Victor: “…*Cough*, of course not, darling.
You’re so cute and charming, I couldn’t help but fall in love with you…”
“Please believe me.
With me here, no one can hurt you.
I will protect you and our child.”
“Hmph, that’s more like it.” Xu Ning chuckled at his explanation, but inwardly, she sighed.
The closer her due date came, the more she worried.
…
Meanwhile, Hotte and Cheng Xi boarded the warship to return home.
Cheng Xi stared blankly at the scenery flashing by the window.
‘I learned so much today,’ she thought.
‘Not only did I get a lot of information, but I even found out my master’s name.’
‘Hotte.
I heard it from that man.
It took long enough—half a month to find out what my own master is called.’
‘If I got lost, I wouldn’t even know how to get back home.’
Hotte had been silent ever since their encounter with that pair, and the warship was quiet.
Just past the halfway point of their journey home, Hotte’s Light Brain suddenly began to ring.
BEEP BEEP BEEP.
The sound snapped the dazed Cheng Xi out of her thoughts, and she turned to look at him.
The beeping stopped.
Hotte answered the call, his voice low.
“Quisen, what is it?”
The butler’s voice came through the Light Brain.
“Sir, you aren’t back yet?
The Beast King has sent His Highness, Little Hart, over…”
“Hm?” Hotte looked startled.
“Why did he send Hart over?”
Quisen explained on the other end, “The Beast King said the Queen hasn’t been well lately and can’t look after His Highness, Little Hart. So, he sent him to you, Sir, to be looked after for a while.”
Hotte’s lip twitched in resignation.
“Fine, I get it. I’ll be home in about eight minutes.”
With that, he ended the call.
Having secretly listened in, Cheng Xi wondered, ‘Who is this Little Hart?’
‘It sounds like my master has a special relationship with the ruler of this planet…’
Her mind full of questions, she found the warship arriving back at the castle eight minutes later.
Cheng Xi assumed they would take the ladder down again, but instead, Hotte scooped her up into his arms and jumped straight out.
She choked back a scream.
The moment her feet touched the ground, still reeling from the shock, a big, dark cannonball came hurtling toward her.
“Ah!” The cry escaped her lips this time.
She reflexively threw her arms up to shield her face.
She braced for a painful impact, but the cannonball never landed.
Hotte, with his lightning-fast reflexes, had intercepted it, his large, well-defined hand grabbing it precisely by the scruff of the neck.
It was a big, fat, pure-black cat!
‘No, wait, it’s not quite a cat.
Is it part leopard?
Part tiger?’
‘What in the world is this creature?’
Held by the scruff, the big cat let out a low, menacing growl.
Its furry paws unsheathed sharp claws, attempting to scratch the one holding him, Hotte.
“Hart, are you this happy to see your big brother?” Hotte asked, lifting the big cat higher.
A “loving” smile played on his lips.
Hart: “…” MROWWWWR!
‘Brother?!’ Cheng Xi, who was standing nearby, froze.
Her gaze shifted back and forth in disbelief between Hotte and the big cat.
‘They’re brothers?’
Her stunned expression was impossible to ignore.
Hotte glanced back at her, the corner of his mouth curling into a small smile as he explained, “Cheng Xi, let me introduce you.
This is my younger brother, Hart.”
“From now on, he’ll be your young master, too.”
“Huh?” Cheng Xi was utterly flabbergasted.
‘So an Alien’s beast form is just an animal?’
‘Does that mean my master’s beast form looks like this, too?’
‘That would be so… cute!’
The big cat, uncomfortable being dangled, continued to struggle and yowl.
Hotte added a warning.
“Hart, Cheng Xi is human. She can’t take one of your tackles. Stop messing around, you hear?”
Upon hearing this, the big cat turned its round, golden eyes to Cheng Xi, and a hint of disdain was reflected in their depths.
It was as if he were saying, ‘That weak?’
Cheng Xi: “…” ‘Okay, I take it back,’ she thought.
‘Not cute at all!’
Hart was set down, and he immediately bounded into Cheng Xi’s arms.
She scrambled to catch him.
The cat wasn’t small—standing, he reached her calves—and he felt even more solid and heavy in her arms than he looked.
He had to be at least thirty pounds, and the weight made her arms sag.
“H-Hello there.”
Cheng Xi held the big cat, meeting his gaze.
Hart sized her up for a moment, then, as if her scent were unfamiliar, began sniffing her all over.
His fur tickled Cheng Xi.
“Hey, stop nuzzling me… You’re so heavy, I’m about to drop you…”
The words had barely left her mouth when he slipped from her grasp.
Hart landed on the floor, looking completely bewildered.
This made Hotte chuckle from the sidelines.
“You’re too heavy, Hart. Cheng Xi can’t hold you, haha.”
Cheng Xi was mortified, worried she might have hurt the big cat.
He seemed so young.
‘Also, why isn’t he changing into his human form?’
Then, with a flick of his tail, he scampered upstairs.
He hadn’t finished surveying his new territory yet.
Hotte paid him no mind, simply instructing, “Quisen, prepare a room for Hart.”
“Yes, Sir.” Quisen seemed delighted to see Hart, his smile growing wider.
Seeing this, Cheng Xi thought to herself, ‘Looks like we have a new member of the household.’
Mary and Mani wanted to play with His Highness, Little Hart, as well, but unfortunately, he wanted nothing to do with them.
They could still talk to Cheng Xi, though.
The pair gathered around her and asked curiously, “Cheng Xi, how was your trip to the Pet Plaza today? Did you have fun?”
Cheng Xi smiled at them.
“It was a lot of fun.”
‘Oh, right!
The things I bought are still in Master’s wristband.’
She hurried after Hotte, who was heading upstairs.
“Wait a minute!”
She pointed to his wristband and made a taking gesture.
Hotte, who had almost forgotten, took the items out for her.
He gave her head a casual pat.
“Go on and play now.”
Cheng Xi hummed in acknowledgment, took her things, and went to share them with Mary and Mani.
Mary and Mani were pleasantly surprised when she offered them the bread.
“For us?”
Cheng Xi nodded, handing them some bread.
“Go on, try it.
It’s delicious.”
“Oh, thank you, dear Cheng Xi!
You’re so sweet!
We can’t believe you remembered to bring us a gift.
Thank you.” Mary and Mani were so touched they looked like they each wanted to give her a kiss on the cheek.
They ate the bread with moved expressions on their faces.
Watching them, Cheng Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Females were different from males.
Males tended to prefer meat, while females had more varied tastes.
Sweet bread was a favorite among many of the females.
Hart had an excellent sense of smell.
As soon as the new aroma of food wafted through the castle, his nose began searching for the source like a small radar.
He quickly discovered the trio sharing food in Mary’s room.
With a yowl, Hart brazenly leaped onto the table.
Mary’s eyes lit up, and she offered him the piece of bread she hadn’t yet eaten.
“Your Highness, Little Hart, would you like some?”