Beauty Among The Beasts

Peacock Tribe "Lily commented, her brows slightly furrowed", Why am I feeling like I'm in a beast world?. "She thought".

"Beauty... I should have guessed it earlier. I'm very sorry; I will get you the right food for you. Please stay at home," Liam announced stole a kiss from her and immediately rushed out.

Lily sighed heavily, looking around once more at the local surroundings and couldn't help but confirm her suspicion. "Isn't this the best opportunity to run away?" she thought, standing up and preparing to leave. But she paused, remembering Liam's plea. She took a deep breath. "Forget it; he's just a little pet. No need to bother about him," she decided and resolved to leave.

Lily continued to walk through the forest; no matter how far she went, she ended up in one forest after another. Finally, she stumbled upon a group of beasts—male beasts, more than eight of them, each with tails that proved they belonged to different species. They surrounded a female lion beast who was reclining on a wooden chair, adorned with various tattoos covering her from head to toe, making her look extremely unappealing. She was comfortably enjoying the attention of the male beasts.

Looking at them, Lily's heart quickened. "Surely, I'm in a beast world," she thought, taking another step back. "Why is my fate like this? From one tragedy to another," she murmured, tears escaping her eyes.

As Lily was lost in thought, she caught sight of a lion beast man walking toward the female lion beast with dull and empty eyes.

"Saru... don't tell me you came back empty-handed!" the female lion beast shouted angrily, standing up abruptly.

"L... Leo, I... I tried to get it, but... but I couldn't reach it. I'm sorry," the lion beast man named saru pleaded pitifully, prostrating himself in front of the female lion beast and holding onto her leg.

"Useless!" the female lion beast screamed. "You can't even get the moon; what assurance do I have that you can get me the sun? Since you have no use to me, I am cutting ties with you!" she roared.

Lily's mouth fell open. "What's with this ugly fellow? Want someone to catch the moon? Even the most advanced scientific world hasn't provided a way to do that," she thought.

"Please... please... I will try again once I level up. I will definitely bring it to you," the beast man begged.

"Get lost!" Leo forcibly pushed the beast man away and grabbed a thorn stick. Without hesitation, she marked the lion tattoo on her upper breast, drawing blood from it, yet she appeared to feel no pain as her gaze remained cold.

"Ah!" The lion beast man screamed in agony. It seemed he was being tortured, as thousands of cuts appeared on his body. He rolled on the ground, groaning in pain until, finally, the moment it became too much, he breathed his last and faded away.

Lily was terrified, her eyes wide, unsure of how to react.

"Who is there?"

Suddenly, Leo's angry voice echoed. When she looked toward the spot where Lily stood, her eyes widened in shock. Studying Lily's beauty, she gritted her teeth in jealousy.

Leo's beastly companions noticed Lily as well, and they stood frozen in place. All they could see was a peerless fairy, a beauty that only crossed their dreams. They began to whisper among themselves.

"Is she newly born? She doesn't have any mate mark on her?"

"Such beauty! If I hadn't mated with Leo, I would definitely pursue her."

"I wonder which tribe she belongs to; she's just too fair!"

The low murmurs continued until they received a deadly glare from Leo. "Who are you?" she inquired, her voice chilling.

"Ah!" Lily's heart raced, and she waved her hands. "I'm just passing by; sorry for interrupting you," she replied, preparing to run when suddenly she found herself blocked by many beasts. "I'm done for," she screamed inwardly, gulping down her fear.

"Catch her for me!" Leo gritted her teeth in jealousy.

The beasts were about to pounce on Lily when, suddenly, a fox's roar echoed, stunning them.

At that moment, a silver three-tailed fox appeared in front of Lily. "I dare you to touch her!" Liam roared threateningly.

Instantly, the beasts fled, and Liam transformed back into his human form. "Are you alright, beauty?" he asked.

Lily looked at Liam, and her tense heart calmed down. She could only nod her head in assurance.

"Liam... are you protecting this weird fruit?" Leo questioned, her face filled with jealousy. "It's because of this weird fruit that you've been rejecting me."

Liam's eyes were solely focused on Lily, completely ignoring her. "Let's go," he declared, carrying Lily in his arms as they left.

Leo stomped on the ground in frustration, venting her anger on her mates. "Useless!"

Back at the hut, Liam gently placed Lily on the grass bed, carefully examining her body.

"I'm really fine," Lily reassured him.

"We will leave here tonight," Liam declared.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's already dangerous now; they will definitely come for you."

"??"

"You need to eat something first," Liam said, picking up a leaf plate filled with living worms. "They are still fresh and alive," he remarked with a sweet smile on his face.

Had Lily eaten anything already, she would have vomited at the sight of those big, ugly worms. "Take... take it away!" She stammered finding it hard to breath.

Liam didn't question her and immediately disposed of it. "I didn't know you wouldn't like it; I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine, it's fine," Lily replied. "Um... just now, I saw a terrible scene. That Lion female cut herself with something, and the lion Male died. What's happening?" she inquired.

"You don't know?" Liam asked.

Lily shook her head.

"Could it be that you are a lost treasure, or have you lost your memories? That must be it; you must have lost your memories. After all, I found you lying unconscious in the forest." Liam thought to himself as he smiled. "Actually, there's a bond that develops on a female after mating with her partner. A beastman can only mate with one female in his entire life, while a female can have as many mates as she wants. The bond on a female represents the beastman; if the female no longer wants the male, she can abandon him by cutting the male mark from her body. After being abandoned, the male becomes neither living nor dead, so males often prefer death after being abandoned by their mate."

"I see," Lily nodded. "This is indeed the Beast World, but isn't it too unfair to the males? Here, the males are at the mercy of females, but in my world, females are mostly at the mercy of men." She thought, suddenly feeling an itch on her neck. Naturally, she scratched it lightly.

"Right, beauty... when I found you, I saw a weird treasure with you. I will get it for you right now," he declared, and in just a flash, he disappeared from sight. When he returned, he was holding a school bag in his hand.

Seeing the bag, Lily's happiness bloomed. "My bag!" she exclaimed, grabbing it from Liam and hugging it tightly. "Many of my school things are inside! I thought I had lost it. Now that it's here with me, I can easily look for a way to get out of here," she thought to herself. "But why is it so heavy?"

Seeing Lily smile so happily, a joyful smile appeared on Liam's face. "I made the right choice by picking it; she's really happy. I must continue making her happy," he vowed.

Lily sat on the grass bed and set the heavy bag down. She unzipped it and looked inside, only to be shocked in the next second.

Inside was like a weaving black hole that looked more like an abyss!

Her eyes widened, feeling terrified. "Ah!" she screamed, jumping back.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked, glancing at the bag only to see emptiness. "Why is she so frightened?" he wondered.

Lily looked at Liam's confused gaze and found herself rendered speechless. "Don't you see the thing inside?" she questioned.

Liam took another look inside the bag but found nothing. "There's nothing inside," he replied.

"Are you kidding me?" Lily murmured and took a closer look, seeing the abyss weaving like a river in the bag. "You mean you don't see this?" she questioned, astonished.

Liam frowned and took another glance at the bag. "There's really nothing in there," he insisted.

Lily frowned back. "He can't see it? Am I the only one that can see it?" she murmured, feeling another itch on her neck. Gathering her courage, she moved closer to the bag. "It can't harm me, right?" she thought.

Liam looked at Lily and suddenly his gaze landed on her fair neck, which was now red. "Mate mark!" he exclaimed.

"Huh?" Lily asked, slightly confused.

Liam moved closer to her and tilted her head up slightly. "It's indeed a mating mark!" he said through gritted teeth.

Lily's brows knitted together as she lightly pulled Liam away, feeling her neck itch once more as she scratched it. "What mating mark are you talking about? Didn't you say that it only appears when a male and female engage in mating?" she questioned, her heart racing.

"There's also another method, but that method is painful," Liam replied, gritting his teeth.

"Ah... you're joking, right? You must be joking!" Lily exclaimed, slightly shocked. Without thinking, she shifted back, accidentally letting her hand drop into the hole in the bag. "I need a mirror! Let me have a mirror!" she demanded.

Just as she spoke, Lily suddenly felt something in her hand. Only then did she realize that her hand was inside the abyss in the bag. Shocked, she pulled her hand out immediately and was astonished to find a mirror in her grasp. Her mouth fell open in disbelief. "Don't tell me this thing can bring me whatever I need?" she thought.

Liam looked at the blue-framed mirror Lily was holding with a confused expression. "What's this?" he inquired.

Lily glanced at him and then at the mirror. "First, I should check what you're talking about," she thought, and held the mirror up to show her reflection. The moment she caught a glimpse of her neck, her eyes widened. A black, slightly green-striped tattoo was slowly curling around it, appearing as if it was alive. The process was gradual and smooth—not painful at all—and when it finally settled, it took the form of a snake.

Lily's eyes widened further. The tattoo looked beautiful and professionally done; it seemed incredibly real. Staring into the eyes of the python depicted, it felt as if it was looking back at her, leaving Lily in a daze.

"I knew it! I knew he was up to no good!" Liam shouted, pulling away from Lily and punching the ground in frustration.

Lily was shocked to see Liam so enraged. "Li... Liam," she called, feeling slightly confused.

Liam inhaled deeply and took Lily's hand in his own. "You don't want to be with him, do you?" he urged, handing her a thorny stick. "Cut the bond immediately! He's forcing himself on you, and if you reject him, you'll be right!" he insisted.

Lily's mouth hung slightly open. "What are you talking about?" she asked in disbelief, when a realization struck her. "You mean I am now bonded with Angus?" she questioned, shocked.

Liam nodded, urgency in his eyes. "Do it," he urged.

Taking the thorn stick, Lily looked at the beautiful snake tattoo on her neck through the mirror. She raised it to her skin, but then the memory of witnessing the death of the lion beastman replayed vividly in her mind. In a moment of panic, she threw the thorn stick away. "I can't do it," she admitted.

"If you don't do it, then that means he's your mate!" Liam exclaimed, panic evident in his voice.

Lily remained silent, her thoughts drifting to the moment she had jumped into Angus's embrace, the kiss they had shared, and his warm smile paired with that perfect physique. "Just leave it be," she sighed.

"You accept him? But he used force on you!" Liam's choked voice echoed in her mind.

Lily looked at Liam, biting her lower lip. "What do I do? I can't bear to throw someone into the endless darkness. Also, he's a beast and not human; he shouldn't be blamed for choosing me as his mate. I will just leave him behind to continue living well once I find my way out of here," she thought. "I said just let it be," she replied resolutely.

Liam gazed at Lily and suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

Lily was speechless. "Why did he like hugging me so much?" she thought, momentarily flustered.

"Beauty, you accept him as your mate even though he forced himself on you; will you please allow me to be your mate too?" Liam asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

Lily's heart raced, and her face turned slightly red. "How can a man be so cute!" she screamed inwardly. "Um… I've told you already to give me some time," she responded softly.

Liam smiled brightly. "At least she didn't reject me," he thought, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Alright, stop that already! Stop kissing me repeatedly!" Lily exclaimed as her face flushed.

"But I love kissing beauty!" Liam countered, planting another kiss on her cheek.

"You are driving me crazy! Stop it! Stop!" Lily shouted, though Liam didn't relent, continuing to shower her with affectionate kisses and even tickling her. the hut echoed with their melodious laughter, mixing with the tension and confusion of the moment.