Chapter 8

The Crown Prince of the Empire, Mustafa, was originally born to a demon mother.

Demons are distinguishable by their horns or animal ears and long tails—features they cannot conceal. As the first son of the royal family, he was not accepted by most of the nobility due to his mother’s identity. Those supporting the second prince secretly plotted against him, using dark sorcery to transform him into a vicious beast and sell him to a beast trader.

This happened today.

The female lead would become separated from Ryan while walking through the night market. By accident, she would find herself at the beast market, where she would encounter the crown prince, locked in a cage and beaten for his wild nature.

Out of pity, she buys the poor beast and takes him home to heal his wounds. The noble but fallen royal becomes touched by the beautiful saintess, gradually falling in love with her, and under her care, he becomes tamed.

… Truly deserving of being the female lead.

Meanwhile, in the same night market, the female lead casually stumbles into the beast market, while Talli struggles to follow Carl just to avoid getting lost.

Talli squeezed through the crowd and tugged at Carl’s sleeve, whispering, “Shall we go?”

Carl quietly opened one eye and glanced down at her. “Are you in a hurry?”

“Mm… I want to head back quickly,” Talli said, “I’m afraid if we return too late, we’ll get caught.”

That was part of the reason.

The bigger reason was that she didn’t want to run into the female lead and Ryan. Although she might not be recognized, there was still a risk she couldn’t fully dismiss.

“Then let’s go.”

Carl didn’t feel like arguing and led Talli through the crowd, weaving through streets and alleys.

—

How much longer?

Talli was gasping for breath.

She estimated that she had been walking for almost half an hour. Such a long distance and remote area—it was hard to believe the original female lead managed to get lost all the way here.

She leaned against the wall to catch her breath. “…Huff, huff, let me rest for a moment.”

“We’re here.” Carl said, digging into his pocket. “…Wait, my wallet’s been stolen… Damn it!!”

Talli was confused. “Does it matter?”

Carl was so angry he almost pulled his hair out. “My family crest was in there. It’s important.”

Talli fished out the owl family crest from her skirt pocket, the one missing an eye. “…If we don’t have this, we can’t get in?”

“To be precise, without identification, we can’t get in.”

Carl sighed in frustration, spreading his hands. “I never carry identification when I go out. The owl crest is much more useful than that thing.”

“…”

Talli tossed the family crest in her hand. “So, am I going in alone?”

She turned her head and looked toward the long, open alleyway with its large gates.

“Once you enter from here, you’ll reach a courtyard. Inside the courtyard, including the rooms, basement, and attic, they’ll all sell captured magic beasts,” Carl explained impatiently while scratching his head. “I can’t go with you anymore, so you’ll have to go in alone. Just be mindful of the rules.”

“Are you going back, or will you wait for me here?” Talli asked again.

“If I go back, can you find your way back alone?” Carl mocked her, sneering.

Talli turned around and started walking.

She hadn’t taken many steps before she turned back, stood in front of Carl, and opened her right hand.

“You…” Carl stared at her small palm, confused. “What are you doing!?”

“Give me money,” Talli said boldly.

“Hey—!” Carl stomped his foot in frustration. “Don’t you ever bring money when you go out to buy things? Or did your money get stolen too?”

“I brought some, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough,” she explained. You’re the one who’s wealthier.

Carl almost laughed with exasperation. “For someone from the Fred family to be worried about not having enough money… that’s really dumb.”

As he spoke, he rummaged through his pocket, then took off a magic stone ring from his finger and tossed it to her.

Talli put the ring away. She didn’t plan to explain to Carl that the Fred family head hadn’t actually given her much money.

“With this, it should be enough.”

“Thanks,” Talli replied as she pocketed the ruby ring. “I’ll return it to you later.”

“No need,” Carl shrugged nonchalantly, scratching the back of his head. “It’s not worth much, I have plenty of those.”

Talli looked up at Carl.

Although his appearance had changed, he was still wearing a lot of glittering jewelry—he was practically a walking treasure chest, strolling down the road practically shouting, “Come and steal from me.”

No wonder he had become a target.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you outside.”

Carl gave her a push forward. “Hurry up and come back.”

Talli tightened her grip on the owl family crest and stepped into the alley.

With the Fred family crest, Talli had no trouble passing through.

As Carl had said, the place was indeed large, and the people coming and going were dressed in strange, inconspicuous clothing that didn’t seem like ordinary citizens.

Typically, selling magic beasts requires a sales license, but this place was different. Some vendors didn’t have the proper permits, but as a result, the stall rent here was much higher.

Talli, wearing a large hat, weaved through the crowd.

According to the novel, the female protagonist’s pet—who happens to be the crown prince—was encountered in the basement.

When she took that magic beast, she paid a high commission, which indicated that the beasts in the basement were rare and had higher talents. Likewise, those stalls didn’t have the necessary sales permits.

Talli thought about this as she walked through the courtyard and made her way toward the stairs.

The magic beasts were locked in rooms, with the stalls located outside the rooms. The stalls only had simple promotional materials. Because of this, Talli noticed people constantly entering and exiting the rooms, and through the cracks in the doors and windows, she could hear the continuous growls of the beasts.

“Is this your first time here, customer?”

A voice called out to her warmly. It was from a kind-looking, chubby stall owner in his thirties, leaning behind the stall. He greeted her, “You seem young. If you’re looking for a magical pet, our gray-spotted rabbit here would be a great choice!”

He handed her a picture.

Talli glanced at it and shook her head. “Sorry.”

“What a shame,” the man shrugged, “What kind of beast are you looking for?”

“Fierce, protective,” Talli replied.

“Ah, I see,” the man said, thinking for a moment. “I thought kids would prefer cute, fluffy ones. You’ll want to go down to the basement, third floor. Head straight to the end of the corridor, the first stall on the left. They just got in a new one—a wolf. I heard it’s extremely rare, and you’ll need proof of identity to even take a look! If you’re interested, go ahead and check it out.”

“…Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The man smiled pleasantly, “You look about the same age as my daughter… To be honest, if people weren’t desperate for money, who would work in this line of business?”

—

Talli followed the man’s directions and went down to the third floor of the basement.

When she arrived, she indeed saw a door with a red tag, and a disheveled man smoking a cigarette sat in front of it.

He glanced at the family crest Talli showed him and then looked her over. “Never heard of the Fred family having anyone like you… Did you steal this?”

“…”

“Never mind. If you’re bold enough to steal a Fred family crest, you probably aren’t short of money and don’t fear losing your life… Hmph.” The man lazily swung his leg down from the chair and opened the door. “Go in, kid.”

Talli took back the crest, tucked it into her bag, and entered. As soon as she stepped in, the door closed behind her, and the lights turned on.

She instinctively took a step back.

In the center of the room was a cage that stood taller than two people. Inside it was a white, fierce-looking tiger beast with sharp claws and fangs. It was ferocious, and the moment the lights came on, it seemed enraged. It scratched the cage with its sharp claws, exposing teeth as long as Talli’s fingers, and the cage looked like it might collapse at any moment.

“Don’t worry, customer!”

A person dressed in Eastern attire emerged from behind a curtain. He was short and thin, holding a black whip, and wore jade accessories. He waved a folding fan. “Our cages are magically reinforced! Beasts like this can never break free from their confinement!”

Talli froze when she saw him.

“Customer?”

“…It’s nothing,” Talli snapped out of her daze. She took a few steps inside the room and said, “I heard you got a new arrival yesterday?”

“Ah, customer, you really have your ear to the ground! That’s true. However, the beast only arrived yesterday, and our staff have been trying to tame it all day without success… Customer, would you like to meet it?”

The man smiled with narrowed eyes, his voice coming through the fan, “It’s not that I’m discouraging you, but a delicate customer like you would usually not choose such a fierce beast.”

Talli replied, “I just want to take a look.”

“That’s fine, take a look!”

The curtain was pulled open.

Taking a few more steps forward, Talli saw a faint blue flame in the darkness—those were eyes.

“Whoo—” The shopkeeper lit a candle, blowing out the torch. “This one is too sensitive to magic. We usually don’t use magical fuel.”

As the man had said earlier, it was a fierce wolf.

Its eyes were a deep blue, but not the calm blue of the sea or the sky. It was a terrifying, violent blue, like ghostly flames. Its body was covered in scars, and there were splatters of blood inside the cage, with sharp scratches everywhere. The wolf’s glaring eyes seemed to lock onto anyone who looked, as if staring directly at its enemy.

It was a chilling sight.

Talli couldn’t help but take a step back.

“I told you, customer, this is not suitable for you!” the shopkeeper said.

“I don’t want to buy it,” Talli replied.

Just one glance, and Talli knew that the magic beast before her was Mustafa.

The rebellious gaze, the numerous scars… it was exactly as described in the novel.

“Then you…” the shopkeeper started.

“Are you from the East?” Talli interrupted.

“Eh? Yes, I am.”

The shopkeeper mentioned a place Talli had never heard of, though it was geographically located to the east of the Empire.

“Then you must know, when we buy pets, we usually take a walk through the store like this,” Talli continued as she stepped into the dimly lit room, “You see which one feels closest, the one that doesn’t reject you, and take that one.”

No sooner had Talli finished speaking than a faint movement came from the nearby cage.

She looked in that direction.

A red-eyed magic beast was struggling to lift itself, raising a front paw and gently pressing it against the cage’s iron bars.

Its eyelids drooped, as if utterly exhausted, its fur dull and gray, making its original color hard to discern. Only its red eyes stood out, mysterious and captivating, like the most radiant red gemstones, with the flickering candlelight dancing in its pupils.

Talli walked over, gently crouched down, and extended a finger to press against its outstretched front paw.

It was soft, cold.