TVCWB Chapter 15

Chapter 15 

Perea froze in place, blinking rapidly.
She hadn’t expected to be trapped like this — Theo had wrapped his little arms and legs around her so tightly she could hardly move.

What in the world happened to make the prince so upset?

Still, from her perspective, it wasn’t a hard mystery to solve.
If the little prince was throwing a tantrum, it was definitely because of that man.

Perea silently turned to glare at Ray.
The disbelief and subtle blame in her eyes made his brow furrow even deeper.

“See? Perea’s mine, right?”

“Um… what?”

“Perea doesn’t have ears or a tail, so she’s weaker than me!”

“R-right… I suppose so…?”

Perea replied awkwardly.
After all, she was just a commoner of the Empire, and Theo was a prince — technically, everything was “his,” even her, in a way.

Her hesitant agreement made Theo beam, his teary eyes sparkling again. See? Easy to calm him down.

Perea threw Ray a smug little look — half “I told you so,” half “you made this worse.”
Ray’s frown deepened, but Theo clung to Perea even more tightly, refusing to let go.

After a while, Theo lifted his head from her shoulder, turned toward Ray, and shouted triumphantly:

“See! Perea’s mine!”

“Theo…”

“Theo’s good! Ray’s bad! Right, Perea?”

“Uh… y-yes…?”

It didn’t feel right to agree, but if she said no, the boy would probably burst into tears again — so she went along with it.

Perea patted Theo’s back and shot Ray a look that clearly said, Come on, just apologize already.
Under the combined pressure of both of them, Ray ruffled his hair roughly and reached out his arms.

“Fine. Theo, come here. She’s a human — you’re too heavy for her.”

It wasn’t much of an apology, more like a halfhearted concession.
Theo’s lips puckered in disapproval.

Did Ray just call him heavy? In front of Perea?
How rude! Didn’t he know how embarrassing that was?

Still, Theo reluctantly allowed himself to be picked up.
Once in Ray’s arms, the familiar warmth and scent soothed his sensitive beastman instincts, and the tension in his small body slowly faded.

“Ray, say sorry to me.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s all my fault.”

Ray’s voice was dry, but the words worked.
Theo hummed a little tune, satisfied.

Ray gave a quiet chuckle and brushed his hand over the boy’s bright golden hair — a simple, affectionate gesture that carried all the warmth he didn’t say aloud.

Holding the child gently, Ray paced the room in slow circles.
After such a loud crying fit, Theo soon grew drowsy. His head drooped, and soft snoring filled the quiet room.

Purr… purr…

The tiny rumbling sound made Perea melt.
She let out a breath of relief and smiled.

Ray, too, exhaled quietly and laid Theo carefully on the sofa.
Perea hurried to fetch a blanket and tucked it around the sleeping prince.

Theo buried his face in the fluffy fabric, smiling faintly in his sleep and smacking his lips.

“So cute…”

Perea whispered, covering her mouth to hide her squeal.

Ray’s ears twitched irritably.
He’d learned, ever since meeting her, that silence could still somehow feel noisy when Perea was around.

Before Theo was born, Ray had spent years almost completely alone.
Even after becoming the prince’s guard, life was quiet — disciplined, controlled.

But here, in Timi Village, every single day felt like too much stimulation.
Yet… strangely, he didn’t dislike it.

Maybe Theo’s little tantrums weren’t so bad after all.

Though he’d never admit it out loud, Ray, too, felt a faint sting of disappointment at the thought of leaving.

He turned to watch Perea.

She was kneeling beside the sofa, gazing at Theo with warm, tender eyes — the kind of gaze reserved for something small and precious.

It wasn’t fake or forced affection like what he’d seen in the Imperial Palace. It was real.

After confirming that Theo was sound asleep, Ray reached out and tapped Perea’s shoulder.

“Come with me. I need to talk.”

Perea blinked in surprise.
It was rare for Ray to ask to speak with her — usually, he only spoke when necessary.

“Do you not want to?”

“N-no, I do!”

He hadn’t even waited ten seconds before assuming she’d refuse.

She quickly got up, curiosity and nerves mixed inside her chest.
She still didn’t know what exactly had happened between him and Theo earlier, but maybe now she’d find out.

Perea led him to her clinic room, and Ray followed quietly.

He sat down naturally in the chair by the desk.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No.”

“…Okay.”

His curt reply made her awkwardly clear her throat and sit down opposite him.

When she’d treated his shoulder before, sitting across from him hadn’t felt strange at all — but now, the air between them felt heavy.

After a long silence, Ray finally tapped the table with his fingers and spoke.

“Do you remember what we found in the forest earlier today?”

“Yes. The defective monster bomb and the tracking device… right?”

“That’s right. Didn’t anything about them seem… odd to you?”

“Um…”

Perea hesitated, unsure what kind of answer he wanted.

The fact that such dangerous objects had been attached to the prince’s carriage was a massive deal.
But that kind of judgment wasn’t hers to make — a simple villager had no right to decide how serious it was.

Seeing her hesitate, Ray continued.

“As you saw, there are people targeting Prince Theo — His Majesty’s eldest legitimate heir.
The problem is, it’s not just one or two people.”

“I… I see.”

Perea nodded slowly. She suddenly remembered how she’d shouted “Those bastards!” in the forest earlier.

If these attackers were powerful nobles or high-ranking officials…
She had probably committed a serious offense by cursing them, even unknowingly.

The thought made her shrink a little, lowering her head in guilt.

No matter how evil they were, speaking ill of nobles was still a punishable act in the Empire.

Ray didn’t seem like someone who’d run to the palace to report her — but still, better safe than sorry.

She decided she’d be careful with her words until Theo returned to the capital safely.

Ray’s next words, however, made her heart drop.

“The bomb is one thing — Theo wasn’t seriously hurt, so we can let that go.
But the tracking device means they’ll send someone here soon.”

“H-here? To Timi Village?!”

Perea’s face went pale.

Her small hometown was far from the central provinces — so far that the capital barely acknowledged its existence.
It was peaceful and isolated, a place untouched by palace politics.

The thought that soldiers or assassins might come here — that her village could become collateral damage — terrified her.

Her body started trembling.
She remembered another village, two towns over, that had been completely wiped out after angering a noble family.

“What do we do? If they find out the prince is here, will they destroy our village?
And what about the prince — won’t he be in danger too?!”

“Yes.”

Ray confirmed it plainly, without hesitation.

Then he stood, poured a glass of water, and placed it in front of her.

“Drink. Calm down first. I’m telling you this so it doesn’t come to that.”

“O-okay… thank you…”

Her hands trembled as she took the glass and sipped the cool water.

He was calm, composed — infuriatingly so.
She wanted to steady herself, too, but her mind kept spiraling into worst-case scenarios.

She pressed her hand against her racing heart, taking deep breaths to slow it down.

A few minutes passed in silence.
Finally, she exhaled deeply, straightened her back, and looked at him again — eyes firm, steady.

“I’m fine now. Ray, what should we do to protect both the prince and the village?
If there’s anything I can do to help, tell me. I’ll do it.”

Ray had expected panic — maybe even anger, screaming for them to leave.
But instead, she offered cooperation.

It surprised him.

Unlike the fragile humans who always sought protection from stronger beings, she didn’t cower.

He found himself… impressed.

His tail swished once, unconsciously betraying his mood, as he leaned forward slightly toward her.