Beastmen Kings At My Feet [Reverse Harem] - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

When Veronica finished getting dressed and came downstairs, the long table in the dining area was already set with an impressive breakfast. Veronica thought that even if ten people came, they might not be able to finish it all.
As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, the scene from yesterday repeated itself. A row of servants immediately knelt as soon as they saw her.
Although she had already been through this yesterday, Veronica was still taken aback. She'd never been treated this way before. It felt like she was an important figure.
She walked up to the table, her palms sweating. Joshua, ever the gentleman, personally pulled out the seat for her.
Once she sat down and saw Joshua walking away, Veronica instantly asked, "Aren't you going to dine with me?"
Chase suddenly popped up out of nowhere and plopped himself down on her right side. "Mistress, I'll dine with you."
Joshua shot a look at the dumb tiger, and Veronica could almost see the veins popping on his forehead. He still managed to keep his cool and smiled at Veronica. "If you wish, it would be my honor."
"I definitely would love that. With so much food, we should enjoy it together," Veronica said, glancing at the servants.
The servants responded with extreme formality, "Honored female, we are not worthy of dining at the same table as you."
Being rejected again, Veronica shook her head helplessly. She started to realize that she was now the highest-ranking person here. Even someone like Joshua, a powerful figure, was respectful to her.
'Well, looks like I can't change their mindset right now. Guess I'll just focus on myself for now. I'm still technically an illegal resident here,' thought Veronica.
As she was eating, her gaze wandered to one side. The white lion she stroked yesterday was back in her line of sight.
Yesterday, when she stroked the white lion, she felt a strange dizziness in her head. Now, she was curious again. She waved at the lion. "Could you come over here?"
The white lion was taken by surprise. He exclaimed in his mind, 'Hooray! The honored female is calling for me. I thought she had already forgotten about me.'
The lion, looking like he had just won the lottery, walked over with a red face. "Honored female, is there something I can do for you?"
He gazed at Veronica with admiration, remembering how she had gently petted his head yesterday. His eyes instantly sparkled.
"What's your name?" Veronica asked, almost instinctively reaching out to pet him again. But then, remembering how excited he got yesterday, she held herself back.
The white lion replied, "Honored female, semi-beastmen like us are too lowly to have names."
Veronica frowned at the way he was speaking about himself. But the lion, misinterpreting her expression, looked like he was about to cry from worry.
Veronica asked, "Did you have any special reactions yesterday?"
The white lion replied, "Thanks to you, my primal regression has lessened a little. You're truly amazing. Just from touching my paw, you made changes to me."
Veronica then noticed that the thick pads she'd touched yesterday had transformed into long fingers.
"Wow!" Veronica exclaimed, looking extremely stunned.
'Just a single touch and his primal regression has already been reduced? What's more, I haven't even felt any discomfort, except for a little dizziness. Looks like the psychic power is really something. I must be quite useful here,' she let out a sigh of relief, thinking.
But before she could fully relax, she heard Joshua's icy voice. "You touched him yesterday?"
Veronica gave an awkward laugh. "Yeah. Is there a problem?"
She didn't want to admit it was because she couldn't resist.
Joshua furrowed his brows. "You haven't fully recovered. For your health, you should avoid using psychic power too much."
Veronica winked at him. "Don't worry, I won't go overboard until I get a better handle on my abilities. By the way, can I keep him around?"
"Him? He's just a semi-primal beastman. Keeping him around won't do you any good," Joshua said, clearly irritated.
He complained in his mind, 'Why is she bringing another one of these idiots into the mix?'
"It's fine. I just want to observe his reactions. Besides, I'm not going to touch other beastmen anymore," Veronica said.
She thought to herself, 'I'd love to pet a few more, actually, like that little rabbit with the red eyes. It was so cute and fluffy. If I get the chance, I'm definitely going to pet all of them.'
She turned to the white lion and asked, "Would you like to stay with me?"
The white lion spun around excitedly and then knelt on one knee in front of her. "Of course, honored female, I swear to follow you to the ends of the universe."
Veronica facepalmed inwardly. 'Come on, no need to be so dramatic.'
The lion gazed at her with admiration, his voice soft. "Honored female, may I have a name too?"
He was clearly a huge lion, but right now, he seemed more like a helpless kitten.
Before Veronica could respond, Chase jumped up. "NO WAY!" Chase looked at Veronica with a pitiful expression. "Mistress, you're really gonna give him a name?"
Veronica sighed inwardly, 'Ugh, not again. Why does everyone keep using those puppy-dog eyes on me? How am I supposed to say no to that?'
She turned to Chase and said, "It's just a name. Plus, if he's going to stay with me, it'll be easier for him to have one."
"Hmph." Chase pouted, then ran over and squatted beside Veronica, clinging to her arm like a baby. "He's not allowed to call you Mistress."
Veronica sighed and nodded reluctantly, giving an apologetic look to the white lion. "Okay, from now on, your name is Leonardo Walker. Is that okay?"
The lion repeated the name in his head several times, his eyes shining with respect and adoration as he gazed at Veronica. "Thank you, honored female, for giving me a name. I love it."
Hearing that, Veronica shuddered and quickly waved her hand. "Oh, no, don't call me that. Just use my name instead."
Leonardo immediately shook his head in panic. "How could I? You're the honored female, and I'm just a lowly semi-primal beastman."
Veronica was about to lose it. It felt like she'd somehow ended up in a slave society. As someone who'd lived in the 21st century, this was way out of her comfort zone.
Unable to correct Leonardo any further, Veronica threw her hands up in frustration. "Fine, call me whatever you want."
Leonardo looked at her helplessly, confused about what he'd done wrong. From the moment he was born, he'd been taught that he was a lowly semi-primal beastman, while females were the most revered beings. He could never address females by their names.
Veronica realized that she shouldn't try to impose her way of thinking on him. After all, this was how they were raised, and since she couldn't accept the customs here, she couldn't expect him to change either.
She cleared her throat. "Look, don't take it the wrong way. I'm just not used to that title. How about this? You can call me Mistress, just like Chase does."
At least that title was something she could tolerate.
Chase immediately protested. "Mistress, you promised me you wouldn't let him call you that."
Veronica shrugged. "What else can I do? You figure out a name for him. I'm done with being called honored female."
Chase scratched his head, looking clueless. He really didn't have any other names in mind. He hadn't exactly grown up in beastman society and had always been abandoned. Coming up with another title for Leonardo was tough for him.
"Fine, let him call you that for now. But remember, it's only temporary." Chase compromised with a pout.
"Alright, I see," Veronica sighed, realizing she couldn't win against this big, pampered tiger.
Leonardo looked at Chase with envy, thinking, 'If only I could be around Mistress like that.'
He wasn't the only one with that wish. Joshua, who had been sitting nearby, ground his teeth in frustration. He couldn't help but think, 'Is this what they mean by "dumb luck"? Can't I just drop the whole gentleman act for once?'