Odette spent the next three days inside her room. She wasn't allowed to leave because her body needed rest until she could stand on her two feet.
Besides, she also didn't want to act arrogantly by asking the cat maids to push her on a wheelchair around the castle. She was neither a royal or a noble that deserved such luxurious treatment.
In addition, she was also afraid of angering the Masked Alpha.
She remembered the fury inside his eyes when she told him she wanted to leave. So she assumed that he might be the type of person who hated unscrupulous brats who didn't know how to show gratitude.
Thus, after three days of rest, she could finally get up and walk around the room. For the first time after getting holed up inside this room, she could finally open the window to stare at the unsettling view of the kingdom.
Other than the deep purple sky and the season that froze in late autumn, she could see the city from above.
The city was quite bustling, and there were many beastmen running about, doing their regular activities. There were even children playing together.
If not for the fact that they were all dead, Odette would've thought that it was just a regular kingdom where beastmen were living their normal lives.
'Does that mean those kids have been staying as a kid for a long time?' that question popped into her head. The more she thought of her situation, the more bizarre it became.
For now, she didn't want to think about any of that, at least not until she could have a proper conversation with the Masked Alpha.
She ate the food prepared by the cat maids, and once she was done, she asked, "Am I allowed to meet His Majesty now? It's been three days, and I… I still don't know what to do in this castle. I'm sure that I can be of use somehow."
"Eh? Uhm, I don't think you need to do anything, Your Grace. If you want to walk around the castle, we can always guide you around," Ruru replied.
"Then, let me talk to His Majesty. I will ask the purpose of my stay here," Odette insisted. "I… don't like freeloading."
"Your Grace, His Majesty is currently outside of the kingdom. He will be here once he's done with his usual duty," Rori explained. "He should return in a few days."
"Usual duty?" Odette frowned. She would understand if he was just a regular king, or at least a leader of the pack who had to trade, negotiate, or even go to war to defend his kingdom.
But everyone in the Kingdom of Hollow Beasts was trapped inside this purgatory forever. They were immortal, and based on the cat maids' information, they didn't need to eat, including Odette. She simply continued to eat because the cat maids became distressed if she refused to.
So what kind of duty did the Masked Alpha need to do?
'Well, it must be something magical. Uhm…' Odette tried to imagine any kind of magical stuff that she could think of, but the only idea that flashed in her mind was the chest-bursting.
Odette shuddered. She truly didn't want to experience it again. Not because it was painful, but because her brain simply refused to process the idea.
"Your Grace, if you want to walk around the castle, then…"
"No need," Odette replied. "I will wait for His Majesty. I still don't know the purpose of my stay. Walking around his castle might anger him."
The cat maids wanted to say that His Majesty wasn't that cruel.
But then again, they remembered how his anger could kill them all over and over. Thinking about that, they decided not to say anything that would make them sound like a hypocrite.
They glanced at each other, and Ruru said, "His Majesty is reasonable, as long as you don't anger him, he will listen, Your Grace."
"I think it's too late for you to stay that," Odette sighed. "I accidentally angered him in the garden, remember?"
"I-I don't think that counts, Your Grace," Ruru responded hesitantly, but before she could say more, her older twin sister stepped on her feet, making sure that Ruru wouldn't talk too much about His Majesty's wrath.
"It is fine if you want to wait for His Majesty, Your Grace. We will stay outside as usual," Rori took over the situation.
"Mm, thank you," Odette smiled at them as she was genuinely thankful for such kind treatment. Though, she doubted this generous treatment would last long.
She refused to believe that the Masked Alpha would just let her freeload forever. There must be something that she had to do in exchange for such kindness.
'There is nothing free in this world, Odette. The better treatment you get, the harsher the consequence will be,' Odette told herself as she continued waiting for the Masked Alpha King.
**
There was no 'night' in this kingdom because nobody could see the moon. When the deep purple sky turned even deeper, it was a sign that the 'night' had come.
Odette didn't feel sleepy at all, but she still tried to sleep as it was better to spend the long days sleeping and waiting for His Majesty to come.
Just when she was about to drift off to dreamland, there was a sudden gust of wind from the open window, and a strong scent of blood filled the room.
Odette's eyelid trembled as the unpleasant blood scent woke her up instantly. She slowly opened her eyes, and stared at the looming figure standing next to the window in a daze.
His red eyes were staring back at her, and it took Odette at least five seconds to fully wake up.
"Y-Your Majesty!" Odette gasped. She wanted to get up from the bed immediately to kneel, but the Masked Alpha suddenly said;
"Stay in bed."
Odette froze on the spot. She sat on the bed, staring at him with unease. She had a lot to ask—no, to beg from this man. But right now, she felt nothing but endless fear, because under the dim light of the chandelier, she could see the splatter of blood on his dark cloak.
She also noticed blood dripping from the tip of his claws. It was obvious that he had just killed something… or someone.
She doubted that the Masked Alpha had an acquired taste for eating his own kin. Nevertheless, he truly looked like a monster that came straight out of her nightmare.
The Masked Alpha didn't bother hiding his bloodlust. He simply walked to the bed, and stood at the edge of the bed, directly staring at the trembling woman.
The blood in his claws dripped and stained the bed sheet, but he didn't care. He simply commanded her with a voice full of impatience.
"Take your dress off."