I.

Chapter 1

When spring arrived and colorful wildflowers began to bud across the vast grasslands, Irene was forced to writhe in agony. Some sensitive humans disliked spring because of pollen allergies, but she hated spring for an entirely different reason.

“Haaah…”

Irene stopped her work and drew in a sharp breath as a ticklish sensation bloomed from her most secret place. Once her heat began, she could do nothing for an entire week.

But in these harsh times, when making a living was a daily struggle, she could not afford to turn down any work that came her way. With her exceptional sense of smell, she swiftly sorted through the fresh fruit and explained to the shopkeeper.

“The ones displayed on the right are the freshest. The left side is at peak sweetness right now. And these I’ve set aside separately—they’re rotting from the inside.”

“I really appreciate this, Irene.”

“Not at all. I’m the one who should be thanking you for calling me.”

The shopkeeper placed the high-sugar fruits she had selected into a wooden crate, chattering away as he worked.

“They say the hero who led our empire to victory is going to become the lord of our territory. So right now, the castle is gathering up every fine ingredient they can find. They’re paying double the price, too. Our shop can’t be left out of that. That’s why I called you in such a hurry. No one’s better at this kind of sorting than you, Irene.”

“…Thank you.”

Irene could not focus on the shopkeeper’s words. The stimulation of her heat was not constant, but it was gradually becoming dangerous. She had to hurry home.

“Here, your day’s wages. Thanks for the hard work.”

Just in time, the shopkeeper handed her the pay and quickly loaded the fruit crates onto his cart before leaving.

Her face flushed bright red, she pulled her robe tightly over herself. The fruit shop was located in a fairly busy part of town. It was a long way from her home at the far edge of the territory.

She watched the humans passing by her like fleeting shadows and thought to herself,

How fortunate they must be, not having to endure a heat.

Irene was a beastkin. A cat beastkin, one of the few that remained.

In truth, it was difficult to find any beastkin at all. Pushed aside by humans, they had scattered in all directions to escape them.

Moreover, a recent war had claimed the lives of countless humans. There was no guarantee that beastkin had not been among the dead. In a way, it was only natural that their numbers continued to dwindle.

“Hah, hah…”

Even just walking, a ticklish sensation swept over her entire body as if raking across her skin. She wanted to rub herself against a nearby tree. She wanted to let out a cry to call for a male. Even though the odds of one appearing were near zero.

Nearly a year had passed since she had been pushed around by the tides of war and ended up in this place.

The very first thing she did after settling down was search for others of her kind. A male would have been even better.

But there was no male to relieve her heat—not even a female was in sight. Nor any beastkin of another species, for that matter.

Irene was the only beastkin in this village.

“Hngh.”

As she hurried along, the pleasure that had been simmering at a steady level suddenly surged, and a wave of dizziness washed over her.

The moment she realized she was in danger of losing consciousness, she abandoned the fastest route and turned into an alleyway. It would take longer, but it felt safer than the main road crowded with people.

Irene staggered forward, gasping for breath, and when she spotted her house in the distance, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Just a little… just a little more…”

The tears that had been welling up throughout her journey streamed down her cheeks. Perhaps it was the relief. With her house right before her eyes, she lost consciousness then and there.