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chapter 49
“Hmm? Aren’t you coming in with us?”
“No. The order I received was to escort you here, Miss.”
She said this, tracing a line over her lips, and bowed slightly toward me.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Oh, yes. Please go carefully.”
I greeted her, still feeling a little uneasy.
The gray fox beastman nodded in return and quickly disappeared down the corridor.
Kels and I watched in daze as he left at a pace faster than most humans could manage.
Kels was the first to regain his composure.
“Arf!”
He tapped my arm with his front paw, looking at me. I opened my mouth slightly, looked at him, then smiled and gently patted his round head.
“Shall we go in now?”
“Arf! Arf!”
Hearing his reply, I moved toward the door.
Knock-knock—
The door opened naturally, revealing the marquis and Rudels inside. And…
“Akin Radiance?!”
A man with blonde hair and a sly smile waved at me.
“Why…?”
The invitation had only mentioned Rudels and the marquis. I glanced subtly at Rudels.
Rudels was drinking tea with a stern expression. It was clear he wasn’t here of his own will, and I realized the situation had suddenly changed.
“Oh! Isn’t this our healer?”
The marquis greeted me warmly and stepped forward. When he noticed Kels in my arms, his eyes widened.
“Kels? What brings you here?”
Kels sniffed.
He turned his head away from his father and yawned.
“Well… Kels insisted on coming along this time. I also wanted to report his condition to you, Marquis, so I came out with him.”
I stepped between the father and son to explain. The marquis chuckled, placing one hand on his hip.
“Ha ha ha! This little rascal must have taken a liking to our healer.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, come, sit and have some tea.”
Without waiting for my response, I sat at what seemed to be my place and looked at the people in front of me.
Rudels was directly across from me, and beside him, Akin Radiance smiled brightly at me.
“It’s nice to see you again, Lady.”
“Cough!”
I choked on my tea at Akin’s words, coughing repeatedly. Luckily there were napkins nearby, or I might have spat toward Kels.
Kels glared at Akin with his triangular eyes at my coughing.
Growl…
Akin looked at Kels with a patronizing expression, as if daring a fox to glare at a lion was audacious.
“God…”
I tried to soothe Kels to stop his growling.
“Eriel, it seems you’ve grown quite close to Kels Volepino.”
Rudels commented, looking at me.
“Pardon?”
He put down his teacup and smiled brightly.
“I’m almost jealous.”
My mind went blank, and I didn’t know how to respond.
“Wh-what? Why does Rudels look so… upset?”
He was definitely smiling! But why?
I blinked and stared at him dumbfounded. Rudels simply drank his tea with his eyes closed.
Then Akin spoke to me.
“By the way, it’s surprising that this little rascal has opened his heart to you.”
Kels bristled at the term “rascal,” laying back his ears and baring his teeth in warning. But he looked like a small dog daring a huge cat—utterly reckless.
“Is that really surprising?”
“Young beastmen are naturally extremely cautious toward others. They really dislike human touch. Isn’t that right, Marquis?”
The marquis laughed and stroked his mustache.
“That’s correct. But Kels is unusually wary even among other beastmen. I, as his father, have a hard time even touching him.”
I widened my eyes in surprise.
“R-Really?”
He nodded.
“He’s the type who avoids human contact and prefers solitude. Even when our family tried to give him friends, he would panic and hide under furniture… Ah, we worried a lot.”
Kels growled and yipped in denial.
The marquis just chuckled at his protest.
“Kels, no matter how much you deny it, others have seen it.”
Kels huffed in sulkiness.
The marquis smiled kindly at Kels’ pout. Seeing them, I felt a pang of envy—he really seemed loved by his parents.
Rudels watched the trio and remarked,
“Still, Kels being this close to our healer is a bit… jealousy-inducing.”
At Rudels’ grumble, the marquis laughed heartily.
“Ah, Prince Rudels, already worried about the healer?”
“Eriel is a rare talent. I’m concerned Kels might take her away.”
Hearing Rudels praise me so casually, I flushed bright red. This person! How embarrassing!
Then Akin added more.
“With Eriel’s abilities, even I would want to bring her to our family, even if it means paying extra.”
Rudels shot Akin a sharp glance, and Akin smiled mischievously. I had no idea how to respond.
Why are they fighting after complimenting me? Why did Akin say he wants to take me away and turn the mood weird?
I racked my brain, but couldn’t keep up with their conversation.
Kels, seeing me troubled, lay on my lap and yawned. Bored with the power struggle between Rudels and Akin, he looked at them with disdain and closed his eyes.
The marquis smiled, enjoying the young people’s rivalry like a spectator watching a play.
Rudels barely kept a smile, trying not to let Kels’ mischief spill the tea. He thought, If the table gets overturned, the most surprised person will be Eriel, not the lion or the marquis.
Hold it, Rudels Epin.
He clenched his teeth but managed to compliment me.
“Indeed, our healer is exceptional.”
I could feel my face turning redder with every word. Rudels must have thought my self-esteem was far too low.
I must praise her more in the future.
Even for the smallest thing, for anything. He glanced at Akin and gave his trademark charming smile.
“It’s truly a shame that the Radiance family didn’t recognize such talent sooner. I understand, though, they must be busy with internal affairs.”
Akin’s confident face faltered slightly. I didn’t think either he or the cheeky fox noticed, but the marquis sensed something in the remark.
Meanwhile, Rudels sipped the remaining tea calmly.
In the Beastman Kingdom, unlike other kingdoms, proverbs and sayings about the royal family and the four supporting noble houses were common.
Regarding the Radiance family, the most famous proverb was: “Do not pull the lion’s whiskers carelessly.”
During the witch wars and kingdom-building, the Radiance family, a noble military house, rivaled the Black Wolf Epin family in strength. They led their troops boldly and always claimed victory.
The peculiar thing was that the head of the family was female. Men managed internal affairs, while women handled external ones. Most power resided with the women.
Rudels’ earlier remark to Akin could be interpreted as, “You are a man, so you have no say in worldly matters.”
This clearly bruised Akin’s pride as a haughty feline beastman.
Akin was the youngest son of the fifth wife of the Radiance head. Though initially excluded from succession, after the eldest disappeared, most siblings vanished as well.
Some speculated Akin was behind it, but could he really have the power?
I’d like to find out.
Rudels thought this as he smiled, sipping his tea.
The marquis, noticing Akin’s slightly trembling eyes, coughed repeatedly, as if trying to swallow a mouthful of cold water.
