Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Was that what he said to a little girl…!

As I opened my mouth, Dimitri shrugged indifferently.

“You seem to be forgetting, but shapeshifters are half beasts. The shapeshifter’s world is like the weak becoming prey to the strong.”

‘Still, they are still half human, so you have to act like a human being, too!’

Even though his words were not wrong, I knew well the saying, it was an earring if it was hung on the ear, and a nose ring if it was hung on the nose*.

[ T/N: An idiom which means ‘Different people call it different things; For something or an object to become this or that depending on how it is explained or described.’ ]

Anyway, Sasha aside, I glanced sadly at Cadis, who was still tied up.

“Still, can’t you just let that hound go…”

Cadis lay with his body drooping as if resigning, slowly breathing. He seemed to have given up, knowing that there was no way to escape from Dimitri’s demons as long as he was wearing the shackles that restrict his magic.

‘…I was trying to relieve his grudge, though I only increased the bad memories.’

In my heart, I lamented and gave Dimitri a look that said, ‘Can’t you just let him go?’ However, Dimitri, who stared down at Cadis, was enveloped with cold air.

“You want me to release that guy who tried to attack Rowaine? This ungrateful guy who almost hurt you and trampled your head.”

…It was Sasha who hurt me in the first place.

“Cadis wasn’t trying to attack me, he was just trying to respond to Sasha’s sudden attack.”

“He was trying to cause trouble in my territory even though he’s a hostage.”

Dimitri’s demeanor was firm.

I watched Cadis’ eyes darken. He must have thought there was no hope.

‘Ah, things are getting worse.’

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

However, contrary to Rowaine’s expectations, Cadis did not lose hope. Rather, he was only listening to her voice.

‘…What’s her plan?’

It was a constant thought that lingered in his mind for days since he had been caught by the Blois.

It had been said that Rowaine Larscel was suddenly married to the Duke of Blois.

It was Rowaine, who enjoyed playing with his master, His Majesty the Emperor, as she would insult him from time to time and even made him fight with his comrades. Because of that, he thought she would become His Majesty’s mistress and come to the Imperial Palace.

Instead, she unexpectedly went to Blois, and Cadis honestly liked this. He thought he would not be able to see her anymore.

Nonetheless, His Majesty missed her and ordered her to be captured. Cadis was born a slave and never learned to act of free will or reflect on his feelings—obedience to orders—that was his life, and that was why he exists.

And so, he headed to Count Larscel to pick up Rowaine, who had abused him, to carry out the orders. However, the devilish Rowaine refused to go to His Majesty, and even brought him to Blois.

‘I thought he was going to kill me.’

The Duke of Blois hated and despised hounds, as anyone who has ever seen him would know.

While dog shapeshifters were very good at grasping other people’s feelings, cat shapeshifters never tried to hide their feelings. The Duke of Blois had always lived against the hunting dogs.

When fighting the Duke, Cadis could tell that he sincerely intended to kill him and his comrades. There was a pungent murderous intent in the Duke’s eyes, and he even seemed to enjoy waiting for the moment he would take their lives.

‘…But why did Rowaine Larscel stop him? And, why is she so nice to us?’

Things were going strangely.

Cadis thought she only brought him and his comrades as leisurely entertainment and made them fight to the death.

…He had killed two of his comrades with his own hands in that way.

He could not help it. It was because he had to obey His Majesty the Emperor’s order as Rowiane told him to do so. Cadis’ heart was engraved with a curse spell that would cost his life if he did not follow the Emperor’s orders.

All the Emperor’s hounds could not avoid it.

Cadis, who had never learned anything other than obeying orders, and had cursed magic, had no choice but to do so. Even now, he could not forget his misery and sorrow when he bit and killed his comrade with his own teeth. He could never forgive Rowaine for enjoying such a cruel order.

There was always a faint smell of blood from her.

Even after wearing her thick perfume and changing to new clothes, there was always an unpleasant, fishy smell on her… that was her body odor.

So, Cadis would always be aware of her presence even if she was very far away.

‘Though strangely, she does not smell like that.’

For days, whenever she came to her dungeon, even when she fed him, he did not recognize her until he heard her voice or saw her face.

‘…Is it because of the magic perfume?’

He knew that the unfamiliar smell was artificially manipulating his emotions. Although he could not resist, he could recognize it. So, he thought that was why she felt different. What was she planning to do after using magic perfume to distract him…?

Cadis was afraid.

However, he saw Rowaine throwing herself to protect the young cat shapeshifter.

‘Nonsense.’

She was even wounded by the cat shapeshifter.

Cadis truly thought that Rowaine would twist the cat’s head on the spot. One day, after completing training for the hounds, a newcomer who was first put into the army accidentally stepped on Rowaine’s foot.

How upset was she that day? She screamed in anger as she saw her red, stained feet.

To appease her, His Majesty made him run a few laps through the vacant lot, tying that newcomer to a horse. Tied up and dragged by his horse, he lost consciousness and collapsed that night, writhing in agony before dying.

…And, it all happened because of a single indentation that would disappear after just a few minutes.

The young cat shapeshifter caused a lot of wounds on Rowaine’s neck and arm, so he thought it was going to have a big problem. However, contrary to his expectations, she asked the little cat shapeshifter, “Are you okay?”, “Aren’t you hurt?” as she looked around it.

‘…What happened?’

She even went so far as to defend him against the Duke of Blois.

‘What’s going on?’

Cadis was confused.

It was so bizarre. He could not believe it. At that time, the magical scent that had emanated from Rowaine’s body lost its effectiveness and disappeared.

‘….?’

Cadis woke up and glanced at her, who was talking to the Duke of Blois.

It was definitely Rowaine.

But, why is it…

‘She smells different? Like… like a completely different person.’

It was the smell he had smelled when he searched for and pursued Rowaine at Count Larscel’s house.

On that day, from the moment she got out of the carriage, Cadis noticed that Rowaine smelled of an unfamiliar grass scent. He thought it was some kind of magic perfume that had a strange effect.

He had no doubt that she used several types of magic incense, as she had even fled with a magical perfume that disturbed his sense of smell. But now, she had covered the body scent with another magical perfume, although the effect disappeared and her original body scent appeared.

‘Is this grassy scent that I thought was a magical scent really her body scent? It doesn’t even smell like regular perfume…’

There was no way he was confused. After all, the dog’s sense of smell is surprisingly sensitive and precise. He could trust his sense of smell more than his sight. Even though Cadis did not see Rowaine with his eyes, he focused on his sense of smell.

It was obvious that she had lost the magical perfume scent and revealed her natural body scent.

‘…It’s a different person.’

The stranger, who was in front of him, had a refreshing and pleasant scent. It warmed his heart even more than the magic perfume.

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

The day after Sasha and Cadis had contact, I had to try very hard to convince Dimitri, who disapproved of Cadis.

As I walked out of his office, I grumbled to myself.

‘Does he think I’m just doing this for me? He doesn’t even know anything.’

Was he also destined to be executed by Cadis? If I treat him well now, Dimitri’s fate could change with me.

‘Maybe.’

Anyway, as a result of an exhausting argument with him, I was allowed to walk the hounds with the knights.

‘I didn’t want to be accompanied by the knights in case they would feel intimidated.’

However, there was nothing I could do to provide them with this convenience like this.

‘I made him go through something like that yesterday, so everything that I have done so far has become stale. I have to start over. Ha…’

Difficult. This is difficult.

But, what can I do? The main character was the boss.

As I packed up some tasty treats, I then headed to the dungeon to cheer Cadis’s mood.

‘I don’t know if this will work.’

Still, this was the best I could do. I had the guards deliver hot food that was still steaming to him. Then, I was surprised to see what was going on with Cadis through the grate.

He was sitting at the door and gazing up at me.

“….”

“….”

Suddenly, I exchanged glances with him.

Cats did not like to make eye contact for long periods of time. So, I habitually tried to avert my eyes without making eye contact with him for a long time, but Cadis’s moist eyes kept attracting my attention.

It seemed that there was no fear in his dark brown eyes that I had seen before. While he was the one whose body stiffened from tension when he looked at me, he seemed to be comfortable in his sitting posture now.

‘…Huh?’

As something caught my eyes, I rubbed my eyes and stared closely through the window.

…Cadis’ tail was waving a little.

[ T/N: (╥╯￢╰╥)❤︎ WHY IS THIS SO CUTE AAAA. ]

‘What?’

My body jolted.

‘That can’t be…!’

Did he open his heart to me?