Chapter 248 Pulled into the Woods

Knowing this was Karida's deeply beloved younger brother, Aaron naturally felt a fondness by association and said with a smile, "Both of you are extraordinary individuals; gold and treasures might seem too mundane. These are some local specialties from the Crode Islands—fun things to play with and delicious treats. There’s also a set of pear wood beast chess carved by my own hands, which could help pass the time during your voyage."

Old Wang didn’t hold back at all, eagerly opening the chest, but his interest waned instantly upon seeing its contents.

Indeed, the chest contained various local delicacies and daily necessities, along with a unique-looking chess box made from premium golden-threaded pear wood. The surface of the chess box was intricately carved, and there was a line of cursive script reading 'To Princess Karida.' Though not written by a famous calligrapher, the strokes were robust and powerful, clearly the work of a warrior, suggesting it was indeed crafted by his own hands.

But...

How much could these items be worth?

Old Wang’s face immediately showed disdain. He had expected that the prince of this grand duchy would have given something more substantial, considering the weight of the chest, thinking it might contain a hundred thousand lire or so. But this guy was so stingy, it was a waste of his princely status.

Karida remained unperturbed. Born into a prestigious family, she had been renowned in the Blade organization since childhood for her exceptional beauty. She had seen countless admirers from a young age and was long past being moved by such gestures.

Just as Karida was about to politely decline, a commotion broke out on the dock. A group of people rushed over hurriedly, consisting of seven or eight beastfolk dockworkers and two female orcs. One of the women had a particularly voluptuous figure, unusually with little fur, and she wore a crop top. Her ‘ample’ abdomen jiggled slightly as she ran, making her stand out among the orcs as a rather attractive woman.

She held up the hem of her floral dress and ran as fast as the wind, looking quite fierce. From a distance, she pointed at the somewhat surprised Aaron and screamed in a shrill voice, "It’s him! It’s him!"

Wang Feng found it amusing. He had directed this scene, and the people were found by Old Sha. Indeed, Old Sha had wide connections; these people looked quite imposing and convincing.

Aaron, being a straightforward person, thought the beast-woman had mistaken him for someone else. He turned to look around but saw no one else nearby, feeling utterly confused.

Though he was the prince of Debang and often visited the Crode Islands, he always kept a low profile. Apart from some high-ranking officials in the Navy, few people here recognized him. He had never met these dozen or so people before. What did the beast-woman mean by pointing at him?

The several beast-kin, who worked as laborers at the dock, were strong and incredibly swift. They rapidly encircled Aaron. The leader, a hulking figure even taller than Aaron, was seething with rage. He shouted at Aaron, "Sir, you appear to be a man of standing, and you don’t seem to be lacking in funds. If it's a bit of romantic indulgence you seek, why not simply pay for it on the Sea Joy ship nearby? Why did you have to ruin my pure and innocent sister!"

Aaron? Beast woman?

Even Karida was slightly taken aback.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else." Surrounded by seven or eight beastmen, Aaron remained unperturbed. To him, these dockworkers were no different from chickens—just poor souls. Any misunderstanding could be resolved with words, without resorting to violence: "I don’t even know you."

The leading beast laughed heartily: "You may not know us, but my sister wouldn’t mistake anyone!"

He roughly pulled over the beastkin woman, who had a belly full of flab, and pointed at Aaron: "Good sister, we beastkins may be poor, but we are honest and would never wrong an innocent person. Look carefully, is it him?"

The beast-woman glanced once and spoke in a rough voice: "It's him, definitely him! No mistake about it. Last night, after I finished delivering supplies to the Sea Joy ship, I was just about to head back when this guy dragged me into a nearby grove..."

Aaron opened his mouth, but no words came out. What grove?

"And then?" The beastkin brother stared intently at her. "What did he do in the grove? Tell everyone exactly what happened! We’ll stand by you!"

"He covered my mouth and tore my clothes..." The beastkin girl, normally bold, blushed as she spoke: "...Oh, big brother, how can I put it... It's just that... Actually, I wasn’t unwilling. He’s so handsome..."

Aaron was utterly stunned.

In all his life, he had never seen such an absurd situation. No, not just seen, he had never even heard of anything like it!

Not only him, but Karida also found it hard to believe. Aaron was of such high standing; how could he possibly rape a beastkin? And this beastkin was so ugly and clearly not young...

"Enough!" Aaron said coldly. He didn’t care if they had mistaken him; a hero’s reputation couldn’t be tarnished by a group of beastmen, especially not with Karida right there: "I..."

But before he could finish, Old Wang jumped in.

How could he let Aaron speak at a time like this? Of course, he needed to speak for Aaron, leaving him speechless!

"I think you're just making it all up!" Old Wang, hands on his hips, pointed at the beast-woman and shouted angrily: "What kind of man is my brother Aaron? He's so handsome, women line up from here to the capital of Demacia, and he’d look at a hag like you? And rape you? Ridiculous! I think you're just trying to extort money!"

"Spit! Are we the kind to extort? Today, we’re not asking him for a single coin. We just want him to take responsibility for my sister! I’d pay him!" The beastkin brother fumed, turning to the beastkin girl: "It looks like we need to get into the details. They don’t believe us! Come on, sister, tell everyone what he said yesterday! Let everyone judge the truth!"

"I, I used to think the same way, he's so handsome, how could he possibly like me..." The beast woman gazed at Aaron with affection and said coyly, "But he said that those slender beauties he’s had too many of, they don’t do it for him anymore. He likes my kind, the curvaceous type. While saying this, he kept rubbing my chest... Oh, I won't talk about this anymore!"

She reached into her bosom and pulled out a handful of golden rials, their shine indicating there were at least a dozen or more. Then she said resentfully, "Here, this is what he gave me after he was done. I told him I didn't want his money, I wanted to be with him, even as a servant, willing to serve him faithfully, but he said his family wouldn't agree to having a beast person as a servant. He left the money and ran! I sell my art, not my body... sniff..."

As she spoke, the beast woman began to cry, covering her face and eyes, though it was unclear if she was really shedding tears.

But at this moment, the others around them looked at Aaron differently.

A beast woman like this, clearly from the lower rungs of society in the docks, where did she get the golden rials? It seemed likely that she had been defiled by some rich young man's peculiar tastes and given hush money. Otherwise, with her behavior, she might not earn such a sum even if she sold herself for half a year.

The docks were never short of onlookers, and the various vices of the Blade nobility were no novelty. Beast women were one thing, but even men with men were not uncommon; it was just rare to find someone so indiscriminate.

Seeing his expression turn sour, everyone assumed this nobleman was blushing and feeling guilty. They quickly tried to defuse the situation, saying, "Enough, enough, you took the money, why are you still making a fuss? Look at yourself, you've already made a fortune with over a hundred golden rials. What more do you want? You’re ungrateful!"

"Exactly, scram, get lost! A bunch of lowlifes, if you keep causing trouble, I'll lock all of you up!"

These people meant well, but Aaron found their words both amusing and exasperating. Were they really helping him?

Karida remained silent, her expression stern, while Old Wang wore a deeply disappointed look. "Your Highness Aaron, I never thought you would be such a person. I... misjudged you!"

It was one thing for Wang Dashi to misunderstand, but if Karida also misunderstood, it would be a serious matter. Aaron couldn't bother arguing with the beast woman anymore and turned to Karida and Wang Feng, saying, "Brother Dashi, Your Highness Karida, it's not what you think..."

"Then did you go to the Sea Joy ship yesterday?" Old Wang pressed, righteous and insistent.

"This..." Aaron was momentarily speechless. He had indeed gone there because the wine was good, but he hadn't done anything.

Seeing Aaron's expression, everyone understood.

"Enough, why pry into someone's private affairs?" Karida scolded Old Wang, then turned to Aaron and gave a slight bow. "Your Highness Aaron, I appreciate your intentions, but please take back the gift. We need to leave now. You should deal with your own matters first."

Aaron had managed to keep his composure, but upon hearing this, he knew Karida had truly misunderstood: "Princess Karida, it's not what you think! I did go to the Sea Joy ship yesterday, but only for drinks..."

"Good one, see, he’s admitting it!" The orc finally interjected, shouting angrily: "You were drinking on the Sea Joy ship yesterday, and my sister was there delivering wine. It’s obvious this shameless guy took a fancy to her! My sister is an innocent girl; how can she still marry after something like this happens? You have to take responsibility!"

"Princess Karida! This is all a misunderstanding. I have two friends who can vouch for me, they are both from the Navy headquarters..."

Aaron tried to explain, but to his surprise, Karida cut him off coolly: "Your Highness doesn't need to explain to me. I have no interest in your personal affairs. Goodbye."

"Princess Karida! Karida..."

"Hey!" Old Wang followed Karida up the ship, turning back to give Aaron a regal disdain: "Prince Aaron, take care of yourself!"

"I really didn’t!" Aaron said, half-laughing and half-crying: "Brother Commander, you’ve got it wrong! Brother Commander, Brother Commander!"

Aaron called out several times, but Wang Feng and Karida had already entered the cabin, leaving no trace behind.

He looked at the empty deck with a sense of melancholy, feeling the disgust in Karida’s eyes as she left. He knew that even if he chased after them now to explain, it would likely only make things worse.

Beep beep...

The Nissan soon set sail. Watching the ship slowly drift away, feeling Karida’s distance growing, Aaron’s mind became clearer and calmer. He turned around, intending to have a serious talk with the orcs who had mistaken him.

But then he saw the orc woman tilt her head and scrutinize him for a while: "Wait! Something’s not right, he doesn’t seem to be the one."

Aaron was slightly taken aback. The orc man said nervously: "Sis, this is about your happiness, you have to be sure!"

The orc woman looked again and finally confirmed: "I made a mistake. He looks similar, has a similar build, and dresses the same, but my man has a mole on his face, and this one doesn’t!"

The orcs immediately looked apologetic: "Oh dear, look at this mess... It was all a misunderstanding!"

"Wrong, wrong! Brothers, let's go, we need to catch that bastard who abandoned his wife and children, why are you surrounding this person!"

"Go, go, everyone, move!"

The few orcs, each adding their own words, suddenly dispersed, fleeing quickly until they vanished without a trace.

Aaron stood there for about three or four seconds, then suddenly came to his senses. Something was off here. Watching the orcs flee in panic, Aaron didn't bother to chase after them. The people were gone, but Aurora City and the Rose Holy Sanctuary weren't going anywhere.

Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.

I am truly sincere, whether it's Karida or that King Dashuai, they will eventually understand this!