Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 70: The Soup, The Warlords, and The Emperor

The kitchen of Little Whiskers Daycare was usually a place of sweet smells and gentle humming. Today, it was a war room.

Primrose stood at the stove, surrounded by a whirlwind of activity. She wasn’t just cooking; she was alchemizing.

She had ground the glowing blue Abyssal Herbs (stolen from the deep) into a fine paste. She mixed them with Sun-Dried Ginger (Yang energy) and Moon-Lotus Root (Yin energy). The base of the soup was a rich bone broth she had been simmering for 48 hours before she was kidnapped, which Luna had miraculously kept frozen.

"Luna! The temperature needs to be exactly 300 degrees!" Primrose commanded, tossing a handful of glowing blue powder into the pot.

POOF.

The steam turned a brilliant turquoise. The smell wasn’t just appetizing; it was clearing the sinuses of everyone in a three-mile radius. It smelled like fresh rain on hot stones.

"Yes, Chef!" Luna squeaked, adjusting the dials.

"Finn! Don’t eat the raw ingredients!" Primrose barked without looking.

Finn, who was about to sneak a piece of Moon-Lotus, froze. "How did you see me?"

"I have eyes in the back of my apron. Wash the radishes!"

In the dining area, Caspian sat in a chair, shirtless. Vali and Arjun were staring at the purple corruption spreading across his chest. It looked like a living tattoo of cracked glass.

"Does it hurt?" Arjun asked, poking a non-corrupted spot.

"It feels like ice," Caspian gritted out, his eyes closed. "Do not poke the King."

Jasper was setting the table with military precision, measuring the distance between forks with a ruler. Clover was folding napkins into shapes that vaguely resembled fish. Orion was helping by explaining the geometry of the napkin folds to anyone who would listen.

"Okay," Primrose announced, carrying the steaming pot to the table. "The Purification Broth is ready. Caspian, drink this. All of it."

She ladled a bowl of the glowing turquoise liquid.

Caspian opened his eyes. He looked at the soup. It was bubbling.

"If this kills me," Caspian muttered, lifting the bowl, "I am haunting you."

He drank.

The effect was instantaneous.

HISS.

Steam erupted from his pores. The purple veins on his chest began to retreat, shrinking back toward the wound on his shoulder. His grey skin flushed with color. The cracked scales smoothed over.

Caspian gasped, dropping the bowl. He slumped forward, panting.

"The fire... is gone," he whispered. "It is not cured... but it is dormant. My mana is flowing again."

"Told you," Primrose wiped her hands on her apron, looking smug. "Never doubt the soup."

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

The heavy oak door shook on its hinges.

"They’re here," Jax announced from the window. "And they brought the heavy cavalry."

Primrose took a deep breath. She smoothed her hair. She looked at her ragtag team of cubs and a half-naked Merman King.

"Open the door, Jax."

The door swung open.

Four massive figures filled the entryway, blocking out the setting sun.

Lord Rurik, with his greatsword strapped to his back.

General Rajah, wearing his dress uniform.

Archduke Cassian, adjusting his monocle.

Duke Lucien, blending into the shadows.

They looked ready for a fight. They looked ready to tear the city apart to find their missing nanny.

But when they saw her standing there, safe and holding a ladle, the tension broke.

"Primrose!" Rurik roared, stepping forward to crush her in a hug that lifted her off the ground. "You are alive! We were about to declare war on the sewers!"

"I’m okay, Rurik," Primrose laughed, patting his massive arm. "Put me down, you big lug."

Rajah strode past them, checking Arjun for injuries. "Did she feed you? Did you practice your breathing?"

Cassian glided in, his golden eyes scanning the room. He nodded at Jasper. Then, his gaze landed on the man sitting at the table.

The room went quiet.

The Four Warlords stared at the stranger.

He was tall. He had beautiful hair. He was shirtless. And he radiated a mana pressure that rivaled their own.

"Who," Rajah growled, his hand drifting to his saber, "is this?"

Primrose stepped between them.

"Gentlemen," Primrose announced. "Meet our neighbor. King Caspian."

She paused for effect.

"The King of the Sunless City. The Lord of the Deep."

Silence. Absolute, stunned silence.

Rurik’s jaw dropped.

Cassian’s monocle actually fell out of his eye.

Lucien materialized fully out of the shadows, looking surprised.

"A Merman?" Rajah whispered. "Here? On land? Breathing air?"

Caspian stood up. He was weak, but he held himself with regal dignity. He bowed slightly—a King acknowledging other rulers.

"Greetings, Warlords of the Surface," Caspian’s voice was deep and calm. "I apologize for the lack of formal attire. My wardrobe was a casualty of your atmospheric pressure."

Rurik looked at Primrose. "You... you were kidnapped by Marquis Grieve, and you came back with the King of the Ocean?"

"It’s a long story," Primrose sighed. "Sit down. Eat. We have a lot to discuss."

Ten minutes later, the strangest dinner party in history was underway.

The Warlords sat on one side of the long daycare table, their knees bumping against the small chairs. The Cubs sat between them. Caspian sat at the head, with Primrose standing by his side.

They ate the soup (which Primrose had modified for land-dwellers). The tension eased slightly as the delicious food did its work.

Then, Primrose dropped the bomb.

"We need a Treaty," she said, placing a map of the coastline on the table. "Queen Morana has seized the Deep Throne. She plans to attack the Surface unless we can prove an alliance exists."

Caspian leaned forward. "I can offer you trade routes. Rare minerals from the trench. Safe passage for your ships. In exchange, I need your military support to retake my city."

The Warlords exchanged glances.

Archduke Cassian spoke first. "Economically, it is a brilliant proposal. The minerals alone would triple our GDP."

General Rajah nodded. "Strategically, having the Ocean as an ally instead of an enemy secures our coastline."

Lord Rurik grunted. "And if Primrose says he is Pack, he is Pack. I vote yes."

Primrose smiled. "So it’s settled? We sign the treaty?"

"No," Duke Lucien spoke. His voice was soft, like rustling leaves, but it stopped the celebration instantly.

Lucien looked at Primrose with sad, dark eyes.

"We cannot sign a treaty, Primrose."

"Why not?" Primrose asked. "You’re the Warlords! You rule the North, South, East, and West!"

"We rule the territories," Rajah corrected heavily. "But we do not rule the Empire."

He pointed to the center of the map. To the Golden Capital.

"Foreign treaties... especially with a non-human species like the Jiaoren... fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Throne."

Primrose felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"You mean..."

"The Emperor," Archduke Cassian confirmed. "The Lion King. Emperor Leonis."

Caspian frowned. "Then we take the proposal to him."

The Warlords looked uncomfortable.

"The Emperor," Rurik muttered, "is... difficult. He hates the Sea. He blames the Ocean for the loss of his wife years ago in a storm. Also, your friend Princess Leonora is currently in charge of his schedule, and she is easily distracted."

"And," Rajah added, "he is currently obsessed with finding a tutor for his young niece, Lady Ellia."

Primrose blinked. Lady Aurelia? The Emperor’s Niece?

"He has decreed," Cassian explained, "that no foreign matters will be heard until Lady Ellia is... settled. She has chased away fifty tutors in the last month. She is... spirited, even for a Lion Cub."

Primrose looked at the map. She looked at Caspian, who was still recovering. She looked at the Warlords who wanted to help but were bound by protocol.

A plan began to form in her gamer brain.

"So," Primrose said slowly, a spark lighting up her amber eyes. "If someone were to... tame the Emperor’s Niece... and become the Royal Tutor... that person would have the Emperor’s ear?"

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Theoretically, yes. But no one can handle her. She is a Lioness Cub."

Primrose untied her apron. She tossed it onto the table.

"I handle Tigers, Wolves, Snakes, Panthers, and Merman Princes," Primrose declared. "I think I can handle one Lion Cub."

She looked at the Warlords.

"Get me an audience with the Emperor. I’m going to apply for the job." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Caspian smirked. "From Nanny to Ambassador to Royal Tutor. You are ambitious, Prim."

"I’m not ambitious," Primrose corrected, picking up a spoon like a scepter. "I’m just trying to save the Empire before dessert."