Since then, the number of knights guarding the Empress’s palace has increased.
Lately, when they’ve come to see me, they’ve often had a serious look on their faces as they’ve been briefed on something by their lieutenants.
Emperor Litain himself has been coming out to inspect more often lately.
He seemed to be preparing himself, convinced that something serious was about to happen.
‘Is that why you’re giving me such a precious tool, because you think I’ll die?
Between the Lilberg Empire and the Penterin Empire, there were high mountain ranges and deep rivers that made it almost impossible to communicate.
Therefore, in the Penterin Empire, tools were extremely rare and expensive.
Litain had managed to obtain such a tool and dared to give it to Juicy.
Juicy was unnecessarily upset and her pride was hurt.
After all, in her previous life, she had been a very strong and capable water woman.
“How did this happen?
Juicy looked at herself in the mirror.
Snow-white fur with a hint of silver, rounded ears with black stripes, and mysterious blue eyes like a frozen winter lake.
“Yeah, she’s cute,” I said, “but what’s the point of being pretty?
Juicy is almost eight months old.
Still, she had stopped growing at about the size of a month-old tiger cub.
The imperial physicians and priests gathered to diagnose the problem: Juicy’s slow growth could be due to the fact that she was a “white tiger,” and they further hypothesised that some force was holding her back.
While this is the first white tiger to be born into the Penterin royal family, it is not the first time a white tiger has been born.
There had been several white tigers born to other families.
But they were all fragile and died early. Based on this fact, the surrounding watermen concluded that Empress juicy was also a white tiger, which meant she was small and slow to grow.
juicy scratched the floor in disbelief as she heard the story.
“When will she grow up, when will she humanise, it’s so frustrating!
Normally, Sioux are humanised between the ages of four and eight.
But at this rate, there was no hope. Juicy was frustrated and had been depressed lately.
With all the Sioux taking care of me in human form, she wanted to walk on her own two feet and talk as soon as possible.
“Ugh.
After a long, threatening speech, Litain left the castle, and Juicy scrambled up to the high window sill and stared out, lost in thought.
Once it was decided that Juicy’s lack of growth was a trait of the frail white tiger, everyone became even
Juicy rested her front paws on the window glass and sighed.
“Damn it. I don’t want to be a white tiger. I just want to be a tiger! If I was born a golden, I’d be fine.’
I felt sorry for my mother, who had given her life to bring me into the world, and for the people who had been waiting for a white tiger, but I was honestly annoyed with Juicy.
‘Phew. If only it weren’t for that damn trust.’
Why Ganash, the newborn, kept waiting for a white tiger to be born to the Penterin royal family.
It came from a storybook Sophie had read to Juicy.
A long time ago.
Before the vast continent was divided into the East and West.
In ancient times, the Sioux and humans mingled and lived in peace.
Then a strange bloodbath began.
A dark god named Xu gathered his followers to destroy the world and mercilessly slaughter its inhabitants.
Many beings and humans joined forces, but as no nation had yet been formed, they were unable to organise themselves against him.
Weaker demigods stepped forward to stop him, but the continent was left in ruins as the stronger demigods continued to fight.
The casualties and deaths continued to mount.
Deciding that they could not wait any longer, the white tiger god Anash, the eldest of the tiger gods, stepped forward.
The great Anash drove the Dark One back and sacrificed himself with his unique abilities, dying with the Dark One.
The scars of that fierce battle are still visible on the continent, most notably in the mountains and rivers that now divide the eastern and western continents.
It was a battle of epic proportions, with high mountain ranges and deep rivers separating half the continent.
“And the humans and the Sioux shared the continent?
Juicy blinked, remembering the storybook details.
After the battle, the western continent had been destroyed by the Dark God Beast, and most of the survivors remained in the eastern continent.
Among them, the humans hated the Dark God Beast so much that they declared that they would no longer accept its blessings.
A few human archmages then built magical airships to carry the humans to the West Continent.
At the time, the Sioux laughed at them, saying they would die quickly.
‘But they are doing well. I wonder about you, Lilberg Empire.
Anyway, that’s how the remaining Sioux on the Eastern Continent, the Penterins, a tiger Sioux clan, founded an empire.
‘So Ganash the Divine believes that a white tiger born to the Penterin royal family can harness the power of Anash? Or that it could be a reincarnation of Anash.
It is said that white tigers are rarely born, and that their early deaths are due to the loss of Anash, the only white tiger god to bless them.
However, the priests and scholars have determined that any white tiger born to the Penthelin royal family is likely to be Anash himself.
A white tiger god that could defeat a powerful dark god would be incredibly strong.
‘Funny. You expect me to think I might be Anash…….’
Juicy giggled in disbelief.
She glared at her skinny, jelly-like feet, which were pressed against the window glass.
‘What’s Anash doing…….’
Juicy grumbled, licking her skinny pink front paws.
‘Look, you all got it wrong.
I’m still eating baby food because I don’t have any teeth!
I can’t even bite meat properly, let alone be a legendary white tiger.
Her pride bruised, Juicy turned sullen and remained propped up on the window sill, her jaw clenched and her tail flicking.
“Eek, Empress. How did you get up there?”
“Uh, come on down!”
The knight Xavier and the maid Yuni, who had climbed to the highest windowsill and found Juicy on her stomach, came running, reaching down and stomping their feet.
Juicy flung herself to the ground and landed sharply before they could make more noise.
“Boom, Empress!”
“Arg”
See?
I can still do this.
Juicy was expressing that she could do something, but in Lord Xavier’s eyes, she was just a cute little white tiger.
He clenched his fists tightly and turned his head away.
Yuni glared at him, then poked him in the side and hugged Juicy tightly.
“Ouch!”
“Are you hurt anywhere, oh no!”
“‘Argh!”
As Sir Xavier looked on in amusement as she bobbed and weaved about as if she must have broken a rib, Juicy struggled to free herself from Uni.
She sprawled on the floor.
‘Ha, really. I can’t wait to grow up.
But why am I so impatient? Is there a reason I need to grow up quickly?
Suddenly puzzled, Juicy scratched her head.
She had a strange feeling.
A kind of nervousness.
‘It’s like being chased by someone who wants to kill me…….’
Just then, Juicy’s ears perked up as she noticed a commotion in the corridors of the Empress Palace.
‘This kind of fuss usually only happens when Dad comes to the palace.
Juicy shuddered as she called her protector, the Emperor, Daddy. She had instinctively sensed danger.
But sure enough, Emperor Litain had left the palace in the morning.
He greeted me, saying he hadn’t seen me for a long time.
“And he’s not in the same mood as Dad!
Juicy’s fur stood on end with nervousness.
Bam.
Juicy’s eyes widened in surprise as he pushed open the door to her room.
“Huh.
Her hips shot up and she poised for another attack.
The visitor was a boy in a dark black uniform with a golden sash and a sword.
The gold in his piercing eyes was eerie.
The boy, who was anything but ordinary at first glance, was Nowton, Crown Prince of the Penterin Empire.
Startled, Juicy froze.
“Oh! Isn’t that a real white tiger? But…….”
Having spotted Juicy, Nowton strode in, his eyes full of curiosity.
He looked down at the wary cub and curled his lips.
“You’re still alive and kicking, aren’t you?”
