Nine Therians and Their Only One Queen novel Chapter 9

**When She Opened the Door to the Life She Was Afraid to Live by Nora Vale Kingsley**
**Chapter 9: Is Ms. Tibarn Mad at Me?**

“Really?” The elder, who had seen six centuries of life, sprang to his feet as if he were a child on Christmas morning, his excitement palpable. “That’s simply marvelous! This means that Ms. Emma Tibarn’s ability to bring mental comfort has truly had an effect on you.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sebastian accessed his lightcore and transferred a staggering 50 million star coins to Emma. “Thank the Beast God for guiding His Majesty to the lady who can provide such needed solace.”

Meanwhile, upstairs, Emma stumbled back into her bedroom, her energy utterly depleted. The thought of preparing breakfast felt like an insurmountable task. Instead, she reached for a nutrient fluid, gulped it down, and then crawled straight into bed. The moment her head met the pillow, sleep enveloped her like a warm blanket.

Her mental energy had been drained to the point where she slumbered deeply, oblivious to the chimes of her lightcore that echoed softly in the background. They rang out several times, but she remained in the depths of her dreams, unaware of the world around her.

Far away, on a desolate and unnamed planet, a man with striking deep violet eyes glared at the flickering signal of his lightcore, frustration etched deeply into his features.

He had spent the last month on this barren rock, tirelessly hunting Level 8 beasts. The planet was a technological wasteland; his lightcore struggled to maintain a connection to the network. Whenever it did manage to connect, it was only for fleeting seconds before the signal would vanish again, leaving him in a frustrating silence.

Today, however, luck seemed to be on Edric’s side as he finally caught a stable signal. His heart raced as the notification from the Consort Pavilion’s Beastmate System popped up on his screen.

Cold-blooded therian males had it particularly tough in the realm of relationships. Their beast forms were often too intimidating, causing many female Etherians to shy away from them. Even if they were matched with a lady, the moment she discovered her match was a cold-blooded therian, her instinct was usually to dissolve the match without a second thought.

That was why, after a match was made, these males would rush to their lady’s side, eager to win her over with charm and affection. But Edric? It had been three long days since the match, and he hadn’t made a single attempt to reach out to her. He hadn’t visited her or even sent a simple message.

Great. Ms. Tibarn must be absolutely furious by now.

Seizing the moment of connectivity, Edric quickly tapped on Emma’s contact, initiating a lightcall projection. The call rang several times, but there was no answer.

His stomach plummeted.

Perfect. Ms. Tibarn was definitely mad at him.

He attempted another call, but the signal fizzled out once more.

Edric stared at the lifeless screen, his frustration boiling over.

He leapt from his perch atop a tree, landing gracefully before striding over to his team, who were still busy tracking Level 8 beasts. “The mission is on hold. Pack everything up. We’re leaving in an hour,” he commanded, his tone brooking no argument.

The journey back from this desolate planet would take at least twenty days. Cold-blooded therian males weren’t exactly the most popular figures. By the time he returned… would Ms. Tibarn even still want him?

Emma slept soundly through the night, and when she finally awoke the next morning, she felt a sense of renewal. Her mental power had fully replenished, and her body felt invigorated once again.

Rising from her bed, she washed up, changed her clothes, and before heading downstairs, she decided to check her lightcore.

To her surprise, her usually quiet match list was now buzzing with activity. Besides Damian, the ever-scheming individual who was always looking to extract money from her, another name flashed brightly on the screen. Edric had attempted to reach her through lightcall projection. She had been too deep in slumber to hear it ring.

Nine matches. One had already been dissolved, and she had unfriended another. One more had devolved into a paid arrangement, while the third was perpetually asking her for money.

As the saying goes, lightning never strikes the same place twice. Yet here she was, facing three bizarre matches in a row. Surely, the fourth one wouldn’t turn out to be just as chaotic, would it?

She hesitated, staring at the three missed projection calls before finally deciding to call back.

A moment later, the system chimed in, ‘Lightcore System: The account you have dialed is currently out of the coverage zone.’

Emma’s brows furrowed as she read the message.

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