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chapter 43
When I turned my head toward the sound, a young man with golden hair appeared from between the decorative hedges.
He was dressed in a white formal uniform, and his long hair—reaching down to his back—was tied into a thin braid secured with lace.
When he saw me, his eyes widened in surprise, and he stopped in his tracks.
Then, smiling with his eyes, he spoke.
“Didn’t expect to find a guest here.”
I was too tense to say anything, staring at him in silence.
Perhaps noticing my nervousness, he didn’t step closer, only stood still and looked at me.
Between his slightly parted lips, I could see sharp fangs—he was clearly one of the carnivorous beastfolk.
And those eyes.
The aura behind those eyes was unmistakably that of a predator staring at its prey.
I recognized it instantly.
The man smiled faintly, clasping his hands behind his back.
“My apologies for the late introduction.”
He dipped his head slightly toward me with polite manners.
“I am Akin Radiance, here as the representative of the Radiance family head.”
At that moment, I felt despair.
No—rather than despair, it felt like my mind had been completely bleached white.
W-wait. What? Radiance?
Radiance? That Radiance? The ducal house, leaders of the aristocratic faction in the Beastfolk Kingdom?!
I shouldn’t have met him! Absolutely not!
I trembled, realizing I had just encountered the most dangerous kind of opponent.
The man who introduced himself as Akin looked troubled at my pale face and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Well… I noticed you wandering around here, my lady.”
But my heart was still pounding wildly from the shock.
To ease my fear, Akin gave me a warm, reassuring smile.
“Did you lose your way too, miss?”
I managed to nod, shrinking back without twisting my expression.
It wasn’t a good look to keep treating him with suspicion.
Since he had given his name and affiliation, it was only proper for me to reveal mine as well.
Otherwise, I’d only look like a suspicious person.
“I-I am… Irriel, here as a healer for the Iffin family…”
But the weight of his predatory gaze—so much like Rudels’s—pressed down on me more than I had expected.
Scary… too scary.
Finally, unable to withstand the pressure, my eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing this, Akin’s face grew flustered.
“Uh… my lady?”
And then suddenly, the suffocating pressure vanished.
“…Huh?”
I clenched and unclenched my fists, staring down at my hands in bewilderment.
He waved his hands in panic and apologized.
“My apologies. I must have frightened you.”
He bowed deeply.
“I truly am sorry.”
Again and again, he apologized, cautiously watching my expression.
I didn’t notice the fleeting emotions hidden in his uneasy gaze. I only gave a small nod in reply.
When he tried to step a little closer, I instinctively retreated.
Akin scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
He had already left a bad impression, his own mistake.
Guilt weighed heavily on me, especially since Rudels had warned me to be wary of him.
Idiot, idiot, you fool!
I wanted to bury my face in a handkerchief and cry.
Nothing is going the way I want! First, I made a fool of myself trembling in front of Rudels, then I got stuck in this maze, and now I’ve met someone dangerous too.
What did people call this?
When one bad thing leads to another?
No… that wasn’t it.
Even when you fall backward, you still break your nose.
Hanging my head with a gloomy expression, I heard him speak again with a troubled smile.
“Um… my lady?”
I looked up at the sound of his voice.
Tilting his head slightly, he asked,
“Do you perhaps know the way out of this maze?”
“…What?”
What did he just say?
A cold breeze swept between us as I stared blankly.
A bad premonition pricked at me.
No way… it can’t be.
He laughed, his eyes narrowing playfully.
“I kept walking endlessly, and now… I’m not sure where the exit is.”
…I don’t know either. I’m trapped too.
The unspoken truth hung heavily in the air.
Looking at the man smiling so easily at me, despair washed over me again.
I had hoped someone would come to lead me out—but instead, it turned out to be the heir of the Radiance family, just as lost as I was.
I’m doomed.
I rubbed my face with both hands.
Now I was stuck spending even more time with this man if I wanted to escape.
Anyone… please. Someone, appear like magic and get me out of here.
But wishes don’t come true.
So, I had no choice but to wander this maze alongside the heir apparent of the Radiance house—until we found a way out.
Cuckoo—cuckoo—
From beyond the maze, the call of a cuckoo bird echoed.
I felt like crying along with it.
After all, a lion was following right beside me.
But instead of radiating the majesty of a lion, the beastman carefully matched my pace, watching me nervously without leaving my side.
He didn’t seem like a bad person, but I already knew he belonged to a faction opposing the Iffin family. And after being frightened once, I couldn’t help but stay timid around him.
“Um… Lady Irriel?”
“Yes?”
“Well… ah, never mind. Haha.”
Hearing my weary tone, he gave a sheepish laugh.
He seemed to be trying to get closer, to make amends for earlier.
But I made it clear I wasn’t exactly welcoming his approach, so he maintained a respectful distance behind me.
Thankfully, he was gentlemanly enough. Otherwise, I might have run off in tears.
Squeak—squeak—
Suddenly, a faint animal cry sounded somewhere nearby.
I widened my eyes, glancing around. In that moment, my gaze met Akin’s.
He seemed delighted that I had finally looked directly at him, his eyes crinkling with another smile.
Oh no… so there’s another man with such a pretty eye-smile, like Rudels… wait, no! Focus!
I forced myself to hold his gaze without getting distracted.
He looked at me, clearly wondering why I was staring at him like that.
“You… heard that, right?”
“…Heard what?”
I gaped. How could a beastman pretend not to notice?
Amused, he chuckled softly.
“Just kidding. Yes, I heard it.”
“Can you tell where it’s coming from?”
He crossed his arms, thinking.
“I can tell, yes.”
“Then please, tell me.”
“Well…”
He kept trailing off, and my frustration grew.
“They might be hurt!”
“But there aren’t supposed to be animals here.”
“Even if it isn’t an animal, what if it’s a beastman?”
“If it’s a beastman who’s hurt, then we shouldn’t go.”
“…What did you just say?”
His words nearly made me explode.
The memory of Luis flashed in my mind—
That little beastman child who had been too afraid to admit he was sick, hiding it from his family.
Akin tilted his head curiously at my sharp glare, my eyes rising like a cat’s.
“Is this because you feel a healer’s sense of duty, Lady Irriel?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I mean, the way you can’t stand seeing others hurt.”
I raised my voice, flustered.
“That has nothing to do with being a healer—it’s only natural!”
He tilted his head again.
“Really?”
“Of course!”
At my firm reply, he gave a small smile.
“Then you must not be a beastman.”
His words made my heart plummet—worse than when I’d first seen him.
How could he possibly be so sure?
“Fufu. Surprised, are you?”
He glanced at my stunned face, then turned his head forward.
“There’s no need to look at me like that, my lady. Normally, beastfolk don’t reveal their pain so openly. Doing so is just showing weakness to an enemy.”
He gently stroked a blooming rose in the bushes as he continued.
“That’s why, among beastfolk, there’s an unspoken rule: don’t approach someone when they’re at their weakest. If you do, it’s nothing but humiliation for them.”
I had never heard this before.
No one had ever explained it—but perhaps it was something I should have realized on my own.
Now that I think of it… Rudels too…
When I first met him, he hadn’t let out a single groan, even as he collapsed on the ground, panting.
Luis too had hidden his pain.
Irriel Rotis…!
There had been so many hints, yet I hadn’t realized. And now—just like this—someone had seen through me so easily!
As I struggled with guilt, he lifted his hand gently from the rose and looked at me.
“Don’t make that face. Even among beastfolk, not many would catch on. I’m just… quick to notice small things, that’s all.”
He muttered, glancing briefly at the sky.
Then he gave me a wry smile.
“So… shall I guide you to where the sound is coming from?”
“Could you?” I asked cautiously.
“I could. But…”
His lips curved downward.
“If I do, the one making that sound might not appreciate it. After all, I’m acting as the family head’s representative. If I show a poor side of myself to another beastman here, it could damage my reputation.”
