Chapter 09
“……”
Tyren and Jake stared blankly at the scene unfolding before their eyes.
“That’s… impressive.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
There was nothing else to say.
Tap-tap-tap!
The moment the sound of feet kicking off the ground rang out—
Swish!
In midair, the small kitten’s body twisted in a dazzling spin.
Grab!
With both front paws, the kitten tightly seized the bundle of feathers.
“Meowng!”
“She caught it again.”
As she landed proudly, Sirka let out a sound of admiration.
“Waaong!”
The baby kitten—no, the lynx beastkin, Variya—puffed out her chest proudly.
Her nose was flushed red with excitement.
“See, baby? I told you you’d like it.”
Sirka smiled as she pulled back on the stick she was holding.
Not wanting to lose her hard-earned prey, Variya tightened her grip with all her strength.
“For a kitten, nothing beats a hunting game.”
That’s right.
The stick Sirka was swinging was a feathered fishing rod made for cats.
Honestly, even Jake hadn’t thought it would be for Variya when Sirka asked him to get it.
She wasn’t an actual cat, but a beastkin.
And yet…
“I would’ve been disappointed if we hadn’t brought it. Who knew she’d use it this well?”
Jake let out a hollow laugh as he watched Variya fling her entire body at the rod again.
“Our young lady must be a hunting genius. How is she so good at this?”
Already completely smitten with Variya, Tyren’s eyes grew moist.
Jake panicked at the sight of her looking like she might burst into tears.
Since when was she this emotional?
Variya had only been in Kalif for a single day—what on earth had happened in that time?
She’d said she lost sight of Variya while dozing off… did that trigger something?
“Our young lady is definitely the best hunting cat beastkin in the world.”
At Tyren’s firm conviction, Jake gave an awkward nod.
‘She really does move differently from a normal cat…’
“Good! That’s it! Baby, imagine this feather is a hyena and attack!”
“Gyaaaong!”
As if Sirka’s shout had acted as a stimulant, Variya let out something that sounded like a string of curses and swung her paw widely.
The feathers couldn’t withstand her fierce claws and were shredded, fluttering helplessly in the air.
“Gyaak!”
But even tearing the feathers apart wasn’t enough—she lunged straight at the stick in Sirka’s hand.
Unable to withstand the force, Sirka dropped the rod, and Variya began wildly slashing at it.
In the end, the toy fishing rod met its complete demise.
“Perfect, baby. That was an excellent hunt.”
Looking at the imaginary hyena that had met its end, Sirka stroked Variya’s head.
Still huffing, Variya lifted her reddened nose high.
Tyren and Sirka clapped enthusiastically.
‘…Isn’t that a bit too savage for a cat?’
Sure, cats were carnivores that hunted even for fun.
But even considering that, the kid was a bit… too vicious.
“Well done! Amazing!”
“Our young lady is so cool!”
But if he said that out loud, those hot-tempered tiger beastkin—already completely charmed by Variya—might actually try to kill him.
So Jake wisely joined in and clapped along.
“Meowng! (As expected, I’m a great lynx!)”
No one realized that’s what Variya was shouting.
After the contract was concluded, the three beastkin of Kalif each took on a role.
Sirka would teach Variya how to hunt and how to fight against hyenas, while Sabrina took on the role of feeding her well and raising her properly.
“Why me?”
Honestly, Sabrina wasn’t very pleased with her role.
She thought it would suit her better to teach hunting, but both Bayden and Sirka had firmly opposed it.
They said her hunting methods were too cruel to teach a child.
When Sabrina expressed her dissatisfaction, Sirka sighed and said:
‘Think about the state of those hyena beastkin you hunted a few days ago.’
‘……’
Even those tenacious, vicious hyenas had been left in such horrific condition that their own kind couldn’t even retrieve the bodies.
In the end, Sabrina accepted her role.
After some thought, she chose to set up a place not in the dining hall, but under a gazebo in the garden.
She hated feeling confined and rarely stayed inside the mansion, but being out in the open garden helped her breathe easier.
“Madam, the young lady has arrived.”
Sabrina, who had been staring unfamiliar at the table filled with food, quickly turned her head.
In front of Tyren, the small kitten walked forward proudly.
“Maek!”
Variya cried out energetically as she hopped onto the chair across from Sabrina.
“Mreow!”
Placing both front paws neatly on the table, she stared at the food with sparkling eyes.
Her tongue peeked out, glistening with anticipation.
She must be very hungry after playing so intensely with Sirka.
“First, baby.”
“Meh?”
“Are you going to eat like that?”
At Sabrina’s words, Variya tilted her head and looked at her front paws.
“Eek!”
Startled by the soft pink paw pads in front of her, she hurriedly transformed into her human form.
“I—I didn’t realize I was still in cat form.”
“Is it more comfortable in that form?”
“Yes.”
Variya nodded immediately.
“It’s easier to run away, and easier to hide my presence and appearance. So I had no choice but to stay in animal form most of the time.”
It was easy to imagine just how harsh her life on the run had been.
“Even for a cat beastkin, your animal form is quite small. If you want to grow big and strong, you shouldn’t be picky. You have to eat everything.”
Sabrina found herself lecturing her—something she had never even done to Sirka.
Compared to Sirka, who had always grown exceptionally well, Variya seemed even smaller.
“I’m not picky! I just couldn’t eat because there wasn’t any!”
Variya wiggled excitedly as she looked at the table full of food.
“Alright, you must be hungry, so go ahead and eat—…wait, the food seems a bit cold.”
Even though Variya arrived quickly, the food had cooled down from being outdoors.
“Tyren, go and reheat—”
“No! It’s okay! If it’s hot, I can’t eat fast!”
Already captivated by the smell, Variya began eating before Tyren could clear anything away.
A fresh salad filled with vegetables, fruits, and cheese. Creamy pasta rich with flavor. Pizza topped with delicious tomato sauce.
Meat was the best—but even the non-meat dishes were incredibly tasty.
“Is it good?”
“Yes!”
Variya nodded vigorously, her eyes shining.
‘It was such a good decision to make a contract with Kalif.’
You can’t fight alone.
Knowing her own limitations and taking the hand that was offered to her—she would never regret it.
The world was still worth living in!
“……”
Sabrina watched Variya, who was eating with pure happiness, with quiet curiosity.
To her, eating was nothing more than a necessary act for survival.
But seeing Variya enjoy it so much made the food look delicious even to her.
‘How strange.’
Everything felt unfamiliar to Sabrina.
Eating a proper meal in the garden, not just light refreshments. Sitting across from a young girl. Watching her eat happily.
She had never imagined something like this would happen.
‘No… I think I once imagined something like this.’
When was it?
There had been a time when staying in this mansion had felt enjoyable.
Even now, she didn’t dislike it—but back then, it hadn’t felt suffocating.
When was that?
“Kyahaha!”
A bright burst of laughter suddenly rang in her ears like a bolt of lightning.
Turning her head absentmindedly, she saw Variya laughing brightly, playing with Tyren.
“……”
Sabrina couldn’t take her eyes off Variya, who seemed to claim the entire garden as her own with her laughter.
It felt like she was witnessing a small, simple happiness she had believed would never return to her life.
For the first time in eighteen years.
‘For now, I should stay here and watch over the child.’
If Bayden—who always longed for his wandering mate—knew this, he would probably faint.
After the fun hunting game and the satisfying meal ended—
Variya was summoned to Bayden’s office.
Sirka and Sabrina had finished their parts. Now it was Bayden’s turn.
And so, a suffocating standoff began.
To an outsider, it looked as if sworn enemies had met on a narrow bridge.
Silva Brazier, the white tiger beastkin and Bayden’s aide, broke into a cold sweat.
Working under Bayden had somehow landed him right in the middle of this situation.
He had heard they were on good terms—so what was going on?
Unfortunately, he didn’t realize the truth.
Bayden, head of all tiger beastkin and lord of the great Kalif family—
was currently facing the greatest dilemma of his life.
‘What… exactly am I supposed to do with a little girl?’
He had no idea what to do with Variya, and his mind went completely blank.
