The Warmest Nap in the Blood Princess's Embrace
Thud.
The carriage's wheels, etched with elaborate patterns, caught on a bump and bounced lightly.
Normally I'd grumble about my sore backside, but right now my situation was completely different.
My rear end wasn't aching at all. My body was currently wrapped snugly and warmly in the soft, fuzzy embrace of a two-year-old.
Right now, I was buried deep in the chest of the most dangerous woman in the empire.
The Blood Princess, Kylian de Rose.
She hadn't even changed out of her blood-soaked clothes yet. She held me tight inside the carriage as if I were a priceless treasure, desperately afraid I might vanish somewhere.
...
Her scent clogged my nose, sharp enough to make my head spin.
She said nothing. Her crimson eyes simply fixed on every single strand of my fur with intense focus.
I pretended to be calm on the surface, but inside I was sweating buckets.
The reason she had brought me was clear: I served as her living painkiller, eradicating her brutal headaches and tinnitus.
The problem was, I had no idea how long this effect would last. What if the medicine ran out?
My head might be sliced off without mercy.
According to the novel's plot from my previous life, she was the kind of person who wouldn't even bother disposing of useless things properly and would just burn them. My life was basically on borrowed time.
"Warm."
At that moment, Kylian propped her chin on my forehead and murmured.
"I want to keep touching you."
...
Cancel that. Maybe I should worry about losing all my fur and becoming a bald tiger before my head gets chopped off.
Her touch was gentle, but the frequency was far too frequent.
It felt more like the hand of a tanner checking the quality of the fur leather than a simple caress. If this continued, I'd be a bald tiger long before we reached the palace.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
The coachman's voice trembled.
Finally, the imperial palace. A tyrannical den more terrifying than a tiger's lair. The place where my fate would be decided.
The door opened, and Kylian carried me out.
The cold night air hit my face, but her embrace was so warm that it wasn't chilly at all. Her body temperature felt like a blazing heater. Curious, I peeked out from inside her chest.
"Eek!"
"Y-Your Highness! W-What on earth...!"
The moment I stepped out of the carriage, screams erupted from all directions.
The servants and knights lined up around us recoiled in shock, stumbling backward as they stared at me.
Some maids even clamped their mouths shut and looked on the verge of collapsing. Their faces were twisted as if they had seen a demon crawling out of hell.
What's with these reactions? Did they mistake me for a magical beast?
I felt wronged.
"Kyuwoo..."
I didn't know because I never saw a mirror, but from my perspective, I must look like the cutest fluffy ball right now?
My paw pads were pink, my fur was like cotton candy, and yet everyone was acting like they had seen a monster. Was my appearance really that scary?
"I-It’s a magical beast! Your Highness, we’re in danger! Step back immediately!"
Somehow, the squad leader pulled out his sword.
What an idiot. At a time like this, you should be worrying about your own life, not mine.
Right then.
"Quiet down."
Kylian's crimson eyes flashed at the squad leader.
The surrounding air plummeted to freezing levels in an instant.
Her voice, laced with killing intent, was the complete opposite of the gentle touch she had given me earlier.
"Punish you for frightening my precious guest, and maybe you’ll finally shut up if I rip out your tongue?"
The squad leader's face drained of all color.
He shook violently, let go of his sword, and bowed his head.
"I-I'm sorry! I committed a crime worthy of death!"
Kylian snorted through her nose, then turned her gaze back to me. Her eyes shifted instantly, becoming dripping with honey.
"Did it scare you? It's okay. Just ignore the barking dog."
No, you're the scariest one here.
I clicked my tongue at her dual personality, but I had to ride the current to avoid being killed.
I buried my face in her chest and trembled, faking fear.
"Kyuuu..."
I wailed as pitifully as I could, clutching her sleeve with both front paws. Big sister, please get these scary uncles away. I'm just a weak fluffy ball.
The effect was spectacular.
Kylian's eyes wavered, then she shot a fierce glare at the squad leader again.
"Get out. Don't show your faces in front of me."
The knights fled like a tidal wave.
The entrance to the imperial palace was cleared in seconds. Kylian, satisfied, held me tighter and strode toward the princess's palace.
The princess's palace was lavish but desolate.
The black marble floor was cold, and the decorations were all sharp and grotesque.
There was no warmth from humans anywhere. It was literally a witch's castle. How did she end up with such a personality?
If Madame O's teaching were applied, she would have summoned a Forkrein and pulverized everything in sight.
"Head Maid."
"Y-Yes, Your Highness!"
An elderly head maid came running with a pale face. She alternated her gaze between Kylian's blood-stained clothes and the bundle in her arms, her eyes wide with shock.
"Prepare warm water. And bring the finest milk and meat."
"M-Meat? Your Highness doesn't consume meat, do you not..."
"This isn't for me."
Kylian lifted me and held me in front of the head maid.
"This child will eat it."
"T-That... dog...?"
"Tiger."
Kylian corrected her.
"Name it 'Blanc.' 'Ha' is fine."
Blanc?
Not bad. Any ordinary name like Hwiteong or Baekseolg i or Ppobie would be too silly. I gave a short bark in approval.
"Ang!"
"See? You like it."
Kylian smiled happily. The head maid looked confused about what she liked, but she didn't dare object. Survival came first.
A short while later, in the princess's bathroom.
I stood before a massive steaming tub, facing the biggest crisis of my life.
"Stay out. I'll bathe you myself."
"But Your Highness, you might get hurt!"
"Don't talk back. Get out."
Kylian, having dismissed the maids, rolled up her sleeves and approached me.
Wait a second.
Even if I was currently in a beast's body, in my previous life I had been a grown adult man. For a grown maiden, even an imperial princess, to personally bathe me?
This was... no, way too embarrassing.
I desperately backed away, protecting my precious privacy.
But her hand was faster than my retreat.
"Where do you think you're going? You're getting all sticky."
She grabbed the back of my neck. My body went limp like a kitten caught by its mother. It was humiliating. The dignity of a white tiger had fallen to the ground.
Splash!
I plunged into the warm water.
Warmth surged through me. It felt like my body was melting under the northern wind. Honestly... it was good. Too warm.
"Stay still. Good boy."
Kylian began scrubbing my body with soap bubbles, her expression strangely excited.
Her touch was surprisingly delicate. It was hard to believe this was the hand that had swung a blood-drawing sword.
Scrub scrub.
Bubbles foamed everywhere.
She pressed my jelly-like paw pads and tugged my tail, checking every inch. Her patting of my backside was quite skilled.
"Cute..."
She murmured softly.
I gave up and let my body relax.
After all, there was nothing to see with the fur covering me. Might as well enjoy it. This was all part of eating and living, wasn't it?
After bathing, I shook off the fluffy towel-dried fur as I emerged, and the bedroom was already set with a luxurious feast.
A large bowl of steaming hot milk.
And a premium steak with dripping juices, neatly cut.
Whoa... amazing.
My saliva gushed down my throat.
A-grade Wagyu that I never got to taste back when I was living alone in my previous life, or was it magical beast meat? Either way, it was massive. Just smelling it was enough. This was meat that would melt in my mouth.
I buried my face in the plate, disregarding my dignity, and stuffed it in greedily.
Slurp slurp!
Milk splattered everywhere, but who cared? It was delicious. Way too delicious. I might even cry. Was this what being a royal felt like?
"Eat slowly. You’ll get sick."
Kylian propped her chin on her hand and watched. She looked like a fan watching a mukbang YouTuber. She wiped the milk on my mouth with a handkerchief and smiled contentedly.
"You ate well. Tomorrow I’ll have to hunt some deer meat."
Imperial palace head chef, prepare your last rites. Thanks to this, I’m in heaven.
Full stomach brought sleep crashing down.
Warm back, full belly. Was this heaven?
Just a little while ago I was nearly dying from cold and hunger. Life, no, survival really was unpredictable.
I started dozing off. My body floated up.
"Alright, time to sleep."
Kylian carried me to her bed.
The king-sized bed was covered with the finest silk sheets. Was she planning to sleep with me here?
"Y-Your Highness?"
The head maid waiting outside couldn't hold back and entered.
"You aren't seriously planning to bring that beast into the bed, are you? It's unhygienic, and if Your Highness catches a cold from it..."
"Head Maid."
Kylian stuffed me under the blanket.
"Blanc is not a beast."
"Y-Yes?"
"My pillow."
"......"
Huh? My consent?
The head maid looked lost for words.
Kylian lay beside me and hugged me tight. A faint rose scent emanated from her body.
"Without Blanc, I can't sleep because my head aches. So..."
She buried her face in my fur and took a deep breath.
"No one else enters this room tonight. Anyone who does won't leave alive."
The head maid backed out with a pale face and closed the door.
Silence filled the room.
Kylian's regular breathing sounded. The woman who always suffered from insomnia had fallen into a deep sleep in less than a minute, just like a lie. Her arms around me were still tightly wrapped.
Choking...
I wriggled until I could breathe through my nose.
This woman had a bad sleeping habit. She hugged me like a dying patient.
But I didn't mind. The fact that someone needed me felt better than I expected.
Was this what it felt like to be someone's refuge?
I sneaked a peek at her sleeping face.
The tyrannical face that always furrowed its brows looked more peaceful than anyone in the world when asleep.
Yeah, for now, I'll let it slide.
I placed my soft paw pads on her forehead.
You, take care of my feet.
Squeeze.