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「Breedee. I have to stop meeting you for a while.」

“Why? Where are you going?”

「There’s just something I need to take care of. I’m not going anywhere.」

“How long won’t we be able to see each other?”

Aymon stared up at the sky as if trying to estimate his schedule.

「A month or so?」

Belinda didn’t need to ask more questions. She already knew what was going on.

Aymon, along with Shanti and Hala – who he shared his ritual with – would soon become adults. Then they’d fight tooth and nail for the vacant chief position.

Full of worries, Belinda tightened her grip on the reins. Even she didn’t know why she was so upset in comparison to the easygoing little leopard.

She knew they wouldn’t kill each other, but she was still afraid that he’d get hurt.

Instead of entering through the palace’s main gate, they inconspicuously sneaked back in through the Shinsu forest and the imperial hunting grounds. Belinda wasn’t eager to face the unnecessary questions that would have inevitably followed a less secretive return. Her official reason for leaving was to participate in another ceremony, which she obviously didn’t have much to say about.

When they reached the far end of the hunting grounds, the time finally came to separate from Daisy.

“Bye, Daisy. Thanks for the ride.”

Belinda felt a lingering sadness as she stroked his white mane. They’d grown quite close in their short time together.

Daisy responded with a few taps on the ground. There was a glimmer of sorrow visible in his eyes. He’d also become attached to them in his own way.

“See that building? I live there. Come and see me if you have the time.”

Belinda said, pointing to a faraway spire.

He rubbed his nose into her palm, eliciting a small giggle.

Seeing the two’s farewell seemed to irk Aymon, whose expression had turned sour.

He walked up to Daisy and whispered a final message into his ear.

「Don’t go anywhere near her.」

Daisy turned away, pretending not to have heard. Soon, with vigorous leaps from his toned muscles, he disappeared over the field. Belinda continued to wave him off for a few moments.

At first, she was scared of Daisy because of his size, but now, incredibly, she saw him as cool and cute…. Was it because she got used to him or because she finished her work with Nordi?

As she turned around, shaking the dust off her shoes, she spotted Aymon, with only his tail sticking out of a pile of leaves.

“Do you want to stay at the palace tonight? Since you won’t be able to come for a while.”

「No. No more torture.」

Aymon grumbled, stomping on the leaves.

Belinda didn’t know what the “torture” was referring to but nodded.

So if we separate here, we won’t see each other for a month?

She was faced with a short goodbye. Why was she so upset when it was just a month?

She couldn’t bring herself to say anything, so she resorted to kicking around dirt. Aymon finally approached her and shook off the bits of leaves covering his fur. Belinda finally delivered her last words.

“Are you leaving?”

「Yes. I have work to do.」

“I get it. It’s kind of a shame.”

Aymon slipped away from Belinda’s touch.

「I’ll come back for you soon, so be patient.」

He wrapped his tail around Belinda’s calf. She could feel the soft hairs on her skin.

「Well, it won’t be in this form.」

That was the end of his goodbyes. Belinda didn’t even have a chance to answer before he disappeared into the forest, looking like he had no regrets.

All that remained was the distant sound of rustling grass.

“Bye.”

Belinda waved at him, who was already out of sight. Her eyes followed the trail of leaves that he left on the road.

“Thank you, Aymon.”

Her mumbling voice died down, leaving behind a lingering feeling.

***

The day after her return, Belinda was invited to a tea party.

It was not a special event, just a gathering to celebrate the glory of the Empire and look at the blooming tulips.

“I’ll show you inside, Princess.”

The familiar faces of her family and some high-ranking nobles greeted her. She slowly approached, first greeting Princess Adelai and Prince Lart, followed by the rest of the royal family.

The tea party, which would prove to be a rather unpleasant experience for Belinda, began.

“How was the ritual viewing?”

The Emperor asked, pouring tea for Belinda. She replied with a smile.

“It was a mysterious experience.”

“What have you been doing all this time? It was quite frustrating not being able to ask the beasts about you. It wasn’t too scary, right?”

The concern in his voice was sincere. The act of Belinda attending the ritual had made him treat her almost as if she was his real daughter.

Of course, it wasn’t as much affection as he showed Lart and Adelai, but at least he’d lost his perpetual coldness.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but it was okay. The Shinsu were considerate.”

She wasn’t planning to tell the emperor that her stay in the Shinsu forest had only made up a few days of her absence. She didn’t want to reveal her trauma or her relationship with Aymon.

Soon, they moved on to the topic of upcoming hunting contests and newly bought statues. Belinda contributed softly and gracefully, listening absentmindedly to their stories.

After they finished their tea, they gathered around the tulip beds.

Belinda broke away from them, pretending to observe the flowers. Being alone was better than putting on a fake smile for the emperor.

Lart spotted her and soon began to approach.

“Hey! Belinda!”

As always, he greeted her casually.

“Hi, Lart. Long time no see.”

“Well, long time. It’s only been a few months.”

Belinda didn’t respond to his blunt statement, simply shrugging her shoulder. By now, she was used to his way of speaking.

Lart glanced back at Adelai before

“Well, how was the ritual? How many Shinsu were there? Weren’t they drooling over you? They’re beasts, after all.”

He must have been curious since he kept following her with more questions.

Belinda laughed slightly.

The Shinsu forest had always captured people’s interest, including, apparently, Lart’s, because of its mystery and secretive aura. Humans hadn’t been allowed access since ancient times.

“I think there were about 30 of them, but I didn’t count. They didn’t drool over me. They’re rather polite, actually. After all, they’re not just beasts, they’re Shinsu.”

“Really? And is it true that an adult Shinsu is as big as a boulder? Are they really that big?”

The questions continued incessantly.

There was currently no communication between the Shinsu and the imperial family. They only met once a year for a formal conference. All other means of communication had been closed off for a long time, and even the emperor hadn’t seen a Shinsu in their animal form.

The same was true for Lart. He’d ran into Aymon once, but only as a leopard cub. The only place he could have seen an adult Shinsu was in a book or as a statue.

Belinda continued replying.

“They’re actually very big. The leader was bigger than any Shinsu statue you’ve seen.”

“I wanted to go to the Shinsu forest too. Why were you the only one invited? I’m the heir, so they should have invited me instead of someone that’s only half royal like you, don’t you agree?”

Belinda shook her head, baffled. She didn’t even know what to say… His contempt for her was so direct that he didn’t even realize it. It was typical of him, but what was more surprising was his genuine innocence about his remarks.

He didn’t even use it to mean anything. He just threw it around because he really thought that she was “half royal”.

Still, despite all the things he said, Lart was the most comfortable royal to be around. He was arrogant and rude, but innocent. Instead of sly sarcasm, he openly said whatever was on his mind. Him, knowing her secrets was much more tolerable than Adelai, who despised her.

“Why was I invited? Because one of the Shinsu is my friend. You’ve met him, too. Or are you going to pretend you didn’t cry over a little beast?”

“…..”

Lart pursed his lips. The humiliating encounter was an embarrassment that he’d never forgotten – it was a story that had never been brought up.

Both Lart and Adelai knew about Belinda and Aymon’s relationship. The only reason they didn’t tell anyone was due to the fear of the Shinsu.

“How many petals does a tulip have….”

Lart tried to divert the conversation with awkward muttering. It wasn’t long till the embarrassment got the better of him, and he left. Coincidentally, he was soon replaced by the Emperor.

“Your Majesty.”

Belinda bowed to him again.

Although the emperor was slowly becoming middle-aged, his face was still beautiful.

He slowly reached out and tilted up Belinda’s chin.