TVCWB Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“S-so… who could have done something so terrible? Whoever it is, they should be caught and punished!”

Perea raised her voice on purpose, trying to break the heavy silence that had filled the air.
Of course, if she actually met the person who planted the bomb, she would probably faint from fear — but her heart was in the right place.

Surprisingly, her clumsy attempt to vent anger softened Ray’s killing intent little by little.
The sharp, invisible pressure that had surrounded them also began to fade away.

When his expression returned to its usual cold calm, Perea finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Did you finish looking? Hand it over. I need to destroy it.”

Perea, who had secretly slipped the monster bomb into her pocket earlier, looked guilty.
But Ray simply held out his palm.

Pouting, she reluctantly placed the small, dangerous object in his hand.
Even though she knew how deadly it was, the way it sat there against his large, elegant fingers made it look almost like a precious jewel.

Maybe it was because of him — his handsome face and graceful posture.

Perea found herself imagining the muscles hidden under his clothes — his firm chest, broad back, and defined shoulders — and she couldn’t help grinning foolishly.
His wounds had healed so fast that she hadn’t even had time to “study” him properly before.

“What’s with that perverted look?”

“M-me?! What look? I wasn’t thinking anything weird!”

“Then wipe the drool first.”

“Huh?”

Stung by his words, Perea quickly rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand — but, of course, it was perfectly dry.

Realizing he’d been teasing her, her face turned bright red.

Ray tilted his head slightly as he watched her fume.
The movement made his silver hair shimmer softly, catching the sunlight, and Perea’s eyes couldn’t help but follow it.

Then, as if something occurred to him, Ray blinked slowly.

“You know… when you get angry like that, you really look like a beastman.”

“W-what?”

Before she could ask what that meant, he replied matter-of-factly:

“A mountain gorilla beastman.”

Perea sputtered in outrage. Of course.
Ray looked quietly satisfied with his new success in teasing her, and then returned his focus to the bomb.

***

The monster bomb was tougher than expected.
Even in the explosion that had shattered the entire carriage, the bomb itself hadn’t taken a scratch.
It would take real strength to destroy it.

Ray drew his sword, channeling aura along the blade.

“Stand back,” he ordered briefly.

Perea had already retreated more than thirty paces the moment she saw his sword glow, but she stepped back even farther just to be safe.

Ray’s lips curved faintly for a second at her quick reflexes, but then his eyes hardened with concentration.
The aura surrounding his sword — the same blue as his eyes — began to glow brighter and brighter.

It was as if a small sun had risen inside the forest.
Perea squinted and covered her face with her hands, unable to look directly at it.

So this is the power it takes to guard a prince, she thought with awe.

She folded her hands neatly over her stomach, promising herself that from now on she would treat him with more respect.
And when he returned, she’d make sure to compliment him — tell him how amazing he looked while destroying that bomb.

As she cracked her eyes open slightly, the light was still dazzlingly bright.
It was like staring straight at the sun. She took another cautious step back—

Crack.

A small breaking sound echoed near her feet.

Startled, Perea looked down.
At first, she thought she might have stepped on an egg that had fallen from a nest, but then she saw it — another strange object gleaming faintly in the dirt.

This one wasn’t yellow, but red.
Like the first bomb, it was crudely cut, far too rough to be a normal gem.

What on earth did they attach to that carriage? she thought grimly.

Prince Theo was only five years old.
The idea that someone had gone to such cruel lengths to harm a child made Perea’s stomach twist in anger.

Without thinking, she stomped hard on the red gem.
It didn’t explode, so she assumed it wasn’t a bomb — a bold, if reckless, conclusion.

She kept stomping until it was crushed to powder.
Just then, a cold voice fell over her shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Eek!”

Perea jumped so hard she almost fell over.
Ray had appeared without a sound.

He looked her up and down slowly, like a teacher catching a naughty student in the act.
At times like this, he almost wished humans had tails and ears — they made scolding beastmen much easier.

His gaze dropped to the ground near her feet. His white, round ears flicked slightly.

He knelt, inspecting the red dust now clinging to her shoe.

“Did you do this?”

“It wasn’t on purpose! I stepped on it by accident, but it didn’t seem like a normal gem, so I just—!”

She babbled excuses quickly.
Now that she thought about it, what if it had been a real gem? But it was too late to worry now.

Ray straightened slowly, his face once again hard as stone.

“You’re right. It’s not an ordinary gem.”

“R-really? Then what is it?”

“A tracking device.”

The words made Perea’s blood run cold.

So she’d been right to be suspicious — but that only made things worse.
Whoever had set all this up had gone to extreme lengths.
They hadn’t just tried to kill the prince; they’d made sure to track him if he somehow survived.

It was a horrifyingly thorough plan.

Perea imagined little Theo back in the village, laughing and playing with the rabbit boys, blissfully unaware of how close danger still was.
Her chest ached, and a dull headache started to form behind her eyes.

Rubbing her temple, she muttered bitterly:

“Haah… I’d really like to see the faces of the bastards who did this.”

“Would you?”

To her surprise, Ray actually looked… satisfied.

Now that he had seen the tracker, his earlier tension had turned into a calm, deliberate smile — the kind that made Perea uneasy.
He was clearly planning something.

He’d tried to ignore the attacks so far, not because he was afraid, but because they were too trivial to bother with.

But this time… they had crossed a line.

It was time to remind them that avoiding trouble didn’t mean he was unable to cause it.
If they wanted to play dirty, he could be just as dirty.

“R-Ray?”

He smiled — beautifully, dangerously — and for some reason, it sent a chill down her spine.

Without another word, he gestured toward the path home.

“Let’s go back.”

Perea hesitated. Something about the situation still felt unresolved, but she followed him anyway.
Part of her secretly hoped this incident would finally convince the prince and his guard to return quietly to the Imperial Palace.

***

As they walked back, Perea’s eyes wandered to the white tail swaying gracefully in front of her.
It was so mesmerizing that she didn’t notice the rock sticking out of the path—

“Ahh!”

She tripped and fell flat on the ground.

Ray looked back, sighing in disbelief.

“Even Theo doesn’t trip like that.”

“That’s your fault!”

“Mine? Did I push you?”

He widened his eyes in mock offense. He hadn’t done anything — yet somehow she was blaming him again.

Still, he couldn’t just stand there while she sprawled on the ground.
With a small sigh, he held out his hand.

It was a simple gesture — get up.

Perea blinked in surprise. He rarely showed any kindness.
She stared at his outstretched hand for so long that his patience ran out.

He pulled it back.

“If you want to get up by yourself, go ahead.”

“It’s not that— I’m bleeding!”

Perea showed her palm with a trembling pout.
She must have scraped it on a rock; small cuts dotted her skin, and fresh blood welled up.

“Unbelievable…”

His expression said it all — you really do manage to get hurt in every possible way, don’t you?

Feeling like a scolded puppy, Perea puffed out her cheeks.

It’s not my fault his tail is so distractingly pretty! she thought bitterly.
How is anyone supposed to look away from something that fluffy?

But she kept those complaints to herself.

Ray sighed and crouched in front of her.
He opened the medical kit from the bag and began tending her wound with calm, practiced movements.

His touch was gentle — but his face remained stern.

And as she watched him work, Perea couldn’t help but think that even when he was scolding her, even when he was annoyed,
Ray looked unfairly handsome.