took the throne."

He turned to Primrose. "Stay in the kitchen. Hide Orion."

"No," Primrose said firmly, seeing the panic in his eyes. "If she’s the Grandma, she’s going to want to see the kid. And I’m the Nanny. I go where he goes."

Caspian looked at her. He wanted to argue, but the doors were already opening.

Queen Dowager Morana drifted in.

She was terrifying.

She had the lower body of a sea-serpent—long, black, and coiled. Her skin was a pale, icy blue, and she wore a crown of black coral that looked like thorns. Her eyes were violet and cold, scanning the room with a critical sneer. She didn’t look like a grandmother; she looked like a boss fight you weren’t leveled up for.

"Caspian," Morana said. Her voice sounded like grinding stones.

"Morana," Caspian replied, floating higher to assert dominance. "To what do I owe the... pleasure?"

"I heard rumors," Morana said, gliding forward. "Rumors that the Heir has woken. Rumors that you have allowed a... warm-blooded pet into the Royal Sanctum."

Her violet eyes locked onto Primrose. Then they flicked to Orion, who was clutching Primrose’s skirt.

"So," Morana sneered. "This is the nursemaid?"

"This is the Royal Dietician," Caspian corrected sharply. "Primrose."

Morana swam a circle around Primrose, inspecting her like a piece of livestock.

"A Fox," Morana scoffed. "And a defective one at that. Where is her tail? Did she lose it in a trap? A tail-less beast is an omen of bad luck in the deep."

Primrose stiffened. It was the one insecurity her transmigrated body had—the symbol of her failure as a Fox-kin.

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