Billionaire’s Journey into the Beast World, Suitors Compete to Be Fed by Her! - Chapter 74

“Guards! Restrain Mikayla and keep him away! I want to see what secrets are hidden here!”

As the soil was overturned, the bodies of small lion cubs gradually came into view, filling the air with suffocating grief and fury.

“This… how is this possible?” The Third Elder was shocked, but more than that, he was filled with rage and heartache.

“Mikayla, how could you be so cruel?”

Mikayla’s face grew even paler. He struggled, but Claude’s piercing gaze left him nowhere to hide.

He knew there was no way out now and could only weakly defend himself.

“I-I did it for the future of Lion City. These cubs were too weak. Keeping them would only have been a burden.”

“A burden?”

Claude’s voice was icy. “Every life is precious. How could you treat them so callously?”

“How could you be fit to call yourself their father!”

As the pit was fully excavated, the bodies of nearly ten cubs lay silently within, a damning indictment of Mikayla’s crimes.

The tribesmen, having heard the news, rushed to witness the scene. Outraged, they demanded severe punishment for the perpetrator.

“I never thought Mikayla could be so heartless. How could he bring himself to harm such young lives? It’s despicable!”

“City Lord, you must punish Mikayla harshly. He can’t be allowed to continue like this.”

Standing atop the platform, Claude addressed all the tribesmen of Lion City, his voice resounding through the city.

“Mikayla, as an elder of Lion City, has committed the atrocity of slaughtering cubs. As City Lord, I am deeply grieved. Therefore, I declare that Mikayla is to be exiled from Lion City today, stripped of his status and cast out as a rogue beast!”

The tribesmen erupted in fury, chanting in unison, “Exile him! Exile him!”

Under the weight of their condemnation, Mikayla finally lowered his head. The arrogance in his eyes was replaced with boundless resentment.

He hated Claude, for being so ruthless, so unyielding.

But it was already too late.

Before the entire city, Mikayla had one of his arms broken, the pain twisting his face into a grotesque mask.

As Mikayla was driven out of Lion City, Claude’s gaze involuntarily fell upon Mi Yue.

A trace of tenderness and affection flickered in his eyes.

Since then, Claude had taken even greater care in attending to Mi Yue’s daily needs, his silent concern evident in every small gesture.

Through their long companionship, Claude’s feelings had quietly grown, and he expressed his love for Mi Yue in his own way.

Her kindness and resilience had deeply captivated him.

Meanwhile, Vasali, who had been secretly observing them, was filled with jealousy and resentment.

As Claude’s sister, she watched with growing displeasure as her brother grew closer to Mi Yue.

She believed Mi Yue was nothing more than a lowly black-haired female, utterly unworthy of her brother.

So, she sought out Mi Yue, eyeing her with hostility and a threatening tone.

“Mi Yue, you’d better wise up and stay away from my brother. Otherwise, don’t blame me for breaking my word and dealing with you.”

“Your word? What word?” Mi Yue frowned in confusion.

“Hah, don’t you know? The only reason you’re still alive is because of Xiu Ka. If I hadn’t promised him not to harm you, you’d already be dead!”

Vasali lifted Mi Yue’s chin with her fingertip, her eyes brimming with jealousy. “What right does a lowly little female like you have to win the affection of my brother and Xiu Ka? What’s so special about you?”

“What are you talking about?” A suspicion began to form in Mi Yue’s heart.

A flicker of panic flashed through Vasali’s eyes as she realized she had misspoken.

But she decided to throw caution to the wind. “Yes, it was me. I used your life as leverage to force Xiu Ka to break off his partnership with you.”

Her voice carried a trace of barely concealed jealousy and madness. “Hmph, Xiu Ka suffered endlessly by my side, while you, you were here cozying up to my brother, completely oblivious to his pain.”

“He’s such a fool, sacrificing so much for you when you didn’t even notice.”

Mi Yue’s heart twisted violently. She had never imagined that Xiu Ka had ended their partnership for this reason.

Because of something so absurdly cruel.

No wonder Xiu Ka endured such humiliation yet still refused to leave Vasali.

It was all because of her. The thought of Xiu Ka being forced to kneel in punishment, of the wounds on his body, made Mi Yue’s heart ache as if pierced by needles.

She regretted not comforting Xiu Ka during his emotional turmoil, not even trying to understand what had caused his distress.

Mi Yue took a deep breath, steadying herself. “Vasali, did doing this really make you happy?”

Vasali sneered and turned to leave. “Happy? Of course I’m happy. Seeing you all suffer brings me joy.”

“You-” Mi Yue wanted to say more, but Vasali was already gone.

Back in her stone dwelling, Vasali hastily summoned her beast servant. “Sala, prepare poison. I want Xiu Ka to remember this pain forever.”

Sala bowed. “Yes, Princess.”

Mi Yue stood frozen, overwhelmed by a storm of emotions.

She knew she had to rescue Xiu Ka as soon as possible.

But Vasali was, after all, Claude’s sister. With that connection, Mi Yue wasn’t ready to openly clash with her yet, not when it might jeopardize the gratitude points and merit she was gaining from Claude.

After much deliberation, Mi Yue decided to tell Claude and let him handle the matter.

“Claude, the truth is, Xiu Ka was forced to…” Mi Yue’s voice remained steady as she recounted the entire ordeal in detail.

Claude’s expression darkened upon hearing her words.

He had never imagined that his seemingly innocent, spoiled sister could do something so cruel.

“All of this happened because of me. Xiu Ka suffered so much, and I didn’t even realize it.” Mi Yue’s voice trembled as she lowered her head, afraid to meet Claude’s gaze lest her tears betray her emotions.

“He endured all of this in silence, while I… I resented him in my heart…”

Seeing Mi Yue’s tears, Claude felt a pang of sympathy.

He stood and walked over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you save Xiu Ka. But what will you do afterward?”

Mi Yue hesitated before answering. “We’ll leave Lion City. Go somewhere no one knows us, far from her sight.”

Claude’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected Mi Yue to make such a decision.

He stepped forward, gripping her hand tightly. “If you leave… what will I do?”

Mi Yue looked up, meeting Claude’s deeply affectionate gaze, and a pang of sorrow welled up in her heart.

“Claude, you’re a good man, and I’m truly grateful for all your care and companionship. But with Vasali in Lion City, neither Xiu Ka nor I will be safe. So, I’m sorry…”

Mi Yue’s heart wasn’t made of stone, she had seen and appreciated Claude’s tenderness and thoughtfulness.

But she had to save Xiu Ka. She couldn’t let him suffer under Vasali’s cruelty any longer.