Chapter 103 - The Prince's Lover

Another month quickly passed by, and the tension in the air of the Northern Continent had yet to die down. Discussions continued between the secret faction of the Henshaw Dynasty that was led by Prince Brendan, and matters had calmed down, compared to how things initially were.

Both sides had been able to come to a consensus, reaching an agreement where they would work together without antagonizing each other or hindering each other's efforts.

After understanding the stance of the demi-humans, Prince Brendan was rather eager to work together with them in order to bring down his father's rule. He had explained that one of his goals was to make the Henshaw Dynasty a better place where demi-humans could peacefully co-exist with humans, and while that was a rather large goal, as long as the demi-humans that made up the majority of the other forces were willing to work together, then that goal might very well become a reality.

But there was still one unresolved matter that the young prince had yet to handle over the past month.

"Lena." Brendan sighed as he knocked on his younger sister's door. The princess had been doing her best to avoid him over the past month, even going as far as to eat her meals in her room instead of the royal dining room where the whole family ate their meals.

Different from other days when he tried speaking to her, however, today would be different. Brendan heard the muffled sound of footsteps coming closer from the other side of the door and took a step back.

Silently, the door cracked open as Lena's fair face came into view. "What do you want?" She asked, making sure to avoid eye contact.

"I want my Baby Sister back." Brendan sighed sadly, "Come, walk with me. There is something I need to show you." He held out a hand for Lena to take.

The young princess eyed her brother's hand for a moment before stepping out of the room and standing beside him. She didn't take his outstretched hand.

Brendan nodded before leading the way. The two of them made their way through the quiet castle halls, ignoring the few servants that were still up and about by this late hour. Everyone else was still asleep, so they did not need to worry about anyone seeing them.

Soon, they reached a secret passage way that led to the underground city, and quickly made their way through it. When they got to the bottom, the prince continued leading his sister through the sides of the city until they got to a simple house at a secluded corner of the city.

Brendan knocked in a specific pattern, and a few seconds later, the door swung open before two furry arms were swung around his neck, startling Lena.

"Bren! I missed you!" The demi-human that had her arms around Brendan's neck leaned up to give him a kiss, shocking Lena even more.

"B-Bren?" She stuttered, unable to think up a proper response to what she was seeing.

After sharing a passionate kiss with his adorable Werecat lover, Brendan took a step back with said lover in his arms and turned to face Lena.

"Lena, let me introduce you to Isabella, my adorable little lover." The prince smiled warmly and tightened his hold around his lover, Isabella, ever so slightly.

"Nice to finally meet you, Princess Lena." Isabella slightly averted her eyes, looking at her feet, as she addressed Lena. "Bren's told me a lot about you and I've always wanted to meet you." She whispered the last bit.

"I-I..." Lena's mind was blown. She never expected this.

"Let's head inside and we can speak, yes?" Brendan asked and extended his hand to his sister again. This time, without a second thought, Lena took her brother's hand and let him lead her inside.

Isabella happily bounded into the house, rushing in ahead of Brendan and his sister. When the two siblings stepped into the house, they saw the cute Werecat rushing about with her arms full of some clothes and other wares, trying to tidy up the place a bit.

"I-I wasn't expecting any visitors... hehe." She awkwardly said when she returned from wherever she had gone off to drop the things in her arms.

"It's fine, Bella. Come on." Brendan said with a laugh and took his lover's hand, tugging her down onto his lap and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Oh!" Isabella exclaimed, surprised at the act.

"...Wow... Just wow..." Lena whispered with a small smile on her face. All her thoughts of her brother lying to her and tricking her, that she had harbored over the past month were instantly washed away by this display. She could very clearly see the love and affection that Brendan held toward Isabella.

"Ehehe... I should have probably introduced you two sooner." Brendan finally said with a wry smile on his face.

"You should have." Isabella whispered as she hid her face slightly in Brendan's neck. She was feeling embarrassed by his display of affection. When she had initially kissed him, she had no idea that he had come along with someone, as he only usually came to see her alone at late hours of the night when no one would be around to see then.

There were quite a few demi-humans in the underground city, so she was never lonely, as she would spend most of her time with them. The only times she felt lonely were those few times when she would not be able to sleep, and would end up thinking about Brendan all night, wishing that they could be together in the open. She knew that it was only a matter of time until her smart lover found a way to make life better for them.

"So, are you willing to forgive me now, Baby Sister?" Brendan asked with a small smile, as he already knew that he had won over his little sister.

"I'm willing to, as long as I get to speak to Isabella more often." Lena said with a small smile on her face.

"I think we can arrange for that, can't we, Bella?" Brendan turned to his lover and nudged her slightly with his chin.

"Mhm." She nodded shyly as she looked at princess Lena.

"Alright, I'll go for a walk outside and leave you two to chat a bit, eh? Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Brendan moved Isabella to the couch and stood up before making his way to the front door. With a wave of his hand, he left the house, leaving only the two ladies remaining in the building.

After Brendan left the house, the two young ladies in the room looked to each other for a moment before Isabella immediately turned her face away shyly. Paying no heed to her brother's lover's shyness, Lena immediately scooted over to Bella's side, eager to know more about the one who managed to capture her brother's heart. As far as she knew, Brendan had turned down all the suggestions that their father made, refusing all the noble women who had come to seek his audience.

Because of that, she could barely wait to know how Bella had made the impossible possible.

"Hi! As you already know, I'm Lena. I hope we can be great friends!" Lena extended her hand for a shake, trying her best not to overwhelm Bella, or else she might have already tried to kill her with hugs.

"I-I hope so too, Princess." Bella answered hesitantly. If not for the white fur covering her cheeks, then she was sure that Lena would be able to tell that her skin was beet red from how shy she currently was.

"So, I wanna hear all the juicy details! How did you and Big Brother meet?" Lena finally leaned back, but was still beaming like a mad woman. Bella also relaxed a little, also wanting to talk about Brendan so she could revel in the memories of how they had begun their relationship.

"W-well, it was a couple of years ago, I guess. I had just been captured by some human hunters, and was forced to take part in one of those their... games." The expression on Bella's face turned sour for a moment before she continued, "I was luckily placed in a group match, and managed to survive. Bren told me that he was scouting the demi-humans in the game so that he could convince his father to buy them as his servants and pets, when he set his eyes on me." Bella blushed heavily again.

"He bought me from the organizers of the game, and I've been with him ever since."