"Grandma, Nalani, why have you come here? I told you to wait for me to return...", Rina addressed the two lionkin women who had remained petrified at the doorstep, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught in such a compromising position. Meanwhile, Lucy, who was still sitting in her lap, albeit much more decently than a minute ago, wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"Rina, what does this mean? Who is this catgirl?" Rina's grandmother finally asked, never imagining she would catch her granddaughter, whose only concern had always been battles, in such a situation.
"She is Lucy, my future wife.", Rina replied without any hesitation. She then took Lucy in her arms and held her close, as if fearing that the two intruders intended to separate them forever.
"It's nice to meet you, grandma..." Lucy said with timidity, playing the role of a well-mannered bride-to-be perfectly.
Hearing the two of them in front of her, Rina's grandmother was about to explode with anger.
"Rina, have you lost your mind? What kind of wife are you planning to marry? Don't tell me this is your idea to escape the marriage your grandfather intends to arrange for you. Do you really think he will accept the fact that his only granddaughter is going to marry another woman and never have heirs? Besides, this wild catgirl..."
"Hey, who are you calling wild? And what do you mean by an arranged marriage? Who wants to steal my... mmmnmm..."
"The decision to marry Lucy has nothing to do with my grandfather's plans..." Rina said after covering Lucy's mouth with one hand, as Lucy had completely forgotten the respect owed to the elders and seemed ready to start a fight with Rina's grandmother. "I love Lucy, and she loves me, so it's only natural for us to get married..." Rina continued, starting to stroke Lucy's head with her free hand, trying to calm her down.
Rina's grandmother knew that her granddaughter was very passionate in battle, but she didn't expect her to be equally passionate in love.
'This girl really wants to put me in the grave ahead of time. If she had chosen a man from within the village, things would have been completely different. Yes, in that situation, there would have been a good chance that Jarek would not insist on Rina marrying the leader of the tigerkin, as it would have risked causing a conflict within the village. But if Rina wants this catgirl to become her wife... well, there are more chances for it to start raining slices of pastrami from tomorrow than for him to accept that...'
"Rina, if you..."
"Ahhh!"
"Don't be afraid, grandma," Lucy interrupted Rina's grandmother, managing to remove Rina's hand covering her mouth by biting one of her fingers. "I'm going to prove to everyone that I'm the best person Rina can choose as her partner. Yes, I'm willing to accept a fight with anyone who has a problem with our relationship."
Although Rina's grandmother had heard most of what happened at the village entrance, she wasn't convinced that Lucy could match the village's elite fighters who were currently away with her husband, hunting for beasts to obtain food for the village and increase their levels.
"Heh, I hope you won't regret those words in the future... Very well, let's say that for now, I'll accept your relationship...", said Rina's grandmother. She realized that nothing she could say would convince the two of them to part ways, and she didn't want to hurt her heart in vain. Besides, from what she had heard from the guards at the village entrance, Lucy seemed to possess vital information for the village's safety, so she needed to calm her down in order to find out what she knew.
"Really, grandma?" asked Rina, who had firsthand experience of what it meant to fight Lucy and was pretty sure that few of the other fighters in the village could do better against Lucy than she could.
"Yes, I'm serious. As long as Lucy can defeat anyone who opposes your relationship on her own, I'll agree to your marriage. But, Rina, I never expected you to be so eager to be seen as a trophy..."
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
To be honest, Rina wasn't exactly thrilled to leave everything to Lucy, but she was aware that, aside from leaving the village with Lucy, she didn't have many options to ensure they would be together in the future.
"It's not like I have a choice, grandma... Lucy is stronger than me..."
Seeing that Rina seemed a little disappointed in herself, Lucy quickly gave her a peck on the lips to boost her spirits, then swiftly bought a chocolate cake and a set of plates and cutlery from the Ninja Store to celebrate the fact that she had been accepted by Rina's grandmother.
"Don't worry, Rina. You're not just a trophy to me... Yes, I really like you for who you are..." Lucy told Rina, then spoon-fed her a mouthful of cake.
"Mmm, so delicious. No, I'm not upset... Give me more...." Rina said, looking at Lucy like a baby bird waiting to be fed by its mother.
"Just a little, sweetie. Wait until I offer your grandma and your younger sister each a portion... I think it's a good idea to celebrate together the beginning of our relationship..."
"Well, my grandma doesn't like sweets. If she did, I think she would have prepared them more often. As for Nalani, she's not my real sister, just a distant cousin...." Rina, who is the kind of person who holds grudges for a long time, even for the smallest things, said.
"Truly shameless...", Rina's grandmother muttered, shaking her head in exasperation, unable to fathom how her granddaughter remained as insensitive as when she was a child.
'Maybe I should be thankful to this catgirl for being willing to accept Rina...,' she added in her mind, watching Lucy do her best to placate Rina.
"Sister, sister Rina, how can you say that? I've always considered you my older sister..." Nalani said with tear-filled eyes, who until then was trying to be as transparent as possible to avoid being dragged into the conflict between Rina and her grandmother.
"If you truly consider me your older sister, why don't you remember what I told you? An hour ago, you slammed the door in my head without any warning, and now you've entered the same..."
Hearing Rina's words, Nalani felt deeply wronged because, on both occasions, the situation had been urgent, and there was no time for such pleasantries. Plus, she had never seen Rina consistently follow the rules she set for her.
Seeing the lionkin girl with teary eyes and her tail between her legs, Lucy thought that Rina's disciplinary methods were a bit extreme.
'Though she's taller than me by about 5-10 centimeters, I can't help but classify her in my mind as a loli... And a loli must be protected, even if she's done something wrong...' Lucy thought. She then walked over to Nalani with a spoonful of cake and, despite the jealous glances from Rina, stuffed it into Nalani's mouth without giving her a chance to refuse.
"Don't cry... Rina didn't mean to say she doesn't consider you her sister. She probably just likes to tease you because you're very cute when you get upset..."
Since Rina had satisfied herself with pastries from Lucy just a few minutes earlier, she wasn't very shocked at how delicious this new treat was, as she knew what Lucy was capable of. However, Nalani, taken by surprise and also quite hungry, as soon as her taste buds came into contact with the delicious cake's cream, froze completely, even losing the ability to breathe for a few seconds.
"Err, are you okay?" Lucy asked, not expecting Nalani to have such a reaction.
"Sooo good...", Nalani finally managed to say, who, losing her ability to stand, collapsed directly into Lucy's arms, shaking slightly as if she had just experienced a long climax.
Looking closely at the lionkin girl in her arms, Lucy had to admit that even though she was rather slender and didn't have many curves, she was a true beauty.
'To be honest, she doesn't seem like a true lionkin... She looks more like an idol doing cosplay. In her amber-colored eyes, there's no trace of aggressiveness, and her long, dirty blonde hair looks like it was styled at a hair salon...'
"How long are you planning to hold her like that? She's not a little child. In just a few months, she'll become an adult..." Rina's voice suddenly came, containing a hint of jealousy.
Not wanting Rina to consider her disloyal, Lucy quickly placed Nalani in an empty chair and then distributed a slice of cake to both Nalani and Rina's grandmother. She then returned to Rina's lap and began feeding her again, occasionally taking a bite of the cake herself using the same spoon.
Seeing her granddaughters completely enthralled by Lucy's treats, Rina's grandmother didn't dare to taste the cake Lucy had offered her.
'Could this treat possibly contain a substance that's addictive, or is it just so good that it drives people to lose their minds? In any case, I can't risk being influenced by this catgirl. Yes, I'm a married woman over 80, not a girl who hasn't seen the world...'
"Grandma, if you're not going to eat, can you give me your portion?"
Looking at Nalani, who had devoured her entire portion in less than a minute and was now eyeing her share, Rina's grandmother was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the attitudes of the two young lionkin women, who continued to behave as if they were perpetually hungry and had never seen enough food.
"No!" she exclaimed, losing her patience, and then forcefully shoved a spoonful of cake into her own mouth as Nalani looked on with regretful eyes.