Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Lioness in the Garden

I stared at the royal invitation. The paper was so thick it could probably stop a knife.

Her Imperial Highness, Princess Leonora. The "Easy Mode" Heroine. The Golden Girl. The one who was supposed to have the harem I was currently accidentally building.

My Hard Mode brain started flashing red alert lights.

Why does she want to meet me?

Did she know I stole her event with the thugs? Did she know I was "hoarding" the Capture Targets? Was she going to exile me? Behead me? Challenge me to a duel?

"I..." I swallowed hard, looking at the snooty courier. "I will attend, of course."

I turned to Luna. "Luna, you’re in charge. Do not let Vali eat the new rug. Do not let Jasper insult Vali’s intelligence. If Silas starts staring at a wall, give him a cookie."

"But Prim!" Luna whispered, looking terrified. "The Palace? That’s... that’s the Lion’s Den! Literally!"

"I know," I grimaced, untying my apron. "If I’m not back by dinner... tell the Dads they can have their chandelier back."

The Imperial Palace was ridiculous. It made the Argentis estate look like a shack. It was all white marble, gold spires, and guards who looked like they ate rocks for breakfast.

I was led into the Royal Gardens—a sprawling maze of exotic flowers and manicured hedges.

Sitting at a white iron tea table, bathed in sunlight, was Princess Leonora.

She was blinding. She had cascading golden-blonde hair, warm, sparkling hazel eyes, and rounded, fluffy lion ears that twitched with regal grace. She was wearing a dress that probably cost more than my entire life’s earnings.

She was the definition of a Main Character.

"Lady Primrose Thistle," she said. Her voice wasn’t angry. It was... curious. And a little tight. "Please. Sit."

I sat. I felt like a field mouse having tea with a sun-god.

"Your Highness," I said, dipping my head. "To what do I owe the... honor?"

Princess Leonora picked up a teacup. Her claws, perfectly manicured, clicked against the china.

"Rumors," she said softly, "are a dangerous thing in the capital. They say a ’failed’ Fox-kin has opened a shop in the common district."

I tensed. Here it comes. The know your place speech.

"They say," she continued, her hazel eyes locking onto mine, "that the Wolf Marquis, the Snake Archduke, the Panther Duke, and... General Khanda... visit this shop every day."

She said the last name differently. Her voice dipped. Her cheeks turned a tiny, faint shade of pink.

Wait.

My Gamer Brain paused. I replayed the audio.

General Khanda.

She didn’t emphasize the Archduke (the richest). She didn’t emphasize the Duke (the most mysterious). She emphasized the Tiger.

Oh my god, I realized. She doesn’t care about the harem. She has a crush on the Jock.

It made perfect sense. A Lioness and a Tiger. The two big cats of the empire. It was a match made in biological heaven.

"They... do visit," I said carefully. "To drop off their children. I run a daycare, Your Highness."

"I know what it is," Leonora said, leaning forward. The regal mask slipped, revealing a frustrated teenage girl underneath. "But why? General Khanda... he is a man of war. He effectively lives at the barracks. He has never taken an interest in... domestic matters. Yet my spies tell me he was seen laughing at your shop. He was seen carrying... melons."

She looked at me, her hazel eyes searching mine.

"What magic did you use?" she whispered. "Is it a charm? A fox-fire spell? Pheromones?"

I almost laughed. "Your Highness, I don’t have pheromones. I don’t have a tail."

"Then how?" she demanded, sounding almost desperate. "I have tried to invite him to balls. He says he is ’busy.’ I have sent him gifts. He returns them. How did you get him to... to bring you fruit?"

I looked at the most powerful woman in the empire. She wasn’t my rival. She was just a girl who couldn’t figure out how to flirt with a dense, gym-obsessed single dad.

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