The Butler Squad Recruitment
"Wait, don't come! I don't need it! Everyone out!"
*CRASH!*
A loud crash echoed through the princess's palace as a priceless porcelain vase slammed against the wall and shattered into a thousand pieces.
The peaceful morning of the imperial palace had turned into absolute chaos in an instant.
The warm family dinner from last night had vanished without a trace. Kailian had returned to her old, hysterical tyrant self.
She looked even more uneasy than usual.
I lay sprawled on my stomach on her dedicated sofa, watching the entire scene with wide, curious eyes.
The maids were frantically sweeping up the broken shards while trembling, and the knights stood frozen outside the door, not daring to make a single sound.
Why is she like this? Did she eat too much meat yesterday and get sick?
Just then, Kailian spotted me and came running over, eyes welling with tears.
"Blanc..."
She scooped me up in a tight hug. The pressure on my belly was painful because she wasn't adjusting her strength at all.
"You're on my side, right? That woman isn't taking you away, is she? Hmm?"
Her voice was wet and shaky.
All the majesty of the tyrant had vanished, leaving only a frightened little child who was terrified of being abandoned.
The only reason she was crumbling now was one person.
Saintess Lina.
The true protagonist of the original novel, the embodiment of divine blessing and the symbol of light.
The polar opposite of Kailian, who was stained with darkness, blood, and madness. In the original story, Kailian would obsess over the saintess who triggered her trauma, torment her, and ultimately meet her end.
Just moments ago, she'd received a message from the temple.
Saintess Lina herself would come to purify the princess's curse. The excuse was purification, but for Kailian it would have been a death sentence.
I nuzzled my head against her cheek without a word.
Don't worry. I'm here. No one dares touch you. I'll protect my butler.
To be honest, betraying the butler who feeds me the best steaks every day and gave me a jeweled necklace yesterday is not something a tiger should do. Loyalty comes first.
I wished I had a proper handkerchief.
This blunt, stubby rolling pin wasn't enough to wipe away the tears anyway. If I rubbed it, my makeup would smear and I'd end up with panda eyes.
Nothing I could do about it.
I lifted my head and carefully licked the wet corners of her eyes with my dark tongue. A warm, salty taste lingered on my tongue.
"Your Highness, the Saintess has arrived."
The head maid's cautious voice came from the doorway.
Kailian's eyes instantly turned cold. The crying child was gone, replaced by the icy princess again.
She roughly wiped her reddened eyes with her sleeve and pulled me back into her arms as if I were a shield and a weapon at the same time.
"Let her in."
The door opened, and brilliant white light flooded in.
It wasn't exaggerated. Her back seemed to be surrounded by a halo.
*Kyua...*
My eyes were stinging...
Golden hair, emerald eyes as clear as glass. Saintess Lina in her pure white holy robes was the very definition of sanctity.
With every step she took, the gloomy atmosphere of the princess's palace was forcibly purified. It was like having an air purifier just for her.
*Wow, she's really pretty.*
I wagged my tail in admiration. She looked even more unreal than the idol from my past life on TV. This was the protagonist buff from the original story.
But her expression wasn't kind at all.
The moment she stepped inside, she frowned and covered her nose, like someone who smelled an unbearable stench.
"What is this... a horrific aura?"
Her gaze locked onto Kailian, or rather me nestled against her chest with my belly exposed.
"Your Highness, step back! Immediately leave that demon!"
*Demon?*
Was she talking about me?
I tilted my head in confusion. My ears perked up. Even if I looked at myself, I was just an adorable baby tiger, not a demon.
*Kyau?*
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Kailian answered coldly.
"Wow, you're late, Saintess. You barge into someone else's palace and start spewing demonic nonsense without a second thought. Did the temple teach etiquette with books? Or have your eyes gone bad?"
"This isn't the time to question etiquette!"
The saintess shouted fiercely. Holy power crackled at the tip of her white staff.
*That looks painful if it hits.*
"My eyes cannot be deceived. That black aura coiled around the princess's shoulder! That wicked magical beast is controlling her mind!"
*Ah, misunderstanding.*
That wasn't my aura. It was Kailian's stress oozing out in the form of murderous intent.
But to the saintess, it looked like I was the dark master pulling the strings on the princess. Where did such a tiny, cute black master even come from? The world's prejudices were terrifying.
"No wonder the princess has been acting strangely lately. It was all because of that little monster. Poor princess... I'll save you!"
She finished her solo hero narrative, then pulled a small glass bottle from her robes. The moment she uncorked it, dense holy power wafted out.
Holy water. Extremely concentrated, too.
"Evil, begone!"
*Shwaaa!*
The saintess splashed the holy water without hesitation.
The transparent liquid sliced through the air and poured toward my face.
"Blanc!"
Kailian screamed and tried to turn to shield me. Holy water was basically poison to magical beasts.
But I was faster.
Water!
My throat had been dry since morning anyway. Free water? No reason to refuse.
I opened my mouth wide and leaned toward the flying stream.
*Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp!*
"......?"
"......!"
Silence fell.
The saintess's hand froze in mid-air. Kailian squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them and stared blankly at me.
I licked the water from my lips.
*Oh, this water tastes pretty good?* It wasn't plain tap water—rich in minerals, like premium mountain spring water. It had a refreshing fizz like carbonated water too.
*Kyuu!*
I smacked my lips in regret and shouted toward the saintess. I was basically saying refill me, the taste is perfect.
The saintess's eyes shook as if an earthquake had hit.
"This... how is this possible? Even concentrated holy water doesn't affect it? Wait... did you actually drink it?"
She backed away with an expression of disbelief.
"This isn't a normal magical beast. A high-level... no, a supreme grand demon? A being at the level of a demon king that holy water can't even touch!"
*Why does the conclusion always go there?*
Isn't it just that I'm clean and holy deep down and that's why it's fine?
"Step back, Your Highness! This thing is dangerous! I'll purify it with sacred light myself!"
The saintess raised her staff. This time it wasn't a joke. The light shooting from the tip was so intense it could blind anyone.
It was real attack magic. If it hit, it would probably hurt a lot.
*Ah, it's not about hurting me... I'm going to die.*
"Stop!"
Kailian hugged me closer and blocked the way. Hot murderous intent blazed from her eyes.
"If you touch my baby, I'll kill you."
"Your Highness, step aside! This is a holy being! That is a magical beast!"
"It's not holy! It's love!"
Kailian's desperate shout tore through the air.
Love.
My heart dropped hard at that word.
It wasn't simple pet affection. It was the love for a precious family member.
My foolish butler had to be protected by me.
I slipped out of Kailian's arms and dropped to the floor. My short legs landed with a thud, my belly touching the ground. My belly wobbled. That was embarrassing.
I walked unsteadily toward the saintess who was radiating light.
"Blanc, no! It's dangerous!"
Kailian reached out, but I didn't stop.
I walked straight into the holy light shooting from the saintess's staff as if it were nothing. For a normal magical beast, it would have burned me to ashes the moment it touched me.
It was warm.
Like a warm ondol floor in winter, a cozy and pleasant energy enveloped my entire body.
It felt like my energy was charging.
*Krurrr...*
I purred happily and arrived at the saintess's feet.
Then I rubbed against her legs and gently tapped the glowing tip of her staff with my rolling pin.
*Meow~*
This was really warm. The heating was excellent. Turn it up hotter.
"......Huh?"
The saintess's mouth fell open.
She doubted her own eyes. The holy light meant to burn a demon alive was gently wrapping around this small fluffy thing like a blessing.
Even my white fur seemed to glow, sparkling like a jewel. Thanks to the halo effect, I looked almost holy even to me.
"This... this aura..."
The saintess lowered her staff with a trembling hand. She knelt before me like she was possessed and met my eyes.
Up close, my eyes.
A clear, sacred energy inside them. A foolish, pure gaze with no trace of evil.
"A magical beast...? No..."
Her hand slowly reached toward my head.
Kailian tried to shout, but I wagged my tail to reassure her.
The saintess's fingertips touched my forehead.
*Zzt!*
A spark jumped between us. It wasn't rejection—it was a refreshing resonance as if our souls were syncing.
"Ah..."
Tears streamed down the saintess's face.
She had devoted her life to praying to the goddess. But she had never felt the goddess's presence this closely, this vividly.
The overwhelming sanctity emanating from this small, warm, soft, and milky-sweet-smelling being.
"Divine Beast... Lord?"
Her voice trembled.
The misunderstanding was over. Her mind was now burning with new faith. The moment the saintess became the second butler.
I grinned and pressed my pink jelly firmly onto her palm.
A kind of "well done" stamp.
*Kyuu!*
Pass! You're now my Butler #2. You brought snacks, right?
"Sob... Divine Beast Lord..."
The saintess collapsed forward in a full prostration. Overcome with emotion, she grabbed my short hind legs and sobbed.
"I'm sorry for the mistake! This lowly servant dared to splash holy water on the Divine Beast Lord! Please kill me! No, please step on me!"
"......"
Asking to be stepped on sounded a bit self-serving.
Kailian's expression, watching from behind, had gone blank.
The atmosphere where they had been ready to kill each other moments ago had vanished, replaced by some sudden cult revival meeting.
"Hey, Saintess? What are you—"
"Your Highness! Why didn't you say anything earlier!"
The saintess shot up and looked at Kailian with shining eyes. That gaze was no longer hostile—it was burning passion for a comrade.
"This man is the treasure of the empire... no, the continent! We must immediately take him to the temple and gather the archbishops! We cannot leave the Divine Beast Lord in such a lowly place! We must prepare the finest marble altar and gold bowls!"
"What? Stop joking. Blanc is mine."
Kailian rushed over, eyes wide, and snatched me up.
But the saintess didn't let go. She kept holding the tip of my tail.
"It can't be! The Divine Beast Lord belongs to everyone! No, I, who receive the will of the gods, must serve him!"
*What's with this?* Who steals someone else's tiger tail? This isn't letting go?
A tug-of-war began.
My body stretched between them like taffy.
It felt like it could stretch forever.
*Kyauuuu...!!*
Divine Beast? Why are you bullying me! This is sacrilege!
*Ah, my waist. My belly.*
Let go, you two!
I shouted *Kyaaang!* but to both their eyes, flames were already dancing. My cry was just cute background music.
The first parenting rights dispute.
Since that day, the princess's palace had a bizarre scene.
On the left side of the bed sat the princess, on the right the saintess. They sat side by side, brushing my fur while glaring at each other in a strange cohabitation.
And I lay there in the middle, belly exposed, being served by the two beauties while I thought.
*What if I grow a little more later... can I handle this?*
I briefly worried about my future self, but right now brushing was so refreshing that no thoughts came to mind. A refreshing sensation like no other.