Beastkin were far from rare in this world.

Since ancient times, the birth of deities from various races had given rise to offshoot species. Beyond these, centuries of warfare between major races, the rise and fall of magical arts, and countless coincidences had ultimately birthed the beastkin race as it existed today.

The true origins of beastkin had long vanished into history’s depths. What remained known was this: the current leaders of the beastkin clans—their royal bloodline—were cats.

Rumors spoke of diverse lifeforms beyond the Divine Kingdom of Vast Sea, on the continent’s far side. But such knowledge belonged solely to the Arcane Principality of Vast Sea. No one could cross its borders.

Beastkin governance resembled a federation. Most clans held roughly equal heritage and strength. None possessed a single, unifying Supreme lifeform—a Tenth Level entity standing atop the world, an "Emperor" who could subjugate an entire nation.

Take the Arcane Principality’s Supreme, the "King of All Spells." Legends claimed he wielded Forbidden Spells with a flick of his wrist, mastered Myriad Laws, and still walked the path of magical research. Or the Combat God Principality’s Supreme, the "Emperor of Combat"—the world’s sole lifeform to reach peak physical prowess at the Eighth Level. He’d even proven flesh could never surpass that limit. Yet despite his might, he remained a Tenth Level mage, unlike the King of All Spells. He specialized in only one or two magics.

Among beastkin, major categories like catgirls and tigergirls—both feline—were considered kin, thus one clan within their federation.

Feline beastkin were clever. So were canines, like the well-known foxkin. Other types existed, but governance usually fell to these two factions. Some beastkin simply knew their own limitations; forcing leadership would only cause chaos.

Back to the matter at hand: the cat in Wang Qi’s home was no ordinary feline. In a sense, she ranked among the many princesses of the catkin royal line.

Though that title did little to improve her current predicament.

She’d strained herself, expending immense Life Magic to win Zhang Yemiao’s trust. Convinced she’d won the gamble, the catgirl slipped into uneasy sleep. When she awoke—

She found herself tightly bound.

Zhang Yemiao sat on a small stool, sharpening a blade on a whetstone. It was a Great Longsword. The catgirl thought a single, light swing could sever her neck, sending her head tumbling.

"*Mew?! Mew mew?!!*" Panic made her yowl. Zhang Yemiao smiled gently. "Don’t be scared. I’ll make the blade very sharp. You’ll lose consciousness in an instant…"

"*Mew!*"

Her fur stood on end, but struggling was useless. The ropes held her fast—bound with unsettling expertise. Wang Qi, it seemed, knew how to tie knots. Every twist only tightened her discomfort.

"*Ah!*" Zhang Yemiao dropped the sword. "Wang Qi, come out! She’s so cute!"

Wang Qi emerged from the kitchen. He saw the bristling catgirl, the discarded Great Longsword. Wiping his hands on his apron, he patted Zhang Yemiao’s head. "Tease her a little, but don’t frighten her too much."

Zhang Yemiao’s eyes crinkled happily. Wang Qi thought she looked more like a pampered house cat than the wild one tied up before them—the latter clearly a stray they’d… *retrieved*. His house cat was testing her dominance, provoking the stray to gauge his reaction?

Wang Qi shook his head. *Silly thought. Yemiao isn’t a cat. She’s just… my sweet girl.*

"Dinner’s almost ready. Play with her a while longer. I’ll call you when it’s done."

"Mm!"

Wang Qi turned away, ignoring the bound catgirl entirely.

Zhang Yemiao faced the theoretically mature catgirl—now glaring with forced ferocity. She picked up the sword and tapped its flat against the catgirl’s cheek.

A cold sweat beaded on Linne’s forehead. The fierce act vanished.

*What if she loses her grip? What if that huge blade slips and slices my neck?* The glinting steel froze her in place.

Zhang Yemiao nodded, satisfied. "What’s your name?"

Staring at that smiling face, Linne dared not refuse. *Last night she was so kind—why this change?!*

"Linne."

"Sounded like an islander’s name."

"*Mew?*"

"Never mind." Zhang Yemiao’s sleeve yielded strange items: slender needles, shuriken, throwing knives. No one knew how she hid them. She lifted a needle, tracing its tip along Linne’s delicate throat. Linne trembled, clueless to the girl’s intent.

"Don’t move~" Zhang Yemiao whispered. "Needles are sharp. One slip, and it’ll pierce right through your neck~"

Paralyzed, Linne endured the mental torment.

"I heard you exposed my husband last night." Blushing at the word "husband"—though she’d shouted it often enough in bed—Zhang Yemiao halted the needle’s movement. It hovered, ready to strike.

Linne stiffened. *So that’s why…*

A sly smile spread across her face. "You truly believe we were stealing last night, *mew*? He was the one groping *me*, *mew*!"

The needle plunged in.

Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt much.

"This spot won’t kill you or cause pain," Zhang Yemiao murmured. "But shift it slightly—" She plucked another needle from the floor. "—and I might lose my temper if you keep spouting nonsense."

Linne fell utterly silent. A memory surfaced: bards sang of a race that, once in love, devoted themselves utterly. They’d defy even Deities for their beloved.

"You’re merfolk, *mew*!" Linne declared. "Only merfolk love this intensely, *mew*!"

"Merfolk?" Zhang Yemiao blinked, then shook her head.

"You *must* be merfolk, *mew*! No one else clings this tightly, *mew*!" Linne insisted. Another needle sank into her flesh. Zhang Yemiao sighed inwardly. *Fine. Be the evil stepmother from a fairy tale.* This catgirl had been spouting nonsense since capture. Wang Qi suspected she’d stolen the item—and her evasiveness confirmed it.

Zhang Yemiao withdrew the needles and tucked them away. Wang Qi had finished cooking.

"Could you make something like an oven?" Wang Qi asked at the table. "I could bake sweets. I’ve figured out most seasonings here. The city sells milk from tamed beasts—I could make desserts."

Zhang Yemiao’s eyes lit up. She adored sweets. Though many thought only girls craved them, plenty loved sugar—obesity rates proved it.

"And since we don’t seem to gain weight here…" Wang Qi added hopefully, "we could eat as many desserts as we like?"

Zhang Yemiao tugged her long hair, frustrated. "But there’s no electricity… If we had a stable lightning magic power source, then regulated the circuit with transformers and stabilizers… maybe it’s possible…" She mentally sifted through engineering knowledge.

Wang Qi chuckled dryly. "Right. A primitive fire oven would only make hard bread…" He’d planned to bake over flames, but true desserts needed appliances. Lightning mages were rare.

They chatted over dinner.

Linne’s stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since last night. Magic sustained life and masked hunger, but psychologically? *A beastkin princess, reduced to this!*

Stealing in human lands was wrong, yes—but this humiliation? She almost shouted offers of ransom. Yet exposure risked disaster. If humans learned a beastkin princess had infiltrated their realm to steal…

The King of All Spells might unleash a Forbidden Spell on beastkin territories in fury. The Arcane Principality’s threat was absolute. Zhang Yemiao and Wang Qi, living within it, didn’t grasp its terror.

That "King of All Spells" allegedly sought excuses to test new magics on foreign soil. Nations trembled, fearing some unseen Forbidden Spell might detonate over their lands on a whim.

Only the Emperor of Combat and the ocean’s mysterious sovereign dared challenge him. Otherwise, no one would dare oppose the Arcane Principality’s Sky City.

Watching the pair eat, Linne seethed with helpless rage.