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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The White Tiger Princess Is Not Dangerous
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Roar!

The world's fiercest predator roared.

When the ferocious beast’s cry shook the very earth, most living creatures would either freeze in place or tremble uncontrollably.

Tigers, beasts that usually sauntered about, would leap and bound at terrifying speeds the moment they spotted their prey, killing it in a single strike.

While formidable enough in their natural state, tiger beastmen were even stronger.

This was a world inhabited by beastmen.

Blessed by various Divine Beasts, a diverse array of beastmen were born. Among them, the tiger beastmen naturally became the rulers.

Inherently fierce and belligerent, they could be cruel when subjugating others, but their intelligence and decisiveness made them ideal rulers.

They distinguished themselves as emperors, gradually expanding their influence to establish the Penterin Empire.

Thanks to the blessing of the tiger, the most powerful and ferocious of the four great Divine Beasts, Penterin became the rulers of the eastern continent and enjoyed centuries of prosperity.

However, the imperial family was saddled with a single, unresolved problem.

It was a prophecy that had remained unchanged for several generations.

After their coronation, each successive emperor would visit the temple of the tiger Divine Beast to receive its blessing.

Inside the temple, large statues of the siblings—the Golden Tiger ‘Ganash’ and the White Tiger ‘Anash’—stood facing each other.

There, the emperors always received the same prophecy along with their blessing.

《If a white tiger is not born into the imperial family of Penterin, all shall be doomed to perish.》

The emperor who received this prophecy would gather the High Priest and the elder nobles to discuss it, but they all dismissed it as nonsense.

And for good reason. The Divine Beast Ganash was a colossal tiger with golden fur, deep black stripes, and golden eyes.

The Penterin imperial family, blessed by him, strongly resembled the Golden Tiger Ganash, characterized by their brilliantly shining golden hair.

So, a white tiger!

Moreover, the White Tiger Divine Beast, Anash, was said to have already vanished.

-How can a white tiger be born into a family that has only ever produced golden tigers? It’s impossible! I’d sooner believe you if you told me white beans could grow from a black beanstalk.

The first to receive this prophecy was the fifth emperor, who was so dumbfounded that he protested to the Divine Beast.

But the Divine Beast gave no answer.

The fifth emperor, concluding he must have misheard, simply cleaned out his ears and moved on. But the prophecy continued, generation after generation.

-...Dammit. I got the prophecy about birthing a white tiger, too.

That was the fifteenth emperor.

The waiting retainers let out a collective sigh.

‘Again?!’

From the fifth to the fifteenth emperor.

Over the two hundred years that passed, the study of the prophecy had become quite profound.

The focus shifted to the idea that the tiger Divine Beast ‘Ganash’ was ‘once again’ concerned about destruction.

‘Destruction’ was clearly a warning that the ‘Ancient War’ of the past would repeat itself.

Therefore, it seemed Ganash was insisting on the need for the powerful white tiger’s strength.

As time passed, they came to understand the true meaning of the prophecy and recognize its gravity.

But the preceding emperors were always consumed by anxiety.

-It is a healthy prince, blessed by Ganash!

No matter how hard they tried, a white tiger was never born into the Penterin imperial family.

The emperors of Penterin made great efforts, but the imperial line was known for its scarcity of heirs, usually producing only one or two children, making the birth of a white tiger even more difficult.

Eating foods said to boost vitality and offering rites at the temple were all in vain.

This was the sole failure of the great Penterin Empire, an empire otherwise blessed with abundance and a strong military.

-It is lamentable! *Cough, hack!* Crown Prince, you must, I implore you, please, give birth to a white tiger!

One emperor, even on his deathbed, gripped the hand of his son, who was over sixty, and lamented that his one regret was not seeing a white tiger grandchild.

And so, throughout the hundreds of years of Penterin imperial history, no white tiger was born into the direct imperial line.

*Let's just give up. It’s easier that way.*

Everyone was exhausted.

The consensus shifted to believing that the prophecy of the Divine Beast Ganash was essentially a doomsday prediction.

With no results to show for their efforts, research into the prophecy was halted.

And yet.

“Gyaaaah!”

During the reign of the 35th emperor, Ritain, a white tiger was finally born.

There had been occasional instances of white tigers born into distant collateral branches or weaker families.

But most were either stillborn or born so weak they died before their first year.

This time was different!

The first white tiger born into the direct imperial bloodline of Penterin, unlike the other reputedly weak ones, breathed easily from the start and had a strong heart.

Just as one would expect of a white tiger blessed by the legendary, fearsome, and powerful Anash.

Those who heard the news of the Penterin imperial family’s white tiger birth all chattered in agreement that this child would surely grow up to be a majestic white tiger, commanding the world.

The servants hired to attend to the Penterin imperial family's baby white tiger also thought so at first.

Especially those valiant blue eyes and the slightly upturned corners of its eyes!

It opened its mouth to threaten them, but its innocently gaping mouth and the jelly-like, soft pink interior were just too adorable…?

“Gyaw.”

Nom.

The maid, Uni, felt a wave of dizziness as the toothless baby white tiger gnawed on her finger, and she pressed her other hand to her forehead.

“...Our princess is just too cute.”

The one and only white tiger was named Jusielia Brianna Penterin.

Members of the Penterin imperial family were typically ferocious, even as young cubs.

Moreover, hearing that this was the legendary, mighty white tiger, the maids selected to attend her had entered the palace fully prepared.

They were ready to be bitten and injured, even resigned to the possibility of death.

But that was not the case.

“Your Highness, please keep biting!”

“Nom?”

Everyone had assumed the baby white tiger would be a prince, but she turned out to be a lovely princess.

The fact that just watching her could make one ache with overwhelming cuteness and affection was a happy bonus.

“Goodness, Uni! You did that on purpose, didn't you? You wanted her to bite your hand!”

Another maid, horrified, rushed to the cradle and nudged Uni aside with her hip.

“Take your hand out right now! Your Highness, no, no! That’s not for eating. It’s not time for you to be hungry, but would you like some milky?”

The maid’s eyes sparkled as she shook the baby bottle she had brought.

Feeling the warm, soft heat while watching Princess Jusielia suckle on the bottle was pure bliss.

That was why feeding time was always a competition among the maids.

The baby white tiger shook her head as if she understood.

“Oh, my. Did you just say no to milky? You’re so clever!”

“Then what can we get for you?”

Princess Jusielia lay in her cradle, looking up at the maids with wide, bright eyes.

“Gyaw.”

Then, she tilted her small, round ears and kneaded the blanket.

Her silvery-white fur and the still-faint stripes were all contained in that tiny body.

She looked just like an angel sent by the Divine Beast.

The maids, who had been staring blankly, decided the princess must be bored and began shaking toys from the toy cart.

“Do you like this one? This rattle?”

“No, not that. She’s the tiger princess of Penterin, for goodness’ sake! She needs to practice having subjects, so it should be a rabbit doll at the very least!”

“Hey. Why would Her Highness need a rabbit as a subject? A rabbit is just… a snack!”

‘Eek!’

A junior rabbit beastman maid, who had just come into the room to collect laundry, scurried away in terror.

The maids and royal guards who attended the princess up close were all predatory beastmen, while the lower-ranking servants were all herbivorous beastmen.

‘Damn predators.’

Muttering to herself on her way to the laundry room, the maid hated how the predatory beastmen spoke so casually of things that made a rabbit’s heart pound.

‘Still, Her Highness is an exception. She’s so pretty. So cute.’

She had come to fetch the blanket the newly awakened princess had been using.

Everything the princess used had to be spotless, so her bedding was washed frequently.

The small blanket, still warm, had bits of silver fur clinging to it.

‘Gasp! How can it smell so sweet? Is it the scent of formula?’

It was heavenly.

Being a maid in the Penterin Imperial Palace was a difficult position to secure, with better pay and treatment than other jobs.

But the rabbit maid, now in her fifth year, had grown thoroughly sick of the palace teeming with predatory beastmen.

She had planned to quit this year and return to her hometown…

The maid clutched the blanket tightly, making a new resolve.

“I’m never leaving. I’ll spend my whole life washing our princess’s clothes and blankets.”