Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 115: The Invitation.

The journey back to the Capital had been swift, thanks to Archduke Cassian’s restored portal magic.

They materialized in the alley behind the Daycare. The mood was electric. Caspian was alive. The Void was (temporarily) beaten. And Primrose had almost ascended to godhood.

"We’re home," Primrose sighed, unlocking the back door.

The moment the door opened, they were swarmed.

"DAD!"

"PRIM!"

"KING!"

Orion hit Caspian like a cannonball. The little prince wasn’t using his robot voice. He was just sobbing into his father’s coat.

"You came back," Orion cried. "You didn’t forget me."

"Never," Caspian whispered, lifting his son up and spinning him around. "My data is safe. You kept it safe for me."

Vali tackled Rurik’s leg, growling happily. "Did you kill the mountain? Did you punch it?"

"I punched it," Rurik grinned, ruffling his son’s hair. "It was very satisfying."

Arjun was currently climbing Rajah like a tree. "Did you burn things? Did you use the sword?"

"I used the sword," Rajah confirmed, flexing so Arjun could hang off his bicep.

Jasper walked up to Cassian, inspecting his broken monocle. "Inefficient," the snake boy noted. "But... welcome back, brother."

Cassian actually smiled. A real one. "Thank you, Jasper."

Silas didn’t say anything. He just walked up to Lucien and buried his face in the Duke’s coat. Lucien wrapped his shadows around the boy, holding him tight.

Clover hopped over to Primrose, her ears twitching. "Prim! Did you find the magic soup?"

"I found something better," Primrose laughed, hugging the bunny. "I found a recipe for saving the world."

Jax and Luna stood by the counter, smiling.

"Welcome back, boss," Jax grinned, flipping his coin. Finn peeked out from behind Jax’s leg, giving a bold wave.

Primrose looked at Finn. An illusion? A ghost? She opened her mouth to ask Jax, but she was interrupted.

The front door chime jingled.

"Is he back?" a voice demanded.

Princess Leonora marched in. She wasn’t wearing a disguise today. She was in full royal regalia, looking furious and beautiful.

She zeroed in on General Rajah.

"You!" she pointed a gloved finger at him. "You left! Without a word! You sent a flower! A dried flower!"

Rajah froze. The Tiger General, who had faced Void Beasts without flinching, looked terrified.

"Your Highness," Rajah stammered. "I... it was an emergency. The King..."

"I don’t care about the King!" Leonora snapped (Caspian raised an eyebrow but said nothing). "I care that you vanished!"

Rajah panicked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small, wrapped box he had bought in the Fox Village.

"I... I brought you this," Rajah blurted out, thrusting it at her.

Leonora stopped. She looked at the box. She looked at Rajah’s blushing face.

She took it. She opened it.

The Moon-Glass Comb shimmered in the light. As she touched it, a soft, magical whisper echoed in the room.

Your beauty outshines the sun.

Leonora’s face turned bright red. Her lion ears twitched so hard they blurred.

"It... it talks?" she squeaked.

"Every hour," Rajah said proudly. "So you never forget."

Leonora looked at him. She looked at the comb. Then, she threw her arms around the massive General’s neck, hugging him tight.

"You idiot," she whispered into his chest. "I love it."

The entire room went Awwww.

Even Vali stopped chewing on Rurik’s boot to watch.

Leonora pulled back, composing herself (though she was still blushing).

"Well," she cleared her throat. "Since you are all alive... I have an announcement."

She pulled out a stack of gold-embossed envelopes.

"The First Snow Ball is tonight. It is the Grand New Year’s Gala. And you are all invited."

She handed invitations to the Warlords, to Caspian, and then... to Primrose.

"Me?" Primrose blinked. "Your Highness, I’m... I’m just the nanny. I can’t go to a Royal Ball. I don’t even have a dress."

"Nonsense," Caspian said, stepping forward. "You are the guest of honor."

"But I’m a commoner!" Primrose argued. "It wouldn’t be proper."

I really don’t want to attend. Even though there’s no bad end, Primrose thought.

"Actually," Leonora interrupted with a smirk. "Since your Daycare attended my cousin Ellia’s debutante ball, you helped her debut well, my father, the Emperor, has officially recognized Little Whiskers as a Royal Institution."

She winked.

"Technically, you are now a Royal Tutor. Which means your attendance is mandatory."

"Mandatory?" Primrose groaned.

"And you two as well," Leonora pointed at Jax and Luna. "And the fox kit. Everyone goes."

Jax looked like he wanted to jump out a window. "Princess, I’m a thief. I don’t do ballrooms."

"You do what I say," Leonora said sweetly. "Or I tell the guards you stole my silverware."

Jax sighed. "She’s good."

"But I really don’t have a dress," Primrose insisted.

"Yes, you do," Elder Renard’s voice echoed in her mind.

A courier fox (a small, orange fox with a scroll in its mouth) trotted through the open back door. It dropped a large, silk-wrapped package at Primrose’s feet.

Primrose opened it.

The fabric inside spilled out like liquid moonlight. It was a dress made of Moon-Weave Silk—a fabric that hadn’t been made in a thousand years. It shimmered from silver to gold depending on the light. It was simple, elegant, and unmistakably the style of the Ancient Era.

Ophelia’s dress.

A note was attached:

For the Mother. I kept this cloth hoping you would come back and now you have come back I have decided to give it back. Don’t worry it’s clean! Wear it well. - Renard.

"Wow," Clover whispered, touching the silk. "It feels like water."

"It’s beautiful," Luna breathed.

"It is acceptable," Jasper nodded. "Statistically, you will be the best-dressed female there."

"This makes no sense! How did that old geezer know I would need this?" Primrose mumbled as she looked at the dress with a raised eyebrow.

"Right!" Leonora clapped her hands. "The Gala starts at eight. We have four hours."

She grabbed Luna, Jax, Finn, and Clover.

"We are going shopping. You need tuxedos. You need ribbons. Let’s go!"

"Help me," Jax mouthed to Primrose as he was dragged out the door by the unstoppable Princess.

"And us?" Rurik asked.

"We," Cassian checked his watch, "require formal attire. The King cannot look like a vagabond."

The Dads grabbed Caspian and the remaining cubs (Vali, Arjun, Jasper, Silas, Orion).

"To the tailor!" Rajah roared. "We need capes!"

"No capes," Lucien sighed, merging with the shadows to follow them.

Suddenly, the shop was empty. Except for Primrose and the dress.

Hours later, the sun had set. The First Snow began to fall outside, dusting the capital in white.

Primrose stood in front of the mirror in her small apartment above the daycare.

The Moon-Weave dress fit perfectly. It clung to her curves like a second skin, the fabric glowing faintly in the dim light. She had left her hair down, silver waves cascading over her shoulders.

She looked... royal.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in," she whispered.

The door opened. Caspian stepped in.

He was breathtaking. He wore a deep teal tuxedo with silver embroidery that looked like waves. His dark hair was slicked back, highlighting his sharp cheekbones and those piercing teal eyes.

He stopped when he saw her.

"Primrose," he breathed.

He closed the door and locked it. Orion was downstairs with the Warlords, safe.

Caspian walked over to her. He didn’t say anything. He just reached out and touched her cheek, his thumb tracing her jawline.

"You look..." he struggled for words. "...like a dream I had a long time ago."

"In Seoul?" Primrose asked softly.

Caspian smiled—a sad, sweet smile.

"Before that," he whispered. "And after that."

He pulled her closer. The air in the room grew heavy, charged with the magic they shared and the memories they were just beginning to unlock.

"The Void is gone," Caspian murmured, leaning down until his forehead rested against hers. "My mind is clear. And the only thing I can think about... is you."

"Caspian," Primrose breathed, her heart hammering.

He kissed her.

It wasn’t like the desperate kiss in the snow. This was slow. Deep. Possessive.

He lifted her up, setting her on the edge of her small vanity table. Primrose wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"We have to go to the ball," she whispered against his lips.

"We can be late," Caspian growled softly, kissing down her neck. "The King is always fashionably late."

Outside, the snow fell. Inside, the fire between them finally burned bright, no longer held back by curses or secrets.

They had saved the King. Now, they just had to survive the night.