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Chapter 9




Chapter 9
Translator/editor: ruby
“Those wicked, arrogant Shinsu bastards……!”
Prince Lart said, fists clenched and still crying in frustration.
He was busy complaining to his twin, Princess Adelai – he couldn’t reveal the neck-trampling incident to their father. The royal family didn’t see much beyond threatening and making fun of the beasts.
Well, it wasn’t his fault, but he knew the emperor would be angry with him for showing weakness. He hated it when his father was disappointed in him.
“So he threatened you to stick up for Belinda?”
“Yes! He stepped on my neck and tried to break my ribs! It really hurt!”
He shouted, hitting his chest. An intense feeling of disgrace rose up his body.
Adelai tried her hardest to keep a calm expression.
I don’t care how strong you are, you insulted Lart and the royal family by extension.
This alone was enough to make her outraged, but worst of all, she couldn’t bear that Belinda, with her vulgar veins, was the reason for all of it. It was a disgrace, plain and simple.
“You completely forgot about the attitude of the royal family, didn’t you?”
“…….”
“You’re the one who’s been humiliated, but all that traces back to the whole family. When are you going to stop being so thoughtless?”
“…..Adelai.”
Cold sweat trailed down her face.
 
“Imagine you shot the arrow that killed that stupid thing. What do you think our father would have said? It would be hot gossip”
The prince remarked calmly while still wiping away his tears.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Adeleai sighed.
“It’s not your fault. You were just trying to make fun of her. I understand your feelings, too.”
“That’s right! The vulgar blood that puts our mother into misery! I….!”
His sister wiped his face with a handkerchief.
“Anyways, let’s be careful now. Don’t go near Belinda when she’s with that Shinsu. It’s true that they’re strong. Allright?”
She said in a friendly voice. She was just a child, but she knew perfectly well how to twist Lart around her little finger.
He nodded and responded with a long “Yeahhhhhh.” She patted him on the back, as if to console him.
“Lart, I will avenge them for humiliating you.”
“How?”
“I’ll find a way somehow. I’m sure they have a weakness.”
“Yes. They must have one!”
“Trust me.”
She flashed a cold smile.
“Your Majesty, are you very busy?”
The princess went up to her father, doing paperwork at his desk.
Her attitude was very different from the one she’d shown Lart. She clung to her father’s arms with twinkling pleady eyes. The emperor gave in and laid down his quill pen.
“Come here.”
With his arms wide open, he held Adelai tightly – a loving father that Belinda would never get to know.
Adelai sighed deeply to draw his attention.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty… ….”
“What is it to make you sigh so deeply?”
He laughed, as if the princess’s worries were cute.
She responded in a somber voice while fiddling with his collar.
“I was learning about the history of the empire yesterday, and it made me really sad.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the imperial family that has built an empire, and the great emperor who leads the people, right?”
“Yes.”
“But… …it’s so sad to see the Shinsu leopards, who have nothing but power.”
“…….”
The emperor’s expression changed. He gazed softly into the child’s eyes. Adelai didn’t look away.
“Adelai. You’re a lot like me.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Your Majesty.”
“I’m thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to be our next empress, since we’re so similar.”
“……Really?”
Adeleai’s eyes widened. She could barely open her mouth to speak.
Emperors had all been men for generations back. Female rulers existed, but they could only rule because there was no other successor.
I didn’t dare to think that I could be emperor with Lart around.….
Adeleai’s cute eyes filled with greed.
The prospect of getting a position she didn’t even expect herself was exciting. However, she pushed away these thoughts and instead stared at her father calmly.
“Adelai. You have to look for golden hair and golden eyes.”
“Blonde…… gold eyes…….”
“The only way we can defeat the Shinsu is to find the Descendant of God.”
The Shinsu leopards had never been defeated, no matter how many times humans charged at them with their knives and spears.
A ruler the size of a house. Tough skin that could bounce off arrows. The only one who could deal with these fearfully strong beings was the Descendant of God.
The first god made people and Shinsu, but also a human god, Barhan. The only one who could deal with the Shinsu was Barhan. The original god had died and Barhan had also disappeared, but…
Five hundred years ago, a descendant of Barhan appeared. He was killed by a leopard, but he had a child, so a descendant of his must be out there somewhere.
Once we find him, humans will rule the world.
The emperor stroked his daughter’s cheeks affectionately..
“Adelai. If you find Barhan’s descendant…….”
He smiled.
“You will have the crown.”
She sucked in a sharp breath.
***
Spring was slowly coming to an end at the palace. The blooming trees outside Belinda’s window shed their petals one by one. Aymon came to visit for the first time in nearly a month.
「Belinda, give me some cookies…….」
He sat down by the window with his ears drooping.
Both Belinda and Lucy dropped the embroidery they’d been doing and ran to him.
“Aymon. Why haven’t you been here in so long? I missed you.”
“Aymon! I’ve collected a lot of wool for you!”
He looked up at the two girls and yanked away from Belinda’s hand.
「A ball of wool…… I’m not a kid. Plus, I’m a leopard. I’m not young enough to be playing with wool, and I’m not a cat to be playing with it either….」
Aymon said, not revealing any of his upset.
Who do they think I am? There goes my authority…. This isn’t easy.
Mazetto appeared, fluttering around Aymon’s head
“Yes! You are the greatest and most wonderful person in the world! Definitely not a cat!”
Ten minutes later, though….
“He’s having a great time, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, Lucy. I didn’t know he’d like it that much either.”
The once-grumpy Aymon was having the time of his life with the ball of wool. He was really a beast whose words never matched his actions. The two girls just watched the scene unfold from a table at the opposite side of the room.
Belinda smiled.
How can someone be so lovely? It feels like he’s my own baby.
Aymon the beautiful boy who stepped on Prince Lart’s neck and Aymon emitting a cool glow after casually kicking the prince away were nowhere to be seen. There was just a little leopard running around on a rug, playing with a bunch of wool.
After a long while, he stopped playing, claws entangled in the wool.
「I’m stuck. Get it off.」
“How cute….”
Belinda blurted out without thinking. Aymon hissed at her.
「This is really uncomfortable!」
Of course, Belinda just toyed around with his paws without any attempt to untangle him. Aymon pulled away.
「Hurry up and do it. Stop acting cute.」
She could hear the desperation in his voice, but didn’t care much.
Lucy ended up getting his claws out of the wool and throwing it aside.
「You’re the only one for me, Lucy.」
“What about me? Am I not one for you?”
Asked Belinda in a griefing tone.
He looked up at her, flustered.
「What… you’re here too. Always here.」
She responded with a quick butt pat.
Amon lurched back.
「Do you want to live without hands??」
“What are you, a cannibal? “
「There’s nothing you can do. I could eat you whole!」
It was meant to be a threat, but didn’t sound threatening at all.
Mazetto also flew over, chirping in support of Aymon.
“Of course! You can eat her! You can eat it all!”
Ignoring him, Belinda embraced Aymon and rubbed their cheeks together.
“Don’t eat me. It won’t taste good. I ate nothing but food waste until I was 11.”
“Waste?”
“Yes. Leftover rice from the restaurant dumpster, or moldy hard bread. So if you want to eat, eat Lucy.”
Lucy, who was next to him, shrugged.
“I don’t think I’ll taste that good either… It’s been quite a while since my father went into ruin and we couldn’t eat meat…….”
There was even a little tinge of fear to her voice. .
Lucy and Aymon got along well by now, but it still scared her to be reminded of his status.
Unlike Belinda, just a commoner, Lucy responded instinctively to a supposedly cruel and ferocious Shinsu. She was the daughter of a count, after all.
“Aymon. You choose. Do you want to eat me or Lucy?”
「I’ll think about it when both of you gain more weight. Too many bones are hard on the teeth.」
He answered, with a serious tone.
Lucy flinched and Belinda also started pondering whether or not she should really gain weight.\n