Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 98: The Post-Party Hangover and The Tiger’s Truth

Chapter 98: The Post-Party Hangover and The Tiger’s Truth

The Debutante Ball didn’t end with a bang; it ended with the collective groan of five hundred people realizing their corsets were too tight and their political alliances were in shambles.

The "Daycare Delegation" was exiting the palace like a retreating army that had looted a candy store.

Finn was currently a shade of green that clashed with the royal carpets. He was clutching his stomach, his top hat askew.

"I regret nothing," Finn groaned, leaning heavily on Jax. "Except the third strawberry. That was a tactical error."

"I told you the viscosity was too high," Jasper (Snake) noted, walking briskly with a stack of napkins he had stolen for "research purposes."

Vali had fallen asleep while walking. Lord Rurik simply scooped up his son, tossing the snoring wolf-cub over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"We ride!" Rurik boomed quietly. "To the land of soft pants!"

Silas had already vanished, presumably melting into the shadows to avoid the traffic jam of carriages.

Primrose stood by the carriage that would take her and Caspian away—not to the daycare, but to the Fox Sanctuary. The timeline was tight. The Star-Iron was failing.

She looked back at General Rajah. He stood near the entrance, looking like a statue carved from misery. The Emperor’s announcement hung over him like a storm cloud.

"Go," Rajah mouthed to her, giving a stiff nod. "I will handle the rear guard."

Primrose hesitated, but Caspian touched her arm. His hand was freezing cold.

"We must move, Primrose," Caspian rasped.

"Okay," she whispered. She climbed into the carriage with Caspian, Orion, and the map. The wheels clattered against the cobblestones, carrying the hope of the cure into the night.

Rajah watched them leave. He felt a pang of longing as he watched the carriage disappear—not just for Primrose, but for the simplicity she represented. A life of warm meals and teaching kids to share.

Instead, he was trapped in a golden cage of his own making.

"Father," Arjun tugged on his coat. The Tiger Cub looked tired, his tie undone, frosting on his cheek. "Can we go home? I want to take these boots off. My toes are sad."

Rajah looked down at his son. "Go to the carriage, Arjun. Wait for me inside. I have... one final battle to fight."

Arjun’s ears twitched. He looked at his father, then toward the shadows of the pillars where a violet dress fluttered.

"Okay," Arjun said slowly. "But do not take long. I am hungry again."

Arjun marched off toward the waiting Tiger Clan carriage.

Rajah took a breath, steeled his nerves, and turned toward the pillars.

Princess Leonora stepped out.

She looked shattered. The "wilted flower" description from earlier was no longer accurate; she looked like a flower that had been stepped on. Her eyes were red, her hands trembling as she clutched her fan.

"Rajah," she whispered.

He flinched. She hadn’t called him ’General’.

"Leonora," he replied, his voice rough gravel.

It had been years since he had said her name without a title attached. It tasted like ash and old memories.

"I didn’t want this," Leonora said quickly, stepping closer. "I will tell him to cancel this. I will go to the Emperor right now and refuse—"

"Leonora," Rajah cut her off gently.

She stopped, looking up at him with wide, watery eyes.

"Nothing will change your father’s mind," Rajah said, looking over her head at the moon. "And you know that. The Emperor does not make suggestions. He makes decrees."

Leonora bit her lip. "But... it’s unfair to you. You love the Tutor. Everyone can see it. And I... I am just the annoying girl who followed you around."

Rajah looked down at her. He saw the little girl who used to braid his tail. He saw the woman who had brought him tea when his wife died, even when he refused to open the door.

He sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion.

"And don’t act like you didn’t want this too," Rajah added quietly.

"What?" Her eyes widened in genuine shock.

He looked away, unable to hold her gaze. "You still like me, don’t you?"

The silence stretched between them, louder than the carriage wheels.

Leonora lowered her head. A tear slipped down her cheek.

"So you knew," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Is that why... is that why you married another woman? To push me away?"

Rajah closed his eyes.

"No," he said firmly. "I did not marry her to hurt you. I married her to stop myself from marrying you."

Leonora looked up, confusion warring with hope. "I... I don’t understand."

"I was trying to protect my family from your father," Rajah admitted, the truth finally spilling out after a decade of silence. "You know how controlling he is. If I married the Princess, the Tiger Clan would become nothing more than the Emperor’s pet cats. He would own us."

He clenched his fists.

"I married a woman I respected. A woman who was safe. A woman who kept the Emperor at arm’s length."

Leonora stared at him. "You... you sacrificed your happiness for politics?"

"I am a Warlord," Rajah said simply. "My duty is to the Clan."

Leonora took a step closer. She reached out, almost touching his medals, but pulled back.

"But even without all this," she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Even if the politics didn’t matter... even if Primrose didn’t come... would you still like me?"

Rajah looked at her.

He saw the kindness in her eyes. He saw the loyalty. He saw the woman who had loved him in silence for twenty years while he played the stoic soldier.

But he also saw Primrose. The woman who challenged him. The woman who made him feel alive, not just dutiful.

He opened his mouth. He closed it.

"..."

He said nothing.

The silence was the answer. It wasn’t a ’no’. But it wasn’t the ’yes’ she needed. It was a messy, complicated, painful silence.

Leonora let out a shaky breath. She smiled—a sad, broken thing.

"I understand," she said softly.

She stepped back. She curtsied, perfect and formal.

"Goodnight, General."

She turned and walked away, her violet dress trailing on the stone, disappearing back into the golden cage of the palace.

The Tiger’s Den

Rajah stood there for a long time. The wind picked up, ruffling his fur, but he felt nothing.

Finally, he turned and walked to his carriage.

The footman opened the door. Rajah climbed in.

The interior was warm and smelled of leather and leftover cupcakes. Arjun was sitting on the opposite bench, his knees pulled up to his chest, looking out the window.

Rajah sat down heavily. "Home, driver."

The carriage lurched forward.

Rajah leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He felt drained. He had survived the war, but lost the peace.

"Did you fix it?" Arjun asked, not looking away from the window.

"There is nothing to fix, cub," Rajah grunted. "The Emperor has spoken. We adapt. That is what Tigers do."

Arjun turned his head. His golden eyes—so like his father’s—were sharp and uncomfortably intelligent.

"You like Tutor Primrose," Arjun stated. It wasn’t a question.

"Primrose is... a remarkable woman," Rajah deflected.

"She is," Arjun agreed. He picked at a loose thread on his trousers. "She is brave. And she makes good food. And she isn’t afraid of you."

"Indeed."

Arjun paused. He looked at his father, tilting his head to the side.

"Father," Arjun said, his voice innocent but hitting with the force of a wrecking ball. "Are you sure you aren’t using Primrose to avoid Princess Leonora as well?"

Rajah froze.

He stared at his son.

"What?" Rajah whispered.

"You said you married Mom to avoid the Princess," Arjun said logically. "Now Mom is gone. And you are chasing the Tutor. Maybe... you are just scared of the Princess."

Rajah opened his mouth to roar, to scold, to give a lecture on adult complexities.

But he couldn’t.

Because the cub was right.

Rajah sank back into the seat, defeated by a seven-year-old with frosting on his face.

"Go to sleep, Arjun," Rajah muttered, looking out into the dark night.

Arjun shrugged, curled up on the seat, and closed his eyes.

"Okay. But you should buy the Princess flowers. Primrose says flowers fix 40% of problems."

Rajah sighed, covering his face with his hand.

It was going to be a very long engagement.