CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER : 37 : TAIL SCENT IMPRINT!

BOOOOOOOM!!!

Another beam vaporized a chunk of the wall beside them. Bits of smoking rubble clattered across Aiden’s shoulder and arm.

Lysandra yelped, flinching again, and instinctively squeezed him tighter.

"I hate this!" she shouted, voice cracking. "I hate this SO MUCH!"

"You sure? Because your legs are practically strangling my waist right now."

"I’m preventing my royal death!! And also—shut up!"

"You could’ve asked to be carried nicely."

"NO I COULDN’T!! That would be embarrassing!"

"And this isn’t?"

"This is mortifying! But at least I have an excuse!"

"You have about five excuses and none of them make sense."

"I hate you."

"You said that already."

"I HATE HOW STRONG YOU ARE TOO!"

"You’re really bad at compliments, you know that?"

"I AM NOT COMPLIMENTING YOU!"

"You’re definitely complimenting me."

"AM NOT!"

Aiden dodged another shot—this one came from an unexpected side angle, bursting against the floor with an explosion of pink confetti and sound effects that included an audible "KAWAIII~!"

Lysandra made a noise halfway between a sob and a squeal. "I hate that stupid puffball! It’s trying to kill me with cuteness!"

"Technically, it’s trying to kill both of us."

"I have diplomatic immunity!! I am royalty!"

"It doesn’t care!"

"Fluff-based creatures should respect the crown!"

"It blew up the throne room ruins, Lysandra!"

"Rude little monster—!"

Aiden took a sharp turn, sprinting behind a column and skidding slightly on the slick, glitter-coated floor. Lysandra bounced in his arms again—accidentally slamming into him harder than intended.

Her face landed against his chest with a solid thump.

"OW! My nose!" she whined, muffled.

"Sorry!"

"It smells like... ugh, sweat and blood."

She pulled back just a bit—only to lock eyes with him.

Close.

Too close.

His face was barely inches from hers again.

Her breath hitched.

Aiden blinked. "Ly..."

Her cheeks ignited. "D-Don’t you Ly me!"

"What? I wasn’t going to say anything weird."

"Then don’t say anything at all!!"

Her arms trembled, her hands fisting the front of his shirt, and then she squeaked again—because one of his fingers brushed the inside of her thigh as he adjusted his hold.

"HYIIIII!! Personal zone violation!!" she squealed.

"I was adjusting! Your leg slipped again!"

"STOP SLIPPING MY LEGS!!"

"You’re the one doing the slipping!"

"My legs are panicking! I’m being sparkled to death!"

"Well panic quieter! I’m trying to survive over here!"

"I SWEAR TO THE GODDESS, IF YOU DROP ME—!"

"You’ll what? Scream more?"

"I WILL BECOME YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!! I’LL WRITE A LAW TO BAN YOU FROM PRINCESSES!!"

Aiden snorted.

"Don’t laugh at me!!" she snapped.

"You’re just really... you."

Lysandra’s face twisted. "I don’t know if that’s an insult or the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all year."

"Let’s call it even."

"Let’s call it you still owe me a royal apology for boob-grabbing earlier!!"

"CAN WE NOT—"

BOOOOOOOM!!

Aiden ducked low under a flying chunk of rubble. Another beam whizzed past, barely missing the tip of Lysandra’s ear.

She yelped and buried her face into his shoulder again. "I hate this..."

"You keep saying that."

"I’m saying it because I’m scared and hot and confused and there’s too much glitter in the air and your arms feel really good and I HATE THAT TOO!"

"...You’re welcome?"

"SHUT. UP."

Another sparkle-beam soared over their heads.

Lysandra didn’t even flinch that time.

Her arms were locked around him, and her voice trembled as she whispered under her breath:

"...Still hate this."

Aiden smirked.

"You say that, but you haven’t let go once."

"I’M SAVING MY OWN LIFE. AND MAYBE A TINY BIT YOURS."

"Just a tiny bit?"

"A PRINCESS DOESN’T ADMIT TO MORE!!"BOOOOOOOM!!!

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The ground beneath them shook. Rainbow-colored fire sparked behind their heels, and the horrifyingly cute squeal of Fluffnugget echoed off the dungeon walls.

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~!!"

"I swear it’s getting louder!!" Lysandra shrieked, still locked around Aiden like an angry, blushing backpack. "IT’S EVOLVING!!"

"It’s not a Pokémon, Ly!"

"H-huh? What’s a Pokémon?"

Aiden didn’t answered and vaulted over a smashed bench, still holding her tight. She bounced in his arms again, chest squashing into his face for the fourth time.

Her shriek peaked in pitch.

"GET YOUR FACE OUT OF MY ROYAL BUST!!"

"THEN STOP THROWING IT AT ME!"

"I’M NOT! I’M BEING PHYSICALLY CHAOTIC!"

"Join the club!!"

They spun past another collapsing pillar, a fresh wave of glitter smoke erupting from behind.

Lysandra coughed. "Ughhh! It tastes like—like strawberries and sin!"

"Sounds like Luna’s hair."

"I HATE THAT YOU’RE RIGHT!"

Aiden turned the next corner and skidded across the polished marble—now slick with sparkles, dust, and something that might’ve once been jellybeans.

"Okay, okay—new plan," he muttered.

"NEW PLAN?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OLD PLAN?!"

"The old plan involved me putting you down."

"TRY THAT AGAIN AND I’LL BITE YOUR EAR."

"...How royal of you."

"Shut up and run, peasant!"

---

Meanwhile: A Few Yards Back

Luna and Ivy were absolutely thriving.

"LOOK AT ITS LITTLE PAWSIES!" Luna squealed, backflipping over a pile of rubble, landing on one leg like a gymnast.

Ivy ran after her, arms stretched wide. "I want to HUG IT SO BAD!! It just tried to explode me but it was so PRECIOUS about it!"

"I love its murder waddle!"

"I want it to tuck me in at night!"

"I want it to kill for me!"

"I want it to be my maid of honor when I marry Master!!"

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~!!!"

The beam narrowly missed both girls. They dove behind a crumbled column, laughing.

"Onii-chan’s gonna die before we tame it," Ivy sighed dreamily, peeking over the ledge.

"Then we’ll marry it in his memory," Luna declared.

"Deal!"

---

Back to Aiden

Another blast cracked the ceiling above them. Marble shards rained down. Aiden shielded Lysandra instinctively with his body, curling around her as he leapt behind an arched doorway.

She gasped. "You—you shielded me."

"You’re surprised?"

"I—I just assumed you’d use me as bait!"

"Only in extreme emergencies."

"That’s not comforting!!"

BOOOOOOOM!!

The wall behind them shattered.

Aiden stumbled, gritting his teeth, smoke swirling around them. His system pinged again.

---

SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Subject: "FLUFFNUGGET"

— Classification: Emotion-Bound Entity

— Combat Type: Sparkle Destruction / Kawaii Annihilation

— Petification Protocol: ACTIVE

Taming Conditions:

– Survive Initial Assault

– Establish Emotional Imprint

– Physical Bond via: Tail Scent Recognition — Detected

Optimal Candidate Identified:

Recommended User: Luna Nightshade

---

"Huh?"

Aiden swiped through the glowing interface mid-air, barely avoiding a falling chunk of glitter-encrusted rubble. Lysandra squealed in his arms again as a beam exploded behind them.

"Tail scent imprint...?" he read aloud, squinting.

His eyes darted toward Luna—who was happily skipping through chaos like it was a meadow picnic, her fluffy tail swaying behind her like a twitching metronome of mischief.

Fluffnugget’s oversized eyes locked onto her.

The twitching increased.

"Oh no..." Aiden muttered. "It’s got a crush."

---

END OF Chapter : 37 : TAIL SCENT IMPRINT!

---

A/N: If you’re reading this on NovelBin or NovelHall, it Isn’t the official site. Read this book on the official site. Even if I write the name of the official site, they’ll rewrite the name with their own sites name.

---