Chosen Mate Of The Beastmen Empire

The online event was in full swing. Though Nyx was just a minor character, her role's popularity was off the charts. The livestream was packed with fans, and the host kept calling her out to interact.

Since some wild shippers loved pairing her with the male lead, the organizers sneakily added a Q&A segment for just the two of them. The questions didn't need to be flirty-just a little interaction was enough for the shippers.

Nyx had no clue about any of this. At first, the male lead played along, dropping vague hints to hype the ship. But Nyx never took the bait, leaving him winking at a brick wall. He could only sigh and smile wryly

The chat still went nuts shipping them.

[Nyx is so clueless, she's killing me with cuteness.]

[Nyx has definitely never dated!)

[Of course not! Our princess is only eighteen this year!]

[The guy looks so lost!]

(Hahahaha! He's sighing up a storm!]

[She's still young-The dude needs to step it up! You're close to her, so win her over first.]

A big, bold comment suddenly crashed the party: [

The die-hard shippers weren't having it.

[Ugh, so annoying!]

[Can you get lost?]

isn't his wife.]

[Need a reminder? This is their duo interview livestream.]

[Stop policing us. We'll ship what we want!]

[Wait. That tone doesn't sound like a female lead stan. More like a Nyx solo stan.] [Solo stans can scram too!]

Kai couldn't make sense of the chat's gibberish, but he could tell they were pairing Nyx with some other guy. When he denied it, they cursed him out.

The furious leopard nearly crushed his phone. He arrived at the event venue with cold eyes and a blank face, radiating a "don't mess with me" vibe.

A jittery security guard stepped up to stop him, but before he could ask for ID, the event organizer's representative stubbed out his cigarette and hurried over. "Mr. Kai, is that you?"

"Please, come in, come in," the representative said with a big smile, ushering Kai inside.

This guy wasn't in entertainment, but his influence was massive-billions in assets, connections across industries, and big shots bowing to him since he'd arrived in the country.

'Why would someone like him show up unannounced?' The representative probed curiously. Kai kept it short. "Looking for someone. Nyx, where's Nyx?"

He dropped her name in casually,noveldrama

familiarly, that the pond whe

he pointed to Nye's spot Her interview's almen don Wait *****

Helly was parked in the lounge, buzzing with sndiripivin my hart are hes get ready

in de out the momen he texted that he'd arrived

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of

Nearby, the event representative's respectful wote na trade red flying spotting a tall, green-eyed Idond man. She froze, a swe dread wedd

The man strode toward her in a few long steps. Helly starind reading any de garage f terrifying big demon scent, and her face went whitewater

Aaaaaaah! The bad demon was here! He was going to eat coment Help me. Low Kate Wydad de

"Mr. Kai, please have a seat, the representative said eagerly, pailling a chat next to My

Helly sat there, stunned. She thought. Mister what? What now? What is happening? shephe

out a shrill yelp and bolted like her butt was on fire.

The room went dead silent. The representative looked puzzled, while Marilyn and

free flat Gan de dat recognizing Kai, ran after Helly.

Marilyn, well-connected, knew this was a mysterious overseas tycoon. She

couldn't afford to be the gut que te awkwardness. "Hello."

"Helly's not feeling well today—she didn't mean to offend you, she said, quick to defend her, worned Knife ch personally.

Kai nodded, then shook his head, showing he didn't mind. He'd clocked her as a little demon-dily to expec Nyx's safety in the group chat.

She seemed genuinely worried about Nyx, just a bit dim and skittish. She'd run off so fast probably because wetens spooked and couldn't hold her human form.

Kai calmly took a seat, oblivious to being the cause of her breakdown.

Meeting this big shot for the first time, Marilyn couldn't gauge his mood. She chose her words carefully. "Are you here for Nyx?"

In this huge venue, with so many seats, he'd plopped right next to Nyx's-it was obvious. Sure enough, Kai nodded

So he really was here for Nyx. Marilyn couldn't figure out how and when Nyx had crossed paths with someone so out of her league.

"Nyx never mentioned me to you?" Kai caught her confused look, picking up on her unfamiliarity. He frowned and declared "I'm Nyx's-"

He stopped short of saying "sugar daddy," swallowing the words. Annoyed, he realized without that contract, he didn't have a clear label.

After a pause, Kai straightened up and stated proudly, "I went on a date with Nyx yesterday. Our second one." That was the only card he had to play.

Marilyn couldn't believe her ears. "A date? R-really?" Her face was full of shock.

Her brain scrambled. Suddenly, she recalled a vague rumor from a while back- something about two top-tier moguls fighting over a small-time star at a banquet.

She hadn't gotten any details or names-the info was locked down tight, a sign of how powerful the

ers were. She'd

brushed off that one-line gossip as boring and forgot about it. Now, piecing it together, it felt eerily familiar.

“Really,” Kai said, unfazed by her doubt. "If you don't believe me, ask Nyx."

"Or ask Seafarion," he added with a faint smirk, his gaze sharp. “I know you're hieplant by Nyx's side

After yesterday, he'd dug into Nyx's background. The more he found, the angrier he got.

He'd ordered his people to rough up everyone who'd ever messed with Nyx-from Dylan to Williams to that third-rate actress Joanna and Terry. It eased his mood a bit, but not enough.

Before he came along, Nyx's life was already full of other guys. Seafarion had saved her, let her live in his house, even set up her studio. He wondered if that was the reason she stuck by him.

Kai wasn't happy. Everything about Seafarion rubbed him the wrong way. He envied how Seafarion got there first, had the upper hand, protected Nyx. He even envied that Tanis was human-no overthinking, no worries-just free to chase Nyx, grow old with her, die with her.

Thinking about it drove Kai up the wall. Marilyn was seasoned, well-traveled, and used to dealing with big shots. She rarely flinched. But those eerie green eyes hit her with a crushing pressure, stealing her breath.

The air went still, Onlookers didn't dare breathe too loud. Then a burst of lively chatter approached. The door swung open. and Nyx walked in, surrounded by staff fresh off her interview.

Spotting a familiar figure, she raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

In a flash, Kai's whole vibe softened. He stood to meet her. "Came to find you, Nyx."

No way was he letting those drooling demons from the group chat anywhere near her. Marilyn watched him calm down, head lowered, and thought he was like a different person.

"Who were you just livestreaming with?" Kai asked, taking her hand and guiding her to sit.

"The male lead," Nyx replied offhandedly.

"Are your characters a couple?" His face twisted with jealousy as he asked.

"Huh?" Nyx shook her head, baffled. "Of course not!"

The show had no romance at all-not even between the leads, let alone her minor

role.

The guy, who'd been holding it in, finally spilled. "The livestream chat kept saying you two are a couple. I told them no, and they cursed me out."

Nyx froze. She knew she had some shippers with the male lead, but she didn't think they were that intense. The interview questions had been totally normal. Nyx patted her partner's hair, soothing the sulky leopard. "They're just making stuff up. It's not true."

"Marilyn, next time tell the organizers I don't do shipping," she said, turning to Marilyn with a heads-up.

Marilyn nodded. It wasn't really "shipping" level, so she hadn't nixed the duo interview this time. But if the shippers got too crazy, it'd be smart to steer clear. They weren't an official pair with a love story-once filming wrapped, they could just move

1. on.

His whining worked better than expected. Kai beamed, crouching by Nyx's feet, nuzzling his head against her chest. Getting cursed out didn't matter-as long as Nyx babied him, he was good.

Nyx ruffled his hair gently. "I've still got work to finish. You going to keep waiting?"

6530

Kai nodded without hesitation.

"More work?" Marilyn checked her watch. "Didn't your parts all wrap up? The duo interview was the last one? She was sure of it-no mistakes there.

"They added a costume interaction bit," Nyx explained. The audience demanded

it, the organizers caved, and she was stuck with it.

She'd have to change into a heavy, elaborate princess outfit. Time was tight- costume change, makeup, no real break. Nyx got busy fast.

Once ready, she waved at her partner. "I'm off. Wait for me."

Kai didn't reply, just stared at the dolled-up little female, eyes burning with

infatuation. When Nyx vanished from sight, he pulled up the livestream to keep watching her.

Marilyn rubbed her temples, feeling a headache for Nyx. This guy was as obsessed with her as Seafarion.

Nyx's status was clearly outmatched here. She couldn't afford to cross either of these titans. Picking one was tough-ditching both was impossible. Keeping them both on the hook, Marilyn couldn't even picture how bad that crash

would be. She touched her phone, deciding to keep quiet for now and not report this to Seafarion.

Kai caught her move from the corner of his eye and nodded, satisfied. As long as she prioritized Nyx and had her back, he didn't care if she was Seafarion's mole.

His focus snapped back to the screen. In the livestream, Nyx pulled a hairpin and stabbed it into the actor playing her nation's destroyer. After a slick fight scene, the villain crumpled, finishing an alternate "fallen princess revenge" storyline.

Nyx stood tall, hair slightly mussed, eyes sparkling like she was locking gazes through the screen. Kai's heart pounded, his crush unstoppable. Humans and demons shouldn't mix. He shouldn't chase Nyx or get too tangled up

with her. But seeing her skirt hem askew, he couldn't help wanting to kneel and fix

it for her.

He hesitated a few seconds, still undecided, when Gavin beat him to it-darting in

to adjust Nyx's skirt, then retreating fast. That was supposed to be Helly's job, but

she'd vanished somewhere, leaving him to step up.

Kai's face darkened instantly. When Nyx got back from work, she found a

brooding, pouty partner.

'What's up with him now?' she thought. She didn't want to hash out relationship

stuff at the venue. After saying bye to her agent and assistant, she dragged Kai to a restaurant alone.

"Order something. Wait for me a sec," Nyx said, plopping him in a seat. She slipped out, hit up the pet store next door, and tucked something into her pocket. She came back in high spirits, eyes crinkling with a smile, which just made Kai's

sulk look deeper. He couldn't hold it in anymore. "Fire your male assistant," he

said coldly.

Nyx blinked, confused. "Gavin? What'd he do to you?"

Gavin was a good guy-he'd barely even spoken to Kai. Kai pressed his lips shut, saying nothing. He knew he was being unreasonable.

When he wouldn't explain, Nyx shook her head. "Can't do that."

A lightbulb went off in her head. She slid over to Kai's side with a sly idea, patting

his arm. "Don't be mad. Didn't the contract say rejecting the sponsor's demands

means punishment?"

10:07 Wed, 19 Mar

Hearing her bring up the contract, Kai shook his head, flustered and red-faced.

00%-

+63

Before he could speak, Nyx poured herself a full glass of wine and downed it.

"Guess I'll punish myself with a drink then."

Two seconds after chugging it, she clutched her forehead, mumbling, "So dizzy

and flopped softly into his arms.

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