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Chapter 3
The blade gripped in his left hand gleamed a cold, blue light.
That sword had touched my neck…
Pera shuddered once more, then hurried after the man. If he scratched the furniture with that brutish weapon, it would be a disaster.
“Pera, what’s going on? It sounded noisy…”
Harun, who had been about to rise anyway, stopped short when a massive figure blocked his path. His long rabbit ears immediately flattened against his head under the weight of the deadly aura spilling from the stranger.
“Where is the prince?”
Again, the man pressed forward with his sword first, and Pera nearly fainted.
Of course—what else from a leopard beast? Why does he always wave that terrifying thing around? Do beast have no sense of conversation at all…?!
Before he could cause more trouble, she quickly pointed out where the prince was.
“He’s over there on the sofa. You do know His Highness needs absolute rest right now, don’t you?”
In other words: Put away the sword, you menace.
Only after confirming the boy was sleeping peacefully did the man finally lower his weapon. The prince truly did look at ease, and relief softened the man’s tense expression. Then, belatedly, he took stock of himself—realizing Pera hadn’t lied.
Moments before collapsing earlier, he had thought he might never wake again. Yet now he breathed freely, his body not as broken as he feared. Even his left shoulder—the arm he wielded his blade with—moved more naturally than expected.
So… she really is a doctor, then.
The thought had barely formed before his body gave way. With a heavy thud, he crashed to the floor. Fever, raging from his wounds, had burned through him until he could no longer stand.
“Ahhh!”
“Gah!”
Both Pera and Harun leapt in fright. If he had fallen a second earlier, they might have been cut by that sword.
“Oh, honestly…!”
Pera sighed deeply. A patient this uncooperative from the start—how was she supposed to handle him? Harun’s ears twitched nervously as he looked over the unconscious man.
“He’ll head straight back to the capital once he wakes, right?”
“Of course. Imagine the uproar if something happened to the prince.”
“Hmmm… judging by his look, he’d leave this instant if he could.”
Harun was the first to drag the weapon far out of reach before slinging the man’s arm across his shoulder. Even then, he couldn’t lift him alone; Pera had to help. Grunting and straining, the two of them managed to haul him back onto the bed.
But then—
From the living room came a low, rumbling growl.
“The prince is awake!”
“What do we do?! I’m covered in blood—head to toe!”
“Change, quickly! I’ll hold him off for now.”
At Harun’s urging, Pera darted into the dressing room. Her once-pristine white coat was soaked a dark red from treating both the prince and his knight. It had been fine fabric, a coat she treasured—but clearly, today was its last.
With a heavy sigh of regret, she stripped it away, slipped into a simple dress, and layered another coat on top. At least now she looked like a respectable veterinarian again. Checking herself quickly in the mirror, she hurried into the living room—just as Harun’s panicked cry rang out.
“P-Pera!”
She rushed forward and froze.
The young prince, with his golden honey-blond hair, had Harun’s long rabbit ear clenched tight in his little fist. The boy’s grip was so strong Harun’s face had gone pale—nearly blue. But how could he push the child away, when that child was the tiger beast-prince himself? All he could do was wear a pained expression.
“Prince Theo!”
Pera strode forward, calling his name. At the sound of it, the boy twitched his round ears and tilted his head curiously.
“You know Theo?”
“Of course. Everyone knows our splendid young prince!”
“I’m splendid?”
His cheeks flushed at the praise, and he gave a bashful smile. A smile so sweet it seemed honey might drip from it. Both Pera and Harun nearly melted—before remembering that Harun’s ear was still caught in the boy’s merciless hand.
Pera fixed on her secret weapon: the Kind and Gentle Smile. It never failed on rabbit beast. Slowly, she edged closer.
“Now then, Your Highness… how about you let go first, and then we can talk together?”
“Hmmm…? You’re strange. No ears on your head.”
Theo’s brows furrowed. Everyone he knew—his parents, his siblings, even his attendants—had ears. But this woman’s head was bare, oddly empty.
Her puzzled expression only made him more adorable. Pera smiled even brighter.
“That’s because I’m not a beast, but a human.”
“Human…?”
“Yes! No animal blood in me, so I don’t have ears or a tail.”
She spun once on the spot, showing that even her back was bare of a tail. Theo’s eyes widened in amazement.
A creature with no ears, no tail… incredible!
At last, he let Harun’s ear slip free and hopped down from the sofa, toddling toward Pera. Tugging at her dress, he began examining her curiously—tapping her skirt, bouncing on the spot.
It was exactly like the way feline beast behaved when they discovered something unfamiliar. Pera, who had studied many kinds of animals, recognized the meaning instantly.
So she crouched down and extended a finger.
“You smell funny. Like flowers.”
Theo sniffed at her hand for a long moment before declaring it. Beast each carried the scent of their species. But Pera, being human, carried only the faint fragrance of soap.
She chuckled softly, and even Harun’s lips finally eased. Theo then peered deeply into her eyes. Pera did not look away, and at last, the boy’s gaze softened into another smile.
Yes!
Pera clenched her fist in secret triumph. She had passed Prince Theo’s test.
The boy now held her hand and led her about the house, curiosity shining in every movement.
“So tiny. Theo’s fingernail big as house.”
It wasn’t that small, surely… Still, the words stabbed her pride. The building was among the better ones in the village, and she was its owner. Yet a single comment from the little prince left her deflated.
After dealing that blow, Theo blinked innocently and asked:
“Where’s Lei?”
“Lei…?”
“Mm-hm! White one. Protects Theo!”
He flailed his short arms, mimicking swordplay.
At once, Pera thought of the white-haired man lying unconscious in the clinic.
So he really is a knight…
“Yes, indeed. Sir Lei is resting right now.”
Sir—though she longed to call him that brute. Still, as the bodyguard of a prince, his rank had to be high. She couldn’t let her tongue slip.
“Resting? Sleeping?”
“Yes. Fast asleep.”
Theo pressed his hands to his cheeks, shutting his eyes in a childish imitation of sleep. The sight was so precious Pera nearly believed an angel had descended into her home.
But Harun jabbed her sharply in the side, snapping her back to reality. His eyes told her plainly: Ask what happened. Find out now.
Pera nodded, crouching again before the boy.
“Your Highness.”
“Theo.”
“…Pardon?”
“Not Highness. Theo.”
His small lips jutted in a pout.
