Chapter 05
“Circa brought her in after she almost got killed by hyenas.”
“To be precise, the kid was threatening the hyenas. Isn’t that fascinating?”
They moved to the living room and briefly explained what had happened.
Bayden and Sabrina looked at Bariya at the same time.
“Mmnyang, mnyang.”
Bariya had her face buried in a bowl, devouring meat.
Just moments ago she had been glaring at them like enemies after being dragged back, but now that she was eating, her mood seemed to have softened.
As if she had been starving, her eyes lit up the moment she saw meat.
“Mother, Father.”
At that moment, Circa rushed in.
Seeing Bariya stuffing herself at the table without a care, he let out a dry laugh.
“I was wondering where she went. So you really caught her while she was trying to run away, Mother?”
“She was just about to step out the front gate. If I hadn’t caught her, she’d already be gone.”
“I didn’t expect her to be this quick to act.”
Circa rubbed his forehead and shook his head.
“Aaahng!”
Bariya cried out in protest with her mouth full of meat.
It seemed she was quite upset about being caught right before her successful escape.
“If you were that concerned, you should’ve watched her properly.”
At Sabrina’s scolding, Circa shrugged.
“Tyrin was guarding her. But when he came to, he was asleep in the hallway outside the bedroom, and the kid was already gone.”
“What?”
All three of them looked at Bariya.
She gave no reaction, as if pretending not to hear.
“Tyrin isn’t the type to disobey orders and just fall asleep.”
“Exactly.”
Sabrina tapped the armrest and muttered,
“White submitted to that kid.”
Bayden and Circa were genuinely shocked.
White was a white tiger Sabrina had raised since her youth.
It obeyed only Sabrina’s commands and was so ill-tempered it even ignored Bayden and Circa, despite them being far stronger.
And yet, that White had submitted to a mere kitten?
“It shows discomfort toward me, but doesn’t bare its teeth—almost like it’s being cautious.”
Among tiger beastmen, Sabrina possessed particularly overwhelming strength.
It was that very strength that made her the mistress of the leader’s household.
“…Hyenas have been lurking around our territory. Could that also be related to the kid?”
Bariya, who had been buried in her bowl, flinched slightly—and the three didn’t miss it.
“Hyenas? I dealt with the ones that crossed the border yesterday,” Circa said in surprise.
Sabrina shrugged.
“They weren’t animals—they were beastmen. I saw a few last night and took care of them. That’s why I returned earlier than planned. You won’t be able to retrieve the bodies.”
Since Sabrina herself had handled it, of course no one would find them.
“No matter how I look at it, she’s no ordinary kid.”
“Grrr.”
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Bariya showed her guard.
Sabrina finally understood why the kitten was even more wary than White.
“Kid. Do you want to go back to the hyena territory?”
“Hiss!”
Bariya let out a sharp cry.
It was startlingly fierce.
“Do you like hyenas?”
“Hissss!”
Even if she didn’t understand the words, it clearly sounded like a string of curses.
Sabrina smiled in satisfaction.
“I see. Coincidentally, we don’t like hyenas either. That means we share a common enemy.”
A common enemy?
The fur that had been standing on end slowly settled.
She looked interested.
“Tiger beastmen and hyena beastmen have been at odds for hundreds of years. Now we’re practically sworn enemies, especially after those filthy hyenas pulled their dirty tricks.”
Fury flashed across Sabrina’s beautiful face.
Feeling the aggressive pheromones laced with emotion, Bariya flinched.
“Whatever the reason, they’re clearly desperate to find you. So, kid—don’t leave. Stay here.”
“……”
“We hate those hyenas enough to kill them, and you seem to hate them just as much. We’ll protect you from them. Kalif is the safest place for you.”
Bariya understood.
Kalif was stronger than Mariner, the hyena ruling family.
“And we’ll use that to mess with those hyenas and tear them—”
“Mother, the child is right here.”
What do you mean ‘tear them’?
Seeing Bariya’s innocent gaze, Sabrina corrected herself.
“…turn their world upside down. What do you think? Sounds like a fair alliance, doesn’t it?”
From Bariya’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad offer.
She had been on the run for three years, both mentally and physically exhausted.
To grow strong enough to properly strike back at the hyenas, she needed a safe place.
And if Kalif and Mariner were enemies, she might even achieve her goal of revenge together with them.
But—
‘If they learn my secret, will the tigers really protect me?’
What if they find out why the Mariner family is going to such lengths to find her?
Could she be sure they wouldn’t treat her like the hyenas did?
After everything she’d suffered, she couldn’t trust tigers either.
So she needed leverage she could trust.
Bariya’s body began to change.
Her small form straightened, limbs lengthening as fingers and toes appeared.
Soft wheat-colored hair cascaded down her back.
When she slowly opened her eyes, clear, sparkling brown pupils were revealed.
It had been a long time since she transformed into a human.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The three froze, completely unprepared for her sudden transformation.
Sitting on the table, Bariya instantly seized control of the atmosphere.
Looking straight at them, she spoke:
“Ge-ya-sseo-reul ssu-rae-yo.”
“……”
“……”
“……?”
Then, startled by her own clumsy pronunciation, she quickly covered her mouth.
Seeing the strange looks on their faces, embarrassment flooded her.
‘It’s been too long since I transformed—or spoke like a human!’
Come to think of it, it had already been a year since her last transformation.
Being in her wildcat form was far better for escaping, and unlike normal beastmen, she had no time limit on staying in animal form.
She rubbed her cheeks and lips vigorously.
“Ge! Gye! Gye-yak-seo! Gye-ak! Gye! Yak! Seo!”
Breaking it down syllable by syllable helped her pronounce it properly.
“Ssu-rae-yo! Ssu! Ssu-u!”
What do you mean “ssu-rae-yo”? It’s “write”!
Frustrated at her tongue not cooperating, Bariya roared:
“Con-tract! Write it!”
It was a very forceful command.
“…I understand. You want a contract guaranteeing your safety, right?”
Thankfully, Circa understood immediately.
She didn’t have to struggle explaining further.
“Good. That works for us too. First—what’s your name?”
“Bariya Bell.”
Even with her clumsy tongue, she could clearly say the precious name her mother had given her.
“Age?”
Bariya held up all ten fingers.
Ten years old.
All three of their expressions froze.
Neither her beast form nor her human form looked anywhere near ten—they had assumed she was younger.
“…One more question. Where did you get those clothes?”
“Clothes?”
At Circa’s question, Bariya looked down at herself.
Her dress, torn at the sleeves, was a dirty yellow, stained all over.
It had been patched countless times with mismatched fabric—it was practically rags.
“I wore it while living with the hyena family.”
Though her tongue still struggled, she explained.
She had no money for new clothes, and since she mostly stayed in her wildcat form, she kept wearing the same outfit.
She washed it in streams and asked kind village women to mend it when it wore out.
But no matter what, it could never be truly clean again.
‘Is this why Circa said I smelled?’
No way… but maybe someone of his status could notice?
“If I smell bad, I’ll go change…”
She absolutely didn’t want to hear that she smelled.
“It’s not about the smell, but it’s not good for your health. You should change. We’ll write the contract properly after that.”
Bariya nodded and jumped down from the table.
When Circa stood up as well, she said:
“I won’t run away. You don’t have to follow.”
She had realized staying here was much better—unless something major happened, she had no intention of leaving.
“That’s not why I’m coming with you.”
Then why?
Though puzzled, she didn’t ask and simply followed him out.
“Those insane bastards…”
Just before the door closed, it sounded like Sabrina muttered something harsh, but Circa shut the door with a smile, cutting it off.
Tilting her head, Bariya trotted after him.
“Contact’s been lost?”
At the Mariner family, the ruling hyena clan—
Darius Mariner, the eldest son, couldn’t contain his anger at the report.
“The animals were confirmed to have been dealt with by Circa Kalif, the heir. But the beastmen we sent later… we can’t track them.”
“Why the hell not?!”
“Well… Sabrina Kalif was seen passing near where our informants were hiding.”
Sabrina Kalif.
Daughter of the noble white tiger Frost family, and wife of Bayden Kalif, leader of the tiger beastmen.
At the same time—the most violent, foul-tempered, and powerful among them.
“Damn it! Those fucking tiger bastards!”
Darius hurled an ashtray.
The glass shattered against the wall with a loud crash.
