Chapter 17
At first, Ray had only planned to ask Perea for a favor — to persuade Theo to return to the capital.
The prince never listened to him, so maybe he’d listen to her. If persuasion didn’t work, Ray was even prepared to pressure her into helping.
But now, he had changed his mind.
Somehow, the idea of returning to the palace with not just Theo, but this human woman as well, didn’t sound so bad.
Ray didn’t question this sudden shift in feeling.
He told himself it was only because he wanted to observe her more closely, that her scent was… unique.
A flimsy excuse, but it made sense enough in his head.
“Why? You don’t want to come?”
“It’s not about wanting or not wanting!”
Perea waved her hands frantically, stepping back several paces from him.
Ray frowned slightly.
The soft, sweet floral scent that had tickled his nose moments ago drifted away with her movement, leaving an empty feeling he didn’t like.
Like a predator reacting on instinct, he moved quickly and caught her wrist before she could step back any farther.
“Are you trying to run away?”
His low, cold voice rolled out like a growl, echoing faintly with something inhuman.
Though he didn’t mean to intimidate her, the force in his presence made Perea’s shoulders tighten automatically.
Still, she couldn’t stay silent.
What he was suggesting — leaving the village, going to the imperial palace — wasn’t something to be decided lightly.
“I—I’m not running away! But I can’t go to the palace. I’ve lived here my whole life!
And if I leave, who’ll take care of everyone in the village?”
“That’s not a problem.”
“How can it not be a problem?!”
Her frustration burst out.
What did he mean, “not a problem”? Was he saying this small border village didn’t need a doctor?
Normally, her raised voice wouldn’t have bothered him — she was far weaker than even the rabbit beastmen of the area.
But now, for some reason, her tone made his chest tighten a little.
He felt… oddly hurt.
“I’ll send another doctor here,” he said at last.
“Haa…”
Perea pressed her temples with a sigh — her head ached, and so did the scrape on her palm from yesterday’s fall.
Right now, Ray reminded her far too much of Theo.
Both had the same stubborn, one-track minds — thinking everything could be solved simply by wanting it enough.
Then a thought hit her.
“Wait… was that why Prince Theo cried so much earlier?”
“That’s right.
And come to think of it, didn’t you say you belonged to him? Is it that easy for humans to go back on their word?”
Perea was speechless.
Who on earth had taught this man how to argue like that?
Not long ago, he could barely speak more than two words during treatment — now he was using logic and guilt-tripping her like an expert.
She couldn’t even find a proper counterargument.
“Even if he’s young, he’s still a prince. You should know you can’t break a promise made to royalty.”
“I was just trying to comfort him because he was crying!”
“That’s why you should be more careful with your words.”
Ray’s lips curved upward slightly.
It wasn’t his usual sarcastic smirk — this time, he was genuinely amused.
And just like that, his beautiful, faint smile made Perea want to flick him on the mouth.
“Anyway,” he said, “I know a doctor in Eclit.
He’s fond of rabbit beastmen — if I tell him there’s work here, he’ll come immediately.”
“Really? You mean if I go, there’ll be someone else to treat the villagers?”
“I swear.”
He lifted his free hand, palm open — the traditional oath gesture of a knight.
If anyone from the palace had seen him use such a sacred vow for something so trivial, they’d have fainted in outrage.
But Perea was simply relieved by the sincerity behind it.
She already knew Ray wasn’t the kind of man to lie.
Everything she’d seen of him so far proved that.
He had always taken care of young Theo with unwavering dedication — the kind that went beyond duty.
So she guessed this was no different.
If he was asking her to come along, it was only because he thought it was the best way to keep Theo safe and happy.
Finally, Perea sighed and raised her white flag.
“All right.
If Prince Theo really wants me to go, I’ll go with him — at least until he feels better.
But first, we deal with the carriage accident. Let’s talk to the village chief tomorrow and plan everything properly.”
“Fine. We’ll do that.”
Satisfied, Ray released her wrist at last.
He hadn’t grabbed hard enough to hurt her, yet when the warmth of his rough, pale hand disappeared, a strange chill ran across her skin — like cold wind brushing against her pulse.
It was… odd.
Very odd.
***
The Next Morning
At dawn, Perea went straight to the village chief’s house to share everything that had happened.
His son, Harun, the head of the youth group, was also there.
When they heard her explanation, both rabbit beastmen’s long ears began trembling like leaves in the wind.
“Good heavens!
Prince Theo’s only about the same age as my youngest — and someone tried to kill him?!”
“Unbelievable, Father. It’s awful.”
Though they were peaceful folk, the idea of such a small child — even a beastman prince — being targeted for assassination shocked them deeply.
And realizing that the entire village might have been destroyed along with him made their blood run cold.
The chief immediately ordered Harun to gather the young men and clean the forest accident site, removing every trace of the wreckage.
Harun nodded firmly, then exchanged a meaningful look with Perea.
Understanding his signal, she followed to help organize things.
As they walked toward the carrot fields where the young men worked, Harun began to talk.
Most of what he said was about her.
He was worried — Perea had never lived anywhere except Timi Village or the academy in the capital.
Now, hearing that she might have to travel so far again made his chest tighten.
“Are you really going?”
“As soon as I woke up this morning, Prince Theo was clinging to me, crying so hard.
He repeated every single word from last night — exactly the same.”
“Wow… impressive.”
Harun’s rabbit ears flapped.
That child wasn’t someone you could take lightly.
Even when he played with Theo, Harun could feel it — the boy’s fierce, predatory presence hiding behind that cute face.
Whenever those golden eyes looked at him directly, his fur bristled, his heart stopped, and he finally understood what it must feel like for prey to face a predator.
And now, that same powerful little creature had set his mind on taking Perea away.
Harun sighed and switched from worried friend to resigned rabbit.
“Good luck, my friend.
Just think of it like you’re going back to the academy again.”
“You’re sending me off already?”
Perea gave a weak laugh.
Harun just shrugged.
He knew better than anyone how impossible it was to go against Theo’s will — not just because he was a prince, but because he was a beastman of the predator class.
Perea didn’t argue; she understood his point.
“Besides,” Harun added, “beastmen — especially predators — are fickle.
Who knows? Maybe once he sees Eclit and finds something more exciting, he’ll tell you to come home again.”
“Hmm… that’s actually possible.”
Perea agreed.
After all, feline beastmen were known for their mood swings.
Some days they’d run around wildly; other days they wouldn’t leave bed.
They were one of the hardest races to predict or please.
People even joked that their moods could change once every second.
Ray, of course, wasn’t like that — his training as a knight kept him disciplined and calm.
But Theo was another story entirely — a pure-blooded predator, young and unrestrained.
His instincts ruled him more than reason ever could.
Perea was certain that sooner or later, something new would catch his attention and his obsession would fade.
She had studied enough about beastman psychology at the academy to know it.
“When that happens, I’ll come back home.”
Perea smiled faintly.
She decided she’d stay with Theo only until he could say goodbye without crying.
Truthfully, she was sad too — the thought of parting so suddenly from the cheerful little prince made her heart ache.
