Chapter 7
“Say ‘come up with a reasonable justification’ all you want—you sure took your time saying it.”
The nobles of the feline realm, who had been raising their voices in protest, all fell silent at once.
‘So this really is a world ruled strictly by the law of the jungle.’
The moment Licht lowered his voice, the banquet hall—once buzzing with agitation—became completely quiet.
Not long ago, Alice’s excited chatter still lingered faintly in my ears.
“Your Highness, did you know? In the feline realm, there’s a succession battle held once every ten years, and it’s said to be spectacular. The last one was three years ago, but I was sick with a fever at the time and couldn’t see it. I’m still so disappointed.”
At that succession battle three years ago, in front of the nineteen great families of the feline realm, Licht had crushed all challengers in a short time with overwhelming power.
‘He seems stronger than me.’
He already possesses magical power—so why does he need me? What does he mean by saying I’m absolutely necessary?
The more I tried to think about it, the more it felt like my still-developing brain would overload.
‘Ah, I shouldn’t fall asleep.’
A baby’s body was terribly inefficient. The moment I tried to think deeply, drowsiness rushed in as if it had been waiting.
“Abyssinian Duke.”
At Licht’s call, a refined beastman with a white sword at his waist bowed his head.
“Everything is ready, Your Majesty.”
As Licht nodded, a woman in flowing white robes stepped out from the shadowed side of the platform where the princes stood.
Everyone’s gaze—including mine, as I started to nod off—turned toward her.
“The High Priestess?”
“Why is the High Priestess, who cannot attend worldly banquets… here?”
The woman, maintaining a gentle smile the entire time, knelt on one knee before Licht and bowed deeply.
Her pure white robes spread out like a fan.
“I pay my respects to His Majesty Licht El Persian, the sole ruler of the feline realm…”
She paused briefly and looked up at me with clear green eyes.
“And to the noble Messiah who will save the feline people.”
“……!”
I froze at the word Messiah, staring blankly at her. It sounded so absurd I couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
‘Save the feline people? Me?’
So this is what it meant to be their Messiah?
“That’s strange.”
As Licht tilted his head, his soft silver hair brushed against me.
“I was told that human infants develop more slowly than beastmen, both physically and mentally.”
“……”
“Then why does it feel like you understand everything happening here?”
His low voice, meant only for me, made every hair on my body stand on end.
His cold fingers brushed against my cheek.
“Hmm? Yernian.”
Despite the chill in his voice, the hand patting my back was gentle.
That gentle touch only made my already heavy eyelids droop further.
‘Ah, I really shouldn’t fall asleep like this!’
It felt like important information about the Messiah was about to come out…
No matter how much I shook my chubby cheeks, I couldn’t fight off the drowsiness.
It was so overwhelming it almost felt like someone had secretly cast a sleep spell on me.
“What are you doing? Trying to be funny again?”
I could feel Licht pressing my cheeks with his fingers, but I couldn’t respond.
“3,980 years ago…”
The High Priestess’s calm voice began to fade rapidly from my ears.
As the murmuring around me blurred, my swaying head fell against a firm chest.
Licht looked down at Yernian, who had been nodding off like a sick chicken before suddenly falling completely asleep, with a curious expression.
“Yernian.”
“……”
“Sleeping?”
She just fell asleep like that?
Before he could react further, Mir stepped forward.
“Babies tend to sleep a lot, Your Majesty. Many spend more than half the day asleep. It seems the unfamiliar environment has caused her considerable stress.”
“Can’t we just wake her up?”
“She’ll cry. Very… miserably.”
Mir emphasized miserably in particular.
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Licht let out a dry chuckle as he glanced at the High Priestess, who was still explaining the “Night of Prophecy” to the nobles.
“She sleeps well.”
For a while now, there had been a damp sensation where Yernian’s face rested against his formal attire.
Following his gaze, Mir chimed in again knowingly.
“It’s a natural phenomenon that occurs as the salivary glands develop and baby teeth begin to come in.”
“…I didn’t ask. You’re noisy—go away.”
Despite his annoyed tone, the hand wiping Yernian’s mouth was unexpectedly careful.
As the High Priestess continued her explanation, the nobles—who had been nodding seriously—began to look shaken.
They all turned to each other, thinking the same thing.
‘What did I just see?’
Even before his coronation, Licht was known for his indifferent personality.
At times, he seemed so apathetic it was as if even breathing was a hassle.
There were even rumors among the beastmen that he might be asexual.
And yet, here he was, wiping the mouth of a sleeping child on his lap—with his bare hand, not even using a handkerchief.
“Ahem.”
The one who broke the strange atmosphere was the middle-aged man who had first pointed out Yernian’s presence.
“If everything the High Priestess says is true, are the recent cracks in the feline realm also related to that prophecy?”
The moment he mentioned the cracks in the feline realm, Yernian’s tightly shut eyelids twitched.
At once, all the nobles held their breath and stared at her.
“Mm…”
The child, monopolizing the noble ruler’s lap, rubbed her eyes as if trying to shake off sleep.
“Liit.” (Licht.)
At the sleepy, whining voice, the corners of the nobles’ lips twitched.
In contrast, Licht simply looked down at her with his usual indifferent expression.
“What is it, Yernian?”
She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Is the feline realm… going to collapse?”
For a brief moment, the atmosphere in the banquet hall turned strange at the innocent question.
Licht’s eyebrows twitched, and coughs broke out here and there.
“Not yet.”
At the cool touch on her cheek, Yernian blinked her pale pink eyes.
Licht looked down at her as if measuring something, then curled his lips slightly.
“Later.”
“Hm?”
“When you’re a bit older. I’ll explain it properly then.”
I pouted, unable to hide my disappointment.
‘He could’ve just told me now.’
Yawning with my cheek pressed against Licht’s clothes, I replayed what I had just heard.
‘They asked if the cracks in the feline realm were related to the prophecy.’
It seemed something was wrong with this space where the feline people lived.
Then was that why Licht brought me here?
‘What exactly does the prophecy say, for them to call me the Messiah?’
All I knew was that on the Night of Prophecy—when twin red moons rise—a child with immense magical power would be born.
‘And that child was me.’
At that moment, Licht slowly stood up while holding me.
“I think that’s enough explanation about the Night of Prophecy when the Messiah was born.”
It’s not enough! Not at all!
Ignoring my internal protest, he continued:
“If you’re not just carrying heads for decoration, you’ve all felt it.”
“……”
“That there’s a traitor within the feline realm.”
Licht’s cold blue eyes slowly swept over the nobles.
None of them dared to refute him.
‘A traitor?’
Holding my breath, I listened carefully.
“The High Priestess, who cannot betray the royal family, is excluded. That leaves one of you—someone who joined hands with the recently missing head priest and leaked the prophecy.”
The murmuring among the nobles grew louder.
“That’s absurd…!”
They looked at each other with suspicion, and a cold sneer appeared on Licht’s lips.
“Or who else would dare try to steal away the Messiah of the feline people?”
Silence fell again.
“…At this point, I believe I have sufficient justification to take the Messiah into the Persian family and protect her. What do you think, Duke Siam?”
The middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader of the elders, bowed respectfully.
“Though she is not of feline origin, if she is the Messiah acknowledged by the High Priestess, then it is a different matter. The council of elders will respect Your Majesty’s will.”
“We will respect it.”
The other nobles followed suit, bowing their heads.
Licht looked down at them without interest, then turned away.
So in summary, someone leaked the prophecy—something that was only passed down to the ruler of the feline people?
And because of that leak, others were able to find me?
That meant there was a faction within the feline realm cooperating with humans from the continent to attack the Persian family.
‘I thought this would be the safest place, but it turns out I’m right in the middle of enemy territory.’
My shoulders stiffened as I clutched Licht’s clothes tightly like a lifeline.
If I wasn’t careful, I felt like I might start hiccuping again.
Feeling my grip, Licht lowered his head. When our eyes met, a gentle smile curved his lips.
“Congratulations on becoming a member of the Persian family, Yernian.”
For some reason, that smile felt chilling, and I shivered.
“Now, choose.”
“…Hm? What?”
I looked up at him suspiciously.
“Which one do you like best?”
The place he gestured toward was the table the Third Prince had been staring at earlier.
A row of completely unrelated items—yarn, a sword, a fountain pen, a pocket watch, a pendant.
Mir, who had returned after seeing off the High Priestess, let out a dramatic sigh.
“Your Majesty, you should at least place Her Highness on the table first. The guests have already finished placing their bets on what she will choose.”
…What? Bets?
I stared at the table full of items with suspicion.
Licht easily lifted me up and scoffed.
“What did you eat to become this suspicious?”
“What is that?”
“Gambling.”
As he set me down on the table, a crooked smile formed on his lips.
At the word gambling, my expression immediately soured.
“Your Majesty, could you please watch your words in front of Her Highness?”
“I am watching them.”
“Not in their raw form.”
“So you want to be buried on the continent today?”
Ignoring their meaningless bickering, I happened to make eye contact with the Fourth Prince sitting below the platform.
