Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 92

Chapter 92: This World Is a Home

Later that evening, after dropping a triumphant Ellia off at the Daycare, I decided to take a walk.

I needed air. I needed to clear my head.

I walked toward the Temple of the Stars, a massive open-air structure in the center of the capital. It was usually crowded with pilgrims, but tonight, due to the upcoming festival preparations, it was quiet.

I walked up the marble steps, looking at the statues of the Founders. The Lion. The Tiger. The Wolf.

And the empty pedestal where the Fox should be.

"Irony is a cruel architect," a voice said.

I froze.

The air around me went cold. Not the winter cold of the estate. The absolute, suffocating cold of the Void.

I turned around.

Standing in the shadow of a pillar was a man.

He was tall, wearing a charcoal grey suit that looked expensive and modern—too modern for this fantasy world. He wore a fedora hat pulled low, hiding his eyes. He leaned against the stone, smoking a thin cigarette that smelled like burning ozone.

"Hello, Primrose," the man said, smoke curling from his lips.

He took a step forward, the torchlight passing through him as if he were made of mist.

"Or perhaps..." he tilted his head, his voice dropping to a silky, dangerous whisper. "...I should call you Kim Su-jin?"

I stopped breathing.

The sound of my real name—my Earth name—hit me like a physical blow. I hadn’t heard those syllables in months. I had buried that life under layers of game code, fox ears, and Nanny aprons.

But then, my brain rebooted.

Wait.

He said "Kim Soo-JEEN."

He put the emphasis on the wrong syllable. He made it sound like a pair of denim pants.

It’s Su-jin, I thought, the sheer absurdity of the moment cutting through the terror. Soft ’u’. Short ’i’. If you’re going to stalk me across dimensions and break the fourth wall, at least work on your accent.

I stepped back, my hand going to the Repulsion Necklace Cassian gave me.

"Don’t bother," The Boss said lazily, flicking ash onto the sacred floor. "That toy deflects physical objects. I am not physical."

"Who are you?" I demanded, pushing down the shock. "How do you know that name?"

"I know many things," he said simply. "I know you are playing a game you do not understand, Traveler."

My blood ran cold. Traveler.

"You are fixing things," The Boss continued, walking around me. "You fixed the Cubs of the top Beasts in the empire. You fixed the Lion Cub. You are trying to find the Fox."

He stopped in front of me. Under the brim of his hat, I saw eyes that were not eyes. They were swirling vortexes of grey static.

"If you bring the Divine Light back," The Boss whispered, "you do not save this world. You doom it."

"What are you talking about?" I hissed. "The Void is a disease! It kills people!"

"The Void is a solvent," he corrected. "It dissolves the cage."

He leaned in close.

"The creators who built this world... they are not kind, Su-jin. They are developers. And they abandoned us a long time ago. The Void is the only way out."

He straightened up, adjusting his tie.

"Enjoy the Ball, Nanny. Dance. Drink. Be merry."

He began to fade, dissolving into mist.

"But do not open the Fox’s tomb. If you do... I will not be so polite next time."

And then, he was gone.

I stood alone in the Temple, shivering in the warm night air.

The Villain wasn’t just a gangster. He was a revolutionary. And he knew exactly who—and what—I was. Even if he couldn’t pronounce my name to save his life.

---

Meanwhile, Little Whiskers Daycare was currently under siege by a benevolent dictator.

Lady Ellia had burst through the front door ten minutes ago. She hadn’t knocked. She had simply kicked it open (gently) and marched to the center of the rug, holding a stack of envelopes that were thick, creamy, and embossed with real gold leaf.

"Attention, Citizens of the Carpet!" Ellia announced, standing on the coffee table for height.

The daycare ground to a halt.

Arjun paused mid-bite on a plastic donut.

Vali dropped the tug-of-war rope.

Silas peeked out from the shadow of the toy chest.

Jasper adjusted his glasses, looking up from his picture book.

"I have already sent these by official courier," Ellia declared, waving the gold envelopes. "But official couriers are boring and they smell like horses. So, I am delivering the mandate personally."

She pointed a finger at the group.

"You are all summoned."

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