Chapter 97
Crown Prince William continued with a troubled expression.
“This is the fifth violent incident this month where shapeshifters have attacked their employers.”
Shapeshifters causing violence?
That can’t be right. The shapeshifters I know strive to keep the peace and try their best to live in human society.
Karden also quickly asked questions, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“I don’t understand. Most shapeshifters are known to be peaceful. There must be a reason they’re causing these incidents.”
“That’s right. Shapeshifters wouldn’t do such things.”
The Crown Prince nodded in agreement with a bitter smile.
“Shushu, I trust the shapeshifter tribes, too. According to reports, some nobles are forcing shapeshifters to lose their souls and reason, using them as slaves. It’s suspected that these enslaved shapeshifters lose control and go berserk as a side effect.”
A method that makes them lose their reason and soul.
It’s a cruel and vile method I know all too well. If that’s the case, the Black Mask might be behind this.
What if they’re killing slave traders and taking magicians to forcibly turn shapeshifters into slaves?
I could no longer contain myself and jumped to my feet. My fur stood on end with anger.
I felt my vision turning red again.
My heart was beating wildly, and my mind was filled with murderous intent, wanting to tear that person to shreds.
“I know who the culprit is. We must catch them.”
“Shushu, calm down.”
Karden stroked my back and said firmly.
“I will definitely catch them and bring them before you.”
As I felt his warm touch, my racing heart gradually calmed, and my mind cleared as if a fog had lifted.
Crown Prince William looked at me with concern.
“The royal guards are actively investigating this case, so don’t worry.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The reason I asked you to come today, hyungnim, was to discuss this matter.”
“Ah… so that’s what it was.”
“Of course, I also greatly wanted to see this adorable, fluffy fox you cherish so much.”
William looked at me with kind eyes, like an older brother doting on his little sister.
Karden, who had been quietly stroking me to calm me down, spoke up.
“Your Highness, my knights are currently obtaining a list of high-ranking nobles who have forcibly enslaved shapeshifters. Once we have the list, we plan to track down their suppliers as well.”
“I understand. I’ll do my best to help, too.”
William straightened his posture and gazed at Karden with a serious expression.
The gentle demeanor from before had disappeared, and he now emanated the dignity befitting the Crown Prince of the kingdom.
After the audience with the Crown Prince, I left the office with Karden.
Karden walked quickly through the magnificent corridor lined with paintings and statues.
“The situation is becoming urgent. We need to catch those people quickly to prevent harm to the shapeshifter tribes. There’s a risk that negative perceptions about shapeshifters could spread.”
“Negative perceptions?”
I asked in surprise. Karden continued to explain without slowing his pace.
“In the capital, shapeshifters make their living as servants or workers. If rumors spread that they might go berserk, people might become reluctant to employ them.”
“But that’s a side effect of being forcibly imprinted as slaves. The shapeshifters are the victims here.”
“Most people only care about their own safety. We need to resolve this case quickly.”
I looked up at Karden’s face while being held in his arms.
Suddenly, I remembered what Yudis had said. Karden was working hard for me so that I could live peacefully and freely in the capital.
I can’t always be under his protection. I need to find something I can do.
***
The next day, Karden left early in the morning with his knights to investigate the slave traders.
Yudis also left, saying she would help by mobilizing her merchant guild staff. Before leaving the villa, she reminded me.
“Shushu, today’s the day you visit Grandmother, right? Just visit her and return to the villa right away, understood?”
“Of course, Lady Yudis.”
It was the day I had agreed to be the Countess’s companion and treat her knees once a week.
Today I was dressed in a green cloak and a neat dress.
After the carriage dropped me off in front of the Countess’s mansion and left, I checked my surroundings and quickly ran in a different direction.
I needed to stop by the shapeshifter shelter before going to the Countess’s mansion, so time was tight.
But it wasn’t easy to run in a dress and high heels.
This is frustrating. If I were a fox, I could run much faster.
But I had to be careful since it’s dangerous to wander around the capital alone as a fox. You never know when slave traders might appear.
I took out a map with the location of the shapeshifter shelter from my bag.
It was located in an area not far from the Countess’s mansion.
Karden would probably stop me if he knew I was going to the shapeshifter shelter alone, but I needed to quickly find information about where the Ulpes tribe might be.
Everyone is busy chasing slave traders, so I need to find what I can do myself.
After passing through the townhouse district with magnificent mansions and navigating through narrow, maze-like alleys, the surroundings changed.
A slum area appeared, old, dirty, and overflowing with waste. Above all, as I entered the alley, there was a distinct animal smell.
Shapeshifters could be seen throughout the alleyway.
Various shapeshifters with exposed ears or tails, perhaps unable to transform perfectly, were leaning against the alley walls or wandering around.
They all had dark expressions, worn-out clothes, and gaunt faces. Perhaps evidence that life in the capital was not easy.
Their gazes all turned to me at once. Some frowned while observing me, and others openly glared at me with suspicion.
But they turned their attention away as if uninterested, perhaps noticing that I was not human but a shapeshifter.
Some shapeshifters were openly staring at me.
I soon realized why. It was because of my attire.
I thought I had chosen a neat and modest dress, but to them, I must look like a noble lady.
Feeling that lingering would only make me more conspicuous to the shapeshifters, I hurried my steps.
As I emerged from the alley, I saw a red three-story mansion. Surrounded by high walls, it felt like a small castle.
Is this really the shapeshifter shelter? The atmosphere seems more closed-off than I expected.
The main gate was guarded by soldiers, and shapeshifters were lined up.
Many had anxious expressions, looking around nervously or appearing frightened. I carefully went to stand at the very end of the line.
A young woman with red hair standing in front of me stared at me with curious eyes.
Except for slightly pointed ear tips, she looked like an ordinary young woman.
She was dressed as a maid, with an old scar-like wound on the back of her hand.
“Strange. Someone like you doesn’t seem to have business here. Why did you come?”
“What? Oh, well…”
As I hesitated, not knowing how to respond, the red-haired woman shrugged with a knowing expression, clearly believing she understood my situation.
“Ah, you’ve run away too. You look like a noble lady, but are you perhaps the young wife of some wealthy old nobleman?”
“What?”
The red-haired woman continued without hesitation.
“You’re not the only one. All the shapeshifters here have run away. Even I fled to the shapeshifter shelter because my master beat me.”
The red-haired woman rolled up one sleeve to show me. On her forearm was a clear purple bruise, resembling the mark left by a horse whip.
“A-are you okay? That must have hurt so much.”
“I’m used to this level of pain, so it doesn’t bother me.”
The red-haired woman shrugged.
She seems to have worked as a maid but ran away because she couldn’t endure the violence and oppression.
As I hesitated, not knowing what words of comfort to offer, the red-haired woman’s gaze turned toward the main gate of the shapeshifter shelter.
Her expression was filled with hope and excitement.
“At least with that place, I can breathe a little easier. They say they provide food and lodging there and also help find safe employment. My fellow shapeshifter colleagues who worked with me went into the shapeshifter shelter first.”
“Is the shapeshifter shelter run by House Alred famous?”
“Of course. Among shapeshifters, it’s called paradise. Isn’t that why you came here too?”
The red-haired woman narrowed her eyes and looked me up and down suspiciously.
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