Looking back on that incident, Yulis still felt a lingering sense of incompleteness.
Maybe it was because she had accidentally stepped the crown into the dirt, so Mogi didn’t realize her true identity at the time.
But even so, her boldness was undeniable—without asking who she was, she just took Yulis out of the city to play for a full ten days.
When they finally returned, the people inside the castle were nearly driven crazy with worry.
Whenever they asked where she had gone, Yulis would only brush them off, saying, “I just happened to get carried away playing with a black cat.”
After that day, whenever Yulis felt overwhelmed by pressure, she would find Mogi and have her take her outside the city to play.
Even though it always caused chaos in the castle, she didn’t care at all, because whenever she was with Mogi, she could forget all her troubles and forget that she was a princess.
Being a princess to the common people only brought her pain and exhaustion, but being Mogi’s princess made her happy and content.
Perhaps it was during that time that she gradually realized her true feelings—she only wanted to be Mogi’s princess, and to be her princess forever…
So the idea that Mogi would abandon her was simply impossible.
Mogi was always there when she needed her most, and when she was in the most pain, Mogi would carry her away to escape.
“Your Highness!”
The urgent voice echoed into Yulis’s ears; she knew it was Mogi coming to carry her away from the pain again.
Mogi held a large bundle of firewood in her arms, and upon seeing Yulis lying on the ground, barely breathing, she dropped the wood and hurried to gently embrace her.
Yulis’s cold body pressed against Mogi’s warmth—at this moment, it felt more like holding a block of ice.
They couldn’t continue like this; there was no time left to start a fire.
Gritting her teeth, Mogi whispered softly into Yulis’s ear, “Please close your eyes. I… I have a spell that will warm Your Highness, but it won’t work if you see it.”
Upon hearing this, Yulis stopped resisting and slowly closed her eyes, feeling the softness wrapping around her.
“It’ll be warm very soon…”
Mogi held her tightly, burying Yulis’s face in her chest.
Curled up together in a corner, Mogi’s tails slowly began to emerge from beneath her skirt.
Four fluffy tails began to wrap up from their feet, winding little by little around their bodies until they were completely enveloped.
At last, Yulis felt the long-missed warmth returning, and her expression gradually relaxed.
Her body had already expended too much energy fighting the cold; as she relaxed even slightly, exhaustion flooded her mind, and soon she fell into a deep sleep.
Feeling Yulis’s skin gradually warm and her pale cheeks regain color, Mogi finally allowed herself to breathe a little easier.
“Your Highness… Your Highness…”
She called softly but received no response.
Panic flickered in her eyes, but when she leaned closer and heard Yulis’s steady breathing, she knew she was simply asleep.
Looking at the princess in her arms, Mogi couldn’t help but feel a pang of tenderness.
A human body was still too fragile—even though Yulis’s stamina surpassed most humans’, she was no match for the bodies of the demon race.
But thankfully, Mogi was one of them.
“Your Highness… Mogi will definitely protect you. I promise.”
Within the fuzzy cocoon formed by the tails, their voices were exceptionally clear, even their breathing audible.
Though deeply asleep, it seemed Yulis could still hear Mogi’s words, and a faint smile of happiness appeared at the corner of her lips…
“Good night, Your Highness.”
Mogi pressed her flushed cheek against Yulis’s forehead, and together, they drifted off into peaceful dreams…
***
In the morning, the chirping birds outside the cave gently woke Yulis from her sleep.
She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Mogi’s pure, adorable face.
Mogi was still sleeping, her long eyelashes fluttering gently with her steady breaths.
They were pressed close together, and Yulis could even feel the soft rhythm of Mogi’s breathing.
Yulis gazed absentmindedly, completely unaware that they were wrapped up in a bundle of fluff.
Her eyes caught the sight of two small black shapes on either side of Mogi’s forehead.
They were Mogi’s demon horns, each no bigger than a thumb—so tiny that one could fit them entirely in her mouth.
Because her horns were so small, Mogi could hide them completely by brushing her bangs over them.
But now, her sleep had tousled her hair, revealing the two small horns in full view.
“…Idiot, they’re all exposed.”
Yulis reached out to smooth Mogi’s bangs, covering the tiny horns completely.
Having done so, she once again looked closely at Mogi’s delicate face—after all, staring at someone you love like this was one of the few pleasures she allowed herself.
She recalled the pain of her limbs going numb from the cold last night, and when she looked at Mogi again, her affection deepened even more.
Indeed, Mogi always led her out of suffering.
Who said only knights could save princesses?
Her Mogi could do it too.
Mogi had slept for quite some time, but Yulis hadn’t noticed the passage of time—she was so lost in looking at her that she had even forgotten they were on the run.
“Mm mm…”
With a soft, childish murmur, Mogi finally woke up.
The moment Yulis saw it, she quickly closed her eyes again, pretending to still be asleep.
“Uwaa~”
Mogi yawned, then stretched vigorously.
Sensing the space was a bit cramped, she instinctively curled back her limbs and tails.
A cold breeze pierced her body, making her shiver once more.
Blinking with a dazed look toward the cave entrance, she seemed to realize something…
“P-Princess! It’s already noon!!”
She hurriedly shook Yulis, who was still pretending to sleep, calling out anxiously.
Wrapping herself in her tails was a winter hibernation skill of the cat-demon tribe, but Mogi hadn’t expected to have slept so long.
Thinking about the possibility of guards chasing after them, a cold sweat broke out across her body.
“Is it really noon already?”
Yulis rubbed her eyes in a show of waking and slowly opened them.
Looking at Mogi’s anxious face, a faint smile spread across her lips.
As the princess’s maid, Mogi was definitely unqualified.
She was always like this—flustered and clumsy—but unfortunately for Mogi, Yulis liked her all the more for it.
Seeing such a familiar expression first thing in the morning gave Yulis the illusion that they were still inside the castle—a rare scene she enjoyed.
If possible, she wished this sight would always be before her eyes from now on.
“No need to panic. Even if they catch up, that carriage will hold them off for a while.”
“R-Really? That’s a relief, hehe.”
The two stepped out of the cave and looked up to see the sun just past its zenith.
They had fled in a panic but didn’t know where to run next.
Yulis had planned the entire escape, but for this most crucial step, she found herself at a loss.
Did she have to keep running like this forever?
Or should she hide her identity and live on the kingdom’s borders or seclude herself deep in the forest?
She wanted to leave the decision to Mogi because wherever Mogi was, that was her only choice.
“Mogi…”
“What is it, Your Highness?” Mogi tilted her head slightly, looking at Yulis in confusion.
“Where do you want to live? Or do you want to keep running…”
Mogi paused for a moment, realizing that the princess hadn’t yet decided on a place to live—something unlike her usual decisiveness.
“Then… how about living in my hometown?”
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