Walter briefly glanced up at his aide with a cold gaze, then returned his eyes to the documents and answered calmly.
“She was small.”
“Yes. She looked younger than her age.”
“And far too thin.”
“…Could she have been abused by her family?”
“Most likely.”
“My apologies. We missed that detail.”
“They must be good at keeping things under wraps internally. There may be more information we’ve missed, so—”
“We’ll need to investigate thoroughly.”
“Yes, I’ll focus the information network on it.”
Walter narrowed his eyes.
Even though he had approached her with a gentle demeanor, the young girl had flinched, clearly nervous and hesitant.
The dress she wore had been far too small for her, clinging tightly even to her skinny frame.
If her family had truly cared for her, even if they couldn’t afford nice clothes, they would have at least made the effort to tailor something to fit her.
The complete lack of such basic care made it easy to guess how Railey was treated in her household.
“Make sure she’s fed well with nutritious meals.”
“Understood.”
“And give orders to have everything she needs—clothes, accessories—replaced with new ones. Her current outfit was far too shabby to overlook.”
“…”
As he took notes on the Duke’s instructions, Yuan looked up and stared at his master.
“What?”
“Nothing. It just seems like you might have taken a liking to the Young Madam.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Walter clicked his tongue, dismissing the suggestion.
“She’s staying in the duchy now, so it’s only right she’s treated accordingly.”
“…”
“We don’t even know yet if she’s someone who will truly stay with us in the end. You understand that too, don’t you?”
“My apologies for overstepping.”
“It’s fine.”
After discussing some other matters for a while, Yuan cautiously asked.
“What will you do for the next ‘Day of Rest’?”
“If I say I’m sick, it’ll only worry her. I’ll just say I’m going out for an inspection.”
“Understood. I’ll adjust your schedule accordingly.”
When beastfolk stayed in human form for too long, the imbalance of magical energy would trigger a breakdown.
They could suffer from mania, or unexpectedly transform into their animal form against their will.
To prevent this, they needed to spend at least a full day in their animal form every two to three months to stabilize their magic. Among beastfolk, this was known as the ‘Day of Rest.’
Only those who had sworn loyalty to the Duke of Elestine shared this secret and helped to keep it.
This included certain vassal families and servants, and Yuan was among them.
“It’d be amazing if the legendary ‘Moon Witch’ really appeared.”
“That’s just nonsense. If she were real, do you think my ancestors would’ve suffered so much?”
The “Moon Witch” was a legendary figure passed down among demon hybrids.
Said to be the counterpart to the divine “Saintess of the Sun,” beloved by the gods, the Moon Witch was considered a child of demons—an extraordinary being who could freely wield immense magical power. It was believed she could even calm the uncontrollable rampages of demon-blooded individuals.
Even Walter once entertained the childish hope that the Moon Witch might someday appear in the world.
A fleeting daydream he’d long since given up.
Even the records of her supposed appearances in the past were unverified.
“If that legend were true, neither the Duke nor the Young Duke would be having such a hard time, right?”
“Serge still has trouble controlling his magic, but he’ll adapt eventually. Now stop wasting time and get back to work.”
“Yes, sir. If you have any further orders, just send a familiar.”
“Will do.”
After Yuan exited the office, Walter slowly opened a drawer in his desk.
His hesitant fingers pulled out an old locket pendant.
When he opened the locket, the small compartment inside—just big enough for a fingertip—was completely empty.
The only thing inside was a tiny engraving: the name ‘Rima.’
With a bitter, mocking smile, Walter returned the pendant to the drawer and slammed it shut.
People were not to be trusted.
A vow to stay together forever was no more meaningful than a puff of smoke.
He still didn’t know if his so-called daughter-in-law was someone who wouldn’t betray them.
And for that… he had already prepared a ‘test.’
***
Now that she had met her father-in-law, it was time to meet her husband.
Railey followed behind a maid as they walked.
She was currently staying in the guest annex, separate from Serge. Though they were married, they hadn’t moved in together yet.
She was told it was because they were both still children, and sharing a room might be uncomfortable.
‘It’s probably because they’re worried I’ll find out they’re beastfolk.’
The guest annex where Railey stayed was on the west side of the estate, while Serge lived in the east wing.
The physical distance made their intentions quite clear.
Still, he was practically a stranger she’d never even seen before. Being told to suddenly live together would’ve been too much, so in a way, it was a relief.
‘Now that I think about it, there’s no Duchess in the Elestine family, is there?’
She’d heard that the previous Duchess had passed away long ago. That fact had been drilled into her along with warnings to watch what she said.
Seeing that the Duke still hadn’t remarried and lived alone, perhaps it was because his love for his late wife had been that deep.
‘I should avoid bringing her up and accidentally making someone who already looks so sad even more sorrowful.’
Lost in thought, she eventually arrived at the east wing.
“Welcome. Young Master Serge has been waiting for you.”
“O-Okay…!”
Railey swallowed nervously.
‘What kind of person is my husband?’
If he looked like his father, he’d be a strikingly handsome boy with black hair.
The classic “cold, sharp, and stunning” male lead look from romance novels.
Maybe he’d sneer and say, “Hmph. This is supposed to be my wife?” the moment he saw her.
Bracing herself, she stepped into the drawing room.
But—
“…?”
There was no one waiting inside.
‘He’s not here yet? But they said he was waiting for me…’
Railey glanced around, wondering if she had misunderstood something.
That’s when she spotted something unexpected—and it made her jump.
Peeking out from behind the sofa was a patch of sleek, black fur.
“Huh?”
Curious, she stepped closer for a better look…
Curled up and trembling was a small bundle of black fluff.
Waiting for her wasn’t a dark-haired, handsome boy—but a tiny black fox.
“….”
Looking more closely, she noticed a bit of fabric awkwardly stuffed beneath the couch, like someone had hastily tried to hide it.
In that moment, Railey was certain.
‘So that’s my husband… suddenly transformed into a fox!’
According to the original novel, young beastfolk often struggled to control their magical energy.
When their magic surged uncontrollably, it could trigger an involuntary transformation into their animal form.
Serge, her husband, seemed to be one of those cases.
Especially when emotions ran high or they were under stress, such a transformation was more likely.
Given that this was their first meeting, he must’ve been extremely nervous.
And once he changed, he must’ve panicked and shoved his clothes aside.
‘…Wait, now’s not the time to calmly analyze this!’
Even if he was still a child, a beastfolk who transformed due to a magical surge might also lose their reason.
In fact, as demonic power grew stronger in them, some beastfolk would fall into a berserk state—losing their sanity and going on violent rampages, eventually exposing their true identity.
In the original story, the Saintess and her companions would later seal away that demonic force and bring peace to the world…
But that wouldn’t happen for another ten years.
Right now, Railey was absolutely terrified.
But she couldn’t run.
She had to act like she knew nothing about the Elestine family’s true nature as fox beastfolk.
‘If he shows any signs of attacking… that’s when I’ll make a break for it.’
Steeling herself, Railey tried to stay calm and think logically.
Assuming she didn’t know what he really was, the appropriate reaction would be…
“Oh my, is this the family’s pet puppy?”
She wasn’t normally the type to talk to herself, but this situation called for it.
The little fox’s snout was short enough that he could easily be mistaken for a dog. And with his jet-black fur—very unlike the typical reddish-brown of most foxes—it wasn’t an unreasonable guess.
After her comment, the fox perked up its ears and slowly lifted its head.
It seemed he was relieved by her assumption that he was just a pet.
His golden eyes were strikingly beautiful.
She couldn’t say for sure if he was a handsome boy yet, but as a fox, he was definitely gorgeous.
‘Thank goodness. He’s not in a berserk state.’
Railey relaxed a little and kept up her awkward monologue.
“I wonder where Young Master Serge went? Did he have to step out in a hurry?”
“…!”
The moment she mentioned “Serge,” the little fox visibly flinched.
Railey screamed internally.
‘I’m putting on this whole act like I don’t know a thing—and you can’t even commit to the bit?!’
What, was he trying to break the world record for ‘quickest reveal of secret beastfolk identity’ or something?!
Lmao she’s hilarious