The Beast That Licks Me - Chapter 2.1

“Huff, huff…”

Rosette leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Evan surveyed the surroundings with calm eyes. A salty breeze whirled through the alley. The air entering her open mouth tasted briny.

They were now only about twenty steps away from the ship. Thinking they would arouse less suspicion if they boarded looking presentable, they decided to catch their breath and tidy themselves up in the alley.

As she was taking out her identification and ticket and finally fixing her disheveled hair, Evan suddenly grabbed Rosette’s hand.

“…What is it, Evan?”

“Your hand is injured.”

Startled by his words, she looked down to see blood dripping from her fingertips.

“Ah, I must have cut it when climbing the ladder earlier.”

“Are you feeling dizzy?”

“No. I’m fine.”

Evan frowned, took out a bottle of water from his bag, and poured it over the wound. When the water seeped into the cut, a stinging pain arose.

“Ugh…”

Before Rosette could say anything, Evan promptly put her finger in his mouth. Rosette drew in a sharp breath. The soft flesh inside gently enveloped her finger.

“Mmh…”

She still couldn’t get used to this form of treatment since he had become human. Would she ever grow accustomed to it? Strangely, she found it difficult to look at Evan while he licked her wound. Rosette spoke in a voice as tiny as a crawling ant.

“E-Evan. I think it’s fine now…”

That’s when it happened. A long shadow appeared at the end of the alley, falling over Rosette and Evan.

“Hold it right there.”

Though it wasn’t clearly visible in the darkness, judging by the armed appearance, it was obviously a knight. Rosette nervously pulled down the hood of her robe.

“Let me ask you something. Have you seen a woman with pink hair and pink eyes, and a man with blonde hair and blue eyes around here?”

The knight naturally spoke informally, seeing their disheveled appearance. It felt like her heart had dropped to the floor. They were definitely looking for her and Evan. The Count’s knights had finally tracked them down.

Rosette’s entire body trembled pitifully. She tried to hold her breath to stop shaking, but it was all she could do to keep from collapsing as her legs weakened. The only fortunate thing was that Rosette had her back to the knight. Even with her changed hair color, she would have been immediately recognized had he seen her face.

“They’re in their late teens to early twenties. The man is slightly taller than me, and the woman is… about the same build as the woman with you.”

At this precise identification, Rosette’s legs finally gave way. Evan firmly wrapped his arm around her waist as she stumbled. Rosette looked at Evan with anxious eyes. Gazing at her steadily, Evan held the back of her head with his other hand and lightly kissed her forehead. It seemed to mean “don’t worry.” Strangely, her trembling stopped at this gesture. Shielding Rosette from view by embracing her completely, Evan spoke quietly to the knight.

“…No, I haven’t seen them.”

“I see. If you do spot them, contact the Alpaine family. There will be a substantial reward.”

The knight, seeming to have given up without much expectation, turned and left. Evan continued holding Rosette until the sound of the knight’s footsteps completely faded away. Rosette’s heart was beating faster than usual.

‘Evan is a divine beast. Evan is a divine beast…’

Rosette tried to calm her heart by recalling all the years she had lived with Evan. The sensation of his tongue when he had just sucked her finger, the white snake that peeked out when he wore her clothes…

“….”

It wasn’t helping much. Rosette decided to try thinking of something else.

‘Evan is a dog. Evan is a dog…’

Though she had demoted the divine beast to a dog, that didn’t help either. Instead, she felt heat rising to the fingertips Evan had sucked.

“Do- I mean, Evan. You can let go now…”

Evan obediently pulled away. Rosette unconsciously felt a little disappointed. Evan personally pulled the hood over Rosette’s head. The hood was rather large, coming down to just above her eyebrows. Evan smiled slightly at the sight.

“The ship is about to depart. Let’s hurry.”

“Yes.”

The two walked quickly toward the ship. As more people appeared, it actually became easier to hide among them. The knights might have stationed some men at the port just in case, but since identification and tickets were required to board the ship, they probably thought Rosette was more likely to travel by land. They might have also assumed that Rosette, who had been confined to her home all her life, wouldn’t know how to travel by ship. This was fortunate for Rosette.

“Identification and tickets, please.”

Since it was a large vessel that also handled trade, identity verification was more thorough than expected. A sailor asked in a gruff tone. Rosette, trying to calm her racing heart, handed over her identification and ticket.

“Are you Rose and Evanium?”

“Yes, I mean, yes we are.”

“Why are you going to Eneve?”

“For a wedding. My sister, who’s studying abroad in Eneve, is marrying a man she met there.”

That was all she had prepared to say. The sailor silently stared at their identification and faces for a long time.

Why, why is he looking so long?

Sweat gathered on her palms from the tension. Despite the confusion, the fact that she could maintain a gentle exterior appearance showed that the noble education she had received wasn’t entirely useless. Glancing toward Evan just in case, she saw that he showed no signs of tension, just pure brightness. His relaxed and leisurely demeanor somehow made Rosette feel less tense as well.

Rip. The identity check was complete, and the sailor tore the tickets with a ripping sound. He handed the ticket to Evan.

“Have a pleasant journey.”

“Thank yo…u.”

Rosette thought she needed to change her speaking habits as quickly as possible. A boy who looked about twelve years old approached Evan with practiced skill and took their luggage.

“I’ll carry your luggage. May I check your ticket for a moment?”

At the boy’s eloquence, Rosette unconsciously handed over the ticket. After checking it, the boy nodded and said in a cheerful tone:

“This way, please!”

The boy carried luggage almost as big as himself, walking confidently through the complex corridors. Rosette and Evan actually had to walk at a brisk pace to keep up with him.

“Is this your first time traveling by ship?”

“Y-yes. It’s my first time.”

“How exciting! This ship has many attractions. I guarantee you’ll enjoy every day of your two-month journey.”

The boy’s friendly attitude slightly eased Rosette’s tension. She smiled faintly and said.

“I hope so. Thank you.”

The boy looked at Rosette with wide eyes. Wondering if she had said something wrong, Rosette licked her dry lips and looked at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I was just surprised you thanked me. When I first saw you, I thought you were a noble because you’re so beautiful.”

“Not all nobles are incapable of thanking commoners. Though I’m… not a noble.”

The boy chuckled as if finding her response amusing. Rosette inwardly resolved to be more careful with her words. As they climbed stairs covered with a red carpet, the boy continued.

“The ship has three floors in total. Basement, first floor, and second floor. You won’t have much reason to go to the basement as it’s the cargo storage. The first floor has second and third-class cabins, while the second floor has a mix of first and second-class. Dining areas are also separated. You’re on the second floor.”

“How… can I bathe?”

“Third-class passengers use communal bathrooms. Second-class and above have private bathrooms. However, the taps only provide lukewarm water, so if you need hot water, ring the call bell in your room ten minutes in advance.”

Rosette felt truly fortunate that Roxana had secured second-class tickets for them.

Thank you, Roxana!