The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe

Chapter 426: Tiger and sheep

About two months had passed since the West Way had been turned into a literal aquarium-slash-nursery, and life was finally moving at a pace that didn’t involve me being a horizontal pincushion.

My stitches were a memory, my energy was back—mostly—and the Sovereign Wing had finally stopped smelling like a fish market.

Harvest season is over, and we have a big haul. The rabbits and sheep dedicated the first harvest to my children and me. That’s right. We now have bread and dough, huhu.

Also, the shoes are spreading now. The rabbits have gotten a hang of it and are now mass-producing shoes. The ones on my feet are a vip work, haha.

Now, there are almost no females on bare feet. The males want to stay barefoot because they feel their hunting efficiency is faster if they have little clothing.

In any case, I made a rule that no one was to enter my palace without shoes. Don’t dirty my floors and give the workers a hard time.

I can still remember how my babies reacted to their first time wearing shoes. They were so cute and stumbled a bit since it was heavy compared to being barefoot.

Their shoes were weightless to me, but I guess the weight was something else to them since they were babies.

But I didn’t have to worry much since they eventually got the hang of it.

I stood on the high balcony overlooking the main square, watching the steam rise from the communal baths and the new houses. My babies were asleep, including the triplets.

The Stormhole tribe had been integrated. It wasn’t a ’happily ever after’ movie montage; it was hard work.

They lived in the new stone houses near the outer wall—warm, dry, and distinctly not in charge. Rakan had become a fixture in the palace gardens, his hands perpetually stained with soil, while Zevak and Ashren spent their days hauling ore for the forge.

They were still part of the tribe, but they were no longer the ’main characters’ of my life.

And then, there was the money.

I reached into the leather pouch at my waist and pulled out a coin that instantly caught the light.

"Tiger and sheep," I murmured, tracing the embossed lines with my thumb.

On one side, a fierce tiger’s head, bared fangs and all; on the other, a gentle, curly-haired sheep. It was the ultimate irony.

My world was built on the idea that the predator didn’t have to eat the prey—not if the prey was the one weaving the clothes to protect the predator from cold, and the predator was the one building the walls to keep the prey safe.

In all honesty, the coin was a visual reminder to everyone in the West Way: Play nice, or the Queen will remind you why the tiger is on the coin.

"The forge is running low on the river-stone alloy again," Noah said, stepping onto the balcony behind me. He looked more like a King every day, his black hair tied back, his dark eyes bright with the thrill of his own administration. "The coins are moving through the market faster than the Caracals can mint them."

"Good," I said, tucking the coin away. "It means people are trusting the system. Although looking at the market right now, they aren’t exactly trusting each other."

It was peaceful now, but it can’t be peaceful forever. It was only a matter of time before disputes arose because of discontent on some level.

In a place where different species live, a fight was bound to break out. I just have to prepare for it.

And just as I had anticipated, a fight broke out two days later.

I could hear the shrieking from three blocks away.

By the time I arrived at the central plaza, it was a disaster zone. A bear beastman had accidentally backed into a sheep tribe’s textile stall, and now several bolts of precious, hand-dyed wool were sitting in a puddle of spilled fish brine.

Uh-oh, that’s bad.

"It was an accident!" the bear roared, looking down at his massive paws.

"An accident that cost me three weeks of work!" the sheep female wailed, her woolly ears drooping in despair.

Nearby, a group of Stormhole tigers—the ones who still hadn’t quite grasped the concept of ’patience’—were arguing with a merchant about the new currency. "Why does this little bit of stone buy a whole leg of venison? It’s just a rock!"

"It’s not just a rock, you moron, it’s the Queen’s word!" the merchant snapped.

But they were still finding it hard to believe how my word was law over all these beastmen.

I stepped into the center of the fray, my presence immediately casting a shadow.

Fenric was at my right, his red eyes scanning for any sign of a threat, and Damar was on my left, his silver tail giving a sharp, rhythmic thwack against the pavers that sounded like a judge’s gavel.

"Is this a marketplace or a nursery?" I asked, my voice cutting through the noise like a cold breeze. "The sheep tribe provides our warmth. The bears provide our heavy labor. If you ruin their work, you replace it. If you argue with my currency, you go back to trading rocks in the forest."

I pointed at the bear. "Yes, we can agree it was an accident, but that does not mean you will walk away without judgment. It is her effort wasted because of your second step. You will not be punished, but you will spend your next three rest days helping the sheep tribe haul their wool to the drying racks."

He bowed his head, feeling upset, but he could see the logic behind my words.

"And you—" I looked at the confused Stormhole tigers. "Go ask Harok at the forge to explain the value of that coin. I’m sure he’ll find a very... heavy way to make you understand."

They exchanged nervous glances and then scrambled. The crowd thinned out instantly after that, leaving only the sound of the fountain and the disgruntled muttering of the merchant.

Hm, is this the time when I should be establishing peacekeepers in the marketplace? I can’t come down every single time to settle small things like this.