The king orders me to spend three days in a trial marriage with four beastmen separately and pick one to be my consort.

The first beastman is a naga, which means double the fun down there. The second beastman is a werefox who has the fluffiest tail.

The third beastman is a lycan. His kind is known for having the strongest core strength.

The fourth beastman, on the other hand, is Julius Lockewood, a cervitaur I've liked since childhood. After I'm drugged, I reject the other three beastmen and search desperately for Julius while tremors rack my body.

However, I end up overhearing his friend laugh and say, "Julius, you rascal. I can't believe you drugged the princess just to win a bet that she would keep herself pure for you. Aren't you worried that she'll go to someone else instead?"

Julius snorts indifferently. "She's crazy in love with me. Cervitaurs prefer virgins. If she loses her virginity, she'll have no chance of marrying me. She wouldn't dare. I bet that even if she were driven mad with lust, she wouldn't touch anyone else."

Heartbroken, I follow the king's orders and enter a trial marriage with each of the other three beastmen.

When Julius comes to my house, he hears me beg, "Don't put your tail there…"

It makes him so angry that he loses his mind. When the royal decree is issued, he gets on his knees and begs me to stay with him.

After my three-day trial marriage with Nathan Moonshadow, a naga, I ran into Julius Lockewood and his cervitaur friends as I left my residence.

When they spotted me, they looked at me mockingly. Someone even failed to suppress a snort.

"Nathan looked pretty upset when he left just now. Queenie, did you fail to satisfy him?"

"Julius won the bet. I told you Queenie would keep herself pure for him even if she were driven mad with lust."

I frowned. Humans and beastmen had been living together peacefully for a while now, but some impudent rodents still liked to defy human laws.

Julius looked at me with similar disdain and said, "My friends were just joking around. It's harmless. Don't tell me you're actually offended?"

He knew his friends were being disrespectful toward me, but he was sure I wouldn't punish him. After all, I had never once gone against him in the last five years.

Everyone said that I was utterly infatuated with him. However, this was the last time.

When I was 14 and couldn't wake up from a high fever, Julius's face kept showing up in my dreams. Through divination, the court seer found out that there was unfinished business between us.

I was indebted to him in our past life, so I needed to do 99 favors for him to repay him. As of yesterday, I had completed 98 favors for him.

For his final favor, I thought that he would ask me to let the cervitaurs stay after my father, King Francis Sinclair, issued the royal decree to banish them. To my surprise, he made me drink a glass of spiked wine just to bet with his friends that I would endure the flames of desire to stay pure for him.

Listening to their mocking laughter, I said calmly, "All I did was stop him from touching me wherever he wants with his tail. What's there to be upset about? Forget it. I'll send him a gift to cheer him up."

Julius's face darkened, but he quickly schooled it into neutrality. He said mockingly, "Did you think saying things like that would make me jealous? Queenie Sinclair, your schemes are vile and ridiculous.

"You've been pursuing me for years. There's no way you don't know that cervitaurs take virginity very seriously. Even if I asked you to sleep with him, you wouldn't dare to do it."

My heart clenched. When I first met Julius, he didn't treat me like this.

Back then, a horse suddenly went wild, and he shielded me with his body. Even though the horse had broken several of his ribs, he didn't care at all. Instead, he worriedly asked if I was hurt.

After that, we spent five whole years together. It was only natural for feelings to bloom.

However, when Wendy Brightwater, another cervitaur, got into the picture a year ago, he immediately changed.

Seeing my face contort in pain, Julius thought he was right and grew even more pleased. However, I didn't try to argue or explain myself like I used to.

"Don't loiter outside the my residence for no reason, Mr. Lockewood. The attendants are making preparations for Mr. Zachary Stonehart's arrival. You're disturbing them with your presence."

Hearing that, Julius frowned. "Zachary? Are you talking about that sly, silver-tongued werefox? All he has going for him is his face. Just kick him out when he gets here," he said commandingly.

Then, he looked at me scornfully. "Forget it. You're probably not so desperate that you would fall for scum like him."

I ignored him and left.

Julius's assumption was wrong. When Zachary put his fluffy tail in my hand and flirted with me that night, it felt so soft that I couldn't stop myself from squeezing it.

He groaned. Burying his face in my neck, he whined and said, "Queenie, tell me if you feel uncomfortable. I'll be gentle. I won't hurt you."

He was very gentle indeed. However, Liam Ashford, a lycan and the candidate for my next trial marriage, was anything but. I had heard that lycans had great core strength, but when I experienced it for myself, I was overwhelmed.

Liam was a beastman of few words. When I asked him to slow down, he leaned in and whispered threateningly in my ear, "Pick me, Your Highness. I'll only stop if you do."

How could he do that?

Since I gave Julius the cold shoulder last time, he hid himself away and avoided me as if to punish me. He was supposed to be the last beastman for my trial marriage.

However, he made up an excuse saying that he needed to take care of his sick "sister", Wendy, and made me spend the trial marriage alone. He only made his attendant deliver one of his clothes and a message to me.

"I'm sure Your Highness wouldn't be so unreasonable as to make me abandon a sick person to accompany you. If you feel like the nights are too long and lonely, I've sent you one of my clothes to remind you of me."

I could hear his pleased, mocking tone.

I ordered my attendants to dispose of his clothes. I had planned on making things clear to him, but since he refused to see me, there was no need.

…

Three days later, Father came to me with a list of the four beastmen's names and asked for my opinion. I crossed out Julius's name with a pen.

Frowning, he grumbled, "Why debase yourself like this for a beastman? How many times have you swallowed your pride to help him in the past years? You even begged me not to punish him.

"I heard that he didn't even show up for the trial marriage, but you're still all over him. You're dragging my name through the mud here."

Feeling wronged, I quickly explained, "Father, you've got it wrong. I meant that I want everyone but Julius."

To become my consort, the other three beastmen almost started a fight. In the end, they settled for a temporary truce. If I wanted to, I could marry all three of them at the same time.

Father's eyes brightened. "Really? Have you stopped obsessing over Julius?"

I smiled. "Since he doesn't like me, there's no point in wasting my time on him. He'll probably be happy about my decision."

After leaving the palace, I felt relieved for once. I dismissed my attendants and went for a walk by myself. When I passed by an inn, I saw Julius through the open window.

His friends, who had made the bet with him that day, were sitting opposite him, while Wendy sat beside him. Smiling, she wiped the beer foam on the corner of his lips for him.

Julius looked down at her warmly. They looked like a loving couple.

I looked away and turned around to leave, but Julius's friends spotted me. Looking at me as if I were an amusing toy, they walked out of the inn and mocked me.

"Your Highness, I can't believe you actually came all the way here to pursue Julius. I once heard that humans care a lot about their honor, but now I see that isn't the case."

They laughed. I didn't have my guards with me, so I glanced at the man's face, memorizing his features.

Since I hadn't repaid Julius for what I owed him in our previous life, I endured their mockery for his sake. It seemed they had forgotten that disrespecting the princess was a punishable offense.

Julius's friends were still laughing, blissfully ignorant. "I think she came from the palace. Come to think of it, isn't she supposed to choose her consort today?"

"Congratulations, Julius. You're going to become the prince consort of Stuyvania in a few days. Don't forget us after you get rich."

Triumphant, Julius looked at me and said, "By the way, since Wendy is my sister and is scared of living by herself, she needs to move into the princess's residence with me.

"She has a weak constitution, so summon the doctor to examine her every day. Her meals must also be meticulously prepared. Do you understand?"

He called Wendy his sister, but she was only a fellow cervitaur. With the excuse that he had to look after his kind, he accepted her into his family.

Wendy hid behind him and said timidly, "Your Highness, you must think that a lowborn like me has no right to enter a place like the princess's residence.

"Julius only wants me to stay with him because he's worried about my health. Please don't be angry with him."

Seeing how pitiful she looked, Julius's heart ached.

Glaring at me, he said to Wendy, "You don't have to explain yourself. If she can't accept my sister, then she's just an unreasonable, arrogant tyrant. I won't marry someone like that even if it means going against the royal decree."

It was ridiculous.

I said calmly, "Don't worry, Mr. Lockewood. You weren't chosen to be the prince consort, so you don't have to compromise by moving into my residence."

Hearing that, Julius snorted. "You're lying again. Who else could the prince consort be? I'm the only person on your mind. You probably haven't even met the other three candidates."

Talking to him was a waste of energy. The royal decree would be issued in three days anyway. I didn't feel like explaining, so I turned around and left.

Suddenly, Wendy swayed to the side and fell to the ground in front of me like I had pushed her. Before I could even process what had just happened, she started crying.

"Your Highness, just tell me if you hate me. I would've made sure to stay away from you. Why did you have to hurt me?"

She always used this tactic. Ever since she showed up a year ago, she had been framing me like this, making it seem as though I hated her. Julius believed her every time, so his attitude toward me kept getting worse.

As expected, Julius's face darkened at that moment.

He quickly helped her up and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Seeing a cut on Wendy's palm, he turned to me and yelled, "I was the one who wanted Wendy to stay with me! Come at me if you have a problem with that! Why did you have to take it out on her? Don't you know that she has a weak body?"

I slapped him without hesitation.

Julius was stunned. Even Wendy stopped crying. After all, I had always obeyed him. I had never raised my voice at him, much less raised my hand at him.

Adjusting my clothes, I asked, "Who are you to yell at me in public?"

Humiliated in front of so many people, Julius turned ashen. He gnashed his teeth.

"Fine. If you're going to treat me like this, then don't you dare look for me again."

He grabbed Wendy's hand and left, pale-faced. His friends who were left behind exchanged dubious glances.

They had always taken advantage of Julius's protection to yell at me. Now, they were also dumbfounded. I ignored them and returned to my residence.

I summoned my guards and attendants and said coldly, "These people disrespected me in public. Arrest them and punish them accordingly.

"I was the one who gifted Julius the house where he and Wendy live. I also gave him priceless jewels and supplied Wendy with the medicine she takes every day. Since he doesn't need them, take it all back."

…

Even though he was the one who told me not to look for him again, Julius stormed into my residence angrily that night.

In the past, he never needed an official notice to enter. This time, however, he was stopped at the door. He was furious.

"Do you know who I am? How dare you stop me! You're all dead once I move into the princess's residence!"

However, no matter how he scolded them, the attendants remained firm. He was stopped outside my residence for two days straight. He couldn't even see my silhouette.

On the third day, Father summoned me and the four beastmen to the royal palace to receive the royal decree. On the way to the royal palace, my carriage was stopped.