NOVPUBChapter 546: Quiet Tensions ( 546 )
After finishing their breakfast, Liana and Gloria moved gracefully toward the Pekko pen. Their steps were slow, deliberate, savoring the peaceful morning atmosphere.
As they approached, their eyes immediately locked onto three familiar figures near the enclosure:
Lord Garius, in conversation with Mrs. Erinette, the poised head of all maids, and Alf, the ever-loyal head butler.
Liana and Gloria paused briefly, bowing their heads politely.
“My Lord,” they said softly, voices respectful and composed.
Garius merely nodded, engrossed in discussion with Alf and Erinette. The two women continued walking—until a snippet of conversation caught their ears clearly, causing them to halt mid-step.
“…Alf, so the letter from my friend King Lioness is true?” Garius asked calmly, measured in tone, pondering deeply.
“You mean about Princess Felicia, my Lord?” Alf responded respectfully, voice gentle but clear. “Mimi’s older sister?”
Liana and Gloria froze.
“Yes…” Garius’s voice carried on softly, contemplative. “About her declaring Javier…”
Inside Liana’s mind, the unfamiliar name rang like an alarm bell. Her instincts, previously only slightly uneasy, suddenly flared intensely.
Liana quickly turned to Gloria, eyes sharp, whispering with dangerous calm.
“Who is Felicia?”
Gloria’s relaxed expression instantly hardened behind her glasses.
“I don’t know…” she said quietly, eyes narrowing slightly.
Liana stood motionless, eyes unfocused on the Pekko pen or the gentle chirping of the Pekko.
She was lost in thought.
Who is she…?
Felicia. The name lingered like a bitter taste in her mouth. Her instincts, sharpened by years of silently watching over Javier, stirred fiercely—more than ever before.
Gloria, beside her, adjusted her glasses quietly. “I heard Mr. Alf say… beastkin princess.”
Liana blinked, slowly shifting her gaze to Gloria. “That means… she’s related to Mimi, right?”
“I think so,” Gloria replied, her tone neutral, but the edge in her voice unmistakable.
Then Liana’s eyes narrowed slightly, her lips curling into a cold, gentle smile.
“…Let’s go find that stray cat,” she whispered softly, with a hint of resolve.
Liana and Gloria approached the open training field near the Pekko pens, riding their well-trained mounts—Pikko and Peanut—with grace and calm confidence.
In the middle of the field, they spotted the two younger princesses, Mimi and Delya, struggling to control their newly acquired wild Pekkos.
“Eeep! Steady! Steadyyy!” Delya squeaked, desperately clutching her reins.
“Nya! Don’t just go circling!” Mimi shouted, ears flattened and tail puffed as her Pekko cheerfully spun around in circles.
Both Pekkos sensed the presence of the serene, commanding Pikko and Peanut approaching. Mimi and Delya froze, recognizing who rode them.
Without a word, Liana gracefully dismounted from Pikko, Gloria doing the same from Peanut shortly after.
“Mimi,” Liana called softly, her voice like a calm but icy breeze.
“Hmm?” Mimi replied innocently, tilting her head with a puzzled expression.
“Who is Felicia?”
“Nya!?” Mimi blinked, startled. “Nee-san? She’s my older sister. Why?”
Liana’s gaze sharpened slightly. “I heard Lord Garius mention her name—he was talking about Javier.”
“Nya?” Mimi tilted her head, confusion turning into playful confidence. “Why worry?”
Liana raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Nya~ That serious, bossy-buns ice queen isn’t going to fall in love with my future husband!” Mimi declared proudly, puffing out her chest.
“Why do you say that?” Gloria asked calmly, her curiosity piqued.
Mimi waved dismissively. “Nya~ That rule-loving, strict, no-interest-in-relationships catgirl always talks about ‘rules this, can’t do that.’ No way, nya~!”
Mimi crossed her arms proudly, still perched atop her slightly confused Pekko, tail flicking with smug certainty.
“Besides,” she continued, “she always refuses flatly whenever someone shows interest in her! Noble suitors, royal guards, visiting scholars—doesn’t matter, nya~.”
Gloria raised an eyebrow. “She’s that firm?”
“Super firm,” Mimi nodded eagerly.
“That serious ice queen is all about discipline and rules!” Mimi added, puffing her cheeks. “There’s no way she’s gonna fall for my husband~ nya~!”
She twirled once on the spot, beaming with pride.
Liana, standing quietly beside Gloria, cast a sidelong glance. Her expression remained calm, unreadable.
Gloria, adjusting her glasses thoughtfully, looked as if she was weighing something deeply.
Neither spoke; instead, their silent minds shared one simple thought:
This is going to be a problem.
Liana stayed silent a moment, her silver hair flowing gently with the breeze.
Then, with elegant ease, she smiled.
She crossed her arms slowly—just beneath her chest.
Boing~
The motion was deliberate, subtle, graceful… and utterly intimidating.
“Nya!?” Mimi squeaked, ears shooting upright, tail stiffening.
Liana tilted her head slightly, still smiling with icy calm. “Who said I agree… for you to become Young Master Javier’s future wife?”
Mimi froze like a cat caught in the rain.
“N-Nya!?” she stammered, voice pitch rising. “W-We already kissed! And—and Father-in-law already agreed!”
Gloria, who had kept quiet this entire time, delicately covered her mouth with her fingers, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“Ara~ So bold, claiming a future that hasn’t arrived,” she murmured softly.
Mimi’s tail flicked frantically. “I-I have approval! That means something, nya!”
Liana took a calm step closer, her emerald eyes locking onto Mimi like a predator to prey.
“Approval… doesn’t equal victory.”
“Nya! No way!” Mimi huffed, cheeks puffed and hands firmly on her hips. “Mimi already decided!”
“Father-in-law agreed! And my father agreed too! Nya!” she declared proudly, sticking her tongue out at Liana with full brat-mode energy. “So it’s official!”
Liana raised an eyebrow just slightly, her composed demeanor unshaken. Gloria, on the other hand, sighed quietly, as if she were listening to a child playing pretend.
Meanwhile, beside them, Delya had completely checked out of reality.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed, her expression dreamy, and her eyes sparkled with mild delusion.
“Ah~ Danna-sama…” she murmured softly, clasping her hands over her chest as she swayed slightly in place. “My lovely… strong… handsome husband.”
Liana blinked once, her gaze flickering with a mix of amusement and mild exasperation.
Gloria turned her head slowly, observing Delya’s dreamy state. “Is she… alright?”
“No,” Liana replied, voice flat and unimpressed.
“Nya~ She’s always like this when thinking about Danna-sama!” Mimi said with a fond smile, patting Delya’s back as if this were perfectly normal behavior.
Delya giggled softly to herself, completely lost in her own world of affection.
( End Of Chapter )
