The Empress' Beast Selection (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

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“My soulmark’s other half will be you, Sophia.”

It was a phrase the young girl’s little wolf, Demios, had whispered like a habit.

Lady Sophia Arte, daughter of the Duke.

To Sophia, who had been raised under the care of the Huron Imperial Family since childhood, the palace was a vast prison.

Days withered away one by one under the Empress’s hatred.

The only light that appeared before the girl was Crown Prince Demios of the Beastman Empire.

The boy had come to the Empire as an exchange student, said to carry the blood of beasts.

At first, he’d seemed merely fascinating—

after all, outwardly, he appeared nothing more than a strikingly handsome boy.

But Demios’s true nature was that of a wolf, and only when he revealed his true form did she finally understand:

the boy was different from her.

A gray-tinged wolf gently licked the girl’s cheek.

Startled by the warm, soft sensation—so unlike her own tongue—Sophia’s eyes widened.

Afterward, Demios, returned to his human form, asked,

“Were you scared?”

“…No.”

Sophia shook her head.

Truthfully, she’d been a little frightened, but her heart had fluttered far more than it had trembled.

Thus, the young lovers grew closer.

And so, the children secretly met, hiding from the Empress’s watchful eyes.

One of their favorite pastimes was discussing the differences between humans and beastmen.

“Beastmen have something called a Name.”

“A Name?”

“Yes. It’s rare even among beastmen. One day, suddenly, the name of your destined partner appears marked upon your body.”

“Oh, come on. That’s a lie. There’s no such thing.”

Though she questioned it, Demios’s expression remained utterly serious.

“Beastmen whose bodies bear a Name will, without fail, seek out and fall in love with the person who bears that name. Once two such beastmen meet, no one can ever part them.”

That’s why they’re destined for each other.

At his emphatic words, Sophia’s eyes sparkled.

It sounded like magic. Seeing her interest, Demios smiled and continued,

“But I feel certain your name will appear on me.”

“But… I’m human. Even if a soulmark appears on you, it won’t be mine.”

Disappointment tinged her voice; it was a tale that didn’t apply to humans.

Yet Demios stood firm.

“Then it means nothing. My fate is you.”

Where did such confidence come from?

Even as she wondered, the girl’s heart raced.

When Sophia smiled shyly, Demios smiled back.

As she gazed at the boy, a sudden question arose.

“But what if it’s not mutual?”

What if only one bore the other’s name, while the other had none—or someone else’s?

Would that be fate… or misfortune?

Her heart sank heavily, as if it were her own story.

“Well…”

The boy’s lips moved. Strangely, no sound reached her ears.

Her vision gradually darkened until all was black.

“Your Majesty, it’s time for your morning cough.”

At the clear, birdlike voice, Sophia’s eyes snapped open.

“Oh, it was a dream.”

It felt like she’d dreamed of her very early childhood—something she hadn’t done in ages.

Trending

She’d only recently become Empress of the Beastman Empire, yet here she was dreaming of Demios’s student days.

Smiling at the old memory, she was met with a question from the maid drawing back the curtains.

“Did you have a pleasant dream?”

“Hmm, it ended rather ambiguously.”

But it was a dream she was glad hadn’t continued.

After all, just a week after that dream-conversation, Demios had returned to his homeland.

“Wait for me. I’ll surely come for you.”

Yet, shamefully, Demios never returned—

not even after news arrived that he’d ascended the throne following her coming of age.

“Oh dear, I should’ve let you sleep five more minutes. Days like this, when you sleep so soundly, are rare.”

The chirping voice of her songbird maid instantly banished Sophia’s drowsiness.

“It’s fine. Let’s get ready.”

Today was the day she’d arranged to have breakfast with Demios.

How would he react if she told him he’d appeared in her dream?

Smiling faintly, Sophia swung her legs out of bed.

As the Empress began her formal morning routine, maids responsible for her washbasin and hairbrush entered one after another.

All the ladies and maids serving exclusively the Empress were new beastmen.

Though appearing human, their essence remained closer to animals.

Already more than five years had passed since she’d begun living among them.

“I’ll let your hair hang long.”

“And add just a few ornaments—specifically, the sapphire pin His Majesty gifted you.”

These maids had been with Sophia since her arrival in the Beastman Empire.

Thus, they knew her preferences well and prepared swiftly.

As Sophia gazed into the mirror, the myna bird maid finishing her hair tittered.

“You’re in a good mood because of breakfast with His Majesty, aren’t you? You act so coy together. At this rate, you might even develop a Name…”

“Betty.”

“Eep! Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

At the songbird lady’s warning, the myna bird maid fell silent.

The youngest maid was cheerful and bright but occasionally overstepped boundaries like this.

In truth, however, Sophia wasn’t bothered at all.

“It’s alright. Though Names are said to be increasing lately… they’re still rare even among beastmen.”

She merely felt a slight distance—the fact that they were beastmen and she was human.

At twenty, in the spring, Sophia received a marriage proposal from Demios, now Emperor.

It had been her salvation.

She’d never expected the letter she’d sent, carrying her last hope, to reach him.

As Sophia grew older, the Empress’s hatred only intensified.

After Demios’s departure, Sophia’s childhood became pure torment, and the Empress eventually declared she’d send her off as the eighteenth wife of a distant desert king.

Not only was it exile across a thousand miles, but the man had a history of murdering his wives.

She had to survive.

She had to flee—anywhere.

At that moment, Demios was the only one who came to mind.

“Wait until I contact you first.”

That had been their promise.

But the wait grew unbearably long, and Sophia had reached her limit.

For the first time, she sent Demios a letter.

Not long after, a formal proposal arrived at the Empire.

In the spring of her twenty-first year,

when they met again, he’d grown into a man taller than her by a full head.

“He’s become just like any other man.”

Demios was now taciturn and cold.

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Though his changed demeanor felt unfamiliar compared to childhood, there was no doubt he remained her savior.

Their wedding proceeded swiftly.

Rumors spread that their bond, dating back to Demios’s student days, made them a uniquely devoted couple.

Yet, contrary to public belief, their marriage lacked tenderness.

He’d grown into a man who rarely smiled, and Sophia couldn’t bridge the temporal distance between them.

“But that’s fine.”

After all, Demios treated her with the respect due an Empress and always maintained at least a baseline of courtesy.

That alone was enough. Therefore,

“What does a soulmark matter anyway?”

Romantic dreams were only for girls.

Just as she finished dressing,

“His Majesty has sent word that breakfast will be difficult today.”

It was the Emperor’s steward.

The maids blinked in surprise—this had never happened before.

“Oh my, he’s never missed one before.”

“Could something serious have happened?”

The maids murmured among themselves. Sophia calmed them.

“It’s alright. He must have pressing matters. Please convey my understanding.”

“I shall relay that.”

The steward withdrew carefully.

With breakfast canceled, her morning suddenly became free.

“We’ll have breakfast here in the Empress’s quarters today.”

“I’ll prepare the table right away.”

The myna bird maid hurried out of the bedroom.

Sipping the tea offered by the songbird lady, Sophia fell into thought.

“What could it be?”

She pretended indifference, but it troubled her.

Their private meals were among the few moments they shared as a couple.

She’d believed he understood this and had always protected that time—until now.

“There’s been no urgent news. Could something be wrong?”

If it were a state matter, she, as Empress, would have heard.

Since the steward gave no further explanation, it was best to wait patiently.

Sophia finished breakfast with her maids.

Afterward, she prepared for the party scheduled for next week.

It was a victory celebration for the Duke who’d eradicated the barbarian tribes, a long-standing thorn in the Empire’s side.

“I’ve never met the Duke before.”

He’d been at war even before Sophia became Empress.

While preparing to receive the Duke, she quickly forgot the morning’s incident.

It was afternoon.

As Sophia caught her breath, a maid whispered,

“You have tea with the Chinchilla ladies in an hour.”

Beasts were divided into predators or herbivores—or even more finely, into mammals, birds, and so on.

Beastmen split into factions by species or genus, and as Empress, Sophia regularly hosted gatherings with them.

“Is this how we differ from humans?”

Human nobles would gather based on ideology or personal gain, but beastmen were different.

Beastmen strongly fixated on primal bloodlines and species distinctions, beyond mere power structures.

Their temperaments and traits varied by species, and intense emotions sometimes triggered partial transformations.

Though all appeared human, their true nature remained wholly beast.

Thus, Sophia—a human—becoming Empress of the beastmen was especially extraordinary.

“Let’s go.”

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“Yes, I’ll accompany you.”

The tea party was held in the Outer Palace near the central gardens of the Imperial Palace.

Noble ladies of the capital often rented this venue for parties and gatherings within the palace grounds.

Through the door crack came murmurs that abruptly ceased as the door opened.

All the noble ladies were already assembled inside.

“We greet Your Majesty.”

Led by the chinchillas, noble ladies of hamster and field mouse descent rose to bow.

True to their small-animal nature, they all shared petite frames and round, soft features.

Once Sophia took her seat at the head, they sat as well.

“The atmosphere feels odd.”

Moments ago chattering freely, they now glanced at each other nervously, lips tightly sealed.

Rodents were typically quick-witted and swift to spread rumors.

Had some gossip reached the palace without her knowledge?

Sophia lifted her teacup and asked,

“I heard you speaking just now. What were you discussing?”

“Well… um…”

The Countess Chinchilla hesitated to answer.

Though naturally talkative, she was also timid and cautious about dangerous rumors.

Under Sophia’s gaze, the chinchilla lady finally spoke carefully.

“Actually, I heard from my cousin that a woman bearing His Majesty’s Name has appeared. They say His Majesty has gone to meet her right now…”

Name.

At that word—once dismissed as trivial—Sophia’s heart plummeted to the floor.

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