A/n: I postponed the presentation of the second encounter with Beauty for another chapter, when  it will be the right moment to insert it into the story going.

Sorry for the lack of Beauty and YiZhan, but it will come, no worries.

Unexpectedly, Liu Hai Kuan pulled up the globe.
"So, smell it! What are you waiting for? 
It's not like it is an immortal flower, you said this species resists only for a few months, not forever. It will wither eventually, and it will be too late for you to enjoy its perfume.
Or maybe it should be me to smell it before you, what if it's poisoned?", he mumbled, bending just a bit and sniffing into the air, from afar.

"Kuan Kuan, what a hell, you start getting on my nerves with your phantasmal conspiratorial theories. 
Stay away, you already did enough, you 'killed' the protective air from inside the globe! 
You're right now, I have no more reason not to smell or touch this beauty, it will wither soon.
Hopefully not until after the ball.
I planned to surprise ZiZi.
I will  pack the rose and take it with us tomorrow, and I will give her the rose to wear it in her hair or at corsage during the ball. Wearing this unique flower, it will be no chance to go unnoticed, especially by Beauty!
You do know, Kuan Kuan, about how  badly she wants to conquer prince  Xiao Zhan's heart, I think she  might be in love with him, even before meeting him in person.", King Wang Yibo smiled , but with a shadow of sadness in his smile.

The king took the rose in his hands with much care, not to break the delicate stem, and inhaled deeply into his lungs the sweet and enticing perfume. 

"What about you, your highness?", Liu Hai Kuan asked , walking to the window  to open it.
The rose's smell felt too strong, even from afar, for his own liking.

"What about me?", Yibo repeated  in confusion, placing the rose back in its crystal pot and covering it with the other crystal bowl.

"C'mon your highness, you know me since we were six, you know that I'm not stupid.
And you know that I know you very well.
I missed the Peony's celebration along with your eighteen birthday party, as I was gone on a mission abroad.
I don't know what happened then, because your highness didn't want to tell me anything about it. I only heard about some rumors going around that you took a bath together with a guest prince, hmmm...  
But you do remember that I accompanied you  five years ago when attending the hunting session from Rose kingdom, don't you?
Do you really think that I didn't notice the way your eyes sparkled whenever landing on prince Xiao Zhan?
Do you really think I didn't  figure out that you fell in love with Beauty?
But let me tell you something that you might have not noticed: each time you were busy or not looking, he was always staring at you.
Your highness, what is it?
Are you alright?", Liu Hai Kuan jumped  to help the king, who suddenly fell onto his knees, cupping his head into his hands and moving strangely his jaws.

"Nothing Kuan Kuan, might be the tiredness, help me to...", the king spoke. But his words converted into a growl ended into a sinister sound reminding of a wolf howl, scaring the out of his friend.

But the sound was nothing comparing to what happened right before  the spy's terrified eyes:
His beloved friend and respected king was in big pain, and he didn't know how to help!
The clothes were ripping by themselves and falling down from his body, the bones of his skull were crackling like green wood in the fireplace, his ribs and other body bones were popping out, cutting the skin and tearing the veins.
Liu Hai Kuan tried to push back a bone, or to press  his fingers onto a blood gushing cracked vein, but his king threw him against a wall with an inhuman force.
Actually not only his force was inhumanly, everything became inhumanly, his hands and feet were now paws ended in sharp claws, his arms were now the second pair of legs, his nose was now elongated, same like his long and narrowed jaws! And where once there were his perfect lips, now was hanging a long red tongue, slipped between sharp, long fangs! 
When Liu Hai Kuan saw the furry tail popped at his friend's behind, he had finally understood that the king  was no more a human being, but a...But a wolf?!

A splendid, white wolf it's true, but still A WOLF!

He knelt before the wolf king, tears falling down his cheeks, and embraced the wolf's front legs, exposing his neck:
"Your highness... my beloved  best friend, Yibao, in the name of our old friendship, please take away my life, please your fangs onto my jugular vein and spare me from the pain to watch what I have done to you!"

Liu Hai Kuan's heart has almost leaped out from his chest when the wolf spoke in his human voice, pressing a paw onto his wet cheek:
"No, Kuan Kuan, how could I kill you? You are everything that I have now! 
I have no family, Yang Zi would suffer from a heart attack if learning that she has a wolf cousin...
I have no kingdom, what people would want to be led by a wolf king? 
As I said I have only you, my loyal friend, my only friend! 
That damned rose did this to me, I should have listened to you!"

"But this tragedy has occurred only because you've listened to my cursed mouth! I was the one telling you that you should smell that devilish rose!
Please my king, I need my punishment, I  must die right now!"

"No,  my friend, you were the one who told me that the rose could be a poisonous trap, but I acted  arrogantly  by mocking you, instead of listening to your wisdom.
It should be me to be punished for leaving my country without a king when enemies and traitors could prowl around. 
Oh, my god, now how I'm going to protect  ZiZi, Rose's royal family, Beauty?
I don't care, Kuan Kuan, I want to go tomorrow no matter what! You  must find