Cat Princess and Human Knight

Thunderous applause erupted both inside and outside the arena as the noble cats clapped their hands in admiration for Luna, the calico knight who had won all four of her matches.

Inside the tent belonging to the Marquis of Iron Oak, however, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Countess Amber, daughter of the Grand Duke of Shadowmoon, stared wide-eyed, her long eyelashes fluttering. Her mouth and nose were covered by the noblewoman's fan, but it couldn't hide her charm and voice.

She leaned closer to the Marquis of Iron Oak and whispered sweet nothings.

"Wouldn't Your Excellency like to try again?"

The sound was like a groan, like a feather tickling a foot, a double entendre that made the Russian Blue cat, sitting upright in the main seat, feel itchy inside, wishing he could punish this slutty female cat on the spot.

Marquis Iron Oak peered through the drawn tent flap into the arena. He was a Russian Blue cat with a face etched with the vicissitudes of wind and snow, and a knife wound on his left ear, where a piece of flesh was missing.

Unlike the Duke of Snowclaw and the Marquis of Blanket, the Marquis of Iron Oak is a military nobleman who has been in the army since childhood. He is straightforward and impulsive, but that does not mean he is an impulsive fool.

As Countess Amber blew her fragrance close to his ear, Marquis Iron Oak's half-crippled ear twitched, and he asked the respectfully standing knight.

"Ironthorn, what do you think?"

The Ironthorn Knight being questioned was a muscular leopard cat with an old wound on his left eyelid that had nearly struck his eye, making him appear particularly ferocious.

He merely glanced at Countess Amber, whose horribly distorted and wounded face was enough to frighten the seductive cat so much that she dared not raise her head to continue tempting her lord.

"Ironthorn Knight said."

"My lord, I'm afraid the current situation is not suitable for us to go into battle."

Please listen to the cheers outside. The female knight of the Huru Territory has won four consecutive battles, and all the nobles are praising her bravery and loyalty.

As the cats can see, the female knight has already fallen from her horse and is injured. If you insist on fighting a fifth round at this point, it will likely severely damage your reputation.

Seeing the Marquis of Iron Oak slowly nod in agreement, the Countess of Amber, who was standing to the side, became a little anxious and interjected.

"Even if this female knight can no longer fight for the Lady of Huru Territory, the Lady can send other knights to fight."

"The Marquis of Iron Oak has already dispatched four knights to fight. If the match ends without a respectable victory, it will only further damage the Marquis's prestige, won't it?"

Faced with Countess Amber's questioning, the Iron Thorn Knight fixed his gaze on her, making her feel as if she were being stared at by a wild beast.

The Ironthorn Knight bowed to the Marquis of Iron Oak and said.

"This was my mistake, I'm very sorry, my lord."

The female knight of the Huru Territory is very clever. She clearly has the skill level of a silver collar, but she has been hiding some of her strength, which led me to misjudge her.

"If I had known she was this good, I would have been the first to fight, and I would never have let the match turn out like this."

Marquis Iron Oak waved his hand and said.

"Apologizing for past mistakes is pointless. Tell me your current plan, Ironthorn. What do you want to do now?"

"Ironthorn Knight said."

"Give up the horseback spear duel and wait for the next match."

The three core events of the jousting tournament are mounted lance fighting, foot jousting, and group melee.

The Lady of Huru doesn't have many cat soldiers under her command, so she can't participate in group battles.

However, in order to prove to the Snowclaw Duke's certificate and the nobles of the Shattered Hills present that she was capable of fulfilling her military obligations as a vassal, she had to participate in the foot combat.

If the entire fighting force of the Huru Territory relies solely on the desperate battle of a single knight, how can it be proven that the Huru Territory's duchess possesses the military capability to protect the territory and support the lord?

Marquis Iron Oak nodded and said.

"You're right, the knight tournament isn't over yet, so we can give up for now."

"Once the atmosphere among the spectators cools down, we can snipe the Lady of Huru from other locations; that will achieve the same effect."

As he spoke, the Marquis of Iron Oak glanced at Countess Amber beside him, as if explaining something to her.

Countess Amber, who had been clinging tightly to the Marquis of Iron Oak, stood up and waved her fan as she spoke.

"It's so stuffy in the tent. I'm going to go out for a walk and get some fresh air."

"Then I'll take my leave, Marquis of Ironoak."

"See you later, beautiful lady."

After performing a graceful curtsy, the creamy-white Persian cat stuck out its sexy rear end and swayed out of the tent.

Marquis Iron Oak's eyes remained fixed on her retreating figure as she disappeared outside the tent, while the Ironthorn Knight beside him spoke coldly.

"That scheming bitch."

Marquis Iron Oak chuckled and said.

"Ironthorn, don't always put on such a cold face. You need to learn to smile, learn to coax the mother cat, and learn to enjoy the pleasures between men and women."

Your strong physique makes many wealthy women drool. If you just shed that aloof demeanor, many female cats will surely be willing to be close to you.

The Ironthorn Knight forced a smile, making the scar on his eye even more twisted and frightening, as if his eyeballs were about to pop out.

"A smile? Is that what you want me to do?"

Marquis Iron Oak shook his head and said.

"Just pretend I didn't say that."

The Ironthorn Knight stopped with the usual banter between ruler and subject and got down to business.

"The dispatch of four knights to ambush the Lady of Huru has seriously damaged your image."

Viscount Huru's territory is, after all, a vassal territory of the Duke of Snowclaw. Your actions will inevitably provoke the Duke of Snowclaw's displeasure.

These are turbulent times; the nomadic cat pack is about to migrate south. You should consider the unity and friendship among the nobles of the Shattered Hills.

The Ironthorn Knight spoke frankly, which was his way of showing loyalty. The Marquis of Iron Oak did not mind his bluntness and instead patiently explained.

"Duke Snowclaw's aversion?"

I think that old bastard is just hoping I'll come out and cause trouble. It would be even better if I could drive away the Duchess of Huru in one fell swoop.

Snowclaw, that old fool, and Blanket, that cunning old bastard, have no idea how terrifying the nomadic cat pack is. They think they're strategizing and winning from afar.

Only I, the one guarding the border of the rocky hills, know what a terrible enemy we are about to face.

The seemingly vast plateau is actually barren, with scarce resources only enough to support 100,000 cats.

Although the total number of nomadic cat populations is only about 100,000, the tribes and clans living in the high-altitude deserts are not the same species as us at all.

From the moment they utter their first cry at birth, their tragic lives are destined, with lack of food and clothing being the norm.

In the sweltering heat of summer and the biting cold of winter, every day is a torment, until one day they freeze to death, die from the heat, starve to death, or even face an even more cruel death.

For these clans, honor is more important than life, the clan is more important than the individual, sacrificing one's life is their instinct, and fearlessness is their daily routine.

A group of savage cats struggling on the brink of death every day—who dares to underestimate their bravery?

In the permafrost snowfields of the North and the Starfall Plains of the South, both places have royal families with huge populations of cats, yet neither can control the mere 100,000 nomadic cats on the boundless plateau.

Why? Because cats are not afraid of death, so why threaten them with death?

The Ironthorn Knight remained silent for a long while before asking.

"So you'd rather damage your own prestige than not cooperate with Duke Shadowmoon?"

Marquis Iron Oak nodded.

"Indeed, the first target of the nomadic cat packs heading south is always the prosperous Starfall Plains."

The rubble hills have only about 100,000 cats, which is roughly equivalent to the 100,000 cats of the nomadic cat population. If they are distracted here, they will not only fail to make up for the losses of the White Cats, but will also be hindered by the terrain of the hills.

The most suitable land for nomadic cats to roam is naturally the vast fields of Starfall Plains.

The Shadowmoon Grand Dukes' clan originated from the Shadowmoon Clan of the nomadic cat tribe, and still wield considerable influence within the clan.

I believe that with the Shadowmoon Clan's influence, they can persuade the Nomad Cats to concentrate their efforts on plundering Starfall Plains and reduce their focus on Shattered Hills, which is actually in the Nomad Cats' interest.

Therefore, I am willing to cooperate with Duke Shadowmoon. We should try any method that can reduce the loss of the boundary of the scree hills.

After all, those soldiers guarding the border are our brothers-in-arms! To save them from shedding too much blood, I'm willing to try anything!

The Ironthorn Knight, with a solemn expression, gave the Marquis of Iron Oak a military salute.

"My lord, your wisdom, kindness and compassion have moved me deeply. I will do my best in the upcoming knightly tournament and will never let you down."