Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 142: Big Bad Mission?

The morning sun streamed through the open windows of the Sun Palace Guest Wing, bringing with it the chatter of monkeys and the scent of jasmine.

Primrose woke up feeling like she had slept on a pile of rocks. Her whole body ached.

She stretched her arms high above her head.

"Mmmph," she yawned. "I need coffee. And maybe a chiropractor."

She swung her legs out of bed.

WHOOSH.

"AH!"

Primrose jumped back as her bedside table burst into flames. The wooden legs blackened instantly, and the plate of fruit that had been resting on it turned into charcoal.

"Fire! Fire!" Primrose shrieked, grabbing a pillow to smother it.

But the pillow caught fire too.

"Oh no!" Primrose tossed the flaming pillow out the window. It landed in a decorative fountain with a hiss.

"Is the palace under attack again?" Caspian asked calmly from the armchair in the corner. He was already dressed in a crisp blue tunic, reading a book titled Advanced Hydrology.

He didn’t even look up. He just flicked his wrist, and a stream of water from the flower vase shot across the room, dousing the burning table.

"It’s me!" Primrose wailed, staring at her backside. "I’m the attack!"

She now had Three Tails.

The White one (Frost).

The Silver one (Lightning).

And the new Gold-Red one (Sun-Fire).

The Gold-Red tail was currently wagging happily, throwing off little sparks like a sparkler.

"It responds to my emotions!" Primrose cried, trying to grab the tail, which dodged her like a playful puppy. "I’m hungry, so it’s angry! How am I supposed to function? I’m a walking fire hazard!"

"You are a walking stove," Caspian corrected, finally closing his book. He walked over and inspected the charred table. "Convenient for camping. Less convenient for wooden furniture."

He reached out and gently took hold of the fiery tail. Steam rose from his damp hand, but his water affinity neutralized the heat.

"Breathe, Prim," Caspian said softly. "The tail is part of you. Calm the fire inside, and the tail will cool."

Primrose took a deep breath. She thought about snow. She thought about ice cream. She thought about Rurik’s cold, unfeeling heart.

The flames on the tail died down to a soft, warm glow.

"Better," Primrose sighed. "But I’m definitely wearing the fire-proof apron today."

Outside the palace gates, a roar of a different kind was building.

It wasn’t a monster. It was a crowd.

Thousands of Tiger-Kin citizens had gathered in the plaza. They were chanting one name.

"AR-JUN! AR-JUN! AR-JUN!"

Inside the Throne Room, the atmosphere was tense.

Rajah stood by the window, peeking through the curtains. He looked tired. Arjun was sitting on the floor, happily playing with a wooden toy tiger, completely oblivious to the fact that he was the most famous person in the jungle.

"They want the Sun Child," Captain Indira reported, bowing low. "The Nobles are demanding an audience. They say the True Roar has returned. They want to pledge allegiance."

"They want to use him," Rajah growled. He turned to his mother. "Tell them to go away."

Queen Mother Durga sat on her throne. She looked smaller today, frailer, but her eyes were still sharp.

"I cannot tell the tide to stop, Rajah," Durga said. "The boy roared. He woke the Stone. By ancient law, he is the Chosen Heir."

"He is eight!" Rajah shouted. "He eats dirt! He thinks 2 plus 2 equals fish! He cannot rule a kingdom!"

"Fish is a valid answer in philosophy," Orion piped up from where he was reading a scroll. "It represents the fluidity of truth." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Not helping, Orion!" Rajah snapped.

Rajah marched to the balcony doors. Leonora stepped up beside him, taking his hand.

"Ready?" Leonora asked.

"No," Rajah admitted. "But let’s do it."

They stepped out.

The crowd went wild. But when they saw it was Rajah, not Arjun, the cheering faltered slightly.

Rajah raised his hand. Silence fell.

"People of Suryapura!" Rajah’s voice boomed (without magic, just pure dad-lung power). "My son, Arjun, did save us last night. He has the Voice of the Ancestor."

A cheer started, but Rajah cut it off.

"BUT!" he shouted. "He is a child! He likes firecrackers and cartoons! He is not a political tool! He is not a weapon! And he is certainly not ready to listen to you lot argue about tax codes!"

The nobles murmured, confused. A King who refused power? Unheard of.

"He will learn!" Rajah promised. "He will grow strong. But he will do it on his own terms. Until he can do long division without crying, I am still the Lord here! And if anyone tries to put a crown on him before he is ready... I will feed you to the crocodiles myself!"

He glared at them.

For a second, nobody moved. Then, slowly, the people bowed. Not out of fear, but out of respect. A father protecting his cub was something every Tiger understood.

Back inside, Durga was smiling.

"You sounded like a King," she noted.

"I sounded like a Dad," Rajah corrected, picking up Arjun. "Come on, cub. Let’s go pack."

Before they left, there was one last piece of business.

In the private solar, Rajah and Leonora stood before Durga.

"We are getting married," Rajah announced bluntly. "In the summer. In the Capital. You are invited, Mother. But if you criticize the flower arrangements, Primrose will breathe fire on you."

Durga looked at Leonora. "Is this true, Lioness?"

"It is," Leonora grinned, showing her teeth. "And I’m keeping my last name. Deal with it."

Durga sighed. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a heavy gold bangle. She handed it to Leonora.

"It was my grandmother’s," Durga said stiffly. "It is... acceptable."

Leonora took it. She put it on. It fit perfectly.

"Thanks, Mom," Leonora said cheekily.

Durga twitched, but she didn’t object.

"Also," Leonora added. "I’m coming with them."

Rajah blinked. "You are?"

"I want to check up on the Daycare," Leonora declared. "I haven’t visited in months. Besides, I want to make sure Rurik hasn’t turned into a complete hermit. I miss annoying him."

"He is not a hermit," Rajah protested. "He is socially selective."

The flight back was fast, thanks to the massive tailwinds generated by Arjun (who kept sneezing sonic booms).

When the Golden Zephyr finally descended over the Capital, it was raining. A grey, miserable drizzle covered the city.

The airship slammed onto the front lawn of the Little Whiskers Daycare, crushing a bed of purple petunias.

"MY FLOWERS!" a familiar roar echoed from the porch.

Rurik stood there, holding a watering can, looking ready to murder someone.

The airship door flew open. Primrose jumped out with three tails. Rajah jumped out holding the King. Leonora jumped out waving a sword.

"WE’RE BACK!" Primrose screamed, her Fire Tail accidentally lighting a bush on fire. "AND WE BROUGHT SOUVENIRS!"

Rurik stared at the chaos. The crushed flowers. The burning bush. The loud Tiger.

For the first time in days, the scowl fell off his face. A small, reluctant smirk appeared.

"Idiots," Rurik muttered. "You’re late for dinner. And put out that bush, Fox! I just trimmed it!"

Two days later.

The Daycare had settled back into its chaotic routine. The rain was still falling, tapping against the windows of the main playroom.

The Warlords—Rajah, Rurik, Cassian, and Lucien—were out in the training yard, discussing politics (which meant hitting each other with wooden swords in the mud).

Inside, the playroom was warm and cozy. Primrose was folding laundry with Luna and Caspian.

On the rug, the kids were building a fortress out of blocks. Vali, Clover, Arjun, Silas, Jasper, and Orion were debating structural integrity.

"We need a moat," Vali declared, placing a blue block. "To keep the girls out."

"I am a girl," Clover pointed out, hugging her stuffed carrot.

"You’re a bunny," Vali corrected. "Bunnies are allowed. But no smelly boys."

"You are a smelly boy," Silas noted dryly.

Vali ignored him. He looked at the calendar on the wall. He pointed at tomorrow’s date. January 15th.

"We have to make the fort extra strong for tomorrow," Vali said solemnly.

"Why?" Jasper hissed. "Is there a storm?"

"Worse," Vali whispered loudly. "It’s Dad’s Bad Day."

Primrose paused mid-fold. She looked at Luna and Caspian. They stopped talking.

"Bad Day?" Arjun asked, tilting his head. "Does he turn into a werewolf?"

"No," Vali shook his head. "Tomorrow is January 15th. It’s Dad’s birthday."

Primrose dropped a sock. "Excuse me?"

Vali looked up, realizing the adults were listening.

"Yeah," Vali shrugged. "He turns ... Hmm I don’t know his age but He hates it. Uncle Balthazar says Dad calls it the Day of Doom. He usually locks himself in his room and sharpens his sword and growls at anyone who says Happy Birthday."

"He hates his birthday?" Luna gasped. "That’s so sad!"

"He says getting older makes him weaker," Vali explained, grabbing another block. "So he gets super grumpy. Last year he bit the letter guy because he brought a card."

Caspian looked at Primrose. "He bit the Courier?"

"He allegedly bit the letter guy," Vali corrected. "Anyway, we shouldn’t talk to him tomorrow. He might eat us."

"They are called Courier," Jasper mumbled.

"I don’t care," Vali mumbled back, glaring at Jasper.

Primrose stared at the calendar.

January 14th.

Tomorrow was the day.

"Oh, absolutely not," Primrose declared, her Fire Tail flaring up and scorching the pile of laundry. "We are not letting him sulk in the dark."

"Prim," Caspian warned. "He bites mailmen. He is dangerous."

"He is a big, grumpy baby who needs love," Primrose said, eyes narrowing in determination. "And cake. Lots of meat cake."

She turned to the kids.

"Listen up, squad!" Primrose clapped her hands. "Change of plans. We are building a fort, but not for war. We are throwing Rurik a Surprise Party."

"He will kill us," Vali said cheerfully.

"He will try," Primrose corrected. "But we have numbers. And we have frosting."

She looked at Caspian and Luna.

"We have twenty-four hours to plan the manliest, most aggressive birthday party in history. I need steak. I need swords. And I need someone to distract him while I bake."

Caspian sighed, but he was smiling. "I will distract him. I will challenge him to a duel. That usually keeps him occupied for hours."

"Perfect," Primrose grinned, her tails wagging in a blur of white, silver, and gold. "Operation: Big Bad Birthday is a go."