Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 197: Episode : Dragged Away.

[Choose your answer wisely.]

Queen Nerissa leaned forward, her massive eyes boring into Roxy’s soul.

Her tentacles twitched with anticipation, curling around the base of her throne. The entire court held its breath. Even the bubbles from the thermal vents seemed to pause.

Nerissa was hoping that this small creature had birthed a grandchild for her.

Roxy’s lips twitched; she opened her mouth and closed it. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Fuck. It only gets worse and worse.

Nerissa pressed on, and Roxy took a step back.

Absolutely not, are you crazy? She wished to say, but she couldn’t. It might end up with her turning into the sardines.

She couldn’t die, not when she had not seen Tanith turn into a powerful basilisk!

[The outcome of this conversation will determine the geopolitical future of the Beast World.]

[Athena (Goddess of Strategy), Do not be foolish, girl. The trust is a blade; sometimes you must sheath it. If you deny him now, you shame the King in front of his Matriarch. Shame in this culture equals death.]

Where is this going?

Roxy’s heart spiked. She couldn’t understand a damn thing they were saying.

[Ares (God of War): Say no! Tell the old hag her son is unworthy! Let the armies of the deep rise! I want to see the Wolves fight the Sharks! Let the oceans run red!]

No!

[Hera (Goddess of Marriage): A union is power. A Refusal is war. To protect the family you have, you must accept the family you are given. The path to the surface lies through the throne, not the dungeon.]

Roxy stared at the texts on the screen in disbelief.

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

[Select your Reply:]

[Option A: The Honest Denial.

"No. We are not mates. I just want to go home."

Consequence: Nerissa perceives Caspian as weak and Roxy as a defective asset. She will execute Roxy to cleanse the King’s distraction. She will then launch a full-scale invasion of the surface to find a stronger breeder just like Roxy.

Outcome: Total war. 98% Chance of Beast King Fatalities. There would be bloodshed.]

Roxy shivered. What in the name of...

[Option B: The Vague Affirmation.

"We have bonded. The seed is planted in the heart."

Consequence: Nerissa perceives the line as secure. You are granted Royal Status. You gain access to the Gate of Tides (The Safer exit to the surface).

Outcome: The Wedding Rite. Path to Survival.]

Roxy felt her heart throb.

This was blackmail. She wasn’t so dumb as not to realize that.

If she said no, Nerissa would invade the surface. She imagined Zarek, Kaelen, and the others trying to fight an army of magical, armored merfolk while also taking care of the babies.

Tanith was still only a baby.

I’m sorry, hubbies, Roxy thought, a lump forming in her throat. I have to play this fucking game.

The silence stretched. Nerissa’s eyes narrowed. "Well?"

Roxy forced her shoulders to relax. She channeled every ounce of energy she had left. She placed a hand over her heart.

"Your Majesty," Roxy said softly, her voice carrying through the silent hall. "The currents of the heart are... deep. We have shared our breaths and shared our blood."

I have no fucking idea what I was saying right now.

She looked at Caspian and offered a small, shy smile.

"The bond has been sealed," Roxy lied, praying Nerissa wouldn’t strike her down. "And as for a youngling... the tides take time to rise. But the promise is there."

It was vague and absolute nonsense.

But for one to live, one must take risks.

Nerissa stared at her. Then, the Queen slammed her hand onto the table.

"HA!" Nerissa roared, the sound shaking the crystal goblets. "I KNEW IT!"

She stood up, her tentacles writhing in ecstatic joy. She grabbed Caspian’s shoulder and shook him so hard his teeth rattled.

"You sly fish!" Nerissa bellowed, looking at her son with immense pride. "You made me worry! I thought you were hesitant! But you have already claimed the prize!"

"I..." Caspian stammered, looking at Roxy with shock. "I... yes. Yes, Mother. I am... very efficient."

"Efficient!" Nerissa laughed, wiping a tear of black ink from her eye. "He is his father’s son!"

She turned to the court, spreading her arms wide.

"You heard the Princess!" Nerissa announced, her voice booming like a thunderclap. "The bond is sealed! The promise is made!"

The nobles cheered.

"But a promise in the dark is not enough!" Nerissa declared, her eyes gleaming with a manic, festive energy. "The Spires must witness the Union! The Ocean itself must bless the new blood!"

She pointed a massive finger at the ceiling.

"Tonight!" Nerissa commanded. "We hold the Rite of the Tides!"

Roxy’s smile faltered. "The... what?"

"The Ceremony!" Nimue squealed, appearing at Roxy’s side instantly. "The Aqualis rite! Oh, Roxy! You are going to be a Queen! Tonight!"

"Tonight?" Roxy squeaked. "Like... in a few hours? Isn’t that a bit... rushed? Don’t we need to send invitations? Maybe wait a few months?"

"Nonsense!" Nerissa waved a dismissive hand. "The King is alive. The Mate is here. The food is cooked. Why wait? We marry you where the tides meet!!"

She turned to her guards.

"Open the Royal Suite! The Pearl Wing! Prepare the Altar of Shells! And get the Priestess of the Deep! We have Aqualis right to execute!"

She looked at Roxy, her expression softening into something genuinely maternal, which was somehow more terrifying than her anger.

Guys, I think I have landed myself in a deep problem...

[TheMotheroftheWorld pats you and assures you that you would be fine.]

[TheSassyGoddess winks at you, just do what you are good at.]

"You will wear the White Coral," Nerissa decided. "It will look striking against the pink tail. Go now. Rest. Prepare. Tonight, you become one of us forever."

"Forever," Roxy whispered, feeling faint.

Forever!!! FUCK!!! Not gonna let that happen.

"Take her!" Nerissa ordered Nimue. "The Groom cannot see the Bride before the Rite! It is bad luck! It summons the Sea Witches!"

But I am a sea witch, cast me back into the sea!

"Understood!" Nimue chirped.

Before Roxy could protest, she was swarmed.

Nimue grabbed her left arm. Vespera grabbed her right. Thalassa grabbed her tail.

"Come, sister!" Nimue beamed. "We have so much to do! We must polish your scales! We must braid your hair! We must find something old, something new, something borrowed, and something... dead!"

"Dead?" Roxy yelped as she was lifted bodily from her chair.

"Tradition!" Vespera barked, grinning. "Usually a shark tooth."

Caspian stood up, looking alarmed. "Wait! Nimue, be gentle! She is—"

"Silence, Groom!" Nerissa barked, slapping a tentacle over her son’s mouth. "You go to the armory! You must sharpen your spear! A husband must look dangerous on his wedding night!"

What the fuck do you mean by dangerous?!

Roxy was being dragged away. She looked back at Caspian.

He looked helpless. He looked happy. He was looking at her like she had just given him the world.

"Caspian!" Roxy shouted, reaching out a hand as the mermaids hauled her toward the heavy double doors. "Do something!"

"It is okay, my Pearl!" Caspian called back, muffled by his mother’s tentacle. "I will meet you at the altar! I will wear my best armor!"

"No! Don’t wear armor! Stop the wedding!"

"He is so eager," Thalassa sighed dreamily, towing Roxy through the water. "Look at him. He glows with love."

Fuck you mean by that?

[Relax.]

What do you fucking mean by relax? We thought we agreed that Ren was the last one?

[...]

Fuck you, system!

"He glows with stupidity!" Roxy yelled.

They reached the doors. The guards pushed them open. The sounds of the banquet, the laughter, the chewing of raw meat, the cheers, faded behind them.

Roxy realized what she had done.

She had chosen the path of peace. But the cost was marrying a fish-man who thought "woo-ing" involved screaming and kidnapping.

And somewhere, miles above, her five actual husbands were building a submarine to save her, totally unaware that she was about to commit bigamy at the bottom of the ocean.

As the doors slammed shut, sealing her fate, Roxy let out a scream of pure, unfiltered frustration.

"FUCK YOU, CASPIAN!"