Chapter 36: Two Faces

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But the emperor soon shook his head with a bitter smile. “That child has been completely impervious to females since he was little. When he heard we were going to hold a ball to choose a consort for him, he resisted with all his might. How could he possibly run off to live beside some unfamiliar female now?”

“Besides, he would never transform into his juvenile form for no reason.”

As the imperial crown prince, Tan Konglin had always been fiercely proud from a young age. His juvenile form was far too frail, and he had always rejected it.

Only when he suffered serious injuries might he assume that form in order to recuperate.

The kitten in the photograph looked perfectly healthy, showing no sign of injury.

The empress felt a pang of disappointment.

She lowered her eyes to the blurry little white cat in the photograph. It lay docilely in the female’s arms, the woman and cat appearing utterly inseparable.

Deep down, she knew this could not possibly be Konglin. That had never been his temperament.

But she was so worried that every possibility had begun to seem alarming. The imperial guards and professional search teams had been unable to find any trace of him. Where in the world had her Konglin gone?

Even though the hope was slim, she could not bear to let it slip away. With that thought in mind, the empress sent someone to contact the editor in chief of the news outlet, hoping to obtain more information about the female and the little white cat.

…

Nian Tu never could have imagined that simply taking her pet out alone to register it would land her in the social news.

When Marshal Feili messaged her to say that he had dealt with the people who had secretly photographed her, spread rumors, and published false reports, she was still completely unaware of the matter, standing in line at the pet administration center and waiting for registration.

Perhaps people in the interstellar age were simply too busy. Or perhaps it was because the people here were all beastfolk. Compared with Earth, pet owners were pitifully scarce—and nearly all of them were male.

Some of the pets they kept were species Nian Tu had never seen before, creatures that did not exist on Earth. Without exception, however, they were all ferocious—

Giant lizards, hyenas, brown bears, and various monsters that looked like something out of an alien nightmare.

The beastfolk world revered strength. Some males belonged to naturally weak species, so they kept fierce pets in order to find a measure of psychological comfort.

Each male held the leash of a fearsome creature and kept a respectful distance from Nian Tu, not daring to approach her too closely. Their pets, however, were far less willing. Every one of them wanted to remain near her, stubbornly craning their necks and refusing to move.

So many ugly creatures actually dared covet the one it loved. The kitten felt provoked. It bared its teeth in fury and let out a threatening growl.

Yet when something was cute enough, even anger looked like an attempt at adorability.

Amused, Nian Tu stroked its back. “Don’t be so fierce. No one’s going to be frightened of an adorable little kitten like you!”

When she raised her head, she saw the beasts scrambling backward in panic, retreating a considerable distance in an instant.

As though they were truly afraid of the kitten, every one of them lowered its head and did not dare look up.

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Nian Tu was utterly baffled. Suspiciously, she examined Marshmallow.

Where had this kingly aura come from? It was not as though the kitten were a tiger.

The little cat proudly puffed out its chest, accepting her scrutiny as if waiting for her praise.

Seeing its foolish expression, Nian Tu shook her head with a laugh and dismissed the unreliable speculation from her mind.

Then it was her turn to complete the procedures.

When dealing with a female, the staff member’s attitude was astonishingly gentle throughout. He even smiled and struck up a conversation with her. “Your cat is very lively—though perhaps a little too fierce.”

Fierce?

How could Marshmallow possibly be fierce?

Then Nian Tu suddenly remembered the scratches on Lu Zhan’s hand and the way the kitten had bared its teeth at the other pets moments ago. She realized with a start that this seemed to be a cat with two entirely different faces.

She gave an awkward smile.

The staff member asked, “Why have you been holding it the whole time? Aren’t you tired?”

“Not really. It isn’t heavy.” Nian Tu casually scratched Marshmallow beneath the chin, stroking it until its eyes narrowed in contentment. “It isn’t fat; it’s just very fluffy. Cats are easily startled, and there are so many unfamiliar people and animals here. I’m holding it to keep it from becoming distressed.”

The staff member looked astonished. “You’re so gentle with it…”

It was only a cat. Surely there was no need to indulge it to such an extent? He had worked there for many years, yet this was the first time he had ever seen a female treat a pet so well.

The staff member seemed about to say something else, but the little white cat yawned comfortably, revealing two sharp canine teeth. He immediately turned pale with shock.

“You haven’t had its teeth corrected?”

Then he glanced at the kitten’s paws and grew even more alarmed. “You left its claws intact too? That’s incredibly dangerous!”

Nian Tu stared blankly at Marshmallow’s teeth. They were white, healthy, and showed no need for correction whatsoever.

Only after the staff member pulled up some documents and showed her what “teeth with a perfect safety rating” meant did she understand that “correction” actually involved pulling out the pet’s naturally sharp fangs and replacing them with blunt artificial teeth that posed not the slightest threat.

The claws were treated the same way. Correction meant removing them completely.

From the staff member’s words, it seemed that every female who kept a pet chose to have this kind of procedure performed. Pet hospitals were highly practiced at removing their pets’ sharp teeth and claws, ensuring that they could never pose the slightest danger to their delicate female owners.

With interstellar medical technology, corrective surgery was entirely painless. But painless or not, it was still clearly a form of harm.

Nian Tu knitted her brows tightly and hugged Marshmallow closer.

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The staff member continued enthusiastically recommending pet hospitals to her, claiming that one particular hospital performed the best corrective procedures.

Nian Tu refused without hesitation.

“This… all right.” Unable to persuade her, the staff member could only pray inwardly that this excessively kind female would not be injured by the pet she loved so dearly.

How could any female dote on a cat to such an extent? He could hardly believe it.

After completing the remaining formalities, Nian Tu carried Marshmallow into the examination room.

A pet’s medical examination was much like a human’s. At times, males even underwent examinations in beast form, using the same machines designed for pets.

Although the same machines were used, the readings of beastfolk and pets differed significantly. A brief scan was enough for the machine to distinguish between them with ease.

For that very reason, the empire required every pet to undergo a medical examination and have its biometric information entered before registration.

This was not only to ensure the pet’s health. Another important purpose was to prevent certain audacious males from taking beast form and disguising themselves as pets, deliberately approaching females or sneaking into other people’s homes.

The crown prince had yet to realize that the danger of his identity being exposed was drawing ever closer. He remained obediently in Nian Tu’s arms, his face filled with innocent trust.

The next second, Nian Tu reached out and handed him to the doctor.

“!”

The kitten instantly became alert. Its ears flattened against its head, and both paws clung tightly to Nian Tu’s arm, refusing to let go.

“What’s wrong?” Nian Tu gently patted its little paws.

The kitten resisted desperately. Unease and pleading even appeared in its eyes, as though it believed Nian Tu was about to abandon it. It let out a plaintive meow.

Nian Tu’s heart softened at once, and she coaxed it gently. “It’s only a medical examination. It’ll be over very soon.”

She gave up trying to hand the kitten to the doctor, smiled apologetically, and pointed toward the examination machine. “Does it need to be placed inside?”

The doctor nodded.

Nian Tu carefully placed the kitten inside the machine herself.

With several soft clicks, the chamber door slowly closed—

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