TWPND 26

Chapter: 26

A Tiger’s Embrace

He felt like an idiot for only realizing it was Jusi after the fact.

‘You moron, Ijeten! The moment something white shot out, you should have snatched it up!’

An unexpected situation had occurred.

Jusi, who had been sitting quietly on the dais, suddenly bolted and ran towards the Rilberg delegation.

“Your Highness!”

“Jusi!”

There was no time for anyone to stop or catch her. The princess was too small and swift. Moreover, she was unusually fast today, making her difficult to catch.

The princess’s target, as she ran in a straight line, was unmistakable.

“Kyahang!!!”

“Ah.”

Jusi shot out like the wind and leaped straight into the Rilberg Emperor’s arms.

Just like a cat finding its long-lost butler.

“Ju-Jusi?”

“Your Highness?”

Nestled in Ekiel’s arms, Jusi purred contentedly.

“Uh, um…”

“Oh, oh, oh.”

The hall froze solid at the princess’s sudden action.

Ekiel dazedly looked down at the soft, warm, snow-white tiger cub snuggled in his arms.

“Kyahang.”

“…Ah.”

The white tiger dug her claws into the boy’s collar, as if refusing to let go. Seeing the strength in Jusi’s paws, Ekiel felt a strange sensation.

A tightness in his chest, perhaps?

‘Incredible.’

Ritain stared blankly at Jusi’s glittering tiara, which had fallen onto the red carpet, before lifting his gaze.

H-His daughter was in a boy’s arms.

Ritain’s blood pressure soared, and his eyes widened as if they would pop out of his head.

Seeing the Emperor’s reaction, the nobles of the Penterin Empire and the archmages of Rilberg looked on anxiously, unsure of what to do.

Just looking at the birthday card displayed above the Emperor’s head was enough to see what a hopelessly doting father he was—or rather, how deeply he loved his daughter.

For his precious daughter to be in the arms of a boy she’d just met today…

Ritain glared at Ekiel with burning eyes.

Urna, watching the situation unfold, worried that unnecessary trouble would arise.

“Your Majesty. If you would please put the princess down…”

“Ah.”

As Archmage Urna approached the dazed Ekiel to advise him, Ekiel also came to his senses.

Ekiel tried to soothe the burrowing Jusi and place her on the floor, but he felt a murderous aura from ahead.

When Ekiel looked up, Crown Prince Ijeten Rumiare Penterin of the Penterin Empire was approaching with a terrifying presence.

He had already drawn his sword, and the madness glittering in his golden eyes showed he was not in his right mind.

“What is the meaning of this!”

Urna and the other archmages gathered magic in their hands and blocked Ijeten’s path.

“No, it’s fine.”

Ekiel stopped the archmages and calmly stepped forward, still holding Jusi.

Jusi, nestled in his arms, clung to him with her front paws as if to say she didn’t want to be separated.

‘Hmm.’

Ekiel sighed at Ijeten, who was glaring at him as if he wanted to slice him to pieces.

Even if he was a Golden Tiger beastman, he was still young and not much of a threat.

“Why are you so agitated, Crown Prince?”

Ijeten ground his teeth at the young emperor who was speaking down to him.

Furthermore, the sight of him holding Jusi so skillfully enraged him even more.

Ijeten wreathed his sword in his supernatural ability, red flames, and glared, smiling at the boy who was much younger than him.

“Because you’re infuriating.”

Ekiel raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had misheard.

“…What did you say?”

“I said you’re infuriating! Why would my sister go to a bastard like you she just met today! You cast a charm spell when you touched my sister’s paw yesterday, didn’t you?! You devious bastard!”

As he spoke, Ijeten lost more and more of his composure until he could no longer hold back and lunged at Ekiel.

Ekiel was dumbfounded.

A charm spell? Why on earth would he cast something like that?

He was about to try and calm the absurd Ijeten, but the blade wreathed in the supernatural ability was sharper and hotter than he’d expected.

*Shing, fwoosh!*

The fierce movements of the sword, the threat of the flames.

It was impressive.

He himself would have no trouble dodging, but he was worried that Jusi, whom he was holding, might get hurt.

‘Spatial-transference magic…’

“!!!”

Just then, before Ekiel could use his spatial-transference magic, a pure white blizzard blocked Ijeten’s flame-wreathed sword.

*Clang—!*

“Kyarreung!”

“Jusi!”

“Kyarreureung!” (Stop it!)

Jusi glared at Ijeten, who had taken a step back.

Then, she manipulated the blizzard again and struck the flame-covered sword.

“Ugh!”

Ijeten leaped back to avoid the red flames that were now surging toward him.

Flames erupted where the Crown Prince had been standing. Seeing them spread across the carpet, Jusi hopped down from Ekiel’s arms.

She instantly rushed over and unleashed a blizzard, easily extinguishing the fire.

*Sniff, sniff.*

After sniffing to make sure no embers remained, she looked up to find everyone staring at her.

As Jusi tilted her head in confusion, applause came from the dais.

Jusi sighed when she saw who was admiring her.

It was because Ritain was looking down at her, his face filled with deep emotion.

“This is the first time I’ve seen the princess’s supernatural ability…”

*No way,* Jusi thought, backing away.

“My daughter is a genius.”

Ritain’s serious tone made Jusi desperately want to run away.

In front of so many people—and foreign envoys, no less! Did you really have to do this, Dad?!

Jusi squeezed her eyes shut.

‘And in front of the one person I wanted to impress!’

Jusi whimpered, glancing nervously at Ekiel.

Only after receiving agreement from all the nobles that his daughter was indeed a genius did Ritain finally address the situation.

“My apologies for the rough welcome. He’s a beast cub, so his temperament is fiery. I will discipline him separately.”

“It is quite all right. Another precious beast personally protected me.”

Ekiel replied with a neutral expression, glancing at Ijeten, who was glaring at him sullenly from behind Ritain.

Ritain stroked his chin as he watched Jusi, who had gone back to Ekiel’s feet and was looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

‘Hmm.’

There was definitely something between Jusi and the Rilberg Emperor.

It was the intuition of a supreme beast.

“You may be young, but I fully believe that you are the Emperor of the Rilberg Empire and a supreme archmage.”

Ekiel had snuck near his bedchambers without a trace and put his entire elite guard to sleep, he had made a ‘living’ flower bloom, and he had even used incredible healing magic to save his daughter.

Seeing how effortlessly he had performed magic just now in the banquet hall, it was clear this young emperor was a formidable mage.

Ritain was sincere.

“Is that so.”

Looking down at Ekiel, who replied in a monotone voice, Ritain’s eyes narrowed.

“However.”

Though he was smiling, the Emperor’s golden eyes glinted menacingly.

“My daughter is quite shy around strangers. She doesn’t usually cuddle up to someone she’s just met. Could you explain what’s going on?”

Ritain’s smile was utterly menacing, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“Kyahahang!” (Dad, that’s—!)

Standing between Ritain and Ekiel, Jusi hopped about anxiously.

“Jusi, shh.”

Ijeten, standing behind her, tried to calm Jusi down.

Jusi was dumbfounded.

He had just caused the biggest scene like a complete hooligan, and now he was acting all brazen as if nothing had happened.

Jusi growled and shot Ijeten a glare, then sighed in frustration and scratched at the carpet.

She wanted to speak.

She desperately wished she could turn human.

It had been a long time since the inability to communicate properly had felt so difficult.

“The princess…”

Just then, hearing Ekiel’s voice, Jusi’s ears perked up and she snapped her head up.

The boy’s crimson eyes happened to be looking down at her.

Their eyes met, and Jusi’s heart began to pound rapidly.

She was certain.

This boy was the benefactor from her dreams, the one who had always helped her alongside the white tiger, Anash.

Of course, she had never imagined that little kid would turn out to be someone as incredible as the Emperor of the Rilberg Empire.

‘…But his expression and attitude are colder than in my dreams?’

Jusi trembled with a hint of anxiety at how different he was from the boy in her dreams.