My Foot Jelly Has Me in a Permanent Headlock
The Heavenly White Tiger Mother stared at the human child form of her son with eyes that were tight with barely restrained rage. She had known he would one day become human, but seeing it herself was something else entirely. He was just too cute. Her own child had always had excellent looks, but this human transformation brought out an entirely different kind of charm. The mischievous sparkle in his eyes and the way he smiled so bashfully while eating galbi-jjim was the kind of image one would want to hang on the wall for all to admire. She gazed at her son with a warmth that made her heart ache, then shifted her gaze to Haetae carrying him and ground her teeth so hard they creaked. She wanted to tear that damn fox apart right now. The fact that she had witnessed her own child’s first human form held by nothing but some low-class beast made her blood boil. She wanted to descend to the lower realm immediately and tear that woman’s throat out. But she couldn’t. Her precious son was the one she loved most, and killing Haetae without warning would only earn the boy’s hatred. Something like that she would never accept, even in death. “This won’t do… right now, descend to the lower realm.” [Halt. If you descend now, the time until your next reunion will only grow even longer.] “But Father… this is the first time I’ve become human. How can I be left alone like this…” She pouted her lips at her father, the one blocking her way. The words were correct, but she simply could not hold back any longer. “That’s right, Aunt. If we go now, we’ll be sending the child to his birthday without his mother, won’t we? We’re not waiting that long— just a little more.” “Speaking of which, why is our youngest so incredibly cute? He seems cuter than we ever were back then…” The white tigers softened her with their words, sighing in admiration as they watched their beloved grandson. “…But honestly, Haetae is still a little bothersome.” “Last time I dealt with her, we should have tightened the leash a bit more.” “…Should we call her back again today?” “I want to lick those adorable cheeks.” “Urruung… kyawoo.” I nestled in Haetae’s warm embrace, feeling her body heat as we returned to Kailian’s room. My belly full and surrounded by her subtle plum-blossom scent, sleep came crashing over me like a wave. Tap, tap. Haetae walked down the quiet hallway with deliberate care, afraid I might wake, and pushed open the door to Kailian’s bedroom. Inside, the room was filled with peaceful silence. She looked at Kailian sleeping soundly on the bed, then approached quietly and lifted the blanket. I was gently placed onto the soft mattress. The moment the fluffy bedding wrapped around me, I half-opened my eyes in a sleepy daze and looked up at Haetae. “Hyum… you’re here?” “Yes, Master Blanc. You may rest now.” Haetae gazed down at me from beside the bed with a hint of reluctance. She desperately wanted to stroke my small ears and fluffy tail, but she held back, knowing it would disturb my sleep. “…I’ll sleep.” I yawned widely and waved my hand at Haetae, the one who had carried me here. “You ate the galbi-jjim really well… it was delicious.” “…I will prepare it for you anytime. Sweet dreams.” Haetae gave a quiet farewell so she wouldn’t wake Kailian and slipped out of the room. I curled up, reached for Kailian’s arm lying next to me, and burrowed into her warmth. The soft, plump sensation of her chest enveloped my face and body, and only then did the familiar sense of security return. ‘…If I’m always wrapped like this, I can’t sleep if I’m not being held.’ This was entirely Kailian’s fault. “Uuu…” Even though I was always held, the fact that it was in human form made her temperature feel even more vividly present. “Umm……” As I slipped deeper into her embrace, Kailian, sensing the familiar warmth in her sleep, naturally extended her arms and pulled me in tight. The moment Kailian’s hand stroked my back, her eyebrows twitched slightly. “Hmm… my little Blanc’s belly is gone…” “What?” I opened my eyes again and stared at her intently. What kind of butler is this? Kailian’s hand ignored my glare and moved to pinch my cheeks. “…Hehe, Blanc’s belly is so soft.” With a silly giggle she poked my cheeks, and after glaring at her in annoyance, I sighed and let myself be pulled back into her arms. What are you even getting mad at a sleeping person for… I’ll just sleep too. “Squishy… warm… good… kuul……” Kailian, apparently finding the warmth of my bare skin satisfying, pulled me even deeper into her chest and fell back into a deep sleep. ‘…See you in the morning.’ I closed my eyes and let Kailian’s heartbeat lull me into slumber. Warm morning sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Kailian’s bedroom in gentle light. “Umm…… uum.” Familiar bird chirps slowly pulled Kailian from her sleep. She stretched with a sleepy yawn. “You slept well… now I can’t sleep without Blanc.” She opened her mouth wide in a yawn, then habitually reached to pull the boy wrapped in her arms even closer. Every morning, if she didn’t bury her face in Blanc’s belly, it felt like she hadn’t truly woken up. “……Eh?” But what Kailian’s hands held was not the soft belly of a white tiger. Instead, it was the slender, smooth shoulder and back of a human, and the unfamiliar crown of a head resting against her chest. Kailian’s sleep vanished in an instant. Her red eyes began to shake as if an earthquake had struck. She gasped sharply and stared at the strange boy in her arms. ‘…Who is this?’ While she had been sleeping soundly, someone had crawled onto the bed and was now nestled in her embrace. “What the—?!” “…?! Kyawoo!” The startled scream from Kailian jolted me awake. My eyes shot open in shock, and I frantically looked around, trying to figure out what on earth was happening. “My ears hurt…! What kind of nonsense is this first thing in the morning, you idiot?!” I covered my ears tightly with both hands and glared at Kailian, who had been yelling at the top of her lungs since dawn. She had annoyed me more than ever since the early morning! Kailian yanked the blanket up to her chin, pressed herself against the edge of the bed, and stared at me with wide, horrified eyes while shouting. “Who—who are you?! How dare you sneak into the imperial princess’s bedroom! How dare you even nestle in her arms?!” “…Do you have no eyes? You don’t recognize me?” No, who else could possibly have such a soft, fluffy tail besides me? Even the gumiho had decent tails, but nothing came close to mine. I looked at the pathetic butler who still didn’t recognize me and yawned while scratching my head. “Kyaawoo…” “…Wait a second… are you Blanc?” Kailian listened to my yawn and then slowly ran her eyes over me from head to tail. Her gaze stopped at my head and the area behind my rear. A pair of white tiger ears poked up through the snowy white hair and twitched. And behind my rear end, a fluffy white tail thumped against the floor in obvious irritation. Most of all, that gaze. It was exactly the same arrogant look Blanc used when he thought he was being called an idiot. “You… you really are Blanc…?” Kailian asked with her mouth hanging open in disbelief, poking at me. “Yeah. I’m Blanc. Hi. Have you figured it out yet? It’s just a temporary change because of my growth spurt.” At my careless greeting, Kailian covered her head with both hands. ‘If this butler can’t even recognize his own master, what’s the point.’ “This is impossible… even if Blanc turned human… why is there no belly…?” “…Is that the problem?” I could have a small belly, right? Why is she so shocked she’s in full denial? Now I was getting tired of her doubting me while her eyes welled up with tears as she stared at my belly. “I still don’t believe it! I have to confirm it’s really you. I’ll ask you one question—answer.” “What?” Kailian swallowed hard and asked with a completely serious face. “Question. Is Saintess Lina a pervert or not?” “?” What kind of question is that? Well, I had to answer, so I nodded and replied immediately. “An extreme pervert.” If she didn’t consider my doll as a pervert, what did she call herself? Kailian’s earlier suspicion and caution vanished in an instant, melting away like snow. ‘…Lina, what are you going to do with your image now.’ “That’s right! It really is us Blanc!!” Kailian tossed the blanket aside, leaped off the bed, and ran straight to me, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Thank goodness! It really is our Blanc! Whew, do you have any idea how shocked I was to find a completely unfamiliar little kid in my bed?!” She patted my back and patted her own chest. I looked up at her from inside her arms with a disdainful gaze. “You kept me wrapped around you for so long and didn’t recognize me at all.” “Hey! A white tiger turned into a human little kid overnight and you expect me to recognize them instantly!” “There are ears and a tail!” Kailian pouted in frustration, then suddenly stretched both hands and pinched my soft cheeks hard. “Ow! You always pinch my cheeks whenever you call me idiot!” I writhed in pain, slapping Kailian’s wrists with both hands and yelling at the top of my lungs. Kailian flinched, released my cheeks, and rubbed the spot where I had slapped her. “Ugh, it really hurts……” I rubbed my burning red cheeks and sniffled with watery eyes. She grabbed my cheeks and pouted while carefully scanning my teary face from head to toe. ‘…Why is she suddenly looking at me with Lina’s expression.’ I secretly took one step back from Kailian, my worry growing.