Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Beast-Eared Yelena
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Arrr.
Lap. Lap.
Swiik...
Arrr.
What the hell are you trying to do?
For some reason, Yelena had turned into a beast. Whenever I reached out to touch her, she growled warily.
But the moment I pulled my hand back, she licked my face or hand.
It felt exactly like she was saying, I can do it, but you can't!
With no other choice, I decided to just watch her quietly for now.
Her condition was obviously far from normal.
It wasn't that she looked unwell or seemed mentally unstable.
She had dog ears and a tail that looked woven from ice and snow.
And every time those ears and tail twitched, tiny snow crystals scattered into the air.
"Mm."
"What? ...You want my hand?"
"Yeah."
With a sound that could have been a reply or just puppy whining, she offered her hidden left hand. Then she started rubbing her face against it like crazy.
To be honest, seeing someone with such striking beauty doing this was incredibly disorienting.
'...Is it the spirit?'
Honestly, that was the only thing that came to mind.
Her ability to commune with spirits, which she kept hidden from everyone—that was the only possibility.
There was no way sane Yelena would be acting like this with those ears and tail attached.
But even if it was a spirit, there was still a problem.
'Nothing like this happened in the original story.'
If something similar had occurred in the original, I would have taken appropriate measures.
But I swear, this was a first.
Most spirits take the form of animals, so I could guess that something had happened with a spirit that had ears and a tail like that.
But whether that 'something' was positive or negative? No clue.
'At least on the surface, she doesn't seem in immediate danger.'
It wasn't like she was having a seizure or some grotesque physical mutation.
Still, leaving her like this could lead to who-knows-what down the line.
"...Yelena, snap out of it."
I patted her head lightly, trying to rouse her mind.
But the beast-imitating Yelena showed no reaction.
If anything, she seemed to like the head pats and suddenly shoved her head toward me.
"Woof..."
"......"
A light pat on her head, and she purred contentedly.
I naturally stroked up to her frosty ears like petting a dog, and they folded softly under my touch.
'...Feels like she's possessed by a canine spirit.'
After only seeing her tsundere or awkward side before, witnessing this blatant affection was surreal.
Fundamentally, Yelena had grown up in a debt-ridden family, showing strong independence and maturity beyond her years.
So this spoiled, affectionate display had never been depicted.
In other words, I was seeing something that neither the 3rd Prince nor the other male leads connected to her had ever witnessed.
"...Haa."
That realization brought a strange sense of conquest—and guilt toward her, who wouldn't remember any of this.
For one thing, we couldn't keep this up in the dining hall.
Even if all the cooks had gone home, the servants might spot us.
"For now, let's head to your room."
"Whiiiine."
But Yelena refused to get up, rubbing her face against my chest.
No choice—I scooped her up.
In the so-called princess carry, no less.
If she'd been in her right mind, I'd have been embarrassed too, but luckily, this was beast-mode Yelena.
Treating it like carrying an animal, I quickly slipped out of the dining hall.
"Murrrp."
To avoid any growling or barking, I occasionally covered her mouth as we sneaked along.
Thankfully, it was the dead of night, so hardly any servants were moving about.
I tried to leave her in her room...
But trouble arose.
"Yaaawn..."
Her maid, Lucia, was guarding the door.
Outwardly, since we'd basically decided to marry, I could ignore her, but... the problem was that it was Lucia.
'Thinking about it, her absence during my outing might've been intentional.'
Knowing she was behind some of those rumors, I had to tread carefully.
Especially since she was reportedly the source of several exaggerated ones...
'And showing her Yelena like this wouldn't be good.'
Yelena never told anyone about her abilities except the 3rd Prince—and even then, only right before the ending, after much agonizing.
She knew full well the dangers and potential of her powers.
Having learned the aftermath of spirits through the original story, it was best if no one saw her now.
After much deliberation, the place I headed was...
"Here again, huh."
The previous Grand Duke and Duchess's bedroom.
The same room where I'd dozed by the fireplace and run into Yelena before.
No one to call, so I lit the fireplace myself and brought the yawning Yelena along.
"Alright, you'll sleep here tonight."
"Mm."
I turned to leave, but she grabbed my clothes.
Looking back, she gazed up at me with teary eyes.
That aggressive angle froze my brain for a second.
What was this, a puppy stopping its owner from leaving for work?
"...Haa."
In the end, I couldn't return to my room.
Thinking it over, if I left, she'd probably go scampering down the halls kicking up dust again.
Better to stay and keep watch here.
"Hehe."
Thrilled that I'd stayed, her frosty tail wagged furiously.
I suddenly wondered: Was this Yelena's emotion, or the spirit's?
No idea.
Personally, that feeling seemed...
"...Sleep time."
Come to think of it, should I ask her about this situation later?
Or just pretend I didn't notice?
If she didn't remember and I woke first, I could play dumb.
But was ignoring it the right call?
What if she transformed like this in front of others when I wasn't around?
Nothing more humiliating for her.
That said, I should probably tell her.
Purr. Purr...
But watching Yelena close her eyes and purr like a cat made all those thoughts feel pointless.
I glanced at my waist, gripped by both her hands, then slowly lay beside her without disturbing her.
I'd thought everything was going smoothly, but this happened.
I figured it'd take longer than usual to fall asleep, but surprisingly, sleep came swiftly.
For some reason, she emanated a cool yet warm, sharp yet cozy aura.
And so, the day passed, giving way to the next.
Yelena had a dream.
A dream of riding a massive wolf through winter mountains.
Even with the biting cold wind, the wolf's body heat felt scorching.
So she clung tighter to escape the wind.
But something felt off.
At some point, the fur's texture felt sleek.
The lush coat typical of wolves was gone. Regretfully, she hugged the wolf tighter.
But it got weirder.
Its massive frame, big enough to leap over people easily, had shrunk.
Still bigger than Yelena herself, though.
About a head taller.
Still sturdy and comforting.
She tried to snuggle deeper to sleep...
'Wait, sleep?'
In that instant, the dream's harsh chill vanished.
This wasn't outdoors—it was inside the mansion, with a warm fireplace crackling.
The unfamiliar room... wasn't unfamiliar.
She'd been here once before. The issue? It was the previous Grand Duke and Duchess's bedroom.
Why the hell am I here? she thought, wriggling around.
Something tugged at her body.
A person.
"...Huh?"
It was Cassius.
He was sleeping right beside her.
Why...?
Her mind blanked.
Maybe she'd fallen asleep wrong again... but no prior scene came to mind, no matter how hard she tried.
It was like total amnesia, or as if she'd lost consciousness.
'Or... he carried me here while I was asleep...?'
If anything, that seemed most likely.
She had no memory of coming here herself!
But surprisingly, it didn't feel bad.
If anything, she gazed at the sleeping Cassius with a strange fondness.
"Hey..."
Poke. Poke.
"Kidnapping me in the middle of the night isn't cool..."
Poke. Poke.
She said that, but her lips curved upward slyly.
This man, who'd always been so cold, wanted her. It felt like validation of her feminine charms.
"...Hehe."
She giggled as she tried to slip out of bed.
"What're you grinning about?"
"Eek!"
Cassius had woken up at some point and was staring at her with bemused eyes.
Her heart pounded wildly from the shock.
But this time, she had a retort.
"W-what do you mean! You kidnapped me while I was asleep...!"
"What?"
Cassius looked genuinely baffled, as if asking if she was serious.
That reaction gave Yelena an odd feeling.
Like... something had happened that she didn't know about.
And memories of that unknown event were bubbling up from some deep place.
"Looks like you don't remember."
"W-what...?"
Suddenly, Cassius smirked and patted her head.
Huh?
Why all of a sudden...?
"I stroked you for ages yesterday because you wanted it so bad. Isn't that right? Lena."
"What do you...?"
And that pat acted like a trigger—memories flooded in like a tidal wave.
"Ah."
Huh?