Chapter 1.10
Evan asked, wrinkling his perfectly straight nose. He disliked Stefan when he was a dog, and it seemed he still disliked him as a human. The momentary sense of unfamiliarity disappeared. Rosette smiled slightly and sat on the bed.
“Evan, can you treat me?”
“Rosette, are you hurt?”
Evan asked with round eyes. He abandoned the cake he had been enjoying and immediately approached Rosette. Rosette lifted her skirt and showed her calf.
“Here.”
“That’s a big wound. What happened?”
“I had a bit of a fight with Stefan.”
“Did Stefan do that to you?”
“To some extent, you could say so.”
Evan frowned, showing clear hostility as if he disliked Stefan even more now. It was strange. Who would have thought that Evan’s dislike for Stefan would feel so satisfying?
“You still don’t like Stefan?”
“I like him even less now.”
Seeing Evan’s sullen expression, Rosette felt her tangled emotions unwinding. How could he be so cute? No matter what form he took, Evan was still Evan. Even the wariness she had briefly felt this morning was fading away.
“Lift your leg.”
Evan said, kneeling on one knee. Without much thought, Rosette placed her calf on Evan’s knee. In the sunlight streaming through the window, Rosette’s calf looked purely white.
Leaning back on her hands and watching Evan, Rosette was startled. She had expected him to apply saliva or something similar, but Evan brought his mouth close to Rosette’s calf, just as he did when he was a dog. His slightly bowed head and downcast eyelashes were breathtakingly alluring.
“E-Evan?”
Rosette stammered, calling his name without realizing it, but he seemed too focused on the wound to hear. His bright red lips parted, and a pink tongue peeked out between his even teeth. Unlike when he was a dog, his much fuller and softer tongue touched Rosette’s calf.
“Ah…”
‘This feels… strange.’
It was a completely different feeling from when she had been treated while he was a divine beast. Heat rose from where Evan’s tongue touched, and her cheeks flushed. Though it was the same treatment as usual, it felt entirely different. Rosette trembled at the peculiar sensation. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and looked down at Evan.
“Treatment complete… Rosette, why are you looking at me like that?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You’re looking at me the same way I look at cake.”
He meant she was looking at him like she wanted to devour him. Rosette hastily shook her head and said.
“When did I! I never did that.”
“Then I must have seen wrong. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“Ah, no, I’m not.”
“That’s good.”
Evan smiled brightly and stood up. Rosette sighed softly and leaned back on the sofa. Her whole body felt tired. Too many things had happened since morning.
“…Sigh, I think I’ll take a nap.”
At Rosette’s words, Evan’s glass-blue eyes sparkled with evident pleasure.
“Great. Let’s go to bed together.”
“…Are you crazy?”
Evan tilted his head at Rosette’s reaction.
“Why? We used to sleep together often.”
“No way!”
“Why not?”
Rosette stood up abruptly, trying to cool her flushed cheeks.
“I-I just remembered something urgent I need to do.”
“You’re not taking a nap?”
Evan asked, genuinely disappointed.
“No. I’m not sleepy anymore.”
“It must be really urgent. Should I come with you?”
“No! It’s something I absolutely must do alone.”
At the mention of having to do it alone, Evan made a dejected face. Having always been together, he seemed to feel hurt that Rosette was trying to separate from him.
“Rosette, do you dislike me now that I’m human?”
Yes.
She was about to answer “Yes,” but seeing Evan’s expression turn so dark, Rosette couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“No, I don’t dislike you.”
“……Really?”
Evan, who had been timidly watching Rosette’s reaction, smiled brightly. His eyes crinkled, revealing his even teeth. It was almost like seeing his vanished tail wagging.
“Of course! Anyway, I need to go now. We can eat dinner together…… Can you stay by yourself?”
“Okay. And Rosette. Since I’m human now, they said I can eat with you at the table.”
“Well, that’s good. I’ll see you at dinner then.”
“Yes.”
Evan, unaware of her thoughts, even waved his hand as he saw Rosette off. Rushing back to her room, Rosette closed the door and took a deep breath.
“What is this, what is this, what is this……!”
***
Since Rosette had a weak constitution, most of her hobbies were sedentary. Her favorite was reading, especially romance novels. Rosette’s most beloved romance novel was 《Why Did the Duchess Only Give White Bread to the Knight?》
The Duchess, who had been widowed early, was doing her duty in her position. However, she couldn’t help the occasional physical loneliness, and to satisfy that desire, she would often—no, quite frequently—peek at the knights’ training grounds of the duchy.
Among them, the most appetizing to watch was the captain, Reynold. With honey-blonde hair that looked like melted honey and blue eyes, Reynold not only had a splendid appearance but also amazing muscles. Muscles built through years of training and actual combat were not only convenient for movement but also pleasing to the Duchess’s eye.
From some point on, there was always white bread neatly wrapped in a handkerchief placed in Reynold’s locker after training, and Reynold would chew the bread with wild charm while neatly folding the handkerchief.
On a night with a full moon, the Duchess was working as usual. Then someone knocked and entered. The night visitor was Reynold, who had come to report on business matters. Calming her trembling heart and formally receiving the report, exactly thirty handkerchiefs fell before the Duchess. Looking at the handkerchiefs in shock, Reynold said to the Duchess:
‘I came to return them to my master. But I am poor by nature and have nothing to give back.’
Hearing Reynold’s words, the Duchess replied:
‘It’s natural that you have nothing to give. This entire estate is mine, so you and everything you possess are all mine.’
‘But my heart overflows with the desire to give you something, so what shall I do?’
‘You are a worthy man. But even you have something to give me.’
‘What is it? I will offer anything I have to you, my lady.’
‘Today is too cold. Would you warm up my office?’
‘I will follow your command.’
And so, the once cold office became hot and heated every night thanks to Reynold.
It was a book she had read so diligently that some of the letters on the pages were smudged. But what similarities could there possibly be between Evan and Reynold?
‘Of course, Reynold doesn’t like cake and isn’t innocent, but……’
While Evan is innocent, the way he licked her leg earlier was excessively sensual. Before she knew it, her stream of consciousness had shifted from Reynold back to Evan. Rosette shook her head vigorously, trying to erase Evan from her mind.
“My lady?”
“Oh my!”
Rosette was startled by the sudden voice beside her. Becky was standing there, looking at Rosette with an exasperated expression.
“Oh, when did you come in?”
“I’ve been here calling you for a while, but you didn’t answer. What were you thinking about so deeply?”
“N-nothing. Why? What’s the matter?”
Since she couldn’t say “Thinking about Evan…,” Rosette vaguely brushed off the question.
“Madam is looking for you.”
“My mother? Why?”
“She said you’ll know when you get there.”
“Alright. Where is she?”
“She’s in the second drawing room.”
“Drawing room? Is she with a guest?”
“……Yes.”
Seeing Becky’s reluctant response, Rosette didn’t ask further and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.