I live in a cliche world

Chapter 8; Another troublesome day

Leona Collins' POV

Just a few moments ago I was admiring the emperor for hunting a magical beast (a rabbit at that) with an arrow.

But right now I want to laugh at myself for thinking like this.

This man is raising an extremely dangerous beast, a magical lion in his garden. According to the rumors, power of this monster can even destroy a kingdom. Compared to this beast, the rabbit must be nothing to him.

Hunting this monster was my father's dream. Funnily, the emperor is raising it like a dog and even addressed it as a pet while my father, the foolish man who dedicated his whole life just to meet one and went as far as to train his daughter like a soldier is now six feet under ground.

How pitiful and unfair. I heard the emperor is exactly 23 years old this year. He accomplished something my father has been trying his whole life in just few years.

Out of curiosity, I also did a research about this thing back at the library. The magical lions don't have very good eyesight, the only things they rely on is their smelling and hearing senses.

To my father, this thing was considered as more important than me and mother. Honestly I don't think he even thought of me as a daughter but he could've at least put mother's well being at first rather than this monster that will only bring him empty praises.

Seeing the beast from close was quite frightening. It was sleeping peacefully in the back of the garden, laying on his huge two front paws like a cat. The features were indeed similar to a lion as it's name implies but the skin color was black. He looked similar to a black panther expect from it's blue colored mane.

Also this thing is as large as my house.

I've a feeling that the emperor ordered me to feed his pet not with the small little rabbit that won't even be comparable to the beast's large sharp fang, but with my body.

"Th-then I'll be going. Good luck"

The young unknown male gardener who escorted me here quickly ran away. Just from his expression I understood my future.

I'm going to be eaten by this beast while trying to give him the rabbit. But if I don't feed him properly I'll be punished.

However there wasn't much time to worry about as the beast started to getting up after noticing my presence. Rather than mine, he was probably focused on the delicious smell of the dead rabbit.

Like a predator ready to hunt down it's prey, the beast headed towards me very slowly.

If it was a normal circumstances then no matter what I do, I'll die. Fortunately because this beast is the emperor's pet, it had a magic restriction around his neck and his left eye was missing.

I know it is blind but not completely. The beast's eye is barely able to distinguish things. However they're incapable of seeing things in detail and in color. To him I probably look like a small lunch that smells so delicious.

Before the beast could attack me I put two of my fingers in my mouth and whistled as loud as I can.

It was loud even for me so the beast that can hear fifty times better than humans will be obviously confused.

I threw the rabbit with all my strength to my right side and ran towards the opposite direction where the main gate was located at.

As a former pickpocketer and a theif, I'm actually very fast. Even if I wasn't fast, the beast's attention was shifted towards the rabbit and only growled after the running prey.