Chapter 39

It's been a while.

Thanks to everyone's support, I have been given the opportunity to publish a book through Iris Neo! The release date is February 4, 2020 (Tuesday), and the illustrations are by Ren Hyodo. It also includes a new short story.

While working on the book, the continuation of Cordelia's story naturally came to mind, so I want to resume updates. First, here is the first part of a side story.

Prince Leonhardt of the Rialverne Kingdom.

He turned 19 this year and was a throwback to his lion ancestor.

With extraordinary physical abilities and a special sense of smell that could detect the state of a person's heart, Leonhardt possessed many unique abilities. However, being a throwback brought not only benefits but also drawbacks.

That is to say——

"Ouch! Your Highness! Please wait a moment!"

Hailut's cry echoed.

A red line ran across his right hand, which held a cat toy. The wound, which was beginning to bleed, was inflicted by Leonhardt, who had pounced on the toy in the form of a lion cub and scratched him in the process.

"Meow..."

Plop.

The lion cub's ears drooped, and its tail hung down. Just as the tip of the tail was about to touch the ground, the lion cub's form disappeared.

"...I'm sorry. I got carried away."

As Leonhardt regained his human form and speech, Hailut smiled.

"The wound is shallow and will heal soon."

Even as Hailut spoke, the bleeding stopped and the wound closed. The scar faded quickly, and within a dozen seconds, it was as if nothing had happened. The only thing left was a slight roughness on his hand.

Hailut is a throwback to a snake ancestor.

He has high physical abilities and heals faster than humans.

As fellow throwbacks, Leonhardt and Hailut have built a friendship that transcends their social status.

Leonhardt needs to transform into a lion regularly, but in lion form, his rationality is weakened.

That's why today, he asked Hailut, who knows the situation, to keep an eye on him.

"I was confident in my reflexes as a throwback...

Your Highness's speed was unexpected. You were much more agile than any cat around here."

"...I didn't expect the cat toy to be so alluring either."

"We were both mesmerized by the cat toy, weren't we..."

Hailut chuckled, holding the cat toy.

The nature of being a throwback is still full of mysteries.

How much a lion cub, which resembles a cat, would react to a cat toy...

Out of curiosity, the moment Hailut waved the cat toy, the lion cub's eyes sharpened, and its body shifted into a hunting stance.

"Even as a cub, a lion is still a lion, I guess?

I kind of understand how herbivores feel... Do lions eat humans?"

"They shouldn't make humans their main diet..."

Given the danger of stimulating a lion's instincts, the cat toy was put away.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

After some casual conversation and a brief meeting, Hailut left.

As an artist and a quick-witted person, Leonhardt had entrusted him with several tasks.

Holding the report Hailut left behind, Leonhardt narrowed his eyes.

"Cordelia seems to be causing trouble for her sister again..."

Lady Cordelia, the daughter of a count.

Since that night party about a year and a half ago, when he first saw her, Leonhardt had never forgotten her appearance, name, and scent.

To describe it, she was like a flower blooming in the winter sky.

Her scent was both crisp and sweet, with a softness hidden within.

(Cordelia...)

Still vividly remembering her scent, Leonhardt lightly shook his head.

His golden hair, like spun sunlight, cast a shadow on his handsome face.

To distract himself, he deliberately focused on the report in his hand.

"..."

As he read on, Leonhardt's brows furrowed.

For someone with a bright and gentle personality, it was unusual for him to show such clear signs of displeasure.

Cordelia had been depressed after her third engagement was broken off by her sister, who had stolen her fiancé.

Leonhardt felt a sense of relief at the fact that the engagement was broken, which troubled him.

(How despicable...)

He cursed Cordelia's ex-fiancé, her sister, and himself.

He couldn't forgive them for hurting her.

He was glad she hadn't ended up with another man.

To suppress the dark joy that welled up, he crumpled the report.

"...I'm being unfair to Hailut..."

The crumpled report contained a portrait of Cordelia's ex-fiancé.

Because of his status as a prince, Hailut had drawn sketches of the people around Cordelia to help Leonhardt, who couldn't get close to her.

Hailut had said it was just a pastime, but the sketches were so detailed that it felt as if the person was right in front of him.

Feeling guilty for the effort Hailut had put in, Leonhardt smoothed out the crumpled report.

"Cordelia..."

He wanted to see her.

If he, as a prince, went to see her, she would probably be confused and put off...

But he wanted to meet her directly and talk to her.

He wanted to go near her and savor her scent——

"Meow?"

——Leonhardt tilted his head.

His soft golden fur swayed with the movement of his neck.

(Darn!!)

In the form of a lion cub, Leonhardt clutched his head...

"Mew..."

...but he couldn't clutch it, and instead pressed his small paws against his face.

It was a rare sight to see a lion cub in such a human-like state of distress.

(Where am I...?)

The ground was paved with stones, and a carriage was passing by in the distance.

It seemed to be somewhere in the town below the castle.

He had moved on impulse and found himself outside the palace when he came to his senses.

(...I thought I had stopped unconsciously transforming into a lion cub recently...)

His desire to see Cordelia must have triggered the transformation.

Fortunately, he had no important matters or work today——

"Meow!"

The lion cub's nose twitched.

He could sense it. There was no mistake.

Cordelia must be nearby.

Guided by the scent, which was like a winter flower, Leonhardt started moving.

If he wasn't in his human, prince form, he wouldn't cause any trouble.

In his current lion cub form, his rationality was fragile.

Driven by his heart, he bounded forward, his paws bouncing like a ball.

The scent grew stronger, and he was almost there, just a little more.

"Meow?"

Seeing the person in front of him, the lion cub growled.

Thank you for reading.

I plan to update the second part of the side story next, followed by the continuation of the main story. I hope you will continue to support me.

Regarding the book, the cover is posted at the bottom of this page.

I have summarized the information in the activity report, so I would be grateful if you could check it out.