Chapter 2

The Leipard noble family is known for their strong feline features.

I am a white leopard beastkin.

My mother and older brother are leopard beastkins. My younger brother is a white cat beastkin.

My father was a white tiger beastkin.

During dinner at the manor, my father opened his mouth deliberately.

"Did you meet the Crown Prince again?"

His gaze was accusatory. I am used to his stern look.

Even my family thinks I am infatuated with the Crown Prince and following him around.

I have never shown such behavior. No matter how many times I explain that I only greet him out of courtesy when I visit the royal library, they do not believe me. I have given up.

"Thirty more times, and it will be over."

I inadvertently let slip my true thoughts.

Perhaps he thought it was a flippant response.

"Stop it immediately," he sighed in exasperation.

"I wish you would stop, Myulan. Because of you, our family is looked at with suspicion."

My mother was also exasperated.

The one who should be looked at with suspicion is the Crown Prince, who threw a vase at me, but I cannot say that as it would be considered disrespectful.

"What have I done? I only greet him when I visit the royal castle."

Still, I need to vent, so I retorted.

"Is there something wrong with being insulted and having a vase thrown at my face?"

I said it coldly and matter-of-factly.

"Huh. You've really changed, haven't you? Ever since you met the Crown Prince."

My older brother seemed to realize something for a moment, but it was not the case.

"What a foolish sister."

In the end, they still think I am infatuated.

It would be troublesome if they found out. They would try to persuade me.

I know this, so I say nothing.

"Father, Mother, I have something I need you to sign later."

The two of them frowned at my change of topic.

"Sign? What is it?"

"It's a document to remove me from the Leipard family."

In the stunned silence, I brought a piece of steak to my mouth.

My mother slammed her hand on the table. She bared her fangs and raised her leopard-patterned tail.

"You!! What are you trying to do!!"

My strong-willed mother was furious.

Beside her, my 10-year-old brother was trembling in fear. I looked at him and then at my mother.

"You're scaring Tyler. Please stop."

"It's your fault, Myulan!!"

"Calm down, will you?"

My father held my mother's hand to calm her down. He glared at me with a snort.

"Why do you need such a document, Myulan?"

"I am about to leave home."

"Whose permission did you get?"

"You don't need permission to run away. In fact, I thought it would be better to have the documents."

"Why do you need to run away!"

My father's voice grew louder as I calmly spoke.

"I only greet the Crown Prince, get insulted, and have vases thrown at me. I don't need a daughter who causes such rumors. Disown me."

I said it with a cold laugh.

"Ridiculous! What are you giving up on!! Do you want attention!?!? I won't cater to you like that!!"

My brother, who serves as a knight, must have some plan, but I don't want to know, so I don't ask.

He stormed out of the dining room, his tail thrashing wildly.

I will return to my room. Thank you for the meal.

"Let me make it clear, I don't need any special treatment. I have no desire to become close to the Crown Prince."

As I stood up and said this, my parents looked confused.

If they had asked me seriously earlier, I would have consulted with them.

But it's too late now. My resolve is unwavering.

After leaving the dining room and walking down the corridor, I heard footsteps behind me and turned around.

It was my younger brother, Tyler.

"Sister!"

When I tried to crouch down to meet his tearful gaze,

"Apologize!"

He said.

"Why?" I asked calmly.

"Because it's your fault!"

"Why do you think it's my fault? Because Father, Mother, and Brother are angry?"

"Yes!"

"How can you say it's my fault just because they are angry?"

As I repeated the question calmly, Tyler's face showed confusion.

"Think more seriously, Tyler. Is it right to decide someone is wrong just because one side is angry?"

His gaze darted around, and his white cat ears drooped.

"I am leaving this house. No, I am leaving this kingdom. I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible, but let's not."

" Sister...?"

"I love you, Tyler. You are not to blame."

I hugged his small body and gently stroked his head.

You are not to blame.

I am not to blame either.

But, since I will cause a commotion in this kingdom, I have no intention of staying.

I will leave this house and this kingdom.

I will also sever ties with my family, who never stood by me.

My resolve is unwavering.

Three days later, I went to the royal castle and greeted the Crown Prince, who was heading to morning training with the knights. I bowed and made eye contact.

If he is in a good mood, he will ignore me and pass by.

If he is in a bad mood, he will curse me and throw a tantrum.

No matter how many people see it, he doesn't care.

The surrounding people laugh and look at me with disdain, mainly because they think I am following him around.

I count the days, waiting.

For the moment of liberation.

A week ago, I started feeling uneasy and restless.

I repeatedly checked the routes out of the kingdom and confirmed my destination, taking a deep breath each time.

The document to remove me from the family can be done by the head of the household without a signature, so it is not absolutely necessary. It is just a formality.

I took deep breaths and rubbed my chest countless times.

And on the 333rd day.

I told myself it was just another day and moved my tense body. My tail, hidden under my dress, stretched out straight. The fur stood up, making me a bit itchy.

I waited by the path to the training ground, where the Crown Prince with his silver hair would pass, and called out, controlling my voice to prevent it from cracking.

"I greet the Crown Prince with the silver shine."

Today, he seemed to be in a good mood and passed by without a word, just a glance.

This is the last time.

This is the last time—closing my eyes, I curtsied.

Perhaps it won't count just like that.

With a pounding heart, I waited until night. The best time to act is just before the date changes.

In the late hours of the night, I clasped my hands on the balcony and prayed to the gods.

"I wish for the 'Mate Bond' to be dissolved."

Just that simple prayer. I conveyed my will.

Suddenly.

—It was severed.

The feeling of the bond being cut.

I was no longer the 'Fated Mate'.

A tear rolled down my cheek.

It was a mix of the emptiness of loss and the joy of liberation.

I had undoubtedly lost the status of 'Fated Mate'.

It was a comforting fact.

Pressing my chest, I fell into a deep sleep, freed from the long tension.

The morning was noisy, and I couldn't sleep for long.

The Crown Prince's gemstone had lost its shine—.

This news caused a commotion in the Leipard family.

Finally, it has come. The result of my choice.

The Crown Prince's gemstone had lost its shine, meaning he had lost his 'Fated Mate' and was abandoned by the gods.

The Crown Prince, unaware of this, was in a state of confusion, not understanding the situation.

The shock of the next king losing his qualification was immense.

Ignoring the commotion in my family, I finished my breakfast and packed my belongings in my room.

I changed into a simple dress and took my trunk.

Hearing that my father had returned home, I went to his room with the documents.

On my way back to report the progress to my mother, I stopped for lunch.

"Father, I apologize. If you and Mother could sign the document to remove me from the Leipard family, I can submit it."

"What nonsense are you talking!!"

He shouted.

"The Crown Prince is in crisis! Are you still thinking about him!?"

"I have never thought about the Crown Prince, not even for a moment."

I firmly replied to my mother's shrill voice, leaving her stunned.

"This is a national crisis!! Instead of doing this, you should be investigating why the Crown Prince's gemstone lost its shine!!"

"What a foolish sister!!"

My father and brother also shouted, not listening to my side of the story. I have always been the middle child, often overlooked.

I was raised freely, so my opinions were never heard, not even considered.

This is my current situation.

I raised my fist and, with magic, shattered the marble table.

"What are you doing...!"

"Deal with me as you see fit in this national crisis. I am leaving. As I said before, I have completed 30 times, so I will not meet the Crown Prince again. I have no intention of returning to this house or this kingdom. Thank you for everything."

I told my stunned family this succinctly.

"Thirty times!? What are you talking about!? You won't meet the Crown Prince... Huh!"

Father gasped.

You won't meet the Crown Prince. You won't be in a position to meet the Crown Prince.

He stopped himself from saying it.

"Father?"

"You?"

Father turned a pale blue and trembled.

My brother and mother looked at him in confusion.

Father seemed to have realized something.

"Sir! Excuse me! An urgent summons from the royal family has arrived! You are to go to the royal castle immediately!"

The butler rushed into the dining room, staring at me with a pale face. I was the one being summoned.

"Oh... They identified it sooner than I thought."

I wanted to leave the kingdom immediately, but that was too much to ask.

It's better to resolve the situation properly rather than leaving in the midst of chaos.

I need to settle things.

"What? Myulan, did you do something!?"

My brother accused me, trying to grab me, but Father held him back.

"...Myulan, how many times have you met the Crown Prince?"

"「「「—!」」」

At Father's cautious question, not only the family but also the servants who had heard the commotion held their breath.

"333 times as of yesterday."

I answered calmly, and Father collapsed first.

Mother, gripping Father's arm, also fell to her knees.

"It's an emergency summons. Let's go. ...Tyler, goodbye."

The royal carriage would be waiting, so I said my final goodbye to my brother, who was still in shock, and headed towards it with my trunk in both hands.

To sever ties—.