Cub 074: Then Auntie Won’t Be Polite

Feeney had definitely seen plenty in his life.

But with his personality and habits, he really had rarely encountered a scene like this—a big face, twisted and a little scary, suddenly thrust up to his eyes.

Back on the Boel Alliance’s civilian starship, Little Chu Zao had been startled, and then Little Chu Zao startled Amos too—right now, an unprepared Feeney was quite literally scared out of his wits.

Truly, scared out of his wits.

In the physical sense.

Feeney’s wings burst out from his back in that instant. Unlike the completely pure white wings of Amos and Little Chu Zao, the tips of his feathers had a faint black edge. Overall, his wings felt different from theirs. In fact, every Crown Clan member’s wings were subtly unique, but adult Crown Clan rarely showed their wings, so few people noticed—

At this moment his wings puffed out, lifting him into the air in an instant.

Before everyone’s eyes, with a thunk.

“Ow—”

Feeney crashed into the ceiling of the warship.

What a loud thud.

The little cub holding that photo box wasn’t sleepy at all anymore, staring up at the ceiling in a daze.

Feiman, who had also wanted to see what was inside the box, wasn’t curious about the box anymore, just looked up at Feeney.

Amos was the only one who knew what was going on and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Feeney hugged his head, his wings twitching now and then.

Always the troublemaker, Feeney looked at the Little Chu Zao who’d scared him, scratching his head.

After a long while, he let out a sigh, as if in amazement: “Ah… scared me to death.”

Feeney landed, folding his wings, and just looked at this little fellow.

The little cub was very polite, very sweet—he cared a lot about the Crown Clan.

Because they were Zao Zao’s family.

“Third Uncle, Third Uncle, does it hurt?”

Such a short, tiny kid, he walked all the way to Feeney, tiptoed to see him, and, cradling his ghost bear and the photo box that had successfully scared Feeney, spoke in a milky voice.

Feeney had done unreliable things many times, but this was the first time someone had forced him to take two steps back.

He spoke a bit stiffly.

“I… I’m okay—”

“But the warship isn’t so great.”

Feiman pointed up.

Feeney looked up—

Well, Crown Clan bodies were tough, and as the second strongest of the clan, Feeney had successfully left a Feeney-sized “head” dent on the warship’s overhead panel.

Feeney: …

Feeney’s expression was too subtle.

It was really rare to see that baby face showing such blankness.

Feiman finally couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Amos coughed twice, then laughed as well.

Only Little Chu Zao cared very much about him.

The tiptoeing little guy couldn’t see what was on Feeney’s head; he just saw that the ceiling was a bit deformed, and it certainly looked painful.

“Third Uncle, Third Uncle, squat down and Zao Zao will blow on it for you?”

The little cub earnestly said to Feeney.

This brought Feeney a bit of comfort.

See, there was still some lovely emotional connection within the Crown Clan.

Feeney squatted down, looking at this soft and cute little guy.

The little fellow even had quite a presence, blowing on the top of Feeney’s head.

His little hand even gave it a gentle pat.

“He’s fine, thick-skinned and sturdy, it’ll just hurt for a moment.”

Amos watched his cub.

“And wasn’t he the one wanting to see it?”

“Zao Zao didn’t know.”

Little Chu Zao blinked his big eyes, looking so well-behaved, then examined Feeney’s head.

Feeney enjoyed it immensely.

Then he heard the little fellow speak.

“If Zao Zao had known Third Uncle was so scared of this thing, Zao Zao wouldn’t have shown it to Third Uncle.”

Feeney: …

That… uh… not that scared, right?

“Zao Zao thought everyone was like Zao Zao and Baba, just getting a scare.”

So there were actually people who’d get so scared they’d take flight.

“Yes, your Third Uncle is probably more afraid of those things.”

Feiman chimed in, taking the chance to add fuel to the fire.

“Zao Zao will show it to Auntie. Auntie promises she’ll just be startled.”

Feeney: …

Don’t make me sound so weak, okay?!

Feeney weakly reached out his hand, wanting to argue, but the mark on his head left him with nothing to say.

As Feeney was thinking how to respond, the soft little cub suddenly hugged him.

“It’s okay! Zao Zao isn’t scared, so Third Uncle doesn’t have to be scared.”

Feiman’s eyes widened a little.

Feeney was caught off guard by the cub’s spontaneous hug; he froze a moment, then slowly hugged back—the little body was soft, and after everything last night, having just been bathed again by Amos, it even had a fresh fruity scent, fragrant. The moment they hugged, all Feeney’s earlier irritation faded away.

That was Little Chu Zao’s special magic for the Crown Clan.

Feeney had hugged this little guy before, but never dared hug for long, and the little guy didn’t really like it either, so the feelings hadn’t been so deep.

Hey—it wasn’t bad?

Not a loss.

The little one was such a sucker for kindness, a little naturally oblivious to malice.

Play a little pitiful, and it was easy to get the cub’s comfort.

Amos was finished healing himself by now. He flexed his hand, then got up, lifting Little Chu Zao from Feeney’s arms, just as Feeney was getting to like the feeling.

“You all handle the rest.”

Amos spoke.

“Zao Zao needs to sleep.”

It was almost dawn.

Amos carried Little Chu Zao back.

Halfway there, the little guy was already yawning, drowsy.

The starship was moving smoothly; the journey home was not as urgent as before, estimated to arrive by noon.

The little cub, placed on the bed, tried to get up, made Amos sit beside him, carefully checked Amos’s halo to make sure it was okay, and only then finally lay his head on the soft pillow.

He naturally curled up, hugging his ghost bear into a small ball.

He was almost asleep, when suddenly, for whatever reason, his big eyes popped open and he looked seriously at Amos.

“Baba—”

“Mm?”

“Zao Zao still has lessons to attend—”

The little fluffball lay half-buried in the pillow, speaking in a muffled, milky voice.

“When we go back, when Teacher Hel gets there, remember to call Zao Zao…”

“Take a break today, it’s okay not to work so hard.”

Amos lowered his head.

“Mm?”

The little cub drowsily looked at Amos.

“It’s okay not to work so hard today?”

“Mm, you’ve already tried very hard and done so well today, baby.”

Amos bowed his head, kissed Chu Zao’s little face.

Because of Aunt Feiman, little Chu Zao had become scared of kisses, his big eyes blinked as he shyly curled up even smaller.

He couldn’t hold on anymore, and as his big eyes closed, he mumbled to Amos: “Zao Zao likes Baba calling Zao Zao… baby…”

His voice faded.

Amos sat by the bed, watching the little cub who had already drifted to sleep.

Sleep well, baby. Everything… really will be fine.

*

Time passed quickly.

Daylight came to the Holy Cas Capital Star. All morning, Holy Cas was busy, with Amos handling many things. The cub had been so exhausted the day before, and after using the black arrow, he finally slept soundly and deeply.

Amos specifically instructed Mori not to disturb him.

Feiman stayed in the Dwight palace; Amos took Feeney to handle other matters.

Meanwhile, several starships were landing, docking at a remote corner outside the Holy Cas royal court.

Anya stepped out of the starship, casually asking someone nearby.

“How’s the situation?”

“Relevant tests have been done.”

The Holy Cas soldier at Anya’s side quietly reported.

“That young Holy Chalice Clan member, just over ten, is indeed showing spiritual problems—a bit like a Crown Clan’s spiritual collapse. And this seems contagious among their people; several elders and those who came with the Holy Chalice Clan are showing similar symptoms, though a few are unaffected and are all in quarantine now. This looks like a plot by the Hymn Organization targeting the Holy Chalice Clan. The starship had other personnel as well, hired by the Holy Chalice Clan, but they’re fine. Just to be sure, they’re quarantined too; we’ll see once the medical center arrives.”

“Mm.”

Anya nodded.

He frowned unconsciously.

“That Holy Chalice Clan kid, Derrick, only just contacted the Hymn Organization, right? Why is it this serious? Try to get in touch with the Holy Chalice Clan, see what to do.”

Holy Cas rarely meddled in the internal affairs of other clans or empires.

But this situation unsettled Anya—a mere half day had turned into such a mess, and that little Holy Chalice’s symptoms were only worsening, not stopping.

He hardly dared imagine the chaos now erupting inside the entire Holy Chalice Clan.

Anya kept walking. Members of the Holy Cas Medical Center had arrived, saluted, and quickly rushed into the warship.

Inside, Derrick sat in a corner, trembling. He already knew some elders were infected, along with other Holy Chalice in quarantine.

Guilt, self-blame, and self-loathing filled Derrick’s heart.

Too useless—

He really was useless.

Only now did Derrick realize.

After getting used to running away, when the real crisis came—they had no way to fight back.

He really was—too useless.

The room’s door opened.

The top Medical Center members of Holy Cas entered.

“All right, let’s isolate the area and monitor spiritual strength—”

They exchanged glances.

It was deserted here, easier to manage any problems.

At the same time, in the Holy Chalice Clan’s home.

The clan chief slumped in his chair, face pale and weak.

Noisy chaos echoed outside.

The clan’s limited medical resources were stretched to the limit.

There were people sobbing, people rushing back and forth.

Finally, someone knocked at the chief’s door.

“Chief—now many clansmen have started falling unconscious—some stopped breathing several times while unconscious, we’re losing them, Chief—what should we do?”

Inside, the clan chief had his eyes closed, the spiritual Holy Chalice he used repeatedly being corroded and breaking even faster—his voice was almost gone.

Before the words could finish, the person at the door cried out: “Chief? Chief! Quick, get help, the chief’s fainted—”

Silently, the Hymn Organization’s hand squeezed tighter around the Holy Chalice Clan.

*

Holy Cas Capital Star.

The afternoon of the next day.

Little Chu Zao woke up in a daze.

The day before had exhausted him; he hadn’t slept at night, and had overdrawn some strength.

During this time, he’d only been woken up by Amos to eat, then flopped back down to continue sleeping.

Now at last, Little Chu Zao felt himself fully revived.

It was already after noon. The little cub looked at the time: after two, nearly three. He was alone in the room; Amos must have gone to work.

Little Chu Zao didn’t want to bother anyone, so he got up and put on his jacket.

It was a green little dinosaur pajama jacket, with a fat plush tail at the back, swaying as he got down from the bed.

Little Chu Zao walked to the door, blinked his big eyes, reaching up with his little hand a few times. He thought, then went to get a small stool.

“Noble little highness, do you want to go out?”

Yuan’s voice sounded, playing a little upbeat music.

“Yes.”

Little Chu Zao looked up.

“Yuan, can you open the door for me?”

“Of course!”

The Dwight villa’s smart AI Yuan replied cheerfully.

With a little click, the lock opened, and the cub pushed the door open.

It was quiet outside too. The little cub took a few steps out and clung to the upstairs railing, looking around.

“His Majesty Amos is attending to business, the other Highnesses aren’t in the villa, only Highness Feiman is in her room, and Butler Mori is directing people to tidy the yard.”

The little cub tilted his tired head, still waking up, and asked in a soft voice, “Why are they tidying the yard?”

“The season’s almost here, your potatoes can be planted soon.”

They took his request seriously, searching early for the perfect spot to plant the cub’s potatoes.

“Really?”

Little Chu Zao’s little wings fluttered a moment; he instantly felt wonderful, and trotted off to find something to eat.

He was so tiny, short arms and legs, holding onto the side, pattering along, his dino tail swaying behind.

Suddenly, Little Chu Zao felt something and turned to a door.

He hesitated, then asked Yuan again, “Is that Aunt Feiman’s room?”

“Yes, Little Highness.”

Meanwhile, inside Feiman’s room.

Since returning, Feiman had shut herself in her room for nearly two days.

She was sitting in the little study, curtains drawn tight, lights blazing down on her, casting a heavy tone.

She was flipping through documents.

Page by page, she turned the yellowing papers.

These were all records of Holy Cas’s First Legion.

From its founding, and all that came after.

Feiman’s fingers finally rested on a photograph.

A Crown Clan member in the photo was smiling proudly, not seeming too old.

But compared to the younger Crown Clan, he felt steadier.

That was her grandfather, Chu Zao’s great-grandfather.

He’d vanished with Holy Cas’s First Legion in the pollution disaster. Not long after, during the search, they’d sensed his coronet shattering.

Feiman just stared, her psyche slightly agitated.

That time—it shouldn’t have been Grandpa who went.

“How far is it? But I have so many lessons left; I’ll just have trouble making up the work after we get back.”

Back then, younger Feiman, only just an adult, stood up high, more innocent and lively than now.

“Hahaha, little one, still picky about your missions—wait till Clancy smacks some sense into you.”

Her grandfather stood beside her, laughing robustly, his big hand giving her a few teasing pats on the back, both fond and joking.

“Look at your second and third brothers, just became adults, but they’ve handled so much.”

“Ah, Grandpa—” Feiman still remembered her own protest. Even knowing fate, the Crown Clan’s young, shielded by generations, hadn’t felt despair so fiercely. At least for Feiman, not yet. “Don’t compare me to Second Brother—he’s like a robot, I can’t figure him out. And Third Brother’s ridiculous, it’s not like he wants trouble; trouble just finds him! As for Big Brother, always so gloomy, I think he’ll probably leave before the rest of us.”

Her words made Grandpa laugh out loud.

“You’re still too young—but that’s fine, our little Feiman’s only just grown up, it can’t be helped. The world isn’t falling yet. Clancy is too strict with you all, Solan too, never stepping in. Anyway, you kids are the last batch—do cherish each other.”

“I’m not a kid anymore, Grandpa!”

She pouted at the time.

“All right, little one, go finish your homework. The Dwight family’s tutors won’t let you slack off. As for this mission, Grandpa still has plenty of strength. I’ll talk to His Majesty Clancy; just wait here for Grandpa to come back—”

……

“Bad news! We’ve lost contact with the First Legion!! No word from the princes who went with them either. They were surrounded by the oncoming pollution—to protect the Holy Cas retreat—”

What?

“The pollution came so fast! We had no chance to react—”

“A search party was sent, but—”

Who?

Did she mishear?

Who was missing?

Feiman remembered listening dumbfounded—

Then soon after, her mother’s weeping, and everyone felt the coronet shatter.

“Feiman, it wasn’t your fault. You needed to grow more. Your grandfather was a powerful Crown Clan with ideals and choices. That was his decision.”

Her father saw in an instant and told her so.

She knew.

The Crown Clan’s despairing fate.

But she hadn’t expected ‘despair’ to come so suddenly.

After that, Feiman grew rapidly—she was no longer a naïve clan cub, but, in others’ eyes, a reliable and powerful figure.

But nightmares lingered.

The accident shouldn’t have been Grandpa’s…

She’d always waited for Grandpa’s return—

Grandpa, look—

She’d grown up, could be considered an adequate Crown Clan member.

A proper Dwight.

Feiman lowered her head, pressing her lips—

But why.

After all these years.

Why had Grandpa disappeared so thoroughly? Why hadn’t he come back?

‘Little one, is this high enough? Can’t your little wings fly? Must Grandpa throw you?’

‘Fought with your Third Brother again? Haha, wait, Grandpa’ll scold him—’

‘Like what? Like this? All right, all right, Grandpa remembers.’

‘Why so good to you? My little Feiman is supposed to take Grandpa’s place—of course you’re different.’

Feiman clenched her fingers tightly.

Her spiritual strength rippled in that moment.

She always avoided speaking of these things, never mentioning a word, even after countless nightmares.

Until all the recent events.

Her head ached.

But it was bearable.

Feiman closed her eyes; it was as if those nightmares returned.

Grandpa’s smiling face bloodied and twisted, the familiar faces from the First Legion also covered in blood, trying to drag her in.

Such distant memories only grew sharper as more Crown Clan were lost.

She let out a long breath, pressing all those tangled emotions down—she’d secretly cried many times; now she couldn’t cry anymore.

Feiman didn’t notice the quiet click of the door opening.

Outside.

Yuan was anxiously saying: “But as the smart AI, I can’t just open Highness Feiman’s door for you, Little Highness!”

The little cub stared at Yuan’s camera.

Yuan: “I made mistakes before. This time I swear, I absolutely, absolutely will never make the same mistake again—a little AI learns from its errors!”

The little cub just kept staring at the camera, tiny wings fluttering, tail wiggling.

Yuan: “…But smart AI have feelings too, Little Highness, please don’t be so cute, boohoo, if Your Majesty or Highness Feiman dismantle me, remember Yuan, okay QAQ? Really, Yuan can’t, mustn’t—”

‘Click—’

The AI opened the door, then began repenting.

“It’s okay, Zao Zao will protect you.”

Little AI: …Hey, when you say that, Little Highness, Yuan feels so much braver!

Open, open them all!

Open ten! Even a hundred!!

So, when Little Chu Zao pattered to Feiman’s desk, he blinked his big eyes to check Aunt Feiman’s halo—

He let out a breath.

Nothing wrong—scared Zao Zao for a moment.

But the strong sadness from Feiman made Little Chu Zao flutter his wings, putting his little hands on the edge of the desk.

Feiman hadn’t come to herself when she heard the fluttering of wings.

Startled, she looked up.

There, little hands clinging to the edge of the desk, a tiny halo slowly rising, giving a shudder, then Zao Zao’s little head.

“Auntie?”

The little cub’s soft, dazed voice sounded.

“Are you not feeling well?”

The cub had barged in and was a bit guilty, clinging to the desk, green dino tail wagging behind, trying to comfort Feiman.

“Auntie, do you want to do something else to distract yourself? Zao Zao will keep you company.”

Aunt looked about to cry.

The cub couldn’t think of a better way, and softly apologized to Feiman.

“And sorry Auntie, Zao Zao felt your spiritual strength was off, so barged in without asking.”

Feiman gathered herself, stood, and lifted the cub.

She lowered her head to look at the soft, worried little cub in her arms—

She paused—Little Chu Zao’s comfort wasn’t just from his cuteness.

In other ways even more so—

Feiman’s eyes softened, her once cold voice gentled.

She didn’t want to pass these feelings to the cub.

Her breath gradually calmed, her spiritual power stabilized.

“Anything Auntie does, you’ll keep me company?”

Little Chu Zao nodded without thinking.

Then Feiman spoke again, eyeing his chubby face: “Then Auntie won’t be polite.”

Little cub: …Hey???