Translator/editor: ruby

Belinda kept on patting the both of them as she continued to talk.

By the way, Aymon. How come the bird can talk? Is it a Shinsu, too?

Instead of Aymon, the sparrow answered enthusiastically.

No! Im not a Shinsu! I can talk because Aymon shared the sacred power with me, but its true that Im a little smarter than others-

It wouldnt stop twittering and flapping its wings. Belinda gently stroked its neck to try and calm it down. Aymon simply growled.

Shut your mouth already.

Only then did the sparrow quiet down, understanding the implication of his simple action.

However, his mood quickly shifted as he turned to Belinda, wagging his tail.

Well? What do you think? Do you like my present?

Yes. Its really cute. But whats his name?

The sparrow chimed up again.

I dont have a name yet-

He shut up again as soon as Aymons eyes narrowed warningly.

No name yet. You name it for me.

Shall we name him Mazetto, then?

Aymon lazily wagged his tail in approval and Mazetto tweeted in a shrill voice, flapping his wings, Okay!

***

Dont be absurd!!

Aymon slapped the piece of fabric out of Belindas hand.

She just shook her head and put it back on his awfully well-set head.

Before they knew it, lush, green plants were sprouting up again, announcing the arrival of spring.

As the thick blanket of snow on the hunting ground melted and the frigid wind chill turned to a fresh breeze, the imperial court was ready to host an archery competition.

Aymon was intrigued by it.

An archery competition? Ill have a look around, too.

Youve always said you werent interested in what humans do, what happened?

The weak human race took over this whole continent, driving out powerful beasts with claws and fangs.

Yeah, they did.

Its all thanks to their weapons. I need to see that power. How strong they really are.

The elder Shinsu leopards had always said to Aymon and his three siblings to never underestimate the power of the mere human. That they are ill-intentioned and cunning creatures, yet they couldnt possibly bring them down

So he wanted to see it for himself.

Even so, though. It was embarrassing to have to wear such an ugly hat.

He needed it to cover the spirit stone on his forehead, but it was more than enough to completely destroy the Shinsus confidence.

He couldnt deny, even to himself, that he was a cute kitty.

Aymon. You cant go without this. No one will believe youre my pet cat if they can see the spirit stone.

Lucy chimed in.

Thats right. Or do you want to miss it?

Aymon, sprawled on the floor, pawed at the end of the ribbon on the hat.

Its not difficult to accidentally reveal my identity.

He wouldnt want to be caught in or near the palace by another Shinsu, close to humans, and have rumours spread about him Not just that, also

Also, Belinda has golden hair.

Shinsu leopards absolutely detested golden hair and golden eyes. Well, Belinda didnt have golden eyes, but still. Just because of the hair, he was sure hed be told that he would be stuck with a pathetic human his whole life. With the ensuing nagging from the elder Shinsu, he doubted hed be able to roam around the palace as freely as he could now.

Allright.

Aymon murmured in a small voice, finally deciding to put on the hat.

I am absolutely not going to look at the mirror, a glass, or the fountain water.

Thats wonderful! It looks good on you! You should wear it all the time!

Mazetto flew around, twittering at him. Aymon shot him a dirty look, not knowing whether the sparrow was giving him a compliment or making fun of him.

Im gonna get rid of that bastard bird right now.

Soon, they couldnt stop him from going after .

Some time later, Belinda held on to him tightly as they arrived at the hunting ground. She awkwardly stretched out her legs, standing around at the entrance. She couldnt help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of cradling a leopard pretending to be a cat and having a sparrow sitting on her head.

His Majesty The Emperor is entering!

The booming voice of a servant rang through the grounds and the royal family entered well, except Belinda, of course.

Why arent you going in with them?

Hmm. Isnt the real star supposed to enter alone?

I cant go with them because I have commoner blood.

She couldnt say that, so she just made a joke instead.

They were of pure, noble blood, and she was just a mixed-blood street rat princess. It couldnt

They were of noble descent from the empire, and they were half-penny princesses mixed with commoner blood. It was worlds apart.

So she could only trail after them like a ghost.

However, Aymon didnt need to know that.

She just smiled as they went in quietly. No one cared where she went, or with whom.

She definitely didnt mind, though. Attention for her would mean attention for Aymon, not to mention the very noisy sparrow on her head.

Let the games begin!

The emperor announced, lying carelessly on a fur rug.

The nobles in fancy hunting clothes stood in a line, smiling.

They got ready to shoot.

The rules were simple they had to hit pigeons with their arrows, and whoever hit the most would win.

A pigeon was released into the sky, swiftly followed by a flurry of arrows.

Mazetto quickly burrowed himself into Belindas hair.

This is not a sparrow-hunting contest, right?

No, its not that.

He poked his head through Belindas hair, quickly going back into hiding once he saw the arrows.

Bah! Humans are cruel!

Im sorry, Majetto.

Belinda gave a gentle sigh and patted the bird buried in her hair.

Hunting, just a game for humans, must be a very cruel and frightening event for Mazetto.

Meanwhile, Aymon was carefully observing the hunters every movement, trying to figure out their methods. His ears twitched as he followed the path of one arrow after another.

The event seemed to be dragging on forever.

Aymon was paying careful attention at first, but as groups of hunters rotated and repeated the same actions, he got somewhat restless.

He jumped on Belindas shoulder and quietly whispered to her, pretending to rub his face on the back of her neck.

Breedee. Im sick of this.

Hang in there. Its almost over.

What the hell does this stupid human entertainment form even mean?

It doesnt mean anything.

Then why are they doing it, like some sort of idiots?

Its just for fun. Like you playing with a ball of yarn., she responded, teasing.

He slightly bit her earlobe as a retortion.

You dont know much, Breedee. My best entertainment is hunting,not yarn balls. You know, leopards sink their claws into their prey and rip them apart.

How dare you treat me like a cat playing with yarn?

Thats what he meant, but Belinda wasnt swayed. She trusted him not to sink his claws into her body and rip off her flesh.

Youre saying some really creepy things in that cute little voice of yours.

Aymons hair stood on end at the lack of reaction from the girl. The dignity and authority of the Shinsu had never affected her, but this was different. She couldnt exactly threaten him He was just a nuisance.

She smoothed out the fur on his tail that fell down on her back.

Soft.

If youre bored, how about we look around this tree behind us?

Whats the use of looking at trees?

Whats the use of looking at people shoot arrows?

Aymon climbed back down into her arms, indicating his approval.

They looked around without speaking at all. Just sightseeing, so to say.

Look, theres ants climbing up the tree.

.

Youre good at climbing trees, too, right? Since youre a leopard. If youre bored, why dont you climb up there?

Breedee, if you dont know what to say, its okay to just stay quiet.

Belinda smiled awkwardly at his words.

It was her who suggested they go see the tree rather than the competition. She racked her mind for some way to lighten the mood, but. It would be better to stay quiet.

They continued staring at the ants, not saying a word.

Then, suddenly

Woosh! An arrow hit the tree just inches from Belindas head.

Ahhhh!

She let out a shrill scream and held on to Aymon tightly it was almost instinctive to protect him.

A little twist in the trajectory of the arrow, and it could have pierced my head. I almost died.

Her entire body tensed up, as if someone poured a bucket of ice over her.

Aymon, too, heard her heartbeat clearly before he opened his eyes. His face hardened he was definitely not pleased by the sudden role reversal.

A soft sound of crunching leaves could be heard. It was none other than Prince Lart, approaching them with a sly smile.

He seemed to be the one who had fired the arrow.

Ah, its you! Youre so shabby, I couldnt even tell you apart from an animal-.

He couldnt finish the sentence.

Aymon lunged out of Belindas arms, straight at the prince.

A small gust blew around him, and soon he was on top of the boys body. Lart was paralyzed by fear.

What a lowlife, how dare you.

The chilling voice of Aymons human self rang out. He emitted a heavenly glow as he kept a firm hold on the prince.