Fluffy Secrets and Royal Blood
-Bang!
A dagger slammed into the ground right at my feet, and at the same time, a massive crash echoed from beside me.
Whipping around in shock, I saw Olivia smashing a masked figure's head into the wall.
A red aura swirled wildly around Olivia's right hand.
"Olivia! Stop it!"
"No way! This bitch just tried to kill you!"
"Calm down first and let her go. She's gonna actually die."
"...Fine."
Latynia and I hurried over to Olivia.
The masked figure lay unconscious, blood trickling from her head.
I peeled back the mask just a bit—it was that guard who looked so much like Latynia from before.
I used Healing to treat the guard's wound and said to Olivia,
"Olivia."
"Yeah? What? You don't need to thank me."
"If you're gonna hang around with me, fix that temper first."
"What? I was just thinking of you..."
"That doesn't mean you smash someone's head into a wall. It was too rash—she wasn't even aiming at me directly. You gotta hear them out first."
"I... uh... sorry... I guess I'll just go then..."
Olivia slumped her shoulders and trudged back to the mansion.
I wanted to comfort her, but that hotheadedness needed fixing.
Let her stew on it alone for a bit.
After Olivia left, silence fell between us.
"Um... sorry about Olivia. She's a bit..."
"No, I get it!"
"Thanks. So, what do we do with her?"
"For now... let's put her in an empty room."
"Got it."
I hoisted the unconscious guard onto my back.
She was surprisingly heavy for her build.
As I carried her back to the mansion, I asked Latynia,
"Speaking of guards, I just remembered—haven't seen Ruphus around lately."
"Ruphus went back home."
"Oh yeah? That's a shame. Ara was so cute."
"What'd you say?"
Those soft-looking ears and that fluffy tail—I never got to touch them. What a lifelong regret.
Latynia suddenly flared up, apparently misinterpreting what I meant.
The guard on my back twitched too.
"Honestly, aren't those ears and tail kinda cheating? I was gonna ask for a quick feel sometime, but Ruphus's watch was too tight, so I gave up."
"I... see."
She likes ears and tails...
Latynia muttered under her breath.
Sorry, but I heard that.
After pondering something, Latynia spoke up.
"What do you think of beastkin, by the way?"
"Beastkin?"
Beastkin, huh...
In Prism Arts, beastkin were furries.
I respect niche tastes, but they're not really my thing.
But with the power of mods, that's a different story.
Pirel had already proven that mods changing the appearance of other races worked fine.
And seeing Ara...
"I like beastkin. Probably everyone does?"
"Not everyone would."
"Yeah? Tastes vary. I get it."
"Anyway, you like them?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Nothing."
Latynia lapsed into thought.
She must have some secret.
I was curious, but not enough to pry—it could be sensitive.
So I just let it go.
I unwound the guard's arm from around my neck and laid her on the bed.
No matter how I looked at her, she resembled Latynia.
"Latynia. Doesn't she kinda look like you?"
"No. Not at all."
"Really? Weird..."
The way Latynia stated it so definitively made her look even more similar.
As I stared at the guard on the bed, Latynia suspiciously changed the subject.
"More importantly, do you have anything to do right now?"
"Hmm... gotta ponder if this guard looks like you."
"Not that."
"Making up with pouty Vivian? Cheering up gloomy Olivia? That's about it."
"So nothing tonight?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Nothing. I have some business—I'll be right back."
Latynia dashed off urgently.
Suspicious.
Really suspicious.
My top priority right now: soothing super-pouty Vivian.
Checked the drawing room—empty, as expected.
Her room: also empty.
As I was about to search the mansion again, mana flared from Ji-ah's room.
Was she with Ji-ah?
I cracked open Ji-ah's door.
Inside: Vivian and Ji-ah together.
Vivian was learning something from Ji-ah.
"...Do it like this, and you'll capture him in one go."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"If that doesn't work... I'll teach you another way."
Vivian, who usually kept her distance from others, getting this chummy?
Her growth was touching.
I knocked to enter.
-Knock knock
"Ji-ah? You in there?"
"Do-jun? Wait a sec!"
Scrambled movements from inside.
After a long wait, Ji-ah said,
"Yeah. Come in."
The room was a mess.
Not like tidy Ji-ah.
Last time at the dorm, she'd hidden the stained sheets in the closet, but it looked clean otherwise...
"Haha... I was rearranging the furniture..."
"Yeah? Should've called me. I'd have helped."
"No! You're busy, Do-jun!"
"Not really... Anyway, Ji-ah. Got a question."
"Yeah? What?"
"Seen Vivian anywhere?"
The bundled-up blanket on the bed twitched at my question.
...Way too obvious.
Ji-ah's pupils shook too.
"N-no idea? Haven't seen her."
"Really? Tell the truth now, and I'll keep your secret."
"My secret? I don't hide anything from you?"
"For real?"
I glanced at the closet.
Ji-ah's face went pale following my gaze.
Yup, stashed in the closet again.
"Nothing hidden at all?"
"Ah... uh... th-that's..."
Her pale face flushed red.
She'd spill soon at this rate.
But that'd ruin the fun.
"Well, if you say so. Our sweet Ji-ah wouldn't hide anything from me, right?"
"Ac... actually... Huh? Y-yeah..."
"Anyway, I trust you. Keep at it. Call if you need help."
"...Yeah."
They were definitely plotting something.
But busting them now would kill the surprise.
Think of it as a gift. Might not go well, but...
Good luck, Vivian.
Time dragged on.
Everyone was busy, hard to track down.
Latynia seemed freest?
She'd asked about tonight too.
I cracked open her door.
"Wouldn't that be fine?"
"If you think so, Lady Latynia, I won't stop you. But can you really trust that Shin Do-jun guy?"
"Do-jun's trustworthy."
"If you say so... Hah!"
The guard talking to Latynia spotted me eavesdropping and vanished in a flash.
Latynia looked stunned, not grasping the situation.
I closed the door casually and knocked.
-Knock knock
"Latynia? Mind if I come in?"
"Yeah. Come in."
I entered her room.
No sign of the guard anywhere.
"Latynia. Weren't you talking to someone?"
"No? I was alone."
"Ah, got it."
I approached and draped an arm over her shoulder.
A dagger flew and embedded right at my feet.
I whispered in her ear,
"Alone, huh?"
"Uh... u-um... this is..."
"Big trouble. Dangerous stuff flies at anyone who touches you. Guess I can't stay close."
"Wait, Do-jun. Could you step out for a bit?"
"Sure. Call when you're ready."
I leaned against the door outside.
Muffled bickering from inside, then silence.
After rustling for a while, Latynia called me back.
Her appearance had changed.
"…."
"…."
Silence hung between us.
Unable to bear it, Latynia spoke first.
"Um... say something... please..."
Flutter flutter
Wolf ears sprouted above her head, twitching.
Wh-what's moving?
I instinctively reached for the flapping ear.
Warm. And soft.
"Hyang! Do-jun? Th-that spot..."
Latynia's body shivered.
I grabbed her shoulders and spun her around.
"Kyaa!"
Her lush, fluffy tail—looking soft just to see—captured my gaze.
Her skirt had hiked up from the tail, flashing white panties, but I barely noticed.
"Latynia."
"Yes?"
"Can I touch it? Just once?"
"Th-the tail's sensitive... be gentle..."
Permission granted.
I grabbed her tail with both hands and buried my face in it.
Soft texture enveloped my face.
"Hiyang!"
Latynia suddenly collapsed.
The tail slipped from my hands.
Too soon to end.
I scooped up the seated Latynia.
"Do-jun...?"
I tossed her on the bed and sat beside.
Her prone tail pointed skyward.
I buried my face again.
"Y-you said just once..."
But unlike her words, the tail wagged invitingly.
The softness tickled my face.
I took a deep breath, tail to nose.
Latynia's scent filled me.
"Snuuuurf, haa..."
"Do-jun?! The smell... no... Heek!"
Nibbling the tail gently, her resistance melted.
I indulged fully: stroking, squeezing, even light bites.
Each time, Latynia writhed dramatically.
Snapping to, she lay exhausted.
"Ahng... I said no..."
"Sorry, Latynia. Didn't expect this—got carried away. What's the deal?"
"Hmm... believe me if I tell you?"
"Yeah."
"Won't be disappointed?"
"Yeah."
"Won't be shocked?"
"Depends what you say."
"So you. Actually..."
Latynia began her tale softly.
The king took the Bloodmane tribe chief's sister as a concubine, birthing her.
After divorce, her mother returned to the tribe.
She grew up in the Bloodmane tribe...
Mysteries solved.
The curse on her: kingdom's doing.
King targeted the sister, discarded her pregnant—cursed too.
Royal yet naive, only beastkin company: makes sense.
After curse lift, trying to kill me: to avoid linking to her in otherworld.
Why I need famous mercenary rep: she can't leverage royal status, needs figurehead.
"Um... disappointed?"
"Why would I be?"
"Well... I'm basically not royal..."
"Actually relieved."
"Huh? Why?"
"If you were full royal, the fallout from jumping you would be huge—I held back. No worries now."
"Th-that... Eek!"
I buried my face in her tail again.
Thank goodness. Really.
Her bloodline was the only barrier.
Now gone—no more hesitation.