Beast Play
兽戏
Synopsis
My father was a beast tamer, summoned to perform a menagerie show for the Princess.
He warned her that wild beasts are easily spooked by fire and bright colors, and specifically asked her not to wear red. The Princess readily agreed, yet the moment my father stepped into the cage, she abruptly ordered a young eunuch to wave a large red cloth.
The beast was startled into a frenzy, and my father was mauled to death.
As the roar of the beast mingled with a man’s dying screams, the Princess sat on her throne, clapping and laughing. She called it the most spectacular show she had ever seen.
Four years later, the Princess discovered me-a lowly palace maid with a talent for taming-and ordered me to train a beast for her.
What she doesn’t know is that the beast I intend to tame has been her, and only her, all along.