Chapter 32: Scenting the Roses

Page 1 of 3

Night fell early on Central Star. Several soft lamps lit up in the courtyard, while bionic electronic fireflies flitted through the lawn like stars fallen to earth.

Nian Tu left no corner of the courtyard unexplored. The flowerbeds, the swing, the little pond, the ornamental shrubs and trees of varying heights... She searched with painstaking care, calling softly for Cotton Candy as she went.

Yet the fluffy little figure never appeared.

After searching for a long while without finding anything, Nian Tu straightened and pounded her aching lower back. With a disgruntled sigh, she thought that perhaps her connection with Cotton Candy had been destined to last only this brief moment. She hoped the beautiful little cat would fare well out in the world, find a stable home soon, and meet an owner who would cherish it—or at least be taken in and properly cared for by a rescue organization.

With the kitten weighing on her mind, Nian Tu remained dispirited and slept fitfully that night.

In her dream, she found herself once more in the royal garden. This time, however, Lu Zhan was nowhere beside her, and the entire garden was deserted.

She looked around in confusion, then began walking forward without any particular destination.

After she had walked for an indeterminate length of time, she suddenly heard the bushes rustling, followed by the sharp howl of wind.

Nian Tu whipped her head toward the sound—

Cotton Candy?

She stared wide-eyed at the white ball of fur that had suddenly appeared, so overwhelmed by delight that she did not know what to say.

The long-haired white kitten held its tail high and came bounding toward her, dashing straight into her arms.

The kitten did not look fat, but it was surprisingly substantial. In reality, the impact would have sent Nian Tu staggering, yet in the dream she caught Cotton Candy firmly.

The dream was built entirely from the events of her day, making it feel utterly real.

Nian Tu had no idea she was dreaming. She carried the kitten around the garden, admiring the flowers and watching it pounce at butterflies.

The kitten sprang and leaped nimbly through Nian Tu’s dream, making her mood grow brighter and brighter.

When they passed a flower wall covered in roses, the kitten suddenly jumped from the crook of her arm and scampered up the wall in a few quick bounds.

Thinking it was about to run away again—and that she would never be able to find the wretched little creature—Nian Tu anxiously called out, “Cotton Candy!”

The kitten was leaning down from above, circling and sniffing the fullest pink-and-white rose.

At Nian Tu’s call, its whiskers trembled. It quickly severed the stem with its tiny pointed fangs, then leaped down with the flower in its mouth, landing lightly on the ground.

Nian Tu hurried over and carefully examined its legs. Only after confirming that it was unharmed did she let out a long breath of relief.

“Mew,” the kitten murmured sweetly, rubbing its little head against her palm as if comforting her and telling her not to worry.

Suddenly, a violent gale erupted within the dream.

Page 2 of 3

Without thinking, Nian Tu gathered the kitten into her arms to shield it, only to realize that the sensation was wrong.

She lowered her head in bewilderment and was stunned to discover that what she held was no longer a kitten, but a huge beast’s paw—powerful and solid, covered in coarse, thick fur.

When she raised her head, a massive tiger was gazing silently down at her.

In an instant, Nian Tu’s heart began pounding wildly.

Fear and exhilaration twisted tightly together, sharpening her mind.

She began to realize that she was dreaming, that the scene before her was perhaps not real...

The beast before her was white with black stripes, its coat glowing with a faint radiance like a superb ink painting brought to life. Yet even the most renowned painter would have struggled to capture its majestic, heroic presence.

The tiger held itself with dignified poise. The rose the kitten had picked hung from its mouth, and it lowered its head to place the flower in Nian Tu’s palm. The soft, fragile petals, shaded from pale pink to white, trembled ceaselessly in the breeze.

Nian Tu gently closed her fingers around the rose, her gaze settling on the dark, crown-shaped marking on the white tiger’s forehead.

Before her eyes, that distinctive ink-colored mark gradually merged with the stripes on the kitten’s head.

So Cotton Candy really was a little tiger after all...

That was still what Nian Tu was thinking when she opened her eyes.

She lay motionless in bed for a long while before her consciousness fully returned. Recalling the absurd dream, she could not help laughing.

She savored the image of the two furry creatures, one large and one small, and secretly wished the dream could become reality. If the little white cat truly transformed into a great white tiger, she would certainly kidnap Cotton Candy and take it home to raise.

Twice the fluff, twice the happiness.

It was already morning. The bedroom’s intelligent butler detected its mistress awakening and automatically raised the room’s brightness. The windows, which had darkened themselves for the night, turned transparent once more, allowing sunlight to flood the room.

Nian Tu rolled about on the bed, drew a deep breath, then clambered up using both hands and feet. After stretching, she looked out the window.

The sunlight outside was perfect. Life teemed throughout the courtyard, and birds chirped noisily among the branches. As her gaze swept over the grounds, it was suddenly caught by a touch of pale pink beside the window.

There was a rose on the windowsill.

Nian Tu rubbed her eyes in astonishment, then hurried to the window and opened it.

Fresh dew clung to the petals, making the rose appear to have been picked only moments ago. Nian Tu lifted it with great care, her heart pounding.

To find something from her dream suddenly appearing in reality was so incredible that it left her shaken.

She stood there stunned for quite some time before turning and rushing outside.

Lu Zhan watched as Nian Tu burst from the bedroom. He did not even have time to wish her good morning before she vanished from sight.

“...”

With a grave expression, Lu Zhan set down what he was doing and followed after her.

Page 3 of 3

After chasing her all the way to the swing in the courtyard, Lu Zhan finally saw the little white cat Nian Tu had mentioned the day before.

Even judging it with his exacting eye, he had to admit that the kitten did indeed possess everything necessary to win a female’s affection. Not only was it attractive and adorable, but its voice was also sweet and coaxing, utterly ingratiating.

It was precisely the kind of gentle, nonaggressive beast females liked best.

After witnessing Nian Tu bury her face in the kitten’s belly and kiss it again and again in her arms, Lu Zhan felt a bitter ache in his heart, along with a trace of relief—

Fortunately, it was merely an ordinary cat, not a male beastman.

It took Nian Tu a long while to struggle free of the kitten’s charms and raise her head. Realizing that Lu Zhan had caught her in the midst of her cat-adoring frenzy, she let out a short cry and flushed.

Suppressing her embarrassment, she asked him softly, her cheeks still red, “Could you make the cat meal I mentioned yesterday?” Chicken breast with egg yolk. The kitten would surely love it.

Lu Zhan lowered his eyes and agreed.

Once she had sent Lu Zhan away, Nian Tu could not resist burying her face in Cotton Candy’s soft fur again.

The little cat kept itself exceptionally clean, so she had no qualms about it at all.

Pinching the sweetly scented rose between her fingers, she waved it in front of the kitten. “Did you give this to me?”

Last night’s dream had been so magical.

She had dreamed of Cotton Candy, and upon waking, she had found it here again. She had dreamed of a rose, and upon waking, a rose had truly been placed beside the window.

By that logic...

Nian Tu looked Cotton Candy up and down, almost beginning to suspect that it really could transform into a great white tiger.

The little white cat raised one paw and tilted its head, giving an innocent “mew.” Its round eyes settled on the rose in Nian Tu’s hand. It seemed delighted and mewed several more times.

Nian Tu immediately forgot all about the great white tiger.

She tucked the rose into her hair and teased the kitten with it. The vivid petals made her skin appear even clearer, while her soft hair gleamed like silk.

The kitten was visibly happier. It began to purr adorably, wriggling and burrowing in her arms like a little furry caterpillar.

If the emperor and empress had witnessed this scene, they would surely have wondered whether something had possessed their son.

Even as a child, the crown prince had never behaved so coquettishly. He had always been a composed and precociously mature child.

The kitten’s sweet antics made Nian Tu’s heart itch with fondness. She pinched its little cheeks. “Was this flower really from you?”

“Do you want to come home with me?” she coaxed.