TWPND 10

Chapter: 10

A Bizarre Promise
Ijeten stared at Jusi as if mesmerized, then forced his best smile for the still-wary and fearful white tiger cub.

Maybe… we could just try to get along.

That way, Mother won’t be sad.

Ijeten offered a friendly smile.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Khang, khang, khaang!” (Get lost! Go away!)

*What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’? You’re the one being weird!*

Jusi was even more bewildered now that Crown Prince Ijeten, who had just been threatening her with his supernatural ability, was grinning slyly at her.

She warned him not to approach Sophie by ferociously hopping left and right.

Ijeten, who had been watching his little sister bounce around, finally stopped in his tracks.

“Ah.”

He then knelt on one knee, his smile vanishing as he held up his pinky finger.

“Is it because of Aunt Sophie? I won’t ever touch her. I promise.”

“Kyang…”

“Tch. Then you come here. I have something to say.”

Ijeten grumbled.

Jusi, still on high alert, glanced back and forth between Ijeten’s pinky and the beastmen around them.

Large snowflakes, still imbued with light, were fluttering down inside the room.

Perhaps because of the snow, everyone seemed more relaxed than before.

Looking back at Ijeten, Jusi no longer felt afraid in the now much calmer atmosphere.

Ijeten didn’t seem to be lying.

*‘Sophie is safe now. Should I go over and hear what he has to say?’*

She didn’t know how it happened, but she had just awakened her own supernatural ability.

If things went south, she could just fight again.

Jusi thought optimistically.

Besides, her animal instincts told her that Ijeten would no longer look down on or attack her.

She could clearly feel that his aggressive aura toward her had softened.

*‘Did he have a change of heart because I awakened my ability? What an opportunist.’*

Jusi grumbled to herself before lifting her chin and striding forward as confidently and menacingly as she could. She stood before Ijeten and glared.

*‘Alright, if you have something to say, say it!’*

She stood her ground, but now that she was up close, the size difference between her and Ijeten was stark.

*‘I heard that beastmen who have completed their humanization can freely return to their original forms if they wish.’*

Jusi imagined what Ijeten would look like in his true form.

He would be an enormous tiger.

Golden fur with deep vermilion stripes, massive paws, sharp teeth, and fiercely gleaming golden eyes.

A fearsome and powerful Golden Tiger.

*‘Damn it.’*

Jusi figured that if she faced Ijeten in his Golden Tiger form, she would be killed in a single bite before a fight with their abilities could even begin.

A shiver ran down her spine.

“Hmm…”

Still kneeling, Ijeten leaned his upper body forward to gaze intently at Jusi’s face, particularly her blue eyes.

With his face so close, Jusi found herself getting a detailed look at his features, and her fear and fighting spirit began to wane.

*‘What, what is this!’*

Instead, she felt overwhelmed.

He was certainly a younger version of Ritain, so he was very handsome, but this kind of menacing(?) handsomeness wasn’t her type.

“…”

*‘Why did you call me over if you’re not going to say anything? Does he want a staring contest, like Father?’*

Jusi managed to hold her own, thanks to the skills she had honed in her staring contests with the Emperor, but she found it hard to understand Ijeten, who just kept staring at her.

One thing was for sure, though: Crown Prince Ijeten was indeed her brother.

Because even though he was handsome, she didn’t feel a single flutter. And somehow, he seemed to resemble her.

The shape of her eyes as a white tiger was remarkably similar to Ijeten’s in his human form.

Looking at Ijeten up close, she was suddenly reminded of a boy who was his complete opposite.

A delicate and beautiful boy.

She had liked his polite, calm, and intelligent demeanor, even at such a young age.

Jusi thought of the boy she had seen in her dream.

*‘I wish that boy really existed. I’d like to meet him. But it was just a dream…’*

“Our little white tiger.”

Just then.

Ijeten finally broke the silence, and Jusi tensed up.

“Your eyes are so beautiful.”

But his next, baffling words made her legs give out, and she staggered.

“Kyang?!”

“I’ve never seen a blue like this. It’s not the color of the sea… It’s fascinating.”

“Khang…!” (So what!)

“Beautiful enough that Mother would risk her life to give birth to you.”

His tone was calm, but a bitter smile played on his lips.

“Do you know what Mother looked like?”

“Kyang.” (No.)

“You poor thing, little one.”

*‘You’re just a kid yourself, so why are you making the face of a world-weary old man?’*

Jusi realized his tone and words were similar to the regretful Emperor Ritain and let out a dry laugh.

*‘Damn this family. Why do they always threaten me first, only to mess with my head later?’*

As Jusi, weary of the Penterin royal family’s fiery temperament of acting first and thinking later, let out a sigh, something rested on top of her head.

It was Ijeten’s hand.

*‘What the! Ah…’*

Jusi flinched, about to run away.

But she couldn’t escape Ijeten’s hand as he gently stroked her head.

Because she could feel calluses on his hand, too rough to belong to a boy.

Jusi couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

Isn’t he still just a child?

How long would a child have to wield a sword for his hands to become like this?

No matter how outstanding the innate abilities of the Penterin royals were, it must have taken an extraordinary amount of effort to train with the sword to this extent.

*‘How pitiful.’*

“Congratulations on awakening your ability.”

“Kyahang?!”

Startled by Ijeten’s sudden praise, Jusi looked up at him, shocked.

Whipping her and then offering a carrot. Was he kidding?

As Jusi glared, Ijeten let out a soft laugh.

“Sorry I had to push you a little roughly. But I like that my little sister is cute and capable.”

*‘Pushed me?’*

Jusi wracked her brain, trying to understand his words.

It sounded as if he had intentionally attacked her to help her awaken her ability.

*‘No way.’*

At the white tiger staring at him as if he were spouting nonsense, Ijeten chuckled.

“You’re cute. You think glaring at me is going to kill me? You should just bite me.”

“Grrrr.” (I just might!)

Jusi really wanted to bite him, but she knew her teeth wouldn’t even be able to break his skin.

As Jusi scratched the floor in frustration, Ijeten chuckled again before speaking.

“Don’t die anytime soon, Jusi. You and I are going to live for a long, long time. Your big brother will protect you.”

Jusi, who hadn’t noticed how naturally Ijeten had started using her name, could only blink in response.

Ijeten’s tone was light, but his eyes were resolute.

Though for a brief moment, a hint of loneliness flickered within them.

Ijeten wanted to look at Jusi a little longer, but he noticed the little white tiger’s legs were trembling.

It was obvious she was exhausted after using her ability with that tiny body.

He remembered sleeping like the dead on the day he first awakened his own ability.

“Goodbye. Your brother is leaving now. I’ll be back.”

Ijeten stood up and waved at the tiny Jusi below.

“Kyaaahng!” (Don’t come back!)

Jusi, finally coming to her senses, growled menacingly, but to Ijeten, it just sounded like a cute kitten mewling.

“I’ll bring a gift next time.”

A gift? As if.

Jusi snorted.

This room was already overflowing with gifts.

Jusi’s eyes were filled with determination as she resolved not to acknowledge that damn relative of hers even if he came back.

She had awakened her supernatural ability.

She was filled with pride, no longer just a helpless white tiger cub.

*‘I’m going to get stronger! So I won’t be scared even if you come back. If you come and bother my people, I’ll teach you a lesson.’*

Jusi renewed her vow as she watched the departing backs of the Crown Prince and his retinue.

***

Two weeks passed.

“His Majesty is returning soon?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Receiving the report from his aide and royal guard, Count Talon, Ijeten crossed his legs and fell into thought.

The Emperor had gone to personally inspect the northern and western borders.

In truth, those were peaceful regions that Ritain, as Emperor, had no real need to inspect.

To the west, vast mountain ranges and a river naturally formed the border.

Thanks to this, there was little chance of conflict with the Western Empire. The land beyond the northern border was a frozen, barren wasteland, making conflict even less likely.

*‘For him to go there anyway, it must be a matter of great importance.’*

The boy’s golden eyes glinted sharply.