#7

“Chu?”

When did I…?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Zakari’s expression darkened as if everything had become bothersome. He brushed his hand through the air, speaking dismissively.

“Anyway, make that smelly creature not catch my eye.”

With those words, Zakari disappeared smoothly. I felt unjustly treated and glanced at Ayla.

“Chii-chi, chu.”

Am I smelly, Ayla?

Given that I had bathed thoroughly in the bathtub this morning, it was an unpleasant remark. However, for a sensitive beastman with heightened senses, perhaps he recognized the scent of a less developed sub-species. After all, I couldn’t even transform into a fully human form.

As I lifted my arm and sniffed my armpit, Ayla spoke.

“Absolutely not. Miss, the Lord just says things impulsively. Though he may seem a bit prickly, he has no ill intentions.”

“Chichi.”

There’s a contradiction in your words.

I observed Ayla, who sided with the Lord, with a slightly dubious expression. However, I felt somewhat relieved at her words that there was no smell.

At that moment, Ayla led me to the bedroom and said,

“Lately, the Lord has been very sensitive. If you truly didn’t like it, he would have rejected you right then and there.”

Sensitive?

I tilted my head, and Ayla explained,

“In fact, we were returning from negotiating with Lady Rachel about the territory. He probably came back after another mud fight.”

Rachel…

“Oh, Miss, you might not know. Lady Rachel is the former mistress of the house and the former wife of Lord Zakari.”

Ayla added, aligning her explanation with my eye level. Of course, I recognized her as soon as I heard the name.

“Chuu.”

Well, if that’s the case…

While it was frustrating to be criticized for smelling bad on our first meeting, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible after meeting his former wife. Ayla continued,

“You should consider yourself very lucky, actually.”

“Chu?”

“He was more lenient than usual.”

“…”

What was he like normally?

I looked at Ayla with anxious, wavering eyes. In response, Ayla grinned and replied, “You’ve spread pheromones all around, haven’t you?”

Isn’t that just poisoning the air?

As I realized I might have screamed a moment ago, I shivered uncontrollably.

“Perhaps negotiations with Lady Rachel went quite well. I was surprised too.”

At what point were you surprised? Because he didn’t kill me? Or because I smell bad?

Ayla, with her calm demeanor, didn’t hesitate to make a frightening statement, seemingly accustomed to such things from the beginning.

“But be careful when you meet him next time, especially when I’m not around.”

Why?

As I tilted my head, Ayla whispered meaningfully.

“You might get eaten.”

“…”

“Roar.”

“Chuuu!”

Startled by Ayla’s provocation, I instinctively buried myself in her arms. There’s no need for gestures like that!

Ayla, after letting out a laugh once, held me tenderly and said, “Now, shall we go? It would be troublesome if you run away again, Chichi.”

Perhaps it was because we were discussing Zakari’s temperament, but for some reason, the dialogue felt like it would be quite inconvenient to run away again.

“Chu.”

I won’t run away.

Resignedly accepting Ayla’s gentle touch, I once again received a playful punch from her while she snorted through her nostrils.

The reaction, different from the calm demeanor a moment ago, was somewhat strange.

‘They are all a bit peculiar, aren’t they?’

As expected, everyone from the Jabisi family seemed to have gone mad. Somewhere, a screw must have come loose.

‘But Rachel…’

Thinking about Rachel, I remembered the original work as I obediently let myself be taken away by Ayla.

In the original work, Rachel was a character who appeared several times. She was the daughter of the leader of the Honey Possum tribe, which owned the most fertile territory in the western Ilanbore region.

In the original story, she led the huge upper class while often showing favor to the protagonist, Ella. Despite her rough manners, she was a very popular character as a reliable and cool sister among readers. There might even have been a slogan like ‘Rachel Sister instead of the Male Lead.’

Moreover, she often interfered with Zerakiel’s actions, and when she later learned that Zerakiel was her son, she was quite surprised.

Having a strong child was unexpected. Judging by the way she always said, ‘You resemble your father,’ it was clear she didn’t like Zerakiel. She might not have known how much she hated her ex-husband, thinking of Zerakiel.

On the other hand, Zakari seemed to have a glass mental state. Compared to the fiery temperament of Rachel, he was the complete opposite.

Given his sensitivity, it must have been challenging to endure Rachel, who had the fangs of hell.

‘Maybe he became more sensitive after dealing with Rachel. Maybe he’s more sensitive about the smell now.’

Ayla, seeing me pondering, added with a smile, “But it’s much better than usual.”

“…”

How was he usually?

* * *

On that day, Zerakiel didn’t come to the bedroom until late. I rolled around on the bed, waiting for Zerakiel.

I realized belatedly that I was involuntarily rolling along with his movements.

‘Th-this intrusion is terrifying.’

It’s only been a week since we’ve been together, but I’m already feeling bored and empty.

Well, during that time, he must have casually tossed me in and out of his pocket, causing chaos for a day or two.

It was a humiliating experience as a aquatic creature, but the opponent was a black lion.

I had to flatten myself, right? Of course, I didn’t always endure it.

I just detached my gills when his anger surged, biting his fingers in response.

It was awkward when he asked crazy things like if I was excited or wanted to be asked again.

Perhaps it was because I hadn’t communicated with humans since I opened my eyes in this world as a ferret.

Despite Zerakiel being annoying, I didn’t entirely dislike him.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t shown any intention of harming me, and, without realizing it, my guard had gradually lowered.

It was ironic to be troubled by people and seek warmth. Of course, I didn’t believe that Zerakiel was genuinely raising me.

Anyway, I just had to endure through winter and escape when the time came.

I stood on tiptoe in front of the window, hoping to see if there was any approaching carriage. The city of Jabisi was much larger than I had imagined. The warehouse that Bianco and I had raided now looked like a speck of dust.

I felt a shiver down my spine, thinking that if I took a wrong turn, I could easily be caught in this short bridge. And if I were to truly try to escape and Zerakiel found out, it might lead to something terrifying.

Then, the memory of Ella failing to escape in the original work, her hands and feet bound, sent a chill down my spine.

In the original story, Zerakiel was a madman unlike any character I had seen in any novel.

Despite causing chaos and kidnapping Ella, he did nothing to her. Instead, he was a personality who only made sarcastic remarks to taunt her. I briefly recalled a scene from the original work.

[“Cry some more. You know, if you cry and hang yourself, maybe my heart will soften a bit?”

Zerakiel grabbed Ella’s chin with his elongated fingers and whispered provocatively. His blunt statement seemed to revel in tormenting her. Ella swallowed her breath, shivering.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Just for fun.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s fun to see someone squirm. Especially if it’s you, who cherishes the pages so dearly.”

“You… are insane.”

Ella glared at Zerakiel with contempt. But the more she resisted, the more his smile became seductively intense.

“A water deer who doesn’t know that is not welcome in my house, Ella.”

“…!”

“If you don’t want to be eaten, don’t run away again.”

I have a strong appetite.

At Zerakiel’s sly remark, Ella’s face turned pale.]

As I thought about the original work, I frowned and stamped my foot against the window.

Hm. Now that I think about it, my situation seems somewhat similar to Ella’s in the original. Is it because of my mood?