Sorry, been really busy. Posts should become more regular around May!
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And then, Pedro caused an uproar when he found Lilian collapsed from toxic gas poisoning.
I never imagined an extra would pick up that same chestnut wood and cause the same disaster.
With a sense of guilt, I intervened on the condition that my involvement would never be revealed, and thanks to that, the innocent Marquis of Leon was cleared of all charges.
Since then, they’ve treated me as a benefactor and shown me great hospitality.
At that moment, Boris swung open the door to the innermost room on the second floor.
“Here it is.”
I stopped in my tracks at the doorway.
As soon as the door opened, a flood of light poured in.
“…Wow.”
The sight before me was far more impressive than I had expected.
This room truly deserved to be called a ‘secret room’.
It was a spacious room with two large windows leading to balconies, where a huge tree could be seen outside, adorned with vibrant blossoms.
Moreover, the interior was filled with gorgeous floral patterns and the walls were covered with all sorts of paintings and ceramics, making it feel more like an art gallery than a room.
Boris, clearly excited, began to explain.
“This used to be my mother’s favorite salon, but we renovated it into a guest room for you. Since the Crown Princess is coming, we weren’t able to give you the largest guest room.”
“Boris, you should refer to her as ‘Her Highness the Crown Princess.’”
I was momentarily captivated as I looked around the room. It felt like a luxurious suite in an upscale resort. The sight of the flowering tree gently swaying in the breeze outside the window made it seem like I arrived at a vacation spot.
“Thank you, I’ll enjoy my stay.”
“You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do for you, Sister.”
Ludwin seemed to approve of the new room as well, as he sniffed around the terrace and furniture, exploring his new surroundings.
As I examined the exotic ceramics displayed in the room, Boris suddenly spoke up.
“Sister, would you be my partner if it’s not too much trouble?”
“What?”
It was a sudden proposal.
Boris scratched his cheek with an embarrassed look on his face.
“To be honest, I got so caught up in preparing for the hunting competition that I forgot to arrange a partner. Since you’re here alone, would you mind helping me out?”
“You don’t have a partner? I thought Tibon mentioned a while back that you were considering a marriage proposal with a young lady. What happened to her?”
“It didn’t work out. That was already two years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Feeling bad for bringing up a sensitive topic, I apologized. Since I had come alone and figured it would be better to have a partner at the banquet, I agreed easily.
“Sure, I’ll be your partner.”
“Ahh! Thank you, Sister.”
“No problem. I’m grateful you’ll accompany me.”
“Then I’ll come to get you later. Please rest comfortably until then!”
Boris left the room with a wide grin, clearly pleased that his partner issue was resolved. He waved enthusiastically, just like he did when we were younger.
I chuckled and turned around, only to find Ludwin watching me quietly.
“Lu? What’s wrong?”
Grrr.
Suddenly, Ludwin drooped his ears and tail, trudging over to a corner of the room, where he buried his head and curled up.
He looked as if he had been hurt.
Startled, I quickly went over and crouched down beside him.
“Lu, are you hungry?”
That didn’t seem to be the case.
He only glanced at me briefly before turning his head away and curling up even more tightly in the corner.
‘What’s wrong?’
Unsure of the cause, I considered bringing Ludwin a bone to cheer him up.
***
Ludwin was deeply upset and feeling down.
He was staring blankly at Tyria, who was sleeping so soundly that she wouldn’t even notice if someone carried her.
After the scare from the bandit attack earlier that day, she had fallen asleep the moment she lay down, almost as if she passed out.
Ludwin moved closer to Tyria and sniffed.
Sniff, sniff.
Her unique, sharp scent pleasantly tickled his nose. He wanted to smell it during the day, but he knew she would be startled and run away if he did.
Her scent was stronger at night, so Ludwin often spent sleepless nights by her side, savoring it.
Being near Tyria made him feel much better.
As he wagged his tail gently, Ludwin suddenly tensed. A cold sensation spread through his body, his muscles began to tremble, and his heart started pounding.
It was a sign that a transformation was coming.
He quickly opened the door and slipped into a nearby empty room. It seemed to be a servant’s room, small and modestly furnished.
He kicked the door shut with his back foot.
Groan!
With a short groan, the room was suddenly filled with a bright golden light.
Flash─!
As the light faded, Ludwin stood in his human form for the first time in a long while.
“Phew.”
He let out a deep breath and stood up.
The bed was unmade, as if the occupant had briefly gotten up to use the bathroom.
Fortunately, there were spare clothes in the wardrobe. He quickly dressed, silently apologizing to the owner of the clothes.
‘A bit tight around the chest, but…’
The size was decent enough.
‘It’s been a while since I last transformed.’
Counting back, it had been almost ten days.
The potion used by the beastmen who ambushed them this time seemed to be more potent than the one from Drew.
It was clear from the fact that the beastmen who turned into a rabbit hadn’t been able to return to human form for over ten days.
At least Tyria’s constant petting during the carriage ride had kept his mind sharper than before.
Looking at the clock, it was already past midnight, approaching dawn.
Despite being in his human form, he was reluctant to wake Tyria, who was sound asleep, which left him feeling a bit disappointed.
Based on past experience, he knew this form wouldn’t last more than two hours at most.
As he pondered what to do during that time, he suddenly remembered something he needed to take care of.
He opened the window and lightly jumped down to the first floor. The only sound was the faint rustling of grass, with no sound of impact at all.
He headed towards the northern tower, the furthest from the annex where the hunting competition guests were staying.
Ludwin’s destination was the prison in the basement of that tower.
‘The Marquis was in and out of there all evening, so it should be empty now.’
With his predatory instincts avoiding the patrolling guards on the way to the tower was easy for Ludwin.
At the tower’s entrance, a single knight and a guard dog were stationed.
‘Lucky me.’
Ludwin observed them from a distance with a slight grin.
He raised his head and let out a short howl.
Awooo─!
Since he was in human form, the sound was smaller and less natural than when he was an animal.
But the howl, infused with the energy of a superior species like a beastmen, elicited an immediate response from the prey.
Huh?
The guard dog, which had been dozing with its head on its paws, suddenly jerked its head up.
Its ears drooped, and it began trembling all over.
‘Get out. This is my territory.’
That was the message conveyed by the howl, and the guard dog found itself torn between its training to guard the entrance and the instinctual fear that told it to flee from this terrifying presence.
‘The training must have been thorough, since it’s holding its ground.’
Ludwin picked up a small stone and tossed it to the dog’s left. The sound startled the dog, which immediately bolted to the right, running away at full speed.
Yelp!
So frightened that its thin tail was tucked between its legs, the dog disappeared into the bushes.
“Huh? Fang! Where are you going? Stop!”
The knight was taken aback by the dog’s sudden behavior and chased after it.
Both the dog and the knight quickly vanished into the underbrush, and Ludwin took advantage of the opportunity to slip into the tower.
The musty, stale air inside the tower confirmed his suspicions.
As expected, there was a prison in the basement.
“Ugh, groan…”
A half-dead moan reached Ludwin’s keen ears.
With no comrades willing to come rescue a mere bandit, the security inside the tower was lax.
Ludwin’s footsteps stopped at his destination.
The man lying on the cold stone floor, bound hand and foot, seemed to have been roughed up quite a bit since the day’s events.
“Wh-who’s there?”
Realizing someone was in the dark prison corridor, lit only by moonlight, the bandit flinched and asked in a trembling voice.
Ludwin silently looked down at the bandit, who was still rubbing his backside.
Even though his animal instincts had dulled his reasoning, the thought that he had bitten a scrawny man’s buttocks disgusted him.
‘I’ll definitely need to brush my teeth.’
As a result, his voice naturally turned gruff.
“Repeat what you said earlier today.”
“W-who are you?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Ludwin’s cold response made Milo hiccup as something dawned on him.
“Are you one of them? Did they send you to silence me, so the job doesn’t get leaked?”
Seeing the bandit trembling and rambling in panic, Ludwin raised an eyebrow.
‘Them?’
The bandit babbled on desperately.
“I-I had no choice! I only revealed the details of the job, but I didn’t say a word about your people! I said it was the leader’s twisted taste! So please, just spare my life!”
Milo was trembling so violently that he even wet himself. The same inhuman gaze he had seen earlier was now staring at him from outside the cell.
“The silver-haired noblewoman you’re looking for is here! Go see for yourself!”
Realizing that he was referring to Tyria, Ludwin’s expression instantly hardened.
“Eek!”
Milo, who had been shouting frantically, fell silent, holding his breath as the murderous intent pierced through his skin.
The shadow cast by the moonlight stretched into the cell. Milo, sensing the amber eyes gleaming in the darkness, sensed his own death.
