Trapped in the Beastworld Breeder System (BL)-Chapter 44: Would you like to return to the starting point?

Chapter 44: Would you like to return to the starting point?
And with that, Lucien withdrew the mist that had shrouded them, leaving Aries standing alone in the open. His gaze remained fixed on Lucien’s retreating figure, watching as the distance between them slowly widened.
Then, without warning, Lucien dropped to his knees.
He faced the king directly, his posture rigid yet broken, and spoke in a voice stripped of all pretense.
"Your Majesty," Lucien said hoarsely, lowering his head, "it is just as my brother stated. I am truly insane—my senses clouded by what I believed to be love. I saw this tiger beast as my mate and dragged him into the wolf kingdom against his will. I also lay with him against his will."
His fingers curled, "I am despicable."
Even as the words left his mouth, Lucien knew there were truths he could not reveal. He could not admit that Areis had worked alongside his brother to accomplish something unseen, nor could he expose the strange circumstances surrounding him. To do so would invite severe punishment—far worse than exile. Moreover, a part of Lucien genuinely believed that Areis had been compelled by forces beyond his control.
He could not risk outing him. Not when it might reveal Areis’s human form.
Not when it might destroy him entirely.
The king listened in silence, his expression darkening with every word. With Lucien done, the king let out a long, heavy sigh, the weight of disappointment evident in the sound.
"I never expected this from you, Lucien," the king said at last. "You were meant to conduct yourself with dignity, responsibility, and restraint. Instead, you have forced my hand."
He rose from his throne, his presence filling the hall.
"Everyone, hear me," the king announced, his voice echoing through the hall. "I decree that the second prince, having lain with a beast not of his kin especially the tiger tribe, has committed an act bordering on treason."
A hush fell over the court.
"He is hereby stripped of all royal rights and titles," the king continued coldly, "and is to be exiled from these lands. He shall be sent to the wolf mines along the outer coast, where prisoners are confined."
The sentence was harsh.
Yet Lucien accepted it without protest.
Slowly, he lifted his head and glanced toward Aries, his eyes filled with a quiet hope that this sacrifice would not be in vain. If this was the price for Areis’s safety, then he was willing to pay it.
The king’s gaze then shifted.
"As stated by the now-exiled prince," he went on, "this young tiger beast was brought here against his will. Therefore, he shall not be punished further. He will be cast out of the wolf territory and allowed to return to the tiger kingdom—should he so wish."
At those words, Lucien’s face lit up.
For someone who had never believed he would find a mate, who had only just glimpsed the possibility, this was enough. Even if it meant losing everything else, knowing Areis would be safe was worth it.
As Areis heard the judgment, he knew his role here was finished.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he let out a silent sigh of relief.
’Now the contract can be broken, right?’ he asked the System internally.
[Since Host has completed the task, the contract may now be annulled.]
’And how is that done?’
[Host must summon the contract draft from his soul and sign over it. Upon completion, the contract will be annulled.]
’Cool.’
Without hesitation, Areis summoned the contract from deep within his soul. A sheet of flowing blue parchment materialized before him, glowing faintly in the air. He drew a small cut across his palm and pressed his bloodied hand against the surface, signing his name.
The contract trembled, hovering silently in front of him.
Kenzie watched the entire process with sharp, calculating eyes, his body tense and alert, as though waiting for something to go wrong.
Lucien rose from where he knelt and walked toward Areis. When he reached him, Areis was still kneeling. Lucien gently grasped his arm and helped him to his feet.
"This is the very last chance before I leave," Lucien said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me if you can. And if you can’t, then just give me a sign."
He searched Areis’s face desperately.
"Are you doing this of your own free will... or not?"
Areis gave no response.
He couldn’t.
To say yes would trigger retaliation from the contract at the very moment it was being undone. To say no would unravel everything Lucien had sacrificed himself for.
So he remained mute, and Lucien suddenly burst out, his restraint finally shattering.
"So, at the end of the day," Lucien said bitterly, his voice rising, "you actually aren’t being compelled at all, and you still had the guts to lie with my brother before coming here, knowing fully well that I would play the fool for you just because I claimed you as my mate."
His jaw clenched tightly, his teeth grinding together as his lips trembled with restrained fury and pain.
"You had the audacity to play with my heart," Lucien continued, his voice cracking despite himself, "and yet, I can’t even seem to do anything to you."
Areis stood before him, anxiety clawing at his chest. All he wanted desperately was for the contract to dissolve already so he could step forward and explain everything.
Even though he kept telling himself that whatever he felt was only the temporary mate pull, that there was nothing real or lasting about it, Areis felt too bad. And this... this was far too much for him to bear: the realization that he was the cause of someone else’s heartbreak.
He felt despicable, even though he hadn’t done anything outrightly evil. He watched helplessly as Lucien spoke again.
"It would have been better if you had just played with me," Lucien said, "but instead, you went ahead and played with my heart."
’Is there really any difference?’ Areis thought as he lifted a hand and scratched the back of his head in helpless confusion. Still, he couldn’t respond. No matter how badly he wanted to.
So he waited.
He stood there patiently as the words piled up on his tongue, burning, waiting for the moment they could finally burst free and be spoken aloud.
But that moment never came.
Having said everything he needed to say, Lucien waited expectantly for Areis to finally break free of whatever compulsion bound him. Yet nothing happened.
And in that silence, Lucien was forced to confront the truth he feared most.
That realization tore holes straight through his heart, making his wolf howl in anguish deep within his soul. He could not remain there any longer—not in front of Areis.
As Lucien turned to leave, the contract finally began to dissolve before Areis’s eyes, its glowing script unraveling into nothingness.
"Wait—" Areis called out instinctively, his hand stretching forward.
But Kenzie was faster.
A sharp, blinding pain struck Areis, forcing his outstretched hand back instantly. His breath seized in his throat as his knees buckled beneath him. He clutched his chest, where the pain burned unbearably hot, and felt wetness soak into his clothes.
The pain was excruciating.
’What did I do to deserve this?’ Areis thought as his legs finally gave out.
Lucien turned back at once and caught him before he hit the ground, shock flashing across his face.
Areis’s voice caught in his throat as he struggled desperately to breathe. He lay in Lucien’s arms, gasping, but no air would come. Through blurred vision, he saw Kenzie standing before him, a sword slick with blood clenched in his grip, while Lucien appeared to be locked in a heated argument with him.
Areis could feel his body trembling violently in Lucien’s hold. Lucien’s face was twisted with anguish and fury, but Areis could no longer hear anything. His senses were fading, his vision dimming rapidly.
As his eyes finally closed, the last thing Areis managed to shout was, "Fuck it!"
[Ding. Welcome back, Host. You have failed the Beastworld Stage.]
Areis felt himself drifting, weightless, suspended in a vast white dimension. A familiar system interface materialized before him.
Seething rage flooded his chest when he realized he was being sent back to the tiger territory so soon especially when he had just begun to feel that the Wolf territory was finally starting to make sense.
It was a cruel reminder of how easily even the most carefully laid plans could crumble in seconds if one misstep was made.
His anger burned hottest when he thought of Kenzie.
’I should’ve known that sly dude would kill me,’ Areis spat inwardly. ’He was never interested in killing Lucien outright. He wanted him alive, wanted to hurt him slowly. Which just makes me wonder how deep that malice of theirs truly runs.’
His fury boiled over as the system’s voice echoed once more, delivering a message he already knew too well.
[Death at any point in the world will return the Host to the starting point.]
Then.
[But, Host... would you like to return to the starting point, or—]