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Chapter 1067: The Valiant Crown Princess

The sun climbed lazily over its zenith, looking down upon the beasts roaming the hills south of Sasha Zoo and casting a generous brilliance over the landscape.

"Oh, Lord!" Madame Naseli exclaimed, her face turning pale as she retreated from the brown bear staring at her and licking its chops behind the double fencing. "No, no, we have to leave! This is far too dangerous!"

Just moments ago, a zoo attendant had informed the Naseli family that the lions and brown bears here were not kept in cages at all.

Instead, they were to board a railcar that would pass directly through the habitats where these savage beasts roamed free.

Madame Naseli was already starting to suspect that the zoo was simply using this as a clever way to save on feed costs.

Meanwhile, the youngest Naseli son was busily making faces at the massive bear.

A moment later, Naseli returned from the entrance of the predator zone, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders to comfort her. "My dear, I went to check. That railcar is incredibly sturdy, and there isn't a single gap for those beasts to get through."

"I swear, it is perfectly safe inside," he added.

Seeing his wife continue to shake her head, he played his trump card, whispering in her ear, "We spent four francs and five sous on these tickets. If you don't go in, we are essentially throwing away one franc and five sous."

One franc and five sous was enough to buy two beef dinners for the whole family, or a brand-new dress for Anna.

No, such a sum could not be wasted!

She immediately hoisted her skirts and, with a look of grim determination as if marching to her doom, strode toward the railcar.

The ticket collector punched holes in the stubs Naseli handed over and motioned for them to take their seats in order.

The vehicle resembled the common public buses seen in Paris, but it was more than half as large again, capable of holding thirty passengers.

Madame Naseli cautiously rapped on the side of the car. Only after confirming the hardwood panels were nearly an inch thick did her heart finally begin to settle.

Just as the family settled into seats next to two individuals dressed like aristocrats, a burly man boarded the car. His sharp gaze swept over every passenger before he gave a curt nod to someone behind him.

A dozen or so young men in various styles of dress immediately swarmed in, filling the remaining seats.

Then, Madame Naseli watched as a well-proportioned young man with his hat pulled low entered the cabin.

Beside him was a young woman wearing a light blue bonnet. Though her face was veiled in thin gauze, one could still catch a glimpse of features so delicate they looked as if they had been meticulously sketched by a master painter.

The two young newcomers did not follow the seating order but instead sat in the empty space to the left of the burly man. That section, in the front-middle of the cabin, had clearly been reserved for them.

In stark contrast to Madame Naseli's anxiety, the girl who had just arrived was brimming with excitement. She leaned toward the window to peer at the animals outside, even attempting to slide the glass open.

Fortunately, the windows were fixed in place. Madame Naseli breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.

At the front of the car, a staff member blew a whistle. A man on a nearby wooden tower immediately waved a flag toward the east. Soon after, black smoke began to rise in the distance, and the cable in front of the railcar pulled taut, slowly dragging the vehicle forward.

"Please remain seated, everyone," the staff member announced loudly. "This tour car is powered by a steam engine over two hundred meters away, so these animals cannot possibly harm us."

The railcar passed through two sets of gated fences and entered the predator zone.

Several brown bears immediately surrounded the vehicle, eyeing the passengers with curiosity. One even stood up on its hind legs and let out a roar at the railcar in a show of dominance.

The passengers had never seen such a sight. Gasps and screams instantly filled the cabin.

However, the aristocratic girl in the light blue hat pointed at the roaring bear and turned to the young man beside her with delight. "Vasily! It is Vasily! I recognize him!"

Indeed, she was the owner of this zoo, Lady Alexandra.

And that brown bear was part of the dowry she had brought from Saint Petersburg.

Joseph quickly pulled on her arm with a smile, gesturing for her to lower her voice.

Clauzel also glanced around nervously, but thankfully, the other tourists were so preoccupied with the bears that no one heard the Crown Princess's words.

He had originally wanted to charter a private tour car for the Crown Prince, but His Highness had seen that this car still had space and decided to board directly.

As a result, Clauzel had no choice but to have his guards, dressed in civilian clothes, fill up most of the cabin.

The most distressed were the dozens of guards providing covert security from the perimeter. They could only watch anxiously as the Crown Prince entered the predator zone, unable to maintain their usual security cordon around him.

The tour car continued its journey, passing through more gated fences. Various massive beasts occasionally bared their cold, sharp teeth at the tourists.

The zoo guide stayed busy: "Over here we have the crocodiles... and over there are the jaguars... Oh, and these are Amur tigers from Siberia. They can crunch through human bones as easily as if they were nothing more than crispy snacks."

Indeed, this era was fond of such "scare tactics." Even children's fairy tales often featured dismemberment or cannibalism.

Wave after wave of screams echoed through the cabin, never ceasing for a moment.

In an age without television, the tourists—including the nobles—were seeing these predators for the very first time. Their adrenaline surged, and they all felt that the price of admission had been well worth it.

When the tour car entered an area of thick, wild grass, several burly lions slowly began to close in.

"And these are lions from the West African savannah..."

The guide was only halfway through his sentence when a massive tawny shadow suddenly lunged from the tall grass behind the car. It leapt high into the air, its front claws slamming hard against the wooden side of the vehicle.

It was a massive male lion.

This time, even the staff member cried out in terror.

The lion seemed highly displeased with the "monster" encroaching on its territory. It clawed at the wood a few times, but seeing no effect, it jumped back with a disgruntled huff.

Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the lion turned and caught sight of Clauzel's blade-like gaze. Its mane bristled as it let out a low growl and lunged once more.

The beast clearly had never encountered glass before. Thinking there was nothing in its way, its massive head collided with the window with a loud thud.

The thick glass shattered instantly. The guard captain jumped back instinctively, narrowly avoiding the flying shards.

His face smeared with blood from the impact, the male lion grew even more enraged. It kept pace with the railcar in a few strides, crouched, and leapt. Its claws dug deep into the car's siding as its massive head poked through the broken window, letting out a deafening roar: "ROAAR—"

Clauzel was horrified. He and the other guards reached for the pistols at their waists simultaneously.

Joseph frowned, his heart racing. He was about to tell Alexandra not to be afraid when he saw the young girl suddenly bolt upright, throwing herself between him and the lion without a moment's hesitation.

"Careful..."

Joseph had barely managed a single word when he saw the Crown Princess glaring at the snarling lion. She barked at it as if scolding a misbehaving puppy, "Get back! You rude creature! Do it now, or I will punch you right in the nose!"