Chapter 15

(What an unusual person...)

Leonhardt, who had noticed a small splinter that Cordelia herself hadn't realized, told her he couldn't overlook it.

Even if it was just a minor scratch, he didn't like seeing Cordelia hurt.

His demand, made after only a few days of knowing each other, might have been unreasonable and meddlesome.

Yet strangely, Cordelia didn't feel annoyed.

Perhaps it was because there was no lie in his words, and his calm voice was comforting?

Just a little, somewhere in her heart, she felt a bit lighter, a bit warmer.

It felt as if a soft spot had been tickled, and Cordelia found herself smiling naturally.

"Cordelia……"

Leonhardt's eyes softened, and he smiled sweetly and gently.

He murmured Cordelia's name lovingly and reached out his hand toward her.

Just as his fingers were about to touch her——

(Glove fetishist and smell fetishist!!)

At the words that flashed through her mind, she instinctively took a step back.

"Ah……"

It felt as if the plate of sweets in front of her had been taken away.

Feeling guilty at Leonhardt's wistful expression, she took another step back, increasing the distance between them.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but……"

She couldn't just go with the flow.

While he was a prince, there was an even more significant reason she couldn't overlook.

She remembered.

The day of the ball, when they first spoke.

That day, he had whispered sweetly to Cordelia and held her gloves with a dreamy look.

His affectionate behavior, which seemed impossible for a first meeting, made her think, "Is the prince a glove fetishist?" and she was taken aback.

And just now, when he looked at her wistfully, she had suspected, "Is he a smell fetishist?"

(I no longer doubt that His Highness has feelings for me……)

But she still couldn't understand the reason.

Once she started to wonder, she couldn't accept his affection sincerely.

She knew that this logical nature of hers was why Toppak and the others said she "lacked charm."

But even though she was aware of it, Cordelia couldn't stop herself from asking Leonhardt.

"Your Highness, there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is it?"

"Since we met at the ball, Your Highness has been very kind to me. I'm very grateful, but……"

She hesitated a bit.

"……Why do you care so much about me, to begin with?"

"I'm happy when our eyes meet, and you are incredibly attractive to me. Is that not enough for you?"

Without a hint of embarrassment, Leonhardt delivered a line drenched in sugar, leaving Cordelia feeling overwhelmed.

It was the first time she had been whispered such sweet and sincere words, and she found it difficult to handle.

"I still have doubts——why do you find me so attractive, Your Highness? What about me did you like so much at first meeting?"

"I'd like to say it was love at first sight, but that alone wouldn't satisfy you, would it?"

Leonhardt placed his hand on his chest and began to speak.

"As you saw earlier, I can naturally transform into two forms: human and lion."

"An innate ability, and the lion form is connected to the royal family's ancestor, the spirit of the golden lion?"

The beginning of the Liorbern royal family is said to be the golden lion spirit and the holy maiden who received its blessing.

The golden lion is revered as a sacred beast and is featured in the national emblem.

"You're correct. I'll explain the details later, but that lion form is indeed me, and even in human form, there are several differences from ordinary humans."

"Is your acute hearing due to that?"

Leonhardt had been the first to notice the young lady regaining consciousness after fainting.

She had thought it was a difference in attention, but Cordelia had also been on edge at the time.

"That's right. My senses, such as sight and hearing, are slightly different from humans, and I have an additional sense beyond the five senses."

"……The 'scent-like' thing you mentioned earlier?"

The sense he described, which couldn't be seen, heard, felt hot or cold, or touched, was like a scent.

Cordelia brought her arm to her nose and sniffed it.

"I don't understand what it is, but……does this 'scent-like' thing differ so much from person to person in your perception?"

"Significantly."

He stated it definitively.

"I've never been as drawn to anyone as I am to you. It's difficult to explain the difference and the attraction in words……"

"……Is it like catnip to a cat?"

Cordelia murmured.

The lion's behavior earlier was very similar to a cat she had seen reacting to catnip.

"Catnip, huh……"

Leonhardt murmured, nodding deeply.

"……Indeed, it might be a fitting analogy. I can't let you go when I'm with you, and I'm irresistibly drawn to you."

With a sweet and blissful look in his eyes, Leonhardt confessed.

His words, if taken alone, were a passionate declaration of love——

"Cordelia, you are my catnip."

"……What?"

——But the follow-up line ruined it.

While Cordelia had been the one to bring up the catnip analogy, being directly called catnip left her unsure how to respond.

In front of the confused and ambiguous smile on Cordelia's face, Leonhardt opened his mouth with a radiant, top-tier smile.

"My catnip……no, will you become my queen, Cordelia?"

"I refuse to be treated like catnip."

——At least treat me like a human, she sighed.

That's how Cordelia felt.

Since I've recovered the catnip word from the title and summary, this part is a bit shorter.

The next part will be posted tomorrow.

I've received some comments and reports of typos, so I'll respond to them in order.