Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 9

Holding the packet of raw meat in her hand, Liu Fenyun could vaguely guess who Lianyi was taking her to meet.

But when they reached the depths of the alley and several cats of various colors crawled out from hiding, chattering and bowing respectfully to Lianyi, Liu Fenyun was still taken aback.

Counting them, there were seven cats in all. She looked at Lianyi in astonishment. “Th-this place does anyone else know about it?”

“Oh, even if those humans knew, they couldn’t do anything to us!” a tabby cat said with a lick of its paw. “Only Lord Lianyi knows where we hide. Unless she gives us an order, we stay scattered across the streets and alleys, hidden perfectly!”

“Exactly!” a plump orange cat agreed. “We’re demons, after all. If we were that easy to catch, we might as well not have gained sentience!”

Lianyi took the bundle and began dividing up the beef. Cat demons had much stronger constitutions than ordinary cats; even raw meat was safe for them to eat.

“This is Liu Fenyun, my newly wedded spouse,” Lianyi introduced once the cats were done eating. “I have already formed a blood pact with her. From now on, when you see her, it is as if you see me.”

Liu Fenyun, who had been watching the cats, blinked and pretended not to know what a blood pact was.

Mystery solved she had thought some malicious person had bound her and Lianyi with a pact, but it turned out Lianyi had done it herself.

“Oh! No wonder Lord Lianyi’s aura feels stronger today it all makes sense now!” the tabby exclaimed, leaping up onto the small platform beside Liu Fenyun. It craned its neck to look at her ear. “Ah, there’s the mark! Greetings, Lord Liu”

“Greetings, Lord Liu!” the other cat demons chorused.

Liu Fenyun touched her ear, which felt perfectly normal, and studied the tabby carefully.

Her system could analyze a demon’s strength. The data told her that this tabby’s demon energy was the densest, and its speech the most fluent clearly the leader of the group.

“She’s called Xian Lihua,” Lianyi explained. “She’s skilled at concealment and finding medicinal herbs. If you need rare materials, you can ask her.”

Xian Lihua perked up her ears and swished her striped tail playfully.

Liu Fenyun’s hand itched. Almost without thinking, she reached out to pet the cat’s head.

“Warning: Lianyi’s affection decreased by 5 points. Host, stop immediately.”

The system’s cold, mechanical voice made her snatch her hand back at once.

Xian Lihua flinched too. Once Liu Fenyun withdrew, the cat demon gave her a small bow and said seriously, “Lord Liu, please mind yourself!”

The other six cat demons followed suit. “Lord Liu, please mind yourself!”

Liu Fenyun: …

She returned their bow, then glanced at Lianyi’s affection meter still at 55 points, no increase.

Liu Fenyun didn’t really understand the “yandere” archetype. Before transmigrating, she’d only heard some male classmates talk about it something about extreme possessiveness, never allowing their lovers to get close to anyone else.

She hadn’t expected that a simple attempt to pat a cat’s head would cost her 5 affection points.

“All right, Lihua, pick two of the smarter ones to stay near Kui Tian Residence for a while,” Lianyi instructed evenly. “Don’t let Luo Binglun notice. Dismissed.”

“Yes, my lady.” Xian Lihua took two calico cats and vanished into the alleyways with the others.

“They are the most loyal subordinates I have in this world,” Lianyi said once the cats were gone. “Always obedient, unwaveringly faithful. You are my spouse now, which makes you their master as well. But don’t let personal fondness put them in an awkward position.”

“I understand no next time,” Liu Fenyun said quickly, knowing what she meant and already regretting her earlier impulse.

Losing affection was easy; gaining it back was the hard part. She’d have to spend more time with Lianyi over the next few days and figure out her temperament.

As night fell, the two of them made their way back.

When they reached the spot where their carriage should have been, it was gone. Liu Fenyun gasped. “Where’s our carriage?!”

“I sent the coachman back to the manor,” Lianyi said, looping her arms around Liu Fenyun’s neck and brushing her fingers over the ear with the blood mark. “You heard about the blood pact just now, didn’t you? You can now use my magic but don’t use it carelessly, and never to harm anyone.”

She leaned close and breathed softly into Liu Fenyun’s ear. “When you use magic, make sure no one sees. Otherwise, to human eyes, you’ll look like a demon too.”

Liu Fenyun, who’d been briefed on the subject by her system the night before, suddenly felt like she’d become Lianyi’s kind like a human bitten by a vampire and turned into one.

“Do your subordinates know I’m… a woman?” she asked quietly as they walked.

Lianyi smiled. “Demons can tell male from female by scent.”

So they knew.

Liu Fenyun nodded. “What is Kui Tian Residence? The High Priest’s home?”

She’d only been guessing but guessed right.

“Since Luo Binglun could plant spies in my palace, naturally I have spies in her residence too,” Lianyi said coolly. “She sees me as a thorn in her eye and opposes me at every turn. Why should I be polite to her?”

“When did you two become enemies?” Liu Fenyun frowned. “By right, the High Priest and the Saintess each have their own duties. Their temples are far apart normally there’d be no conflict.”

Lianyi’s steps faltered.

“Since I took possession of Sha Lan Yi’s body,” she said quietly. “It’s between me and her. You needn’t interfere.”

Sensing her displeasure, Liu Fenyun quickly raised her hands. “I wouldn’t dare! I don’t know anything about these affairs I won’t get involved!”

She was just a medical student, after all she had no wish to be caught up in anyone’s schemes.

Lianyi’s lips curved faintly. “Good.”

But she was frail. After walking a bit longer, she pressed a hand to her chest, breathing shallowly.

Seeing this, Liu Fenyun stopped. “Let me carry you, Your Highness?”

Perhaps too tired to refuse, Lianyi let herself be carried on Liu Fenyun’s back, planting a light kiss on her ear. The touch made Liu Fenyun shiver as her ears burned hot.

“Ah Yun treats me so well,” Lianyi murmured with a smile.

Hearing the praise, Liu Fenyun instinctively glanced at the affection meter—still 55. Not a single point higher.

“You could at least pretend and go up by one or two…” she thought gloomily.

Back at the princess’s residence, both were exhausted.

With the 5-point loss still in effect, Lianyi’s attitude was noticeably cooler. She said nothing about intimacy; after dinner and her medicine bath, she retired early.

Though they shared the same bed, Liu Fenyun felt an invisible distance between them. Listening to Lianyi’s breathing, she touched her chest, feeling an emptiness she couldn’t quite name.

“Can’t sleep?” Lianyi suddenly asked.

Liu Fenyun turned toward her after a pause. “I was thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“How to make Your Highness happy,” Liu Fenyun blurted and before she could lose her nerve, she leaned in and kissed Lianyi on the cheek, then ducked under the covers, hiding her face.

Her “bait tactic” worked well. Before long, Lianyi lifted the blanket, gripped her chin, and kissed her deeply.

Liu Fenyun didn’t resist, letting her have her way.

Strangely enough, ever since the blood pact, she hadn’t felt as resistant to such closeness.

“You really are a demon’s favorite kind of human,” Lianyi said afterward with a soft laugh.

When everything finally quieted down, she nestled into Liu Fenyun’s arms and murmured, “Sleep now. I’m happy.”

Liu Fenyun checked the affection meter: 55.

Fake happiness? she wondered.

But before she could pout, the number suddenly jumped to 65 an increase of 10 points!

Overjoyed, Liu Fenyun rubbed her cheek against the cat demon’s and sighed contentedly. “Mm, I’ll sleep now.”

Looks like her “method of appeasement” worked. She’d have to try it again sometime.

Though she fell asleep content, that night Liu Fenyun dreamed something strange.

She stood upon a field of corpses bodies clad in tattered Taoist robes, blood soaking the earth. They looked torn apart by beasts. When she realized they were demon hunters, her face changed. Looking down, she saw her hands had grown sharp claws, her feet white-furred and bestial.

Her clothes were ripped and bloodstained, as if from a recent battle.

Before her stood a man in imperial robes the Emperor of the Zhuohuang Kingdom shielding her protectively.

Liu Fenyun recognized him instantly. Before she could react, he spoke in a grave tone:

“This farce ends here. Since this demon bears no ill will toward our kind, High Priest, there’s no need to pursue her further and lose more lives.”

The High Priest?!

Liu Fenyun turned, and indeed saw Luo Binglun, the High Priest, standing opposite. The winter wind whipped her ceremonial robes as her face twisted with rage.

“Your Majesty!” Luo Binglun cried. “But she has possessed my beloved disciple your own daughter!”

The Emperor’s back was to Liu Fenyun, his tone weary. “Ran Yi’s death was fate. If this demon can live in her stead, and see more of this world in her place… letting her live is no sin.”

Luo Binglun’s face went deathly pale, then livid. At last, she ground out, “As you command. But since I swore upon becoming High Priest to never coexist with demonkind, I must now sever my ties with the Seventh Princess. I ask Your Majesty’s permission to dissolve our bond as master and disciple!”

Liu Fenyun jolted awake, gasping, and instinctively looked toward Lianyi.

“Do not be alarmed, Host,” the system explained. “The dream you just experienced was a memory of the demon bound to you through the blood pact.”

“When a demon willingly shares their past, their memories can manifest as dreams.”

After a pause, Liu Fenyun asked, “So… that means her affection is high enough now for memory-sharing?”

“Correct, Host.”

Looking at the peacefully sleeping cat demon in her arms, Liu Fenyun gently stroked her furry ears.

If she was right, this dream was Lianyi’s way of showing trust sharing her past to prevent misunderstandings.

That counted as a sign of trust, didn’t it?

Lost in thought, Liu Fenyun kept petting the soft ears until Lianyi twitched and murmured drowsily, “Don’t touch my ears…” Her cat ears folded down, fading into human ones again.

Within moments, she was fast asleep once more.