“I didn’t see anything! I still have my eyes closed and can’t see anything now! A-and I only ended up in your arms because you pulled me, so, so this is unavoidable. So…”
I rambled on in panic, making excuses, and finally, his grip around me relaxed.
Freed from his embrace, I quickly climbed off the bed and turned my back to him. My heart was pounding, and my face felt like it was burning up.
“J-just wait a moment. I’ll get you some clothes.”
I left the room without looking back and snuck some clothes from Tibon’s closet.
Fortunately, Tibon was out helping with another family’s hunting event, and it was late, so I didn’t run into anyone.
I looked at the clothes I had grabbed from Tibon’s wardrobe.
‘Will Tibon’s clothes fit? His chest size…’
I hurriedly fanned myself with my hand as I recalled Ludwin’s solid chest muscles that I had inadvertently felt.
‘Oh no! Oh no! Stop thinking those inappropriate thoughts!’
I opened the door slightly and called out to Ludwin.
“Lord Rivolte? I’m coming in.”
There was no response, so I approached to find him turned toward the window, covered up to his neck with the blanket.
When I got closer, he even pulled the blanket over his eyes.
‘Is he embarrassed about being seen naked?’
That Ludwin?
“I brought some clothes.”
Ludwin peeked out at me with amber eyes, looking sullen.
He seemed a bit like a puppy, and I found him rather cute.
“Here.”
I tried my best not to laugh and handed the clothes to him, turning my head away and standing far from him.
“They’re my brother’s clothes. They might be a bit small…”
Feeling the tug of the clothes, I quickly let go and turned completely away.
Soon, I heard the rustling sound of him putting on the clothes.
“I’ll just stand over there so you can dress comfortably… Huh?”
Suddenly, I felt a tug on the end of my sleeve.
When I instinctively turned my head, Ludwin was already fully dressed and staring at me intently.
“My Lord?”
Whenever I saw Ludwin in public, his face was usually as cold as a winter wind. It now appeared flushed.
The amber eyes under his long lashes looked moist, perhaps due to the heat.
When I looked back at him, Ludwin lowered his gaze and moved his red lips as if trying to say something.
‘This feels dangerous in a different way than before.’
As my face began to feel hot again and I tried to avert my gaze, Ludwin spoke.
“…Call me by my usual name, not by my title.”
“Pardon?”
He glanced at me, checking my reaction, in a way that reminded me of the puppy-like Lu.
Moreover, instead of the deadly cold, formal speech he usually used, he gently said ‘call me’.
‘Who is this?’
I wanted to ask.
He was so different from the Ludwin I knew that I was momentarily at a loss. Then I realized the meaning of what he had just said and snapped back to reality.
‘Usual name? What do I usually call him if not Lord…’
I hesitated. A cold sweat ran down my back.
‘No way…?’
If it wasn’t the title I used for him in human form, it could only be the name I used in his animal form.
I swallowed nervously.
Hoping I was wrong, I opened my lips, which barely moved.
“Lu?”
Ludwin smiled brightly, as if he had been waiting.
“Yes, Tia.”
A radiant smile was directed at me.
They say that if someone is really pretty, you’ll see a halo behind them, and it really was true. The moment he smiled, it seemed like a halo flashed.
But the dazzling moment passed quickly, and a chill ran down my spine.
‘Does he remember everything?’
Events from the past few days flashed before my eyes.
I had been so cautious at first, but later, I had petted and hugged him because he was cute…
‘I even put a leash on him, made him lie down, wait, and do all sorts of errands…?’
I began to feel faint. I could almost see the Grim Reaper waving at me from afar.
It seemed my second life after being reincarnated was coming to an end here.
I envisioned Ludwin, laughing sinisterly and drawing his sword again.
‘How dare you pet the heir to the house of Rivolte! I’ll return the favor by treating you as cute too!’
He would laugh maniacally and then slash me.
As I floundered in the sea of my own thoughts, Ludwin suddenly collapsed.
“Ah!”
I was so surprised that I reached for him, but Ludwin’s complexion was not good. His face, and even his lips, were pale.
“Are you okay?”
When I placed my hand on his forehead, it was still burning hot. He was in worse shape than I thought.
That mysterious drug must have been more potent than I anticipated.
‘His strange behavior just now must have been because of the drug.’
I was in a panic.
“Hah… Ugh.”
Ludwin, lying on the bed, groaned painfully, clutching his chest.
My worry about him possibly killing me vanished completely.
I watched helplessly as Ludwin writhed in pain, with no treatment to offer him.
“P-please, stay with me. Wh-what should I do? I can’t call a doctor.”
Because of the differences in beastmen bodies compared to humans, we had to avoid exposure as much as possible.
Thinking I should get him some medicine, I got up from my spot.
But at that moment, Ludwin grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
“Ah!”
Half-falling onto the bed, I found myself unintentionally lying under Ludwin’s arms.
With his cheeks flushed with fever, Ludwin looked down at me with watery eyes.
‘Oh, so sensual… No, get a grip!’
The visual impact was so intense that I couldn’t help but turn my head away.
“U-um, could you move over a bit…”
I tried to push him away as I spoke.
Then I heard his tearful voice above me.
“Don’t go. If you disappear again…”
He murmured something else I couldn’t quite catch and then collapsed onto me.
At that moment, a flash of light emanated from him.
Flash!
“Ugh!”
When my vision cleared, Ludwin had already reverted to his animal form.
Now, lying on top of me was the black-furred dog version of Ludwin.
“Lu?”
I shook him gently. There was no response, so I just listened quietly.
I don’t know if he was asleep, but his breathing sounded more relaxed than before. When I put my hand on the nape of his neck, it felt less hot than before.
‘Is he a bit better?’
Not wanting to take any chances, I waited a while with him half-leaning on me, but he didn’t change back or worsen.
‘Phew, thank goodness.’
Breathing a sigh of relief, I struggled to push Ludwin away and climbed off the bed.
Then I noticed something and chuckled. Ludwin, in his dog form, looked quite cute in Tibon’s tunic and pants.
I buried my head in the bed.
‘This is not the time to be finding things cute!’
I felt like crying. It seemed Ludwin remembered everything from when he was recently in his animal form.
He even called me Tia twice.
‘Do you still remember what happened 10 years ago?’
I felt sorry for the young boy’s situation, so I decided to help him briefly back then, planning never to see him again.
Knowing that Ludwin would kill Tyria in the original story and that it was dangerous to be aware of the Rivolte family’s secrets, I had intended to avoid him.
So, back then I met him with a mask and a fake name, thinking he wouldn’t recognize me.
‘How did he figure it out?’
We had only spent about ten days together, and we met again after that in the summer when I was seventeen.
Meeting at the end of adolescence, I was sure he wouldn’t recognize me because my voice and face had changed quite a bit.
I pressed my face into my hands and silently screamed.
‘How did you figure it out!’
I didn’t know anything else, but one thing was certain.
Since everything was out in the open, there was no point in pretending otherwise with Ludwin anymore.
‘This is a disaster!’
I laughed hollowly as I lay face down.
Next to me, Ludwin, in his dog form, was sleeping soundly, oblivious to everything.
***
Morning came.
Knock, knock.
“Miss, it’s Lena.”
I woke up to the sound of knocking. Judging by the sunlight streaming through the curtains, it was already past noon, close to afternoon.
I was still half-asleep.
Hearing no response from me, Lena came into the room with a bright greeting.
“Did you sleep well, Miss? It’s now 2:30 PM, and lunch just ended. Madam told me to wake you up since you haven’t eaten.”
After hiring the staff, Lena regretted not being able to work at the flower shop, but she certainly seemed more cheerful than before.
She opened the curtains wide, brightening the room instantly.
“Ugh, I want to sleep more…”
Still sleepy, I turned over to avoid the sunlight.
Squish.
‘…Huh? When did I put a cushion here?’
It was much softer than usual.
‘What is this?’
In my drowsy state, I curiously groped at the softness.
‘It feels nice. It’s warm and familiar…’
I opened my eyes, wondering what I was touching.
In front of me was a familiar creature I had seen for the past few days.
‘A bundle of black fur.’
Its clear amber eyes looked at me.
Awoo─!
As if telling me to get up, the black-furred creature let out a light howl and then licked my cheek with its pink tongue.
I smiled absent-mindedly, finding it cute.
“Oh. Lu-nooaaagh!”
I was about to hug him when I jumped out of bed.
“Why are you in my bed… Aaah!”
And naturally, I ended up falling off the bed.
Thud!
