Holly's knees went weak at the people's screams. She remembered how they cheered when they saw her father beheaded. Their cruel faces and vile laughter were still etched in her mind.
When the door opened, Holly's heart seemed to stop beating too. The noise was suddenly quiet. All eyes look at her with shocked faces and wonder why she was still alive.
Holly looked at Felix for comfort, only by seeing him she felt stronger. She forced her legs to walk forward, towards Felix who had opened his arms to hug her. But her feet were too weak to walk, Felix approached her first, making everyone gape in shock.
Felix hugged her in front of thousands of people, ignoring the envious and hateful looks of the women who wanted to be in Holly's position.
"I'm with you," he whispered as he hugged her.
"Kill her!" A shout rang out loudly from behind the crowd.
Felix immediately turned to the source of the voice. The woman who was screaming suddenly inched backwards in shock. She didn't expect Felix to know that she was the culprit even though there were a lot of people there.
"Why is she here? She should be dead!"
"Decapitate her!"
"She must die!"
"Give her to the beasts!"
Everyone joined in the cheering until their necks tightened. The loud voice echoed from the human who did not know anything. But some wolves who were standing there were silent, they knew their King very well.
If Felix had already given an order, no one would dare to oppose it. No matter how crazy the decision he made, the King's order was absolute. So, when Felix said Holly would be their Queen, no one dared join in the shouting.
"She's a traitor!" Another scream rang out again, louder than before.
"He sold herself too! She's a whore!"
Holly's eyes were wide open to hear that. She never sold herself, even though she chose to starve for days instead of being touched by a random man.
"I'm not," Holly said quietly, but her voice was drowned out by their commotion.
"That's right! She lived in a brothel after the King kicked her out!"
No! Holly wanted to scream like that but her lips were shaking too much. She built her own house on the edge of the forest with the wood she found. She worked hard to make the house, but in the end, they set it on fire.
"A bad girl like she doesn't deserve to be Queen!"
Felix clenched his jaw, he really wanted to kill them all one by one. However, he tried to suppress his desire to kill because he was not the one who has the right to judge them.
Holly could only shake her head, she couldn't defend herself anymore. They smiled slyly at her, she was like prey in a crowd of humans.
"Don't say such things about our Queen!" A scream suddenly rang out from the few people who had started to group up.
"Watch out for your mouths! She is our Queen!" Another voice joined in.
Holly was confused. [Anyone defending me? I didn't hear wrong, did I?]
Holly wiped her tears so she could see them clearly. The facial features of the people defending her looked a little more different from those around them. Firm jaws and sharp eyes, they must be wolves.
"He killed the Crown Prince! Now she wants to be Queen? Reloux must want to take the throne on purpose!" Those humans haven't given up on making fun of Holly.
"Don't talk bad about Reloux!" Another wolf shouted angrily. He was ready to lunge at the human if only a guard hadn't restrained him.
A commotion broke out, and they split into two groups. The humans asked for Holly to be beheaded while the wolves did not accept their Queen being treated like that.
Just like Holly, Felix was also silent at the commotion. A smile appeared on his face as he realized how precious this incident was.
"I thought they hated me," Holly muttered under her breath.
Felix looked at Holly, her smile grew wider as he saw her speechless at the scene. Holly was right, his people hated her. But Holly still remained their Queen and they will not accept the humans insulting their Queen. Moreover, they despised Reloux who had been their King.
"They hate humans, and humans hate you." Felix looked into Holly's eyes intently. "Do not be sad. They finally accepted you as Queen."
Holly's eyes widened. She was accepted as Queen, even defended like that. For the first time in her life, she was defended by many people. Her tears that had been held back for so long finally fell. But now, her tears didn't fall because she was sad, but because she was too happy.
Felix pointed at the woman who shouted first. One gesture of his managed to silence everyone. "You, come here!"
The woman looked left and right before finally standing in front of Felix, she looked down in fear and trembled. Holly remembered who the woman was, she was the shop owner who accused her of stealing and made her exiled to Dark Hill. She was also the one who almost hit Holly with a rock.
Felix took a sword from a guard and threw it in front of the woman. "You said you wanted to kill her. Now, just kill her!"
Holly held her breath, she prepared if at any time the woman attacked.
The woman was confused, but her hand still grabbed the sword Felix had given her. She thought this King was testing her. [I will definitely get a reward if I kill her.]
She finally smiled mockingly at Holly who was still wary of her movements. But before she stepped with the sword, Felix suddenly drew his sword. He calmly pointed the sword at the woman.
Everyone gasped in shock. The woman was no less shocked, she spontaneously dropped her sword and knelt until her face touched the floor.
"She's mine and you want to take what is mine. Then you have to fight her master first, right? So get up and let's fight."
"I-I am sorry, Your Majesty!" The woman cried in fear.
Everyone was silent with pale faces, they must not have expected that their new King would join in defending Holly. They still thought that Felix was a friendly King who paid attention to the voice of the people.
"Why do you feel sorry? Come, do what you want." Felix smirked, satisfied to see her frightened.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I can't touch your property," said the woman with her face still touching the floor.
"Property? How dare you called my future wife property?" Felix touched the girl's neck with the tip of his sword, making her cry even harder.
Felix sighed and turned to Holly. "Tell me, My Queen. Should I kill her?"
Holly froze to see the woman who used to look down on her now kneeling in fear. Not only that woman, but the people who spat on her were also now standing with very pale faces in the crowd. Holly still remembered their faces and what they did to her.
However, without this woman, Holly might never have made it to Dark Hill. She wouldn't meet Felix and stay starved. There was at least one thing she could be grateful for.
"I give her mercy, Your Majesty," said Holly. Her sharp eyes stared at that woman, all the pain that she had received was now stung again on her skin.
Felix smiled happily. "You're very lucky, Woman." And he slashed her head.