Chapter 108
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Even if his assumption had been correct, Ivan couldn’t help but blush at Ruby’s blunt, shameless phrasing. His face flared up like a campfire, and he grit his teeth, not even thinking to hide it.
So basically, that meant…
“Doesn’t that mean you properly marked me?”
His face was on fire, but that wasn’t going to stop him from saying what needed to be said.
“W-When did I ever mark you?!”
“If you got your pheromones on me, that’s marking. It’s not that big a deal, is it?”
“I didn’t put them on you! You’re the one who rubbed yourself all over me!”
“What now?”
“I—I was just lying there! With my legs spread!”
Ruby shouted in a fluster and shot to her feet. But as she made a hasty move to escape, Ivan swiftly caught her wrist and pulled her right down onto his thigh, speaking calmly.
“You hurt your leg. Sit still.”
“It’s almost healed, okay? Just because I’m a herbivore doesn’t mean I recover slowly. I might even heal faster than carnivores.”
“Really? Then let’s check.”
“No! I’m getting up!”
“It’s my fault, so I should be the one to check if it’s healed properly.”
After a brief scuffle, Ruby bounced to her feet again, but Ivan pulled her right back down onto his thigh. They went back and forth — her trying to rise, him sitting her down again. Neither would back down.
“Pardon the intrusion! I’ve brought him, my Lord!”
Liam burst in, unusually skipping the knock, with Baron Voight in tow. He must’ve been in a hurry to get the baroness sent home quickly.
Because of the timing, Ivan missed catching Ruby as she sprang up from his lap with more force than she intended.
Boing. She launched herself so high that her head nearly grazed the ceiling. But she lost balance mid-air and began plummeting face-first toward the floor.
Thankfully, Ivan reacted instantly. He lunged forward, caught her waist mid-fall, and spun lightly before landing with her securely in his arms.
The way he moved — so fluid and practiced — left Liam and Baron Voight staring in stunned silence.
“…My Lord, what on earth is going on here?”
“She’s rabbitfolk, didn’t I say? Jumps like you wouldn’t believe. I was just testing it.”
Ivan responded to Liam’s question as if it were nothing, but Ruby watched in real time as the tips of his ears turned red.
“Ah, yes, she certainly jumps high—very fitting for a rabbitfolk,” Liam chimed in, trying to help.
Baron Voight, who had been staring blankly, also nodded along.
“Truly astonishing. She nearly hit the ceiling with that leap.”
Baron Voight glanced discreetly at the guest he’d only heard about in passing.
Seeing her nestled so naturally in the Duke’s arms, he couldn’t help but feel that the rumors had actually understated the situation.
Having accidentally witnessed proof of said rumors firsthand, the baron now found himself in a rather awkward position. Especially considering he and Count Morado were on good terms, and everyone except Ivan knew that Isabelle had harbored feelings for the Duke for quite some time.
He didn’t know why he’d been summoned here, but whatever the reason, Baron Voight resolved to handle the situation carefully.
Only for Ivan to casually say, “You’ll be returning home.”
“…Pardon?”
All that hard-earned composure shattered in an instant. His eyes shook violently, the panic impossible to hide.
So Ruby leaned in close to Ivan’s ear and whispered.
“If you say it that bluntly, won’t it cause a misunderstanding?”
Her soft, ticklish breath made the corner of his lips twitch upward.
“Then you say it.”
“What?”
Baron Voight was visibly shaken by the realization that the person sending him away wasn’t the tribe leader, but rather the guest.
Had she taken offense to something he said at today’s meeting? Was this retaliation?
A storm of anxious thoughts swirled in his mind. Until his gaze collided directly with her red eyes.
Crimson irises — rare among wolfkin — locked onto him with an unsettling intensity. The piercing stare sent a chill racing down his spine.
Ruby, unsure how to deliver the message, hesitated. She fidgeted with her hands, then once again leaned in close to Ivan’s ear.
“Can I be honest?”
“Pfft.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
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