I Became the Wicked Beastman's Catnip

The blue eyes, close to indigo blue, which was slightly out of focus, turned towards me.

“Yernian.”

He closed the book he was reading, got up slowly. I couldn’t hide my embarrassment and looked at Noha who was getting closer.

During the past three years when Licht was away, the only contact Noha and I had was only baths. Noha wouldn’t even say anything, stare blankly at me for a while and then disappear.

The footsteps that sometimes came to visit me every night were cut off at some point, so the sudden visit of Noha felt even more unfamiliar.

“I heard you’re sick. Are you okay?” 

There was a faint concern in the serene tone of voice. I nodded with a smile on my face, feeling that slight change.

“Yesh. I’m okay. Uncle Doctor took good care of me.”

In fact, he was a very young man who was too young to be called an uncle.

“Then that’s a relief.”

Noha paused for a moment, then licked his lips, then closed them repeatedly. He looked like he had something to say.

“Noha. Have you eaten lunch?”

“…No, not yet.”

“Then would you like to eat with me?”

Noha, who blinked as my suggestion was unexpected, nodded his head.

“Alright.”

We headed straight to the terrace attached to my bedroom.

The Myo World was an artificially created space, so it was a warm spring throughout the year without any obvious seasonal changes.

On a sunny day like today, it was perfect to enjoy snacks and meals on the terrace.

“I’ll prepare the meal right away!” Alice looked slightly startled when I showed up with Noha, but she moved quickly.

“I’d like to eat with Noha.”

“Call me anytime if you need anything.” Alice, who had prepared simple food on the table decorated with fresh flowers, closed the door of the terrace and walked away.

Noha was the one who let out words first.

“How’s your class?”

“It’sh fun!” (It’s fun!)

“Aren’t Askari bothering you?”

“Yesh. It’s bearable.”

It’ll be fine since we made it clear that we wanted to keep the embarrassing incident in the hallway that didn’t happen to each other.

At the end of the day, when I thought back on the neglecting attitude, a small hope that I might be ignored in the future also rose.

“I’m glad.” Noha, who had been smiling invisibly, stopped the hand that was moving the knife.

Unlike me, who already ate the whole sandwich, there was still more than half left.

‘What are you trying to say that it’s taking so long?’

Curious about the real purpose of Noha’s visit to me, I secretly put down the fork.

“Noha? Is there anything wrong?”

“…”

Noha, who had been looking down at the sandwich with her eyes down for a while, lifted her head with a determined expression on her face.

“Yernian. Are you free next evening?”

“Next evening?”

“Yes.” Noha, who smiled with his dreamy eyes closed, pushed the sandwich that was cut in front of me.

I swallowed dry saliva and asked, bewildered at the attitude that was quite different from the way he had been keeping a certain distance.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I have something I want to show you.” Noha, who muffled his words with an ambiguous smile, didn’t reveal the real reason until the short meal was over. “Then see you here tomorrow when the sun goes down.”

He’ll pick me up.

Thinking that he was a cat that was completely unpredictable, I looked at Noha’s back, who was far away without a chance to hold onto it.

‘What do you want to show?’

As I thought deeply about Noha’s sudden proposal, the time for the etiquette class to start drew near.

“Today, we are going to learn simple dance along with the tea ceremony.”

Marchioness Scottish’s eyes twinkled fiercely.

After concentrating on memorizing the order, the tea ceremony passed quite smoothly, but it was different with the dance.

“…Your Highness the Princess. You got the beat wrong again.”

The Marquis of Scottish demonstrated me by pointing out where I was wrong. I pouted my lips the first time in this life that I realized that I was a terrible dancer.

“…It’s difficult.”

“You have to do something more difficult than this. The Fourth Prince’s birthday banquet will be held soon.” Marchioness Scottish was a very strict teacher in her manners. 

The melody I heard over and over for the tenth time had already filled the room full of mirrors.

‘Ah. Why are the banquets overlapping at such a busy time?’

It was very rare for a banquet to be held at the Myo World.

Each of the Myo Clan’s people, who are highly individualistic, don’tt hold banquets well on special anniversaries such as birthdays.

Even if it was a royal family, it was the same.

‘My case was unusual.’

If the kingdom where I was born held a banquet to commemorate the safe passing of a baby, the beastmen held a banquet for the young beastmen who successfully completed their first growth.

I heard that this banquet is also a banquet held to commemorate Askari’s first growth, which is actually his birthday banquet. Originally, it was a banquet that should have been held earlier, but it was only now held because Licht was away.

I thought, trying to move my body to the beat.

‘It was said that a beastman goes through two stages of growth in their life.’

Once right after birth and once on the day of coming of age.

However, I heard that the direct descendants of the Persian who were born with mana go through a total of three stages of growth.

It is said that the first growth usually occurs within the first 3 years of life, and the second growth comes with the awakening of mana around mid-teens. I heard that the last growth comes when the mana fully blooms when they reach adulthood, but I remembered Alice telling me that they were accompanied by a terrible fever each time.

‘It’s not easy to live as a beastman.’

I remembered Noha, who has maintained the appearance of a toddler since the first time we met.

I heard that a beastman basically grows much faster than humans until infancy, and that growth thereafter is slower.

Until the second fever arrives, there will be no major changes in the skeleton of the body.

‘I’ll have to stop by the library later to borrow Akamar’s electrogram.’

Suddenly, the work to be done increased to a large mountain. It was time to rub my temples in a circle with a feeling of pain in the bones.

A sharp noise caught my attention.

“Your Highness the Princess! Concentrate!”

With the sound of temperamental applause, my legs lost my balance at Marchioness’ voice.

I stumbled.

“Again.”

Bewildered by the cold voice of the Marchioness, who never let it pass, the maid returned the gramophone from the start. The boring melody started to be played over and over again from the beginning.

Feeling my soul being ripped off, I grabbed the hem of the Marchioness’ skirt tightly.

“Madam. Can’t we stop today?”

“At least not until you move on to the next move.”

“I will practice hard until next week. Hm?”

Fortunately, the Marchioness’ etiquette class only needed to be taken once a week, like Mir’s history class.

At my plea with the drooping eyes, the Marchioness checked the time, and she let out a shallow sigh.

“You really have to learn the moves perfectly by next week.”

“Yes! Trust me.”

The Marchioness, who had sent her hand gesture to the maid to stop the music, stuck her tongue out.

“Now I’m already worried about whether or not you’ll be able to perform well in the debutante that will be held later.”

…Still, there’s still a long way to go until the debutante, so wouldn’t we be able to take the waltz off?

Unlike the social circles of the human world, where people make their debut when they reach adulthood, it is said that beastmen make an early debut when they turn 16.

As a member of the royal family of the Myo Clan, it was said that when I turned 16, I had to make a debut in their way.

Swallowing a sigh that filled my throat, I quickly walked out of the mirror room.

‘Ah. Dancing really doesn’t suit me.’

I didn’t have any talent for dancing so much that I wanted to plead for permission to take a written test by memorizing the whole book or textbook.

As I headed towards the library, I began to rack my head around with a serious expression.

‘Is there any magic that makes me dance well?’

On my way to the library, I decided to look for it, so I walked down the stairs.

***

Licht el Persian had been in a very uncomfortable state from earlier.

It has been like this ever since he went to check Yernian’s bedroom for a while in the morning.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Mir tilted his head inwardly and continued the report.

“According to the report of the Second Prince, the last trace of the missing Chief Priest was found on the border of the Empire. It seems that he escaped from there with the help of other forces.”

“…The traces found after three years are the borders of the empire.”

Licht tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

“Mir, which family do you think is most likely to be a traitor?”

“There was nothing suspicious about the recent conduct of the heads of the 19 families.”

“Is it possible that they’re all deceiving each other?”

“According to the reports of the spies planted in each family, differences of opinion over exchanges with the continent have created their own rifts and have been meeting with each other for a long time.”

A cold smile spread across Licht’s lips with his eyes closed.

“Well played. Ask the head of each family to expand their surveillance including their immediate children and servants.”

“Yes. Your Majesty.” He opened his eyes slowly and looked at the half-open window.

The energy of Yernian, which has grown stronger in recent years, flowed in with the wind.

“…That damn bear.”

(t/n: 곰탱이 can be translated as a bear or someone slow and insensitive.)

“Yes?”

Why is a bear popping out all of a sudden here?

Mir’s expression grew serious alone.

“Your Majesty. Has the head of the Bear Clan provoked you again?”

Licht, who walked to the window like someone who didn’t hear Mir’s question, pulled up his curtains.

A familiar figure was entering the royal garden where the red sunset had descended.

“…Mir.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I remember Yernian’s fourth birthday not too long ago.”

“That’s right…?”

He couldn’t believe that he talked about Yernian’s birthday after the bear. A deep wrinkle crept into Mir’s forehead, which had a hard time keeping up with the conversation.

“Prepare a present.”

“…Yes? A gift? Not a bribe?”

A cool smile bloomed on the corner of Licht’s lips, who still had his gaze fixed through the window.

“Yes. Gift.”

***

Last night, as I fainted in the aftermath of the harsh etiquette class, I stared blankly at the front.

‘What is that?’

Am I not awake yet?

A huge box, taller than me, occupied the center of the bedroom.

“Are you awake, Princess?”

The nanny, who had just entered my room, approached me, rubbing her eyes.

“Nanny. What is that?”

“This is a gift from His Majesty to celebrate the fourth birthday of Her Highness the Princess.”

“…Gift?”

The nanny nodded her head with a smile on her face as she tenderly tidied my hair, blinking my eyes stupidly.

“Yes. I heard that he picked it by himself.”

A present for a birthday that has passed a long time ago so suddenly?

‘Is this also some kind of bribe?’

The nanny gently rubbed my face with a wet towel. I quietly closed my eyes and pushed my face forward to make it easier for the nanny to move.

“You’re so nice.”

After I finished washing my face with the help of the nanny who was smiling happily, I approached the box without being vigilant.

Alice and Loen, who had already joined, snooped around the box.

“Looks just right for you to get in.”

“Alice. This is a gift from His Majesty. Please refrain from profane language.”

Seeing that Loen couldn’t take her eyes off the box, it seemed that the cats really liked the box.

“Excuse me for a moment. Her Highness the Princess.”

“Um.”

Loen snuggled me up, and she approached the lid of the box.

‘I’m kind of nervous.’

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the end of the ribbon, resolving that I wouldn’t be surprised if anything popped out.

As soon as I succeeded in opening the box with Loen’s help, my eyes met something huge inside.