The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 3

#3.

With those words, Zerachiel went to wash up, grumbling about the dust making him uncomfortable.

‘Come to think of it, he looked like he’d been rolling around somewhere.’ Usually, my lord, with his sanity a turn and a half beyond most humans, was obsessively clean.

He hated sweating during hunts and would take down prey in one swift strike to avoid it. Yet, here he was, covered in dust and even letting a ferret drool on him. To top it off, he was grinning and talking about raising it.

“He’s definitely gone mad.”

Who would raise a ferret, especially an abandoned Suin ferret [a magical creature that can transform into a human]?

He might want to raise it now because it’s cute, but if the ferret were lucky enough to become human, it would be a big problem.

The Zerachiel he knew would quickly lose interest in the change and either gulp it down or abandon it.

‘Maybe he’s thinking of it as emergency rations.’

When Zerachiel had that crazy look in his eyes, no one could stop him. Even Ivan, who routinely committed insubordination, would avoid his gaze then.

So, this was all because the ferret had met the wrong Suin.

Once Zerachiel Rune Zabisi had his eye on something, this ferret’s life was as good as mortgaged to him. His master never let go of a target once he was fixated.

“Poor thing.”

Not only was it abandoned, but it also had to win the favor of a madman.

It was the worst thing that could happen to a ferret. Out of pity, Ivan covered the ferret with his handkerchief, as if offering condolences to the dead.

He was even about to pray when the handkerchief twitched, and the ferret peeked its head out.

* * *

I had a scary dream.

A dream where I was chased and eaten by a lion.

I really didn’t want to experience that again.

I could only mumble, not knowing who I was talking to.

I was so glad it was just a dream. It was the most vivid dream I’d ever had. My legs were still shaking like it was real.

But if it were real, I wouldn’t be napping on such a fluffy cushion.

It felt like I was human again. How long had it been since I slept somewhere other than the grass?

‘Wait, a cushion?’

I belatedly felt a sense of unease and groped the floor. It was definitely a cushion. The silky-smooth texture was as cozy as a stable bed.

It was a level of fluffiness I had never experienced in my year as a ferret.

“!!”

I belatedly realized that being chased by a lion was real and opened my eyes wide. But as soon as I opened my eyes, I couldn’t see anything.

‘What, what is it?’

Someone covered me with a blanket! I’m not dead yet!

I squirmed and threw off the blanket covering my head. Then I saw a golden-haired lion Suin.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

The man smiled, his eyes crinkling as if he was happy to see me. Seeing the fangs peeking through his grinning lips, it was clear he was also a lion Suin.

I growled as if having a seizure.

“Chew, chew! Chi—!”

Go away, go away! Get lost!

I bristled, showing a wary light. Seeing a lion as soon as I opened my eyes was unpleasant, and the man’s expression made me feel uneasy.

The man reached out his hand and said,

“There’s no need to be so wary. I won’t eat you yet.”

Yet?

“Chi, chii, chewww!”

That means you’ll eat me later! Hwaa!

I burst into tears again and buried my face in the blanket.

This can’t be real! Save the ferret!

As I was wailing with all my might, the golden-haired man panicked and added,

“Why, why are you crying?”

“Chii—! Kyun.”

You said you’d eat me, sniffle!

I was sobbing and causing a ruckus, even eating my snot, when someone pulled back the blanket and lifted me up.

At that moment, a familiar scent tickled my nose. It was the same pheromone that had knocked me out earlier.

“Why are you crying again?”

The boy brought me up to his face with a sulky expression. His black hair was damp, as if he had just washed it.

‘Gasp!’

I held my breath at the sudden face attack. I was too scared to notice earlier, but he was much more handsome up close.

His bluish-black hair was glossy and smooth. His white skin was flawless, and his lips were as red as cherries.

Moreover, his languid and listless golden eyes conveyed the composure of a predator.

‘What on earth is he planning to do with me?’

Seeing that he was still keeping me alive, it didn’t seem like he was planning to eat me right away. Maybe he was thinking of me as emergency rations, just like that golden-haired lion said.

The thought that I might be eaten soon made tears well up in my eyes, even with a pretty boy in front of me.

“Stop crying.”

“Chewww…….”

I won’t cry if you save me.

I mumbled, knowing full well that he wouldn’t understand. But judging from his expression, he didn’t understand at all.

Frustrated, I gnawed on the boy’s finger. Seeing this, the golden-haired lion said,

“Could it be an assassin sent by the Page family? Seeing how bravely it bares its fangs before the young lord, it’s no ordinary ferret.”

‘What? Page?’

I stopped tormenting the boy’s finger and flinched. It was the first time in my ferret life that I had heard the name of a familiar family.

‘Could it be, no way?’

A sudden ominous premonition made me watch the boy and the golden-haired lion. Because this was a world where Suins lived, the appearance of a familiar family made me uneasy that this might be the novel I had read.

Suddenly losing my appetite, I stopped biting the boy.

Then, something strange happened. The boy suddenly frowned when I stopped biting him. After a moment, he scolded the golden-haired lion.

“It’s your fault he’s not biting.”

As if he was disappointed that I wasn’t biting. The look in the boy’s eyes, urging me to bite, was crazy.

‘Is he, is he crazy?’

I spat out the boy’s finger and struggled with all my might. But I was still being held by the scruff of my neck, so I could only flounder in place.

The boy sighed deeply, as if he was very disappointed.

“You were tearing, chewing, tasting, and enjoying it like jerky a minute ago.”

He’s definitely crazy.

I struggled even harder, desperately rejecting the boy. Then, the golden-haired lion, who had been listening to the boy’s words, said nonchalantly.

“Is that your preference? If you had told me sooner, I would have bitten you instead.”

He was showing his fangs, looking like he was dying to bite. But at the boy’s next words, he quickly hid his fangs and crossed his arms in an X, stepping back.

“No, I like being bitten.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t taste good. It would be better to eat the ferret over there.”

“Chew, chew, chiii—!”

Why are you suddenly dragging me into this!

Indignant at the sudden situation of being reduced to food, I kicked my hind legs in frustration. Wherever this was, it was urgent to escape from these two lions.

Then, the golden-haired lion brought up the previous topic again.

“Look at that. The skill of its kicks is very precise, isn’t it? I’m telling you, it’s definitely an assassin.”

“I agree. It’s definitely no ordinary ferret. What could it be?”

The boy looked at me with interested eyes.

What, what are you looking at!

I stopped my frenzy and rolled my eyes to avoid the boy’s gaze.

But there was no way to avoid it as he moved his hand to meet my gaze again.

“Cheek…….”

Get your face away.