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Episode 3
A chill ran down my spine.
My body became even stiffer from panic, but I struggled even harder to get free.
Desperate, I started pushing against the wall with both my front and back paws.
But for some reason, the gap that had easily swallowed my head refused to let it come back out.
Did my face swell up from all the blood rushing to it or something?
“Whine… whine…”
A miserable sound escaped my mouth.
Cold sweat started pouring down my body.
“Search every corner again! Check the places you’ve already checked! We can’t tell His Majesty that a ghost stole it!”
To make matters worse, someone’s furious shout sent everyone back into a full search.
Footsteps suddenly filled the building.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound was like heavy rain.
And my heart started pounding along with them.
No!
At this rate, the guards were going to find me with my head stuck in a wall.
I twisted and struggled as hard as I could.
Now my cheeks were getting scraped raw.
I’m doomed! Totally doomed!
Just then, the thing I feared most happened.
A voice called out behind me.
“There’s something over here!”
“What? What is it?”
People gathered around.
“A white rag…? Wait, it’s moving!”
My heart nearly stopped.
…A rag?
A rag?!
Not even a fluffy ball?
A piece of cloth?!
Even in this life-or-death situation, I felt deeply offended.
If that guy had said it to my face, I would’ve smacked him.
Ugh! How insulting!
But my outrage quickly disappeared as footsteps approached.
“What is it? A mouse?”
A mouse?!
First, I was a rag.
Now I was a mouse.
Weasels are NOT mice!
“Why is it stuck in there?”
Someone grabbed me roughly by the scruff of my neck.
At the same time—
Pop!
My face finally came free.
AAAAAHHH!
My cheeks felt like they were on fire.
But at least I was no longer stuck.
Still, pain is pain.
And just because they helped me didn’t mean I was grateful.
I glared at the person holding me.
“Looks like a wild animal wandered in. Throw it out.”
The man holding me was a guard.
A middle-aged man nearby casually gave the order.
Now I was dangling helplessly from the guard’s hand.
My paws flailed wildly.
The guard sighed and started walking toward a window.
Ah…
So this was how I was getting kicked out.
I closed my eyes.
Honestly, being thrown outside wasn’t the worst outcome.
Compared to getting caught as a beastfolk, this was pretty lucky.
What a ridiculous day.
It has been one disaster after another.
I had already started thinking about what I would do after leaving the palace when—
“Stop.”
A low voice echoed through the room.
Instantly, everything became quiet.
The guard who was about to throw me froze in place.
Like someone had hit the pause button.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound of firm footsteps echoed through the now-silent building.
“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”
The atmosphere changed immediately.
I opened my eyes.
Everyone who had been running around moments ago was bowing.
What now?
Then I saw him.
A man had approached the guard holding me.
Your Highness?
I looked him over.
And my first thought was:
This guy sparkles.
Seriously.
How could a person shine from head to toe?
Golden hair.
Perfect skin.
A crisp military uniform.
He looked like a beautiful white statue decorated with gold.
Compared to me—a dusty weasel that had just crawled out of a crack in the wall—we were from completely different worlds.
His lips moved.
Everyone focused on him instantly.
“I would appreciate it if you’d gently put down my pet.”
Everyone blinked.
Including me.
“…Your pet?”
The guard sounded completely confused.
The blond man smiled.
“That small white one in your hand.”
At once, everyone’s eyes turned toward the guard’s hand.
Including mine.
I looked down at my dangling body.
…Me?
ME?!
My already round eyes nearly popped out of my head.
“Come here.”
“I-I didn’t know it was the Crown Prince’s pet! I’m sorry!”
The guard immediately switched from holding me by the scruff to carefully supporting me with both hands.
Then he dropped to one knee.
Pet?!
I have lived more like a human than most humans.
And now I was being called a pet?!
My pride took critical damage.
Wait.
What did he just say?
Crown Prince?
So this guy was the Crown Prince?
While I was still processing that information, the guard lowered his hands to the floor.
The look in his eyes practically begged me:
Please get off my hands.
But I didn’t move.
For two reasons.
First, this guy wasn’t my owner.
I’d never even met him before.
And second…
The Crown Prince was looking at me with sparkling eyes full of expectation.
That’s a really dangerous look.
I’d seen that kind of expression before.
Kids in town used to look at me like that when I was in animal form.
A pure, innocent look.
One that terrified me.
“Come on.”
The Crown Prince crouched down to my level and held out his hand.
He tapped the marble floor with his fingertips.
Like someone calling a pet.
Is this guy insane?
I narrowed my eyes.
“Looks like you weren’t seriously hurt. You got out of bed and escaped right away.”
His eyes curved gently as he smiled.
The expression was clearly meant to reassure me.
Then something clicked.
Wait…
The bandage on my paw.
The soft blanket.
The warm room.
And now that he was closer, his scent felt strangely familiar.
Oh.
He’s the one who treated me.
People had called him “Your Highness.”
That meant the place I’d woken up in was probably the Crown Prince’s palace.
Out of everyone in the Imperial Palace, why did it have to be the Crown Prince?
It felt like I’d accidentally gotten involved with someone incredibly troublesome.
“There are a lot of dangerous people here.”
The Crown Prince said it gently, probably trying to coax me over.
I wanted to tell him something.
You’re the most dangerous person here.
I trusted my instincts.
And if I had to pick the scariest person in this place, it was definitely him.
Just look around.
The giant, heavily armed guards were practically trembling in front of him.
And unlike everyone else…
I knew who he was.
My knowledge of the original novel finally became useful.
I had no idea whether the story had already started or what the protagonist was doing.
But I knew exactly who this man was.
A future villain.
The Crown Prince.
Shavelian.
In the original story, rebels killed his father and siblings.
After that, he descended into darkness.
Sure, the Emperor and the nobles were the ones truly responsible for the beastfolk massacre.
But in the end, the protagonist’s greatest enemy became Crown Prince Shavelian.
I had sworn I would stay as far away from the original plot as possible.
Yet somehow I had ended up right in the middle of enemy territory.
“You look like you’re thinking very hard.”
His sudden comment startled me.
No way.
Did he already see through my perfect animal acting?
“Or perhaps…”
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“…you like that guard more than me?”
Wait.
Was he pouting?
Suddenly, I panicked.
One thing was absolutely clear.
I definitely didn’t like the guard.
There was no point in hesitating anymore.
Even if I planned to run away later, I needed to survive this situation first.
So I quickly jumped out of the guard’s hands and ran toward the Crown Prince.
The moment I approached him, warmth returned to his eyes.
The Crown Prince gently scooped me into his palm.
Then he stood up.
And before I knew it, he was holding me against his chest like a baby.
…What is this?
It was unbelievably comfortable.
It’s like floating on a cloud.
I’d never felt anything like it.
“Let’s go back to your room.”
And just like that, I ended up returning to the place I’d worked so hard to escape.
Later
What exactly is this guy thinking?
After bringing me back, the Crown Prince put me in a cage.
Well…
Calling it a cage felt generous.
The bars were so widely spaced that I could probably walk in and out whenever I wanted.
Even if I am extra fluffy right now, does he seriously think I’m that fat?
Thinking that, I sat down and stared at him.
The Crown Prince stared right back.
Then he suddenly spoke.
“What should I name you?”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“How about… Juju von Deluce the Second?”
Absolutely not.
What kind of secret-princess name was that?
And why “the Second”?
Where was the first one?
I expected something silly.
But somehow this was even worse.
I almost cursed out loud.
Barely stopped myself.
Apparently, my expression gave me away.
The Crown Prince tilted his head.
“You don’t like it?”
“Michael’s favorite dog has a name like that.”
Who was Michael?
What kind of naming standards did this palace have?
My faith in the royal family was dropping rapidly.
The Crown Prince thought for a moment.
Then he brightened.
“Then how about… Dust?”
He pointed at me.
“You’re white. You kind of look like a pile of dust.”
Would you like to get beaten with a feather duster?
Seriously.
What was wrong with this man’s naming sense?
At this point, I was starting to wonder if he’d brought me here specifically to torture me with terrible pet names.
