Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Love Battlefield

I slumped against the counter, watching the chaos unfold.

Rurik was wiping carrot guts off his dagger. Cassian was aggressively re-counting the till. Lucien was... lurking. And Rajah was still trying to explain his Strategic Flour Camouflage to a starstruck Princess Leonora.

"So," Rajah was saying, flexing a flour-covered bicep, "the apron is tactical! It lures the biscuits into a false sense of security!"

"Fascinating," Leonora breathed, her hazel eyes wide. "Truly innovative military strategy, General."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. My "Hard Mode" survival plan had mutated into a multi-species sitcom.

Do I really need to choose one of them? I wondered, watching them bicker.

Rurik snarled at Cassian. Cassian sneered back. Rajah laughed too loudly. Lucien sharpened a knife in the corner.

They were a handful. They were exhausted single dads (and uncles/brothers) trying their best. And honestly? They were kind of... a family. A very dysfunctional, heavily armed family.

Maybe I didn’t need to pick a husband. Maybe I just needed to survive the week.

But then I saw it.

Princess Leonora took a step closer to the General. "Perhaps," she started, her voice hopeful, "you could teach me this... tactical baking?"

Rajah blinked, completely missing the signal. "Not today, Your Highness! I must ensure Lady Primrose has sufficient protein for tomorrow’s menu! Primrose! Do we need more elk?"

He turned his back on the Princess, beaming at me like a giant, excited puppy.

Leonora’s shoulders slumped. Her lion ears drooped. She looked... lonely.

She was the Easy Mode Heroine. The Golden Girl. She was supposed to have everyone falling at her feet. But here she was, being ignored by her crush because he was too busy trying to impress his son’s nanny with dead animals.

I felt a pang of guilt. I had accidentally stolen her entire plotline.

I caught her eye. Leonora looked at me, then at Rajah, then at the chaotic pile of cubs playing in the corner.

Then, she straightened her spine. The "Main Character" energy flared back to life.

"General!" Leonora announced, her voice ringing out with royal authority.

The room went silent. Even Vali stopped chewing on the rug.

"This... ’Daycare’ concept," Leonora said, gesturing around the shop. "It requires... field testing! Sunshine! Fresh air!"

She turned to me, a desperate, brilliant plan forming in her eyes.

"Lady Primrose! As the Princess Imperial, I command... I mean, I invite... the entire Little Whiskers Daycare to a Royal Outing! Tomorrow! At the Imperial hunting grounds!"

"A field trip?" Arjun cheered. "Tactical maneuvers in the woods!"

"A picnic," Leonora corrected, looking pointedly at Rajah. "With games. And food. And... ample opportunities for strategy."

Rajah’s ears perked up. "Strategy? In the woods? Sounds like training!"

"Exactly!" Leonora beamed.

The cubs looked at each other.

Vali whispered to Jasper, "A field trip? That means Prim goes outside."

Jasper nodded slowly. "If Prim goes outside, the Dads will try to impress her."

Arjun grinned. "Operation Matchmaker is a go!"

Silas silently gave a thumbs up from the shadows.

They didn’t care about the Princess’s crush. They had one mission: Make sure Primrose fell in love with their dad (or brother/uncle).

"Excellent idea, Your Highness!" Cassian said smoothly, already calculating the networking opportunities. "The Argentis carriage will be ready."

"I’ll bring the meat," Rurik grunted.

"I’ll bring the security!" Rajah roared.

"I’ll bring... the silence," Lucien whispered.

I looked at Leonora. She gave me a tiny, pleading look. Help me get close to him.

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