Chapter 61
The young beastkin child ignored Edmund’s expression completely and hugged Cassia tightly, acting cute.
His fluffy tail swished wildly from side to side.
He rubbed his head against her like a well-behaved, adorable puppy.
Cassia was a little flustered, but she couldn’t push him away or stop him.
He was a child who had suffered so much—it made her feel sorry for him.
Wow… he really is like a puppy!
It reminded her of a stray puppy she once picked up and grew close to for a short time.
Her heart softened without her realizing it.
Cassia gently stroked his hair. Unlike his striking coloring, it felt very soft and fluffy.
Juto’s eyes sparkled with joy as he looked up at her—and then…
He suddenly dropped a bomb!
“Like it! Benefactor! Do it! Marry me!”
“…What?!”
Cassia froze in shock.
“……!”
The expressions of the other three twisted.
Among them, Edmund’s reaction was the most intense.
He was already glaring at Juto with deeply furrowed brows, but his face darkened even more.
Cassia snapped out of it quickly and spoke.
“Juto. A man can’t marry another man.”
Her tone was clearly that of someone soothing a small child.
That alone stopped Edmund, who had been about to rush forward.
He had seen Cassia act and speak like this many times before.
She does that to me too.
The meaning was clear.
She really does see me as just a child she has to protect.
Edmund bit his lip, fully realizing it again.
Meanwhile, Cassia thought this explanation would end Juto’s strange but cute proposal incident.
He still can’t even tell men and women apart. Aww.
But Juto sniffed hard while in her arms, then tilted his head.
“No. Cassia. Man.”
“…Huh?”
“Wrong. Woman. Woman. Marries. Man.”
He can tell gender by smell?!
Cassia was truly shocked.
Juto smiled proudly and spoke.
“Me. Man! Can do it! Marriage! With Cassia!”
Cassia was about to respond when someone finally lost his patience.
Edmund grabbed her wrist and stepped in front of her protectively.
His face was flushed red with anger.
“What kind of nonsense are you saying?!”
The golden eyes that had looked like a puppy’s just moments ago turned sharp.
“Our tribe. Knows. Honor. Important. Favor. I repay. To benefactor!”
“What does that have to do with this?!”
“Our tribe. Gives life. To benefactor. So we. Marry! Oath!”
Those were heavy words for a child.
And Cassia knew it.
A beastkin’s oath meant something serious—something they had to uphold for life.
Juto was a prince. Even at his age, he couldn’t not know that.
She thought she should stop this—
But Edmund was faster.
His face red with rage, he shouted.
“Cassia is my wife!!!”
“……”
“……”
The forest fell silent.
Cassia stared at Edmund in shock.
Edmund continued glaring at Juto, full of anger.
Juto stood frozen, completely stunned.
The only two adults watching the scene struggled to control their expressions.
Their lips twitched as they desperately held back laughter.
How can they be this cute?!
Looks like the young duke is completely head over heels for our lady!
While the adults watched the innocent scene with amusement—
The people involved were dead serious.
Edmund was genuinely furious.
“You just proposed to my wife right in front of her husband!!!”
Juto turned stiff like a statue.
After a moment, he looked at Cassia with watery eyes.
“Is it… true?”
That made Edmund even angrier.
This brat—am I invisible to him?!
Cassia, the center of this storm, was flustered.
She hesitated, but there was only one answer she could give.
When she slowly nodded, the two boys’ fates clearly split.
“Yes. Edmund and I are already married.”
Juto looked like he had been hit on the head with a hammer.
He looked back and forth between Cassia and Edmund, then lowered his head weakly.
Edmund sneered.
“I don’t know about beastkin customs, but proposing to someone else’s wife is extremely rude.”
“Same. For beastkin too.”
Juto’s ears drooped.
His tail, which had been wagging nonstop, fell limp.
Edmund pressed on mercilessly.
“You said you wanted to repay her kindness, but you actually insulted her!”
Tears began to fall from Juto’s eyes.
Crystal-clear drops fell one by one as he spoke to Cassia.
“Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t. Think. Insult. Cassia. I’m sorry.”
Cassia panicked.
She was more worried about the child than shocked by the proposal.
He’s just a kid who didn’t know better!
She quickly pushed Edmund aside and hugged Juto, comforting him.
“C-Cassia?”
Edmund stammered, pushed away in surprise.
But Cassia had no time to care about his small sense of betrayal.
A child who looked barely ten was crying like this.
Her heart ached.
“It’s okay. I’m not angry, Juto.”
“Really… sniff…?”
“Of course. Why would I be angry at someone this cute?”
Juto smiled brightly and snuggled deeper into her arms.
He didn’t forget to send Edmund a smug little smile.
That brat…!
As if that wasn’t enough, Juto quietly asked:
“I. Want. Repay kindness. To Cassia.”
Luckily for Edmund, Cassia cut him off sharply.
“That’s not necessary. You don’t have to repay anything. We dealt with them because we were targeting them anyway.”
Juto’s expression changed instantly.
He glared at the tied-up slavers with killing intent.
Sharp claws extended from his fingers like daggers.
Seeing that, Cassia was reminded of who this child truly was in the original story.
Beast King Juto. One of the four strongest beings who would rule the continent.
The other three were the original male lead, Edmund, and the elf prince who appeared later.
Together, they would overthrow the Zenobia imperial family and bring peace.
And among them, Juto was known as the most ruthless.
Cassia knelt and met his eyes.
The cold golden gaze softened when it turned to her.
He was once such a sweet, adorable child. What must he have gone through…
Edmund too had become harsh because of his childhood.
But Edmund is pretty cute now, isn’t he?
Maybe Juto was the same.
Cassia held his shoulders and explained gently.
“They’re bad people, but killing them is too much.”
“But. They hurt. My people.”
“……”
“They tried. Hurt. Cassia.”
She hesitated.
The village was far, and time was short.
And the Zenobia Empire allowed slavery anyway.
She sighed, then spoke brightly on purpose.
“I don’t want our cute Juto’s hands to get dirty. What do you think?”
Juto blinked his big eyes.
“Cassia. Don’t like. Me neither.”
“Good.”
Cassia smiled widely and hugged his soft head.
Edmund endured as long as he could—
Then finally snapped and pulled them apart.
“Enough! Get away from her!”
“You. Stingy.”
Cassia laughed for a long time as she watched the two of them bicker.
