Chapter 66
As Sia recoiled in shock, Nox fell into thought. Were humans naturally shy creatures? Or did the word ‘p***y’ mean something different in her world?
“Shouldn’t you avoid using such words if you want to be dignified?”
“…Is it improper for my dignity to call my beloved female’s lovely p***y… a p***y?”
Sia stared intently at Nox’s handsome mouth as he shamelessly said ‘p***y’. Normally, she’d think someone speaking like that sounded vulgar, but somehow, she found herself agreeing with him. Crude as it was, it wasn’t technically incorrect…
“Pfft, I suppose tonight’s dinner should be slow. Seems we both have too many questions for each other.”
With a soft chuckle, Nox started walking. Heading for the bathroom, he deftly undressed her. She was still embarrassed, but having gone through this once before, Sia was a little more accustomed this time, letting him wash her thoroughly.
After he carefully dried her hair and dressed her in indoor clothes, the two stepped into her private sitting room. Right on cue, there was a knock on the door.
“Excuse us!”
Cedric entered, pushing a trolley laden with dishes. Marie followed behind him. The two quickly set the food on the table and slipped away.
Once they were alone again, Sia and Nox took turns feeding each other and asking all the questions they’d been holding back. Even when the main dishes disappeared and wine and fruit replaced them, their conversation never stopped.
For Sia, the joy of finally being able to speak openly about herself without hiding anything was exhilarating. Maybe it was also because she hadn’t had alcohol in so long, but she couldn’t stop laughing.
And the fact that Nox attended to every detail only lifted her mood more. Being treated with such care made her heart flutter, especially with a man she found attractive smiling so tenderly at her from across the table.
To someone like her, who’d always seen men as troublesome, this was the first time she felt safe in front of one. Drunk on that feeling, she fell asleep in his arms.
Even in her dreams, she felt herself being held gently, his careful movements making her feel cherished.
It was strange, but not unpleasant. No… it was happiness. And yet, it was tinged with a quiet sadness.
Why is it that I only got to feel happiness like this after coming here?
* * *
As Crown Prince Louis left the sixth domain, he spoke in a disappointed tone to his aide, Dylan.
“It would be nice if we could recognize a human even from a distance.”
“…That would be ideal, but without partial beast transformation, it’s impossible to tell someone’s race just by looking, is it not?”
“Hmph, we call it ‘humanization’, yet expect there to be a clear difference between humans and beastfolk. Ridiculous.”
“Yes, most beastfolk live in humanized form… Without inspecting closely, it’s hard to find anyone.”
“Initium, O Divine One…”
Louis was not only frustrated at their failure to find the human but also increasingly on edge as they neared the Blois Duchy.
“It’s not that I dislike Duke Blois…”
“Would anyone dare to hold a grudge against him personally? It’s merely his appearance that causes discomfort…”
“Black fur is not a mere discomfort. Every time something catastrophic enough to make history struck our empire, a black-furred feline beastfolk was at the center of it. It’s not just superstition.”
“Your Highness speaks truth. But we must inspect the Blois Duchy thoroughly as well. Only then can we deliver an accurate report to His Majesty.”
Having grown up alongside the Crown Prince as his closest companion, Dylan anticipated Louis’s thoughts as if reading his mind.
“See, this is why I didn’t want to come with you.”
“Oh, come now. Without me, you’d be miserable.”
“Tch. So, how much longer until Blois?”
“We should arrive before nightfall.”
“You’ve sent the letter ahead, right?”
“Of course.”
* * *
At that same time, the Blois ducal manor was busy preparing to receive their imperial guests. Cedric, especially, was running himself ragged, barking orders and directing staff with frantic energy.
But regardless of the chaos downstairs, Nox had finished his morning work and was now holed up in Sia’s room, thoroughly occupied… with her small tongue.
“Haa… Sia, stick your tongue out further.”
“Mmngh…”
She tried to comply, extending her tongue as much as she could, but to him, it only looked unbearably cute. Nox had recently learned something new: when something is too cute, you can’t help but want to bite it.
So, he gently caught her tiny tongue between his molars and nibbled. Her small hands clutched at his shoulders, seemingly in protest. Placing his larger hands over hers, Nox greedily licked the saliva trickling from her lips before murmuring,
“At most, we have two days. It may even be less. The Crown Prince despises me, you see.”
“This really isn’t a class-based society so much as a superstition-based one, seriously…”
Nox chuckled quietly at her words, remembering how she’d once told him that in her world, everyone had black hair. These days, even something as small as an acorn falling could make him laugh.
This would be the first year of his life where he had smiled so much. Holding the source of his laughter, his Sia, tightly in his arms, he thought to himself,
‘I will never let the Crown Prince lay eyes on you.’
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