The fallen tianshi balled his hand into a fist. Taking stock of himself caused him to despair. As his nails dug into his palm, Angelina touched his clenched fist. Her soft, warm fingers grazed his skin. She did nothing else, remaining silent.
So soft, the tianshi thought while gritting his teeth. How long has it been since I felt something so soft?
He recalled the face of his daughter, who had lived and died a long, long time ago. His daughter had inherited her mother’s buoyant, light pink hair. On the other hand, her azure eyes had been identical to his. She’d laughed and cried quite often. The tianshi had taught his wife magic to ensure their daughter’s happiness.
I was happy back then as well, he thought. How I longed to hold that soft warmth in my arms again.
As the tianshi unclenched his fist, Angelina caressed his fingers with great care. After taking a deep breath, he let forth a long and deep exhalation.
“Save me,” he mumbled. “I can’t take this any longer. I want to be free…”
“Okay,” Angelina replied. “I’ll save you.”
“My name is Rachiel. Please help me, Angelina.”
“Yeah, let’s set you free, Mishter Rachiel. What should I do?”
“Pull the wedge from my chest,” he instructed.
“The one shaped like a cross?”
“Yes, but you must do so with a partner. If the queen and prince consort of the Yulan royal family are not in agreement, you cannot remove this wedge. You must chant the secret incantation together and pull it out.”
As Rachiel finished speaking, Ryuho and Hisame raced into the room.
“Then I’ll do it!” Ryuho bellowed.
After turning around, Angelina hopped off the platform and hugged Ryuho.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Hisame said, embracing Angelina as well.
Thus, the three children rejoiced together in a ring.
“Sorry for worrying the two of you,” Angelina apologized.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry!” Ryuho shouted before licking her on the cheek. He wrapped his tail around her, the gesture declaring that he would never let her go again. “I’m sorry for leaving you on your own! Did you cry? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine,” Angelina said. “Thanks for coming, Ryuho. You too, Hisame.”
After shaking his head and flushing slightly, Hisame looked up at the platform. “Angelina. Is he the tianshi from the shadow puppet play…?”
“Yep,” Angelina responded with a nod.
She explained Rachiel’s situation to the others. Ryuho and Hisame furrowed their brows while listening to the cruel history of Yule.
“That’s why I’ve decided to free Mishter Rachiel,” Angelina concluded. “I want to open the drawer while removing the wedge.”
“But wouldn’t it be better to free Rachiel after taking out the sheet music and inheriting the secret arts?” Hisame suggested.
Rachiel stiffened in surprise and looked away.
“I can’t do that,” Angelina replied. “Mishter Rachiel’s been suffering for a long, long time. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. We can’t force him to wait any longer.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Hisame responded with an awkward smile. “That sounds like something you would say. So, what should we do?”
“Hop on my back, Lina,” Ryuho chimed in. “Let’s pull this wedge out together!”
“Huh?!” Hisame cried, shoving Ryuho to the side. “I’m much better suited to the task, Ryuho!”
“A Flame Tigger cannot remove this wedge,” Rachiel said. “He cannot become Angelina’s prince consort.”
After rubbing a paw under his nose with a smug chuckle, Ryuho transformed into a human. “See—I can turn into a person too!”
“If you decide to become human, you might not be able to turn into a tiger again,” Hisame pointed out in a flustered tone. “Is that okay?”
Ryuho scowled. “I’m fine with being human if it means you don’t become Lina’s prince consort!”
Angelina’s heart raced. “Are you okay deciding your future with so little thought?”
When a Flame Tiger decided to become human permanently, they could never assume their feline form again. Angelina knew how proud Ryuho was of being a tiger.
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot!” Ryuho countered, voice tinged with desperation as his ears and tail popped out. His gold and crimson eyes gleamed with light. “I like being a strong tiger, but I don’t want to be your divine guardian beast. I want us to be closer to each other than anyone else for the rest of our lives!”
Angelina’s cheeks burned, and her eyes widened. Had Ryuho just proposed to her?
“Do you not like me as a human?” Ryuho asked, his brow furrowed and his gaze sincere. As tears threatened to spill from his red eyes, his ears and tail drooped.
“Of course I do!” Angelina cried, squeezing Ryuho in her arms and patting his back. “I want to be with you forever and ever too!”
Hisame had to look away from the pair, for they were as brilliant as the sun. He didn’t share that sort of bond with Angelina.
“Then it’s decided!” Ryuho exclaimed while picking up Angelina. “I’ll become a human! Flatten my ears one last time!”
“Okay!” After pressing her lips against his tiger ears, she whispered in farewell, “Bye-bye.”
Ryuho had to suppress a laugh at the ticklish sensation.
“Li’l ears, li’l ears,” Angelina chanted while gently pressing down on them. “Go back inside Ryuho.”
With that, his tiger ears disappeared. His tail wagged one last time in reluctant farewell before disappearing with a puff of air.
“Are we good to go now?” Ryuho asked while looking up at Rachiel.
The fallen tianshi nodded.
Angelina imbued the Dagger of Mercy with her magic and handed it to Hisame. “When we remove the wedge, stick this dagger in the keyhole at the same time.”
“Okay,” Hisame replied, accepting the dagger reverently. “You can count on me.”
Ryuho climbed onto the platform while holding Angelina. He placed his hand on the wedge inserted into Rachiel’s chest.
“What’s the secret incantation, Lina?” Ryuho asked, bringing his ear close to her mouth. As her pink lips whispered the incantation, her faint breath rustled his red hair. Ryuho jolted with surprise, his face flushing.
In any event, Angelina gripped the wedge in her right hand, holding onto Ryuho with her left hand. Likewise, Ryuho gripped the wedge in his left hand, holding onto Angelina with his right arm.
“May this not cause you any pain!” Angelina cried out, the protective seal on her right palm glowing.
“Let’s pull this out in one go, Lina!” Ryuho shouted. “You ready, Hisame?”