Beastmen Kings At My Feet [Reverse Harem] - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Hearing Joshua's protective remarks, Veronica felt a warm current wash over her. Looking at Joshua's sharp face and faint smile, she suddenly thought he wasn't so intimidating after all.
After Joshua finished speaking, he turned to her and gave an encouraging nod.
Veronica smiled at him and said, "Hello everyone, thank you for coming to my party. My name is Veronica Byrne."
She took a deep breath and added, "I haven't had much contact with the outside world. Please don't take it to heart if I say or do something improper."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Joshua with hopeful eyes, almost like a puppy waiting for a compliment. She seemed to say, "Joshua, am I doing a good job here?"
Joshua helplessly shook his head, gave her a gentle smile, and nodded at her in approval.
The party soon began. Veronica stood by the long dining table, tasting some desserts. She was enjoying herself when a few women approached her. More precisely, they should be called females.
They greeted her with smiles. "Hi, there."
Veronica put down the dessert and replied, "Oh, hi." She wiped her hands and asked, "Is there something I can help with?"
One female with curly chestnut-colored hair spoke up, "Are you really at S-level?" Her eyes were full of curiosity, but there didn't seem to be any malice.
Veronica nodded. "I'm not really sure. Joshua tested it for me."
The female nodded thoughtfully. "Then it must be true."
Another female with long silver hair asked, "I heard you've bonded with two semi-primal beastmen. Is it true?" Her tone made it clear she didn't think much of semi-primal beastmen.
Veronica nodded and replied, "What's with semi-primal beastmen? But I didn't bond with them."
Another female with her hair pulled up high exclaimed, "Come on, don't you know? Semi-primal and primal beastmen have the lowest bloodlines. They're no use to you. You don't need to keep two useless males around."
She looked genuinely worried. "Seems like Mr. Holland's protected you too well. You don't even know this."
Veronica shook her head. "I do know, but it doesn't matter to me. They're really nice males."
She seemed confused, thinking, 'Why does it matter what their bloodlines are? Bonding with them wasn't to get another life to fight in my place. I just consider them friends. That's all.'
The women were left speechless, thinking to themselves, 'What a naive female. Females are precious. Bonding with males is not only to help suppress their primal regression but also to gain another life.
'There are too many males, so the lowest-ranked ones are bound to be discarded and forced to accept their fate with primal regression.'
But seeing Veronica's carefree attitude, and remembering her S-level psychic power, they realized their worries were unnecessary. With an S-level psychic power, Veronica clearly wouldn't need to worry about psychic limitations.
Leonardo had been standing on the opposite side of the table, hidden behind a stack of tall champagne glasses that obscured his massive figure.
In his mind, Leonardo made a silent vow. 'Even if I'm not strong enough now, I'll work hard to get stronger. I'll join the military, earn my honors, and I'll never be a burden to Mistress.'
Just as Veronica managed to deal with the overly enthusiastic females, something icy suddenly touched her ear.
Veronica spun around, only to find a man with long hair holding a champagne glass close to her ear. He wore a perfectly pressed white shirt, a suit jacket draped over his left arm, and his jet-black hair was tucked behind his ear.
When she turned to face him, the man flashed a smile, his eyes narrowing as he sized her up.
Veronica was stunned, her mind racing. 'What a beautiful man. Do all the men in this world look like this? This guy is on the same level as Joshua, just with a different vibe.'
The man's fox-like eyes and subtle smile made him seem harmless. But Veronica had an unsettling feeling that his smile wasn't as innocent as it appeared.
The man raised his champagne glass toward her. "Hello, beautiful female. Let me introduce myself. I'm Matthew Fraser, President of Snakehaven."
Hearing that name, Veronica furrowed her brows, clearly confused.
Matthew said with a smile, "You've probably heard of me from Joshua. Our two families have always been rivals."
"Nope." Veronica shook her head. "I've never heard of you."
Matthew's smile faltered for a split second before he quickly regained his composure.
He then said, "No worries, now you've heard of me. Since we both know each other's names, can we make friends, Ms. Byrne?"
Veronica immediately thought, 'What's he up to? This has to be shady, right?'
Although Veronica didn't know much, it was obvious that this man had no good intentions.
Just then, she spotted a little rabbit beastman carrying a tray of various drinks and heading her way.
She waved him over. The rabbit looked startled, but he quickly jogged over. "Your Excellency, what can I get for you?"
With his big, red eyes and long ears hanging down, Veronica couldn't help but think, 'Oh my, he's so cute.'
"Can I have a drink, please?" Veronica asked.
The rabbit beastman hastily handed her a glass. Veronica was unable to resist the rabbit's charm, and she gently petted his long ears, feeling the soft fur brush against her hand. She was so excited that she stomped her feet, thinking, 'This feels so damn soft.'
"Your Excellency, what are you doing?" The rabbit's eyes were a little red, clearly taken aback.
Veronica quickly withdrew her hand, embarrassed. "Sorry, I just couldn't help it. Your ears are really cute."
'Cute? She thinks my ears are cute,' thought the rabbit beastman, his eyes welled up with tears. This was the first time someone had complimented his ears. As a semi-primal beastman, he was often mocked for not being able to hide his animal features.
He thought to himself, 'Ms. Byrne is truly a kind female. She's got such powerful psychic power and yet doesn't look down on anyone.'
"Thank you," the rabbit mumbled and rushed off. He was afraid he'd embarrass himself in front of such a wonderful female.
"Eh? Did I hurt his feelings?" Veronica murmured, puzzled.
Matthew's voice rang out. "Ms. Byrne."
Veronica snapped out of her thoughts and remembered that she'd intended to clink glasses with Matthew. However, she got distracted by petting that rabbit's ears.
"Oh, sorry." Veronica picked up her glass and gently tapped it against Matthew's.
Just as she was about to take a sip, a sudden force from behind pushed her forward. She was about to stumble but was caught by a solid wall of muscle.
Looking up, she saw Matthew's grin—one that didn't reach his eyes. She immediately pushed against his chest to try to stand up.
Matthew grunted in pain.
Veronica asked, "You okay? Did I hurt you?"
Veronica thought, 'No way. I shouldn't be able to hurt him this badly with my build. Could it be that Matthew looks big but is actually not as tough as he seems?'
In a panic, she yanked at his shirt, only to reveal countless scars crisscrossing his chest—old and new, looking like they'd been caused by repeated lashings.
Matthew, caught off guard by Veronica pulling at his collar, felt a surge of anger and shame. His hidden wounds, ones he'd kept secret for years, were now exposed to a female he'd barely met.
"Get away." Matthew could no longer maintain his false smile.
Veronica, still shocked, didn't fully register his outburst. She was too focused on the fact that Matthew was standing here, seemingly fine, despite his severe injuries.
She said with concern, "What happened to you? I'll take you somewhere to treat that. This is serious, and you're still smiling like it's nothing."
But Matthew, unaffected by her attempts to pull him away, stood on the spot.