TWPND 15

Chapter: 15

A Gift from the Princess

‘That was definitely Anash’s supernatural ability.’

Awakening a supernatural ability before her first birthday was certainly unusual.

But an ability, once awakened, couldn’t just disappear. He was sure she would soon get the hang of it.

Contrary to Ijeten’s belief, days passed, and Jusielia still couldn’t use her ability.

This can’t be.

“No, Jusielia. You can do it.”

“Kyahng!”

From then on, Ijeten began a special training regimen with Jusielia.

“Alright, like this! Put some oomph into your paws!”

“Kyang?!”

“Oh, or maybe… focus hard with your eyes!”

“Krrraang?!”

He told her to try this and that, based on what he knew, but there were no results.

“Krrng, krrng, euheung.”

Jusielia just whimpered, frustrated.

Looking at her sad, blue eyes staring up at him as if to say it wasn’t working, Ijeten felt like he was about to cry himself.

‘What am I going to do?’

That thing, the Dark Divine Beast, had already awakened.

The withering of the sacred birch tree meant it had sensed the Dark Divine Beast breaking free from its seal and was dying.

Moreover, according to His Majesty the Emperor, there were even claw marks from a large beast on the birch tree, which was a bad sign.

‘The Dark Divine Beast must be trying to get revenge on Anash.’

If Jusielia was Anash’s reincarnation, she would clearly be its target.

But just as Jusielia, who might be Anash’s reincarnation, was young and couldn’t use her powers properly, Ijeten was sure there was something wrong with the awakened Dark Divine Beast as well.

‘It will obviously search for the White Tiger first. That means it would come for Jusielia, the White Tiger of the rumors, yet there has been no ominous presence so far.’

As the brooding Ijeten narrowed his eyes, his already menacing golden eyes glinted sharply.

‘If it were at its full power, Jusielia would have been dead long ago. Or a report would have come in about it rampaging somewhere and destroying a kingdom.’

For now, it’s only scratching at Anash’s birch tree, so we should still have time.

Ijeten looked at Jusielia, who was gazing up at him with an innocent expression, and steeled his resolve.

‘I just have to track it down and catch it. So I shouldn’t be anxious…’

But as the days went by, Ijeten’s stress reached its peak.

He trained with Jusielia on her ability every single day, but to no avail.

Because of this, Ijeten lived in constant fear that Jusielia would be attacked while he was away.

While sitting on the sofa in the Crown Prince’s office planning today’s training, Ijeten suddenly let out a piercing scream.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

“Your-Your Highness, the Crown Prince?!”

“I’m going crazy with anxiety! Can’t I just live in the Princess’s Palace and guard her 24/7?! I think that’s the only way I’ll feel at ease!”

Ijeten scratched his head furiously and kicked the large table.

Crash!

Another innocent, expensive marble table was shattered.

Count Talon shook his head wearily.

For over a week, Ijeten had been plagued by various nightmares: Jusielia being kidnapped by ‘that thing’ whose form he didn’t even know, being assassinated, being dragged away and tortured.

Having reached his limit, he was now on the verge of madness.

Today, too, in his dream, he had lifted the horribly mangled white tiger cub, but her feather-light body held none of its usual comforting warmth.

Even though it was a dream, Ijeten was terrified that Jusielia might be in danger.

“I’m losing my mind.”

‘You’ve already lost it, so it doesn’t matter.’

Swallowing all sorts of curses, Count Talon called a servant and ordered them to clear away the shattered table and purchase a new one.

Then, he offered Ijeten some serious advice.

“You should stop worrying about the Princess. Please, relax a little. The Penterin Imperial Knights are an elite force.”

Count Talon was serious.

The Emperor had stationed half of the Imperial Knights’ forces at the Princess’s Palace.

Elite knights patrolled in shifts, and Sir Xaviet and Sir Hamston, who always guarded the Princess’s room, were top-tier knights who could even use supernatural abilities.

Sir Xaviet, in particular, was from the Green Anaconda Beastman family, known as one of the four great divine beasts, making him exceptionally reliable.

On top of that, even the maids surrounding the Princess were all, without exception, ferocious beastmen of prey with outstanding combat skills.

They were an elite force that could be deployed to a battlefield at a moment’s notice to achieve great deeds.

And yet, it seemed the Emperor and the Crown Prince were not reassured.

‘To an excessive degree.’

Swallowing a sigh, Count Talon explained again that there was no need to worry so much, but Ijeten couldn’t shake his anxiety.

“Still. Jusielia is just so tiny.”

“Look at yourself, Your Highness. If you get sick from this, you won’t be able to protect the Princess when a real problem arises and will just collapse.”

Ijeten, who was usually not just lively but overflowing with energy, had dark circles under his eyes and looked drained.

He was so on edge he seemed ready to explode at the slightest touch, and naturally, he was even more merciless with his employees.

No one wanted to meet the Crown Prince’s murderous golden eyes, so they would tremble and avoid him at all costs.

‘I want to hand in my resignation and bolt.’

‘Me too.’

Just as the employees of the Crown Prince’s Palace were seriously contemplating resignation, a knock was heard, followed by the announcement that the Head Maid of the Princess’s Palace had arrived.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

All eyes were fixed on the bouquet in the hands of Sophie, who was bowing politely.

The small, clumsily woven bouquet was tied with a blue ribbon.

It was the color of Jusielia’s eyes.

“What is that?”

Ijeten practically shot out of his seat and asked Sophie urgently.

A smile graced Sophie’s lips.

“It is a gift from the Princess to Your Highness.”

“A gift?”

Ijeten’s fierce golden eyes widened with curiosity, and he shot up from his seat.

“Jusielia… for me?! Really?”

At times like this, the Crown Prince, who usually seemed so dangerous, looked like a boy his age.

‘It’s all thanks to the Princess. Hehe.’

Sophie held out the blue-ribboned bouquet to Ijeten and said calmly.

“Yes. The Princess picked the flowers blooming in her garden one by one to make this bouquet.”

Ijeten accepted the bouquet with a dazed expression.

He touched the uneven ends of the stems, which looked as if they’d been chewed off, and buried his nose in the bouquet.

The faint scent of soil and the sweet fragrance of flowers rushed into his lungs.

“It seems she was concerned that Your Highness has been looking down lately. She went to the garden with me and made it.”

“She… did.”

Imagining Jusielia struggling to explain with her little paws and gestures that this was for him, Ijeten felt a smile spread across his face, but the tip of his nose tingled.

His eyes grew hot, as if he were about to cry.

He held the bouquet up toward Count Talon, as if blatantly showing it off, and asked.

“Am I crying?”

Of course, Ijeten wasn’t actually expecting an answer from Count Talon.

He just wanted to enjoy this moment, moved by Jusielia’s gift.

However, his tactless subordinate peered at him closely before stating stiffly.

“…No. You are not crying, Your Highness.”

As Count Talon answered promptly, Ijeten whipped his head around to glare at him.

“Want me to make you cry?”

“Of course not, Your Highness.”

Count Talon immediately backed down.

“Then shut up. And Aunt Sophie, tell Jusielia for me. Thank you, I’ll cheer up now, so don’t worry!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ijeten definitely seemed not just to have regained his spirits, but to be overflowing with energy.

Thinking the Crown Prince looked rather cute as he grinned foolishly, wondering where to keep the bouquet from his little sister, Sophie returned to the Princess’s Palace.

***

And the next day.

A gigantic bouquet arrived at the Princess’s Palace as a gift.

“His Highness the Crown Prince sent it… is what they say.”

It wasn’t an ordinary bouquet, but one made of rare jewels and pearls.

“Kyang?”

“They say it’s in return for yesterday’s gift.”

Jusielia was so dumbfounded her jaw dropped.

The jewel bouquet, three times larger than her own body, sparkled brilliantly.

She could hear Uni whispering to Sir Xaviet that if they sold all those jewels, they could build another Princess’s Palace.

At those words, Jusielia was horrified.

‘Did he have to go this far?!’