Chapter 555: She Starts to Pull Herself Together, but He Still Can’t Move On

Chapter 555: Chapter 555: She Starts to Pull Herself Together, but He Still Can’t Move On

Not long after this incident, news spread from the palace that the Crown Prince had finally agreed to let the Emperor select consorts for him.

To this end, a special palace banquet was held for him to view the young ladies, and over a hundred daughters from prestigious families attended.

After all, even if one couldn’t become the Crown Princess Consort, there was still the chance to become a Crown Prince Consort.

The quotas for consorts in all of Zichen Palace included: one Crown Princess Consort, two Crown Prince Consorts, four high-ranking concubines, and eight lesser concubines.

Everyone had long since found out that the Crown Prince intended to select all fifteen young women at once, filling Zichen Palace to capacity.

On the day of the selection banquet, Shen Ningning hid on Wolf Mountain and didn’t go out.

Grandma Qin searched all around the main residence but couldn’t find her.

"Wolf King, Ningning has been sullen for days. I’m worried something might happen to her. Please, go find her for me. See where she’s gone, and remind her not to forget to come home tonight. Tell her that no matter what’s happened, her grandma is still here for her."

Grandma Qin stroked the Black Wolf King’s fur. She watched as he darted from the residence, swift as a shadow.

"Sigh." Grandma Qin shook her head.

Lang Si stuck close by her side, using his fluffy head to help Grandma Qin balance a large basket.

"Grandma, why are you sad, too? Ningning’s been unhappy for a few days, and now you are, too?" Lang Si asked, trotting on his chubby paws and blinking his big, round eyes.

Grandma Qin sat down in her recliner and began to shell peanuts for Lang Si.

She smiled and said, "I’m not unhappy, dear. I’m just worried about Ningning’s marriage."

’Xiao Lu is a good boy, but why would Ningning want to marry him?’

"Oh, so that’s it. Wolf Three is upset about this too. He’s already missed two meals. Grandma, can you give his dinner to me instead?"

Grandma Qin chuckled. "Why is Wolf Three unhappy? Is he worried about Ningning?"

Lang Si nodded, sitting on the ground like a big, dark-furred dog.

"Wolf Three is thinking about our mother."

Grandma Qin was somewhat surprised.

After talking with Lang Si, she learned the reason the Black Wolf King hadn’t taken a new Wolf Queen in all these years was that he still mourned his mate, who had died during a difficult birth.

Wolves view things differently from humans; they are monogamous.

After their mate dies, a male wolf typically finds it hard to live on alone.

But the Black Wolf King bore the responsibility for an enormous pack, so he has persevered to this day.

So when Wolf Three recently heard the villagers discussing it,

he heard that if Ningning were to marry, she would have to bear children.

And the Wolf Queen had died from that very thing—giving birth.

When Wolf Three made that connection, he found it difficult to accept.

Grandma Qin stood up, wiped her hands twice on her apron, and said, "I’ll go check on him."

「Meanwhile.」

The Black Wolf King was already weaving his way through the forest, tracking Shen Ningning’s scent.

He continued until he stopped before a cave.

Gentle sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting serene shadows on the ground.

The Black Wolf King stood at the entrance to the cave, his steps slowing as a flood of memories rushed back to him.

They had lived in this very cave when he first brought Shen Ningning to live by his side.

Not only that, but his Queen had also passed away here, struggling through childbirth.

’What is Ningning doing here?’

The Black Wolf King entered the cave. His keen sense of hearing immediately picked up the sound of faint sobs.

He quickened his pace, moving deeper into the cave.

There, he saw Shen Ningning curled into a ball, leaning against the stone wall.

"Ningning." At the sound of the Black Wolf King’s voice, the young girl quickly looked up, her eyes stained with tears.

"Wolf Father..." Shen Ningning wiped away her tears. "Why did you come find me? Is something the matter with Grandma?"

The Black Wolf King padded over and lay down beside her. "Grandma Qin was worried you were down, so she sent me to check on you. What are you crying about?"

Shen Ningning lowered her lovely eyes, her expression dim. "My wedding is soon, and I can’t bear to leave Grandma."

"That’s not right," the Black Wolf King immediately countered, his serene eyes filled with lucidity. "That brat from the Lu family already said when he came to see Grandma Qin that he would move us all in with you after the wedding. If you’ll be able to see her every day, why would you miss her?"

Shen Ningning looked a little awkward.

Wolves are clever and perceptive animals by nature. And her Wolf Father, having drunk Spiritual Spring Water, was practically sharper than any human.

"I..."

"The truth is, you don’t want to get married, do you?" the Black Wolf King asked in a low voice, like a patient elder guiding a child.

Afraid he would see through her lie, Shen Ningning lowered her head, her voice muffled. "No, that’s not it."

The Black Wolf King’s gaze was calm and composed. "You can’t fool me. I can smell your dishonesty."

The young woman looked up, exasperated. "Wolf Father!"

’Did she truly have no secrets in the eyes of a wolf?’

"Fine," said the Black Wolf King. "I’ll stop smelling, then. But you have to tell me: why are you forcing yourself to get married when you don’t want to? Is someone forcing you?"

As he spoke, a suspicion formed in his mind. "Is it that brat from the Lu family?"

Shen Ningning shook her head. She didn’t want to explain anything; she just wanted to hug the Black Wolf King’s neck and bury her tear-streaked face in his thick fur.

"Wolf Father, I was just wondering... when people face something painful, how do they get through that agonizing period?"

The Black Wolf King began to lick her hair, smoothing it down as if grooming her fur.

Then, he said softly, "I don’t know how humans do it. But when I am filled with sorrow, I think of my responsibilities, and that’s how I endure."

"You have moments of sorrow too, Wolf Father?" Shen Ningning asked in surprise.

In her eyes, the Black Wolf King was powerful, perfect, and simply invincible.

An ordinary wolf pack might have two dozen wolves at most, but her Wolf Father was a king who ruled over a hundred!

It was because of his great power that this mountain had been named Wolf Mountain.

His prowess was known far and wide.

Shen Ningning had always assumed that without the complex emotions and desires of humans, life as a wolf would be happier. She never imagined that her Wolf Father had his own sorrows.

"I lost my one and only mate." For a wolf, a wife was a mate, and they could only have one in their lifetime.

"Bai Xue was a hero to our pack. While she lived, she bore me twelve pups, every one of them strong and fierce. They were the foundation of our pack’s strength."

Shen Ningning quickly asked, "Bai Xue? That’s such a beautiful name for Wolf Mother."

"It was the name I gave her after I learned to speak your language." The Black Wolf King thought of his mate. Her fur had been black, just like his.

But in his heart, she was like white snow—pure and flawless.

It was the most beautiful thing he could imagine, so he used it as her name.

Shen Ningning’s eyes widened in understanding.

"After she died, my instincts told me I should have passed my title to Lang Er and walked off alone into the depths of the forest."

"Without a mate, and free from the great responsibility of supporting a pack, all that would have awaited me was a quiet death."

The Black Wolf King flicked an ear.

"But the great famine was about to begin then. We didn’t know exactly what was coming, but we sensed it ahead of time. The pack grew restless. At that time, there were still many other powerful beasts in the forest, and compared to them, my pack was particularly vulnerable."

So, to protect the pack and ensure it could grow strong, the Black Wolf King remained.

"It is for the sake of that responsibility that I have remained strong and lived to this day. I’m something of an anomaly among wolves for it. But after my mate died... your word ’sadness’ isn’t enough to describe what I felt. I believe the word is ’grief’."

Shen Ningning could understand his pain.

Wolves were far more devoted and faithful than any human.

"If you are in great pain, think of your other responsibilities. Don’t just hole up by yourself and grieve. There are still so many things you can be doing."

His words struck Shen Ningning like a bolt of lightning, and she suddenly understood.

’He was right. Love is only one part of my life.’

’Even if this hurts now, there are so many other things I still need to do!’

’I have to pull myself together and wait for Mother to come back!’

Shen Ningning threw her arms around the Black Wolf King, burying herself in his thick, soft fur.

"Wolf Father, I’m so glad I have you. No matter how painful it gets, I’ll find a way to be strong."

"Good. Are you absolutely sure you don’t want me to go and eat that Lu family brat for you?"

"No, I really don’t need you to do that!"

「Meanwhile.」

Back in the palace, the lively consort selection banquet was in full swing, but the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Shaobei entered the inner hall of Zichen Palace, finding the doors tightly shut. He saw the man of the hour—Crown Prince Mo Lingwei—lounging on a daybed by the window, head propped on his hand as he feigned sleep.

"Your Highness, how can you possibly be sleeping at a time like this?"

"My world has come crashing down. Why shouldn’t I get some sleep?" Mo Lingwei replied without opening his eyes, his voice languid and tinged with a faint chill.

Chen Shaobei froze.

He truly hadn’t expected Mo Lingwei to describe Shen Ningning’s actions as something so catastrophic—as if his entire world had collapsed.

"But... so many noble ladies have come today. Since Your Highness does not wish to meet them, should I make an excuse and send them away?"

Mo Lingwei, however, opened his narrow eyes and sat up.

"No need. I’ll go take a look. She wants me to marry as soon as possible, doesn’t she? Fine, then I’ll give her a show."

With that, Mo Lingwei strode out of the hall.

He left Chen Shaobei standing in place, his brow deeply furrowed.

’He’s actually using something as serious as marriage as a tool to spite Princess Funing?’