Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Translator/editor: ruby

“Huh?”

「Like earlier. I’m an animal, you know. I don’t have anything to go by except for instinct.」

“Hmmm.”

What’s this cute little thing talking about? He must be upset that I made fun of him.

「I have some self-control, so I can suppress it, but… Anyways, it’s just how I was born.」

He was giving an undetectable warning.

Belinda didn’t know what to say, so she reached out to stroke his cheek again. The soft fur felt very comfortable against her fingers.

He stared at her gently.

She still thinks I’m cute.

There seemed to be a hidden emotion deep in those pretty purple eyes. Belinda couldn’t look away from them.

Aymon closed his eyes and rubbed against Belinda’s palm. It was a gesture of resignation.

「You really don’t know me, Breedee.」

She smiled faintly.

“But I know you’ll always be by my side.”

She meant it. She knew better than anyone that the nervous little leopard cared for her immensely, as much as he pretended to be tough.

 

Didn’t his actions show everything? His soft gaze? He even made her the observer of this ceremony.

Aymon laid his head back onto her palm. He didn’t answer, a statement of such a simple fact didn’t require any.

Belinda already felt better. She kept on staring at him, feeling the warmth of his little body. He began to slowly lick her palm, and she squirmed, grinning. The ticklish sensation was strange.

「You were scared earlier, right?」

“Earlier?”

「You were really stiff at the ceremony. With all the big Shinsu.」

“Ummm….”

Aymon didn’t need to hear the rest to know the answer.

「Thank you.」

“What for?”

「Enduring that for me.」

Belinda scratched her chin. She wasn’t used to Aymon – the big braggart who considered himself the greatest in the world – thanking her. It was unbearably embarrassing somehow.

“Oh, that… It’s nothing.”

「It’s just my greed, but… I wanted to be congratulated by you more than anyone.」

“It’s okay. I liked it, too. Thanks for inviting me.”

He gently pulled Belinda’s hand in, staring at her with an uncharacteristically serious face. His eyes were cold.

「By the way, Breedee.」

“Yes?”

「Who is it? The big guy that gave you a hard time?」

Belinda pursed her lips. It seemed like an innocent question, but it tore down her defences in a single blow. It had been years since her arrival at the palace. Now she was a princess in her own right. She lived happily enough for memories of the past to barely ever cross her mind.

However, she still had her fear of large people and animals to face. It was the one thing that made her into an intimidated child.

She took in a deep breath and stretched out her tense muscles. As hard as she tried to push it away, the deep-rooted fear of the past still lurked in her mind. It was why she sent back every single bodyguard that the emperor tried to give her.

She paused to think for a moment.

Should I say it?

He’s part of my life now. I can tell him.

She was ready to face the past and let it go, with Aymon.

“Well, you know I grew up poor, right?”

「Mhm.」

“Poor humans, especially young orphaned girls, don’t really get opportunities to grow up normally. We could choose between working at an inn to make a living or being sold to a sex trafficker.”

「…..」

“And that’s worse than death itself.”

Aymon’s expression hardened.

“The innkeeper I worked for knew all this. That’s why he could do anything he wanted to me. He knew I couldn’t leave.”

Belinda murmured, trying to smile. She stroked Aymon’s cheek again to feel his warmth.

“He kicked and hit me like I was a pebble in his path.”

Unnoticed by her, Aymon extended his claws for a moment before controlling himself. Murder flashed through his eyes.

“My eighth birthday was the worst. Misha gave me some cookies as a present, but I ran into Mr. Nordi on my way home. He was drunk and started to kick me. I ended up on the floor, along with the cookies.”

Aymon closed his eyes, trying to remain calm.

“But you know the funniest part? While I was running away, I stopped to scoop up the cookies from the ground. And when I got home, instead of wiping the blood off my nose, I ate them. They had some dirt on them still, and eating them made my teeth hurt, but they were delicious anyway.”

She closed her eyes too.

“They were delicious. Really delicious…”

She tried to keep a matter-of-fact tone, but her voice cracked. She bit her lips. It felt like she was acting like a spoiled child to Aymon. Her complaints lost control, pouring out freely. She closed her mouth to stop herself from crying.

I thought I’d forgotten.

I thought only fear was left over, that the wounds were gone.

But, I guess not.

All those wounds must have been tucked away inside. She thought they’d healed, but they were just hidden.

「Breedee.」

It was all laid out before she knew it. The little leopard rubbed against her as consolation.

She couldn’t open her mouth to answer. She felt that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from crying from all that warmth and affection.

「Go back there with me.」

“Huh…?”

「Check it out for yourself. See how weak and shabby he is now.」

Without thinking, Belinda nodded at his almost seductive-sounding words. Her face was hot. She felt the soft tip of his tail brush past.

「If that fear goes away… I’ll show you.」

She had no idea what he was trying to tell her. The animal’s quiet gaze hit her as she gently opened her eyes. Those eyes were so deep, they were barely visible.

It wasn’t until he cupped her face that he figured out she was crying.

Belinda couldn’t hold it back anymore. She buried her face in her hands and heaved with sobs as Aymon quietly held on. His presence alone was comforting.

She cried for a long time. At the very least, releasing all those things she’d been carrying for years was relieving.

She softly called out his names and pulled him in tighter, smiling as he rubbed the back of her hand comfortingly.

Then she cried more. By the time she stopped, the moon had moved from above their heads, and the wind had stopped. Aymon stayed quiet, but the silence was comforting in itself.

“I’m exhausted now from all the crying.”

She mumbled playfully.

Aymon stared up at her and held her face.

「Thank you for telling me.」

His voice was calm, but Belinda could pick out the mixture of worry and affection behind it. It made her feel like crying again. She bit her lips.

「Come on. You should sleep.」

The low voice was like a spell. The crying made her head hurt and her body limp, but she felt relieved. She let her heavy eyelids shut, and her breathing slowed down. Sleep flooded over her.

After a while, Aymon wriggled out of her tight embrace. He looked at her face. Her cheeks still had heat left in them.

「I’m definitely going to be the chief. I’m going to be the chief, Breedee…」

He said, talking more to himself than to her. He slowly licked a tear off her face.

He still didn’t quite understand the deep consolation of the sleeping girl.

***

Belinda opened her eyes.

When did she fall asleep? Judging from the glow in the window, it was already morning. She looked around – it was her first proper look at the rugs and the ceiling – but they weren’t unfamiliar.

It was where Aymon lived. The place she was so surprised to see yesterday, inhabited by someone she thought only cared to lie around on trees and sleep in the grass.

The sound of rustling leaves and the occasional cricket was pleasant. The place was so cozy and comfortable, Belinda almost wanted to move there.

She stretched out her body and something hit her foot. It was Aymon. She carefully moved away to avoid waking up the pretty leopard.

You must be tired after the ceremony.

She felt an almost motherly urge to protect him, who was peacefully sleeping. To her dismay, he opened his eyes as soon as she moved aside. The morning sun filled in.

「Are you leaving?」

“I’m not going anywhere. Just to wash up.”

「Yeah….」

He answered in a sleepy voice and fell right back asleep, still holding on to Belinda’s ankles as if his life depended on it. Belinda slightly tickled his neck to get him to let go. She felt like she was his favorite stuffed animal.

Aymon frowned and mumbled something incoherently.

「Stop moving already…..」

“Let me go. I want to take a walk outside or something.”

The forest outside of the window was very inviting, but Aymon didn’t let go.

「I don’t want to… Stay here and sleep with me…」

His voice was very relaxed for how tightly he was holding on.\n