The King's Gamma (#Wattys2024)

Seventy two

Princess Millicent spent a week in the beast kingdom, clarifying all issues that came up with the agreements, advising on the beast lands on any other issues that had been plaguing them for years.

Goro wasted no time to follow her around like a lost pup, taking every chance he had to declare his undying devotion and insist on marriage with her. Goro senior went as far as to ask his  other sons if they had hit him in the head recently. When did his cold and calculated son become so hot blooded and obsessed? Though secretly he encouraged it. The princess, though human, would be a great partner for his son, and the alliance would be strengthened through marriage. He would never tell his son that he agreed with his intent. Stubborn as the younger Goro was, if he were to be informed that his father wanted the marriage as well, he would pull out as soon as he could.

But for how long?

When she finally left, Goro was left more confused than anything else. He'd done everything he could in the past week to gain her attention. He tried showing off his strength, showing off his knowledge and intellegence, and even going as far as trying every trick his mother and sisters taught him. Much like humans, they had few women, so he already prepared himself to have to share his pretty princess. But not even their best ideas seemed to move the princess to treat him in any special way. 

His father, however, did his homework while his son was foolishly running around after her like a headless animal. Heiji had informed him the basics of human culture and marriages, which enlightened him to quite a bit regarding the princess. The only thing they were unclear was her heritage and reason for originally being in the forest where she had been found. But that did not matter. Whether by hook or crook he intended to have her as his daughter-in-law. And the best choice was Goro junior. After all, the child would kill his siblings without a second thought if it came to his chosen female. He knew this, because the child had been possessive even as a mere pup and nearly killed a few of his siblings for things of lesser importance to him.

His brothers wisely realized his interest early too, especially with the child insisting on marriage on the first day they met, and stayed at an acceptable distance from the princess.

She also seemed to be able to keep this child in line with ease. A simple command and he rolled onto his back while wagging his tail. Goro senior groaned at remembering his son in his beast form doing exactly that when she paid a tiny sliver of attention to him.

It was as she departed that the child did something none of them expected. 

"Princess... If I may?" He asked as he stood closer to bid her goodbye.

She turned back to him, nodding when he suddenly went down on both knees and bowed as deeply as he could. 

"I pledge myself to you as a guardian. As long as you allow me by your side, I will be fulfilled. I will protect you for my entire life, until my last breath. Please, just take me with you."

She looked at her hand where a mark appeared as soon as he stopped talking, and frowned. Goro senior felt the shift in her demeanor almost immediately, but he was unable to move. Something held him in place, something he could only later confirm to be her very will crushing down on him.

"What is the reason for you forcing your bond on me?" She asked, anger sounding clearly in her usually calm and clear voice. The ferocity seemed to make Goro junior flinch, as if she had attacked him. 

"I can not be without you. Even if you do not want me, I will be with you always. You have no choice now..."

"No choice?" She scoffed, pinching the skin where the mark was and tore it off before their very eyes. "Are you saying that you intended to force yourself on me? To force me to accept your presence until you could find a way to force me to accept you as a marriage candidate?"