“…Yes?”
My voice came out through my vocal cords. As I was deeply relieved, Oscar continued.
“Why are your lips like this?”
“Ah…”
I forgot that I had put a lot of ointment on my lips. Oscar then wiped the already crushed ointment from my lips with his thumb.
“Master, what the hell did you eat that you had so many crumbs?”
He murmured over and over again and wiped my lips mercilessly. It didn’t seem like he was cleaning it, but it was like bullying.
“Ah, stop it.”
“Hehehe, I’ll wipe it all up for you.”
Despite my persuasion, he did not stop. His expression was so mischievous that I wondered if he was the one who was seriously worried about me just a moment ago. Now, my lips, which had already swelled up because of Lucian, started to hurt even with a little stimulation.
I grabbed Oscar’s wrist and tried to remove it. He stuck his tongue out and devoured the ointment remaining around my lips.
Shudder.
Goosebumps arose. Even though I knew he wasn’t human, I never dreamed I would confirm it like this. The texture of the tongue was different from that of humans. While Lucian’s tongue felt thicker and tougher than mine, it wasn’t like Oscar’s.
Embarrassed, I pushed his face roughly.
“Doggy, stop!”
By the way, I called out his old name.
It flowed out naturally because what he was doing was just like at the time. At my call, Oscar automatically slumped down with his butt on the floor. He shouted a beat late, making a ‘Hah!’ sound as if it was a reflex act he had done unknowingly.
“I’m not Doggy! Stupid Master!”
The tears that had stopped quickly filled up and dripped down. The tears that welled up in his ruby-like eyes looked like transparent beads with a reddish tinge, but then they fell as they turned into white beads.
Tap, tap, trickle.
The sound of beads falling to the floor resounded. I stared blankly at the mysterious scene. Then, Damien came and grabbed Oscar’s neck.
“Hey!”
Damien, who pressed the back of Oscar’s head as he struggled to get away from him, spoke in a voice holding back his anger.
“How dare you do this to Master.”
“What did I do…!”
Asking that, Oscar grabbed his head and groaned.
“Is that what’s important right now? We need to supplement the Master’s magic more.”
At Damien’s words, Oscar struggled and stopped before murmuring as if he had forgotten.
“…Oh, right.”
“Huuuu…”
Taking a deep breath, Oscar freed himself from Damien and quickly came up to me and said, “Why do you confuse me by eating delicious food alone?”
“…This is an ointment, Doggy.”
“Master…! I’m Oscar!”
“Every time you keep doing things like a doggy, I’ll call you Doggy again. Do you understand?”
“Sheesh. Master, it’s too much.”
The feeling of gratitude towards him for coming to my rescue was gradually fading away. It seemed that the fox I raised was a bit too much.
No, why are all the kids I raised like this…?
Among them, Damien was the only one who was the most sane. Both Oscar and Lucian had been doing nonsense lately. I felt like the strength I didn’t have was already draining more and more. Then, it was only later that I understood what Damien had said.
“What do you mean by replenishing my magical power?”
“Master, I think I can help you with Oscar’s abilities.”
Listening to his words, I widened my eyes.
…What the hell is Oscar’s ability? I then glanced up at Oscar, who had already stopped his tears. Seeing my gaze, he raised his chin as usual.
“You’re not going to call me Doggy anymore, Master?”
I asked Oscar, who raised his chin more than usual and crossed his arms.
“What are your abilities? Do fox shapeshifters also have special abilities?”
“This is not an ability that all fox shapeshifters have. Only I, the white fox shapeshifter, can do this, Master.”
“…What the hell is that?”
The fear I felt a while ago was not something easily forgotten—the sensation was not just a separation of my soul from my body.
Was I supposed to say that it felt like I was completely gone? Although the memory of during the time I came into possession was not clear, was it like the feeling that my soul seemed to disappear when I returned to my original body…?
If not…
If I’m not going back, I’m just disappearing…
Where am I going when I die?
As I was not a person of this world, I could not even guess. What if I couldn’t go back to Korea and wander around as a soul like Cassandra? Lucian would not recognize me, and Oscar and Damien would not recognize me either. In addition, not only Amber but also the former Duke and the former Duchess…
…Perfect isolation.
What if, even if I die, I become as if I am not dead, struggling with constant loneliness?
“Master… Why are you making such a face? You still don’t trust me?”
My thoughts that had led to a pessimistic conclusion for a moment stopped at Oscar’s question.
What expression was I making…?
I peered up at Oscar without a word, and he gently swept my face. Soon, he gently brushed my hair and caressed it, like I did to him.
“Do you know how great my ability is? That seaweed punk could only watch it, though I am different.”
“…What?”
“I can amplify or decrease magic power. Of course, I trained separately to help Master, but hehe.”
I grabbed Oscar’s hand as he lifted his chin again. The words that were like a lifeline unintentionally made me put strength in my hands.
“So, put up with me, Master.”
Oscar put his hand on my stomach as he spoke. I saw marbles spinning around his fingers. Before, when catching a stag, he must have taken out a blue marble. However, now the marbles around his fingers were red.
I couldn’t believe it even as I watched the red marbles that looked exactly like Oscar’s pupils absorbed into my body.
The next moment, the same hot sensation as before came over me.
I gasped for breath as I felt something pulling me into the depths. Even though it was a strange feeling, I wasn’t worried. It may be thanks to Oscar holding my hand tightly and Damien looking with sharp hawk-like eyes as if he would not miss my condition.
“Haa…”
There was a warm feeling from my fingertips to my toes. It was like dipping my body up to my chin in a bathtub filled with warm water.
“Master, how is it? How do you feel? Do you feel refreshed?”
I smiled brightly at Oscar, whose eyes were shining brightly in order to receive praise from me.
Although I took such a bitter medicine, it didn’t seem to have any effect. The fact that Cassandra tried to eat me again was proof of that. What he did, however, felt completely different. I didn’t have energy until a while ago, but now, I was back to my usual condition.
“It’s really strange. How did you do it?”
“Hehe, that’s a secret. Don’t try to know too much.”
“Hoho, thank you.”
Looking at Oscar and Damien smiling at me, I had a strange feeling.
A long time ago, my parents supported me so strongly like this before the birth of my younger sibling. My heart fluttered as I watched the two of them worry and support me with a pure heart without self-interest or calculation.
I want to be here
…Not only Lucian, but everyone here loved me.
When I thought of that, I felt like I was suffocating at the same time. Anticipation was always accompanied by anxiety. I may live forever distrusting people. The firmly entrenched human distrust in me would not be broken. More than anyone else, I judged myself objectively.
…Everyone is so nice.
I want to believe them. That was because I was a very broken person.
I’m sorry…
Instead of bringing out the words inside, I smiled brightly.
* * *
Lucian was meticulously sifting through the documents his aides had handed him.
“There are rumors that the Prince has come to the funeral of Baron Castilla, Duke.”
When his aide said that, Lucian raised his gaze. The aides in the office were nervous even when there was nothing wrong with his cold golden eyes.
“The Prince and Baron Castilla…”
After the death of Noah’s father, the succession was natural, and Noah was now the Baron.
Lucian had already known the rumors through Enzo’s familiar. While he didn’t know what their plot was, he thought it worked out better. Both were annoying to him, so it would be an excellent opportunity to get them out together.
Lucian, who handed over the documents, gave an order to the aide.
“First, let’s meet with Baron Castilla’s collateral family and hire them. Also, find out how much money that was lent to the Barony.”
“Yes, Duke.”
“Is there anyone in the collateral family that can be appointed as a baron?”
“Yes, I figured it out. There is a relative of the same age as the current baron, but it is said that he graduated from the academy with the highest rank as a commoner.”
“Hmmm…”
The academy created by the imperial family accepted students regardless of rank, though in reality, the majority of students were nobles. The place for commoners, who were already different from the nobles in financial resources, was very narrow, and it was difficult to graduate.
However, they graduated from such a place…?
“Then, I’ll have to approach him and find out if he has ambitions about the Baron.”
“Understood, Duke.”
After dismissing the aide with a light gesture, Lucian glanced at his work papers and glanced away. It was a pity that Rachel, who would normally be sitting next to him and sorting out invitations with a serious expression, could not be seen.
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