Dimitri watched the back of Rowaine as she ran away. Although it was definitely the same situation as in the morning, it felt completely different. Back then, it was bitter and heartbreaking, though now he couldn’t stop smiling.

“It wasn’t because of my cat appearance but because of my nudity.”

At first, he chuckled quietly, but soon, he couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing loudly.

Hahaha!

“She was embarrassed because she saw my naked body!”

He triumphantly shouted into the air.

If anyone saw him, they would have thought he was crazy, but Dimitri didn’t care what anyone thought of him right now.

“It was because I was naked! Because I was naked!”

With his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out, he laughed heartily. Meanwhile, Hyle, who had belatedly followed Dimitri and Rowaine, discovered the scene.

“Oh, my God.”

He widened his eyes and covered his mouth with his hand.

‘He’s lost his mind…!’

He quickly looked around and saw that no one was passing by. It was fortunate. He almost had to create an innocent victim to hide the fact that his master had lost his mind.

Dimitri, who had already heard his footsteps and knew he had arrived, hopped over and grabbed his shoulder.

“Hyle!”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Rowaine was startled because she saw my naked body! It was my nudity that was the problem!”

Hyle’s hands trembled.

“T-that’s…”

Even though he didn’t know what was going on, he thought that there was a big problem with Dimitri’s body and that Rowaine had discovered it.

If Dimitri had lost his mind to this extent, it must be…

‘There?’

Hyle’s gaze became sympathetic.

On the other hand, Dimitri, who was unaware of what his subordinate was imagining, kept jumping up and down with excitement.

‘I knew it! If it were Rowaine, I knew it would be like this! I knew she wouldn’t hate me even if I transformed into a shapeshifter! Rowaine likes cat shapeshifters!’

The inferiority complex he had.

He revealed his cat’s appearance, which he found terrible, to someone he loved. He showed the weakness he was most worried about and reluctant to show to the person he was most afraid to show it to. After showing that form, he was worried that Rowaine might hate him.

He thought he might lose her.

But in reality, Rowaine had no problem with his cat appearance at all.

Why did this make him so happy and grateful?

Dimitri’s heart swelled with emotion. He now felt invincible, as if nothing could stand in his way.

“Haha! Hahaha…!”

Dimitri, who had been laughing brightly, put his hand on his chest and savored the subsiding anxiety and the newfound sense of ease. As he relaxed, little things he had momentarily forgotten came to mind.

His laughter gradually faded.

‘…Rowaine knows that I’m Blue.’

Countless foolish actions he had done in his cat form flashed through his mind. Whether it was acting childish and spoiled in front of Rowaine, being cute, and so on…

“Ugh…”

He groaned and clutched his head.

On the other hand, Hyle, who was watching Dimitri’s rapidly changing expressions, grew increasingly concerned.

‘What kind of huge problem could there be?’

At the same time, worries about the heir to the Duchy of Blois flooded his mind.

‘Should I quickly search among the Duke’s relatives to find a successor who will become the next duke?’

He watched Dimitri laugh like a madman, grab his head in frustration, laugh again as if he didn’t care, and then grab his head once more. He felt troubled at the sight, as though he had discovered his boss’s secret weakness.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

I wandered through the deserted corridor and took a moment to collect myself.

‘Calm down, Rowaine.’

I needed to go to Dimitri and clear up the misunderstanding. I never disliked Dimitri’s appearance as a cat at all. I had to explain that I was embarrassed by all the inappropriate things Blue did without realizing it was him and that I was embarrassed to see him naked out of nowhere.

‘Dimitri hates his shapeshifter form, so I need to explain properly.’

I knew what he had been through, what trauma he had. It was entirely predictable what kind of misunderstanding he might have had due to what happened in the morning, though it was my oversight that led to this misunderstanding.

‘Let’s go back.’

After settling my mind, I started walking back to where Dimitri was. However, I saw someone standing in the shadows behind a pillar in the corridor.

“….?”

A figure seemed to be waiting for me. As I stopped abruptly, on guard, the figure slowly emerged from the shadows as the moonlight illuminated his face.

Recognizing him, my eyes widened.

“Oh? It’s you…”

This was someone I never dreamed I would meet here.

Cadis smiled brightly at me.

“Eunsoo!”

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

Cadis was in a great mood.

Even though he had been extremely anxious about being summoned to the bustling golden hall where the party was in full swing, thankfully, the worst thing he thought would happen didn’t happen.

He had simply met Herman, who was waiting there on behalf of the Emperor.

Herman ordered him to find and bring back Rowaine, who had left the party hall not long ago. It seemed she had encountered some trouble at the party and rushed out.

Originally, search missions were tasks suitable for hunting dogs with keen senses of hearing and smell. It was much more efficient to release one hunting dog to find something than to release hundreds of people to search. That was why Cadis searched for Rowaine without any suspicion.

He was worried that she had encountered some trouble and might be crying alone somewhere. But fortunately, Rowaine, whom he found in a deserted area, wasn’t crying.

‘As expected, Eunsoo is strong.’

Seeing her, Cadis glanced around to make sure no one was watching before he waved his hand happily as if nothing had happened. If he had been in the form of a dog, he would’ve wagged his tail enough to raise dust.

“Cadis! What are you doing here alone? Can you be alone?”

“Eunsoo!”

He chuckled as he quickly ran over to her.

“I was looking for Eunsoo. I recognized the scent and knew you had come to the palace. I never thought I’d see you like this!”

“I see. Your sense of smell is truly amazing.”

Rowaine burst into laughter, watching Cadis enthusiastically pour out his words with excitement.

Perhaps because he was a dog shapeshifter, he had a completely different energy compared to cat shapeshifters. Although she felt a bit awkward and embarrassed, she didn’t dislike it. Why would anyone dislike being welcomed like this?

“But why are you really here, Cadis?”

“I was given a mission by Count Herman! For Eunsoo…”

Cadis suddenly stopped mid-sentence. It was because he felt that, somehow, something was off with his senses.

‘…What is it?’

Shapeshifters, whose senses were much sharper compared to ordinary humans, often felt extreme anxiety or excitement and exhibited strange behaviors when their senses became abnormal. Cadis was shaken by the sudden dullness of hearing and his vision blurred.

“Cadis, are you okay?”

Rowaine quickly grabbed his shoulders.

“Yes, Eunsoo…”

Cadis shook his head to try to regain his senses, but this time, he felt that his sense of smell had become even more sensitive than before. He could detect various perfumes of people who had been buried in the party hall from Rowaine. Despite it giving him a headache, he found her natural scent in the midst of it all particularly pleasant, enough to make his heart pound violently.

“Ha… Just a moment…”

He panicked and tried to push her away, but his body suddenly didn’t respond. Cadis staggered and leaned her head on Rowaine’s shoulder.

“I’m, I’m sorry…”

“What’s wrong, Cadis?”

“I don’t… know…”

His words became slurred.

At the same time, he suddenly remembered the snacks Herman had given him before coming here. He had eaten them at Herman’s insistence. Naturally, he couldn’t ask for a reason or refuse. He thought there was a strange taste inside the cookie…

‘What was it?’

The symptoms worsened gradually, and his vision began to spin.

He felt anxious.

Instinctively, he felt he needed to distance himself from Rowaine, but his body wouldn’t obey.

“E-Eun, Eunsoo… Haah, ha…”

“Why are you acting like this? Snap out of it, Cadis! Wait here. I’ll get someone.”

“Just a moment… Haah, please wait, Eunsoo… Wait a minute…”

He didn’t know what to do, but he felt an urge to hold onto her and do something.

Unconsciously, as he grabbed Rowaine, holding her hand tightly and squeezing her shoulder, he fidgeted restlessly, not knowing what to do. His body was hot, and his heart was pounding like crazy. He wanted to do something but didn’t know what. Feeling frustrated and on the brink of losing control, he just pulled Rowaine into his embrace until she was crumpled.

It felt like a deep thirst, not for water, but a thirst for Rowaine.

At that moment, Cadis raised his head slightly and saw her lips.

‘Ah…’

In an instant, memories of kissing Elaine flashed through his mind. The sensation that was so good dominated his thoughts.

‘Just one more time…’

He realized that the sensation he desired was exactly that.

The next moment, without even knowing what he was doing, he grabbed the woman in front of him. The flustered Rowaine tried to push him away, though it wasn’t enough to overcome his strength, who was nearly one hundred and ninety centimeters tall and muscular.

“Cadis? Cadis! Wait a moment! What—uhp!”

Cadis pressed his lips against Rowaine’s.

 
—