The Butlers' Joy Is Blanc's Agony
The boring and stiff first-day meeting finally came to an end.
We each headed back to our respective chambers to rest, eagerly awaiting the evening banquet.
Normally the imperial palace chefs would prepare a Western formal feast for the Eastern envoys, but after I savored the overcooked instant noodles, Haetae had requested that the Eastern chefs join in creating the dishes as well.
Of course I could enjoy food from both sides, so I was extremely satisfied.
“Hyu-hu…”
For this exact reason I had secretly used a miracle earlier to make my stomach feel ravenous.
There had been screams from the kitchen earlier, but I chose to pretend I didn’t hear them for the sake of my enjoyment.
Lately I had been making bread for everyone, so this was nothing.
“Kyuu…”
The moment I stepped into the banquet hall, my mouth gaped open and drool spilled out.
Is this heaven? Buddha… I lived in a place like this…?
The long rows of tables unfolded my dreams before me.
From juicy steaks with thick gravy flowing down, to lasagna stuffed with salty cheese, to steaming white rice, fragrant japchae, and mountains of assorted jeon and namul that all lured me.
This place where the heaviness of the West and the savory richness of the East coexist… isn’t this where the world is truly unified?
“Kyuu!”
Where should I start eating?
I leaped from Kailian’s arms, tail wagging as I dashed straight to the table.
Surprised gasps echoed from all around, but nothing mattered more than the familiar Korean food right in front of me.
I vaulted onto a chair and slammed my paws down in front of the japchae chef.
“Kyuu!”
Give me the japchae! All of it!
“U-um… yes, yes! Here it is!”
The chef carefully set the dish before me. The next instant my face was buried in it, the noodles and sauce sliding into my mouth.
Slurp.
“Kyuu…”
The chewy tang of the noodles mixed with the salty, umami burst of soy sauce and the fragrant aroma of sesame oil filled my mouth.
This deep, rich flavor that no dish I had ever eaten before could match. This was the taste of my homeland! How much I had craved this!
I inhaled the food without a second thought.
I shoved a whole round dumpling into my mouth and tore into a turkey leg. My cheeks quickly puffed out like a hamster.
I looked like a hamster stuffed full of food, but I had no time to care.
“Kyuu!”
If not now, when else?!
I had lost all reason to the taste of home.
Chop, chop… Woong-nyang-nyang…
The Eastern envoys watching this scene had their expressions brighten.
“Look at his appetite… Fortunately our food suits his taste.”
“We were worried a White Tiger born in the West might be frail or unable to properly wield divine power, but you seem to be full of vigor.”
Seeing the sheen on the White Tiger Lord’s fur, it seems the empire has cared for him well. As expected, brothers of the same realm.
They let out sighs of relief.
A White Tiger born in the West—might he be weak or unable to use sacred energy properly? We had feared that the Western aura wouldn’t suit a divine beast that naturally consumes the natural energy of the East.
But seeing Blanc devour such enormous amounts, all doubt vanished from their eyes. He ate so well; the Western Empire must truly revere divine beasts.
Rather… he might have overeaten and gotten a stomachache.
“Kyuu?”
I tilted my head, sauce still on my lips.
Why are they staring like that? Don’t you eat?
By the time their gazes grew uncomfortable, a heavy, sweet scent wafted over.
Heavy beef aroma mixed with sweet soy sauce.
“Lord Blanc. I’ve come to keep my promise.”
Haetae appeared, dragging a cart with the Eastern chefs.
On the cart sat one enormous pot. The moment she lifted the lid, white steam rose and an otherworldly fragrance exploded.
“Galbi-jjim. Made with the best ingredients from the East, personally supervised and perfected by me.”
Thick, dark-brown ribs glistened under the sauce, with large chestnuts and dried dates visible. The meat looked so tender it seemed ready to fall off the bone at any moment.
“Kyuu…”
Wow… real… galbi-jjim.
I stared blankly at the dish, then at Haetae.
From today on you’re my friend.
I couldn’t help it. Just smelling it was enough.
If I mix this sauce with rice I’ll be in Eden, in paradise.
Just as I lunged toward the galbi-jjim, my butlers appeared before me.
“Wait.”
“Blanc, hold on.”
“Divine Beast, a moment.”
The three women blocked my path at the same time.
“Kyuu!”
Why! I want to eat the galbi-jjim…
I thumped my tail, growled, and glared at the butlers blocking my path while I stared at the steaming dish.
Kailian crossed her arms and glared at Haetae.
“Eastern food is fine, but Blanc has been raised on imperial tastes. Suddenly eating something too spicy could upset his stomach. Especially that fatty meat is dangerous.”
“Kyuu!”
What nonsense! How much fat have I eaten every single day!
I glared at her with dissatisfaction.
She slid a plate toward me. On it sat the finest tenderloin steak, sliced into bite-sized pieces and grilled medium-rare.
“Try it, Blanc. I sliced it myself. Mmm~ eat. It melts in your mouth. This is your favorite.”
“Your Highness, if you only eat meat your nutrition will be unbalanced. A divine beast needs healthy fruits. I picked these from the tree I prayed over and raised. Here, eat!”
Lina handed over a perfectly sliced apple that glowed with a smile.
“Blanc-nim currently craves intensely satiating food. This lasagna is perfect.”
Finally Rosalia shoved the lasagna right in front of my face.
All three women’s hands reached toward my mouth at once. Haetae’s eyes widened in shock.
“Uh… um, I had prepared medicine, but…”
Haetae, treated like a rolling stone, couldn’t hold back. She grabbed a huge piece of galbi-jjim and shoved it between the gap.
“This was personally ordered by the Lord! Step aside. Is this how the Empire treats guests? Here comes the galbi-jjim for the Lord!”
In an instant the table became a battlefield of food.
I stood there with my mouth hanging open, watching hands dancing in front of my nose.
My mind was blank. The mixed aromas made my head spin.
“Kyuu!”
Give it one by one! It won’t all fit in my mouth!
I couldn’t take it anymore and furrowed my brows.
Hey, these butlers who learned so much—why are they so bad at table manners! Am I feeding a pig that just eats whatever I give?
“Grrooo~ Kyaaang!”
Move over! I’ll eat by myself!
I growled low, baring my fangs, wrinkling my nose, and swiping my paw in the air to assert my dignity and anger.
If I get angry too much, I’ll really get angry?
“……Oh?”
“Waa……”
“……”
“……”
But the reactions were strange.
The fighting women suddenly froze. Their eyes, previously locked on each other, all fixed on me.
Soon their faces flushed bright red. Pupils dilated, mouths fell open.
“Ha……”
“So cute…”
“My heart… my heart hurts…”
They stared at Blanc in a daze for a moment.
A baby tiger cub with sauce on its lips, waving tiny paws and shouting “Feed me!” exuded an unimaginable destructive power.
“Lord Blanc… don’t get angry, no—get even angrier… it’s too exciting…”
“Kyuu…?”
She’s in a weird state too… a little like Lina…
I panicked and tried to back away, but it was too late. The butlers’ gazes burned like wild beasts.
“Oh? Our Blanc is angry?”
“Calm down, I’ll soothe the divine beast!”
“I’ll touch the paw…!”
Four women pounced on me at once.
Thud. Hug.
Kailian squeezed my body tight, Lina grabbed my tail and rubbed it, Rosalia pressed her hands on my paw pads and kneaded hard, while Haetae started poking and massaging my cheeks.
“Kyaaaang!”
Stop! What are you doing while I’m eating! This is sexual harassment! Blasphemy against the sacred!
I screamed and thrashed, but my body refused to move. The butlers’ grips were beyond imagination.
Haetae poked my cheeks, then when I really tried to get angry she pushed galbi-jjim straight into my mouth with her other hand.
“Eat the galbi-jjim and calm down.”
I resisted for a moment but, overwhelmed, I ended up eating it.
“Kyuu…”
Mmm.
‘Tasty…?’
I’m angry but the galbi-jjim is delicious. While chewing I desperately wriggled to escape their hands.
Kailian rubbed her cheek against my head and stuffed steak into my mouth.
Nom.
“Kyuu…”
This is also tasty…?
I was surrounded by the four butlers, my whole body touched and massaged, forced to eat.
“Kyuuuuu!”
I’m suffocating! You bad guys!
My screams were swallowed by the butlers’ laughter. Watching from afar, Demian smirked and tilted his wine glass.
“East-West harmony is right here. Blanc… you have to suffer a little.”
---
Paw Pad Blessing
The stress-melting warmth of my paw pads spread through everyone, turning their irritation into overwhelming affection. The butlers’ hands moved with trembling tenderness, as if they had been waiting their whole lives to touch the source of all miracles.