The sacred beast

I don't know what kind of messed-up fate this is, but here I am—walking out of that spooky jungle, Zoren at my side, and this weird blue panther strutting along like he owns the damn world.

Me? Cecilia von Arlen—aka Eun-Byun Lee—won the freaking Hunting Festival.

Yeah. You heard me right. I won.

Now I'm standing in front of the king himself, bowing, thanking him with all the fake politeness I can muster.

"Thank you, you're Majesty."

My head's screaming, What the hell is going on?

And you? You're probably thinking the same.

How did I, a girl who didn't even hunt a big, wild beast, win this competition? Well, let me tell you—it's all thanks to that guy.

The blue panther.

He's sitting beside me, looking like he's the rightful king of this kingdom. Chest puffed out, tail lazily flicking like he's bored. But the best part? The actual king can't stop glancing at him like he's just seen a god descend.

He keeps sneaking glances at the panther. 

But that's not even the most ridiculous part.

No, the real kicker? Remember that handsome oppa in the jungle? The one who tried to choke me out like I owed him money? Yeah. Turns out, he's the freaking crown prince.

The crown prince.

That's right. The guy who almost killed me is now standing beside the king, all regal and princely, shooting me this unreadable look like I'm some sort of unsolvable math problem.

And me?

My life?

It's a mess.

Twist after twist, turn after turn, like I'm the female lead in some chaotic fantasy novel. What's next? Marriage proposals from royalty? Some ancient prophecy involving me and the panther?

I know you're dying to figure out how I ended up in this insane situation. So, let's rewind the clock a bit—20 minutes back.

I was walking out of that cursed jungle, the sun dipping low, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. Zoren trotted beside me, his usual broody self, and the smug blue panther pranced along like he was on a damn fashion runway. Everything seemed fine—until I stepped out and saw chaos.

Knights lined up, fully armed, their swords glinting in the fading sunlight like they were gearing up for war. A palpable tension buzzed through the air. Tristian—Cecilia's overly handsome but ridiculously dramatic oppa—stood there with guilt plastered all over his face like he just got caught stealing cookies from the royal pantry.

Cecilia's mother—well, technically my mother now—looked like she was about to faint, wringing her hands like a worried ajumma. The queen stood beside her, trying to calm her down with soft words, though she didn't look much better herself. And then there was my so-called father. The guy was leading the knights, standing right next to the king, looking like he was about to charge into battle any second.

"What the hell?" I muttered under my breath. "Did a war break out or something?"

No one noticed me at first. Not a single person even glanced my way. I got off Zoren with a sigh, brushing off my dress, and casually walked over to Cecilia's mother.

"What's going on?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

And that's when it happened.

Everyone froze.

Like, legit froze.

I swear, even the birds in the sky stopped flapping their wings. They all just stared at me like I'd grown a second head.

"What?" I asked, looking around. "Why are you all staring?"

Then Cecilia's mother—who had been worrying herself into a frenzy—suddenly rushed toward me and engulfed me in a tight hug. Her voice was trembling as she whispered, "Oh, my baby! My precious baby, you're alive!"

Alive? What was that supposed to mean?

"Uh... yeah, I'm alive," I said awkwardly, patting her back. "Why wouldn't I be?"

But before I could get an answer, my so-called father dropped his sword, the sound clanging loud enough to make me flinch. His face turned pale, and his voice shook.

"Cecilia, my darling! You're alive!" he cried out dramatically, squeezing me so hard I swear my ribs almost cracked.

I barely managed to gasp out, "Okay, okay, I'm alive! Now can someone tell me what's going on here?"

Finally, he loosened his grip, and I stumbled back a little, catching my breath. But before anyone could explain, the main lead of this overly dramatic mess of a novel—my oh-so-charming "brother," Tristian—stomped forward, looking like he was ready to throw a tantrum.

With his perfect noble posture and that ridiculously angry face, he yelled, "Cecilia! Didn't I tell you to stay close to me?! How could you just run off like that?!"

I blinked at him, my jaw tightening.

My hands twitched.

I wanted to curse him out so badly. I wanted to let loose every Korean insult I could think of. But just as I opened my mouth—

"Calm down, Tristian!" my so-called father snapped, cutting him off. His voice boomed across the field, silencing everyone. He glared at Tristian, his face red with frustration. "This is your fault in the first place! You're the one who was supposed to keep an eye on her! But you left her all alone."

And just like that, Tristian's mouth snapped shut. He looked like he'd just been slapped. His anger deflated faster than a punctured balloon.

I smirked. Serves you right, bastard.

Then, the queen—who had been standing calmly this whole time—finally stepped forward, her elegant face filled with concern. She placed a hand on my shoulder and said gently, "Lady Cecilia, we were so worried when you didn't come out of the jungle. Naturally, we assumed that…"

Her voice trailed off, and she glanced at the knights, who all looked awkward. Then she added, "We thought… well, that some wild beast might have gotten to you. So we prepared the knights to march in and find you."

I froze.

Wait. Hold on.

They thought I got eaten by some wild beast?

Really? That's what they came up with?

I was about to lose it when my eyes landed on someone standing beside the king. My breath hitched.

It was him.

The guy I saved in the jungle. The same bastard who repaid me by choking me.

What the hell was he doing here?

I blinked, stunned, my brain short-circuiting. He looked equally shocked. His eyes narrowed, then widened like he just realized who I was.

Before I could process this nonsense, the queen followed my line of sight. Her gaze landed on him, then on me, and she said in that calm, royal tone, "Lady Cecilia, what's the matter? Do you… know the Crown Prince Rahegar?"

What?

I blinked again. My jaw nearly hit the floor. "Crown Prince Rahegar?" I repeated, my voice cracking at the end.

That bastard. The one who tried to choke the life out of me. He's the crown prince?

No. No way. This had to be a joke. Some elaborate prank, right?

But judging by it, it doesnt seem so.

That guy? That guy? The one who tried to choke me out? He's the Crown Prince?

Damn it. 

And then, out of nowhere, someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "The panther! She… she tamed the sacred beast!"

The entire people went dead silent.

Everyone's eyes snapped to the blue panther sitting beside zoren, looking as smug as ever, and then they turned to me. Shocked. Confused.

That's when it hit me—this overgrown cat wasn't just a beast. It was some kind of legendary, sacred creature.

End of flashback.

And that's how...

I ended up winning the hunting festival.

Now here I was, standing in front of the king, bowing stiffly as he proudly declared, "Lady Cecilia von Arlen is the winner of this year's hunting festival!"

No one cheered. Everyone just went silent.

As I turned to step down, trying to escape this nightmare, my body betrayed me. My legs decided to give out at the worst possible moment.

Snap.

"Oh, crap—!"

Before I could faceplant in front of the entire kingdom, I felt strong arms catch me mid-fall.

"What the—?!" I gasped as I looked up, and there he was—Rahegar.

The Crown Prince. The same guy who'd choked me just hours ago. His face was way too close, his arms steady as he held me like I was some kind of damsel in distress.

Our eyes locked.

I froze. The world seemed to slow down. His face, annoyingly handsome up close, looked oddly concerned.

And then, like a lightning bolt to my brain, a memory hit me. It wasn't just any romantic or casual scene from novel. 

Nope. It's not. 

It's that scene. 

I remembered it vividly now. The same crown prince rahegar, standing before me, his shiny sword pressed against my neck.

Cecilia... I mean me...was on the ground crying and begging for mercy. His face all fury, burning with anger, and his voice boomed like a thunderstorm, "Throw her in dungeon! Set her execution date."

My blood ran cold.

In the memory, bunch of knight's stormed in and grabbed Cecilia... i mean... me like i was some sack of trash. They just dragged me away, and desperation took over me.

I managed to break free and lunged forward, ready to hit him. But before i could hit him, he slapped me hard.

Harder.

The kind of slap that echoed. And the family? They were just standing far away. I collapsed on ground, dazed and humiliated, while the knights dragged me away, again.

Rahegar voice echoed again, " Do not give her food or water until her execution day."

The memory hit me so hard that i nearly forgot where i was.

Now here i was in his arms, my face inches away from the man who in the story is destined to throw me into the dungeon.

My heart froze, thundering like a drum.