Chapter 59: What I Like Is You
As the prince of this kingdom, there were plenty of people who talked about Jeryon’s likes and dislikes.
Shani found several articles and forums discussing them, but their contents were completely ridiculous.
Shani’s eyebrows furrowed more and more as she read.
’Jeryon likes fossils from wild creatures?’
’Infant blood?’
’A bat that died on a full moon and was preserved for a hundred years?’
’Seven types of flowers used as fragrances at the burial grounds of Argenor Kingdom’s ancestors?’
Shani sincerely hoped the people who wrote these articles and forum posts were just kids. Otherwise, she might have to smack them with her shoe.
Shani let out a heavy sigh. ’How has Jeryon survived these past three years when the entire kingdom hates him?’
Unable to find an answer on the internet, Shani turned to Jeryon beside her.
His golden hair shimmered under the library lights. His sharp jawline, high nose, and full lips made Shani’s thoughts suddenly go blank.
She blinked, forgetting what she wanted to say.
Jeryon noticed Shani staring at him. He turned and found a beautiful face that looked both elegant and innocent.
But there was something in Shani’s eyes that looked almost like yearning.
Jeryon suddenly became flustered. He quickly cleared his throat. "Shani, is something wrong?" he asked softly.
Shani snapped back to reality. She bit her lower lip, confused and embarrassed by what she had just done.
That small gesture made Jeryon’s heart tighten. It felt as if his heart had suddenly grown too big for his chest and was about to burst.
"Jeryon, what do you like?" Shani asked after managing to calm herself down.
Jeryon was clearly surprised by the question.
Still half-dazed, in a state he would only later realize was called falling in love, Jeryon answered, "I like you..."
Shani’s eyes slowly widened.
It wasn’t just Shani. Noella and Kiran, who were sitting across from them, could no longer focus on their books either.
A few seconds later, Jeryon snapped back to reality. "I mean, I like everything you give me. I’m not picky."
"Oh, I see." Shani cooperated immediately and nodded without asking anything else.
She looked like she was reading her book, but in reality, she was trying to calm her suddenly pounding heart.
Even though this was her second life, Shani had only lived until the age of twenty in her previous life. And most of her adulthood had been spent isolated in the attic.
She still didn’t understand the meaning behind this strange fluttering in her chest.
Before afternoon class ended, Shani and her friends decided to return to the dorm.
As they walked through the dormitory corridor, Shani was flanked by the curious duo of Kiran and Noella.
"The prince was flirting with you earlier, wasn’t he?" Kiran asked with a grin.
"According to the book I read about beastman social relationships, the prince’s trance-like state earlier was because he was captivated by you," Noella added with her usual logical analysis.
Shani pulled away from her friends.
"What are you two talking about? The prince just... It’s his first time having friends, so he’s just being very nice to his friends. He treats you two the same way, doesn’t he?"
Before Kiran and Noella could answer, Shani reached her room and immediately went inside, completely unaware that her ears had turned red.
"The prince only acts that way toward you, Shan," Kiran said, not caring whether Shani could hear her or not.
Then she turned to Noella. "What do you call that condition?"
"Flustered," Noella answered.
Behind the closed door, Shani could still hear her friends talking.
She admitted that she was indeed flustered, but she refused to believe it was because of Jeryon.
...
At dinner that night, there was a new person who became the main topic at almost every first-year table.
Unfortunately, the new topic wasn’t a positive one. Yes. What happened in Feed Cultivation class had spread throughout the first-year students.
Nora was officially dubbed the "Pretentious Princess."
The female students who had fallen victim to Nora’s crocodile tears added fuel to the gossip. The other students who felt deceived by her weren’t staying silent either.
Whether they were in Class 4 or another class, everyone agreed to stay away from Nora.
Only one person remained faithfully by her side, her resonance partner, Orin.
Nora tried to shut out everything around her. But when she saw Shani chatting freely and happily with her friends, anger began to burn inside her.
’She’s just an orphan who’s even poorer than me. Her rank is lower too. So why does she get the luck of becoming the prince’s partner and befriending the top students?!’
Nora’s gaze was so sharp that if looks were lasers, they might have pierced straight through Shani.
Suddenly, Shani turned around. Their eyes met.
Cold sweat formed on Nora’s back when she realized that Shani’s gaze wasn’t just an ordinary sharp stare.
For some reason, she felt an aura of murderous intent. Nora quickly looked away, suddenly getting a bad feeling.
Shani also lowered her gaze after seeing Nora back down. ’You won’t be able to use your manipulation to hurt me anymore, Nora.’
"Nyx is ten days old today, right?" Kiran asked, breaking the dark mood in Shani’s heart.
"Yeah, finally entered the Juvenile Phase. He’s getting bigger and more active," Shani nodded.
"Can I come to your room and help bathe Nyx?" Jeryon suddenly asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Of course, Shani wasn’t going to refuse.
After dinner, Jeryon immediately went to Shani’s room. The moment the father entered, Nyx jumped straight into his arms.
Technically, the baby beast cage provided by the academy had an automatic bathing feature.
But parents bathing their baby beasts from time to time was good for maintaining their mental health.
Shani placed a bathtub on a tall stainless-steel table so she and Jeryon could bathe Nyx while standing. There was also a bottle of soap beside the tub.
"Jeryon, wear these special gloves for bathing him. You should also wear this waterproof apron." Shani handed him the gloves and apron after putting on her own.
Remembering that felines didn’t like water, Jeryon put on the apron.
Nyx had never been bathed before. It remained calm while Shani held it. The gloves Shani wore made it even more relaxed.
But the moment the tip of its black tail touched the water... "Meowwwww!"
...