Chapter 46

After Letitia left.

From behind Glenreed, a small laugh could be heard.

"I was surprised. Your Majesty, I didn't expect you to be so fond of food."

It was Melvin, Glenreed's confidant, who had been standing behind the tea party, speaking with amusement. He was tall and slender but had broad shoulders, and his sweet, well-featured face was popular with women of all ages. Melvin's light brown hair swayed, and his sky-blue eyes narrowed teasingly.

"Your Majesty, I don't think it's wrong to be a food lover, do you?"

"Stop talking nonsense. You know the purpose isn't the food, right?"

While responding to his confidant's joke, a sweet and sour taste and aroma resurfaced in Glenreed's mind. The fluffy chiffon cake, with its subtle strawberry scent, seemed to spread a gentle sweetness in his mouth even now when he thought about it.

"The purpose isn't just the food, right? Seeing Your Majesty relax like that in front of the food is quite rare, I think."

"...I admit it was delicious."

Glenreed muttered, looking somewhat displeased. It was true that he hadn't found any food delicious for many years.

When eating with others, he focused on the conversation and the surrounding situation, not paying attention to the food. When eating alone, he only cared whether it was free of poison. He had no interest in the food itself; eating was just a way to get nutrients.

Eating three meals a day was a hassle, and he wanted to spend that time on other things. As a result, his meals alone were surprisingly simple for a king, with taste being secondary. The main dishes were safe and quick to eat, making for a completely tasteless table.

That's why it was unexpected for Glenreed to find Letitia's offering delicious. Strawberries, which he had never tasted before, might have just suited his taste.

"The strawberries just happened to match my taste. That's all there is to it."

"......Is it really just the strawberries that you like?"

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing."

Melvin smiled softly and sweetly, a smile that Glenreed found suspicious.

"Still, Lady Letitia, as I've heard, is quite an interesting person. It makes sense that Your Majesty is so devoted and frequently visits the palace."

"Don't say things that could cause misunderstandings. I visit in the form of a silver wolf to avoid drawing attention and to keep an eye on things discreetly."

"But Your Majesty, you seem to really like the slicker brush, don't you?"

"......That's just an instinct of the beast."

When transformed into a silver wolf, Glenreed's consciousness and memory remained intact. However, due to the influence of the beast's form, his rational control loosened, and he was more susceptible to his feelings.

In Glenreed's case, because he usually suppressed his personal emotions to act as a king, it was difficult to control his emotions when in the form of a silver wolf. It seemed that even the golden-haired crown prince, who had the forms of a lion and a human, had a similar tendency. No matter how human the inner self was, it wasn't the same as being entirely human.

"Considering her skills in 'refinement' and how she brilliantly handled the Deers at the birthday festival, Lady Letitia clearly stands out from other duchess daughters. Since she has been welcomed as a queen, even if only nominally, it is our duty to understand her abilities and movements."

"I agree. Until now, to avoid drawing attention from the candidates for the next queen, Your Majesty has maintained a policy of non-interference. However, from now on, it would be better to have regular contact with Lady Letitia in human form."

Glenreed nodded silently and thought of Letitia. What came to mind was not her carefree appearance while brushing the silver wolf, but rather,

"Yes, I also love this sweet and sour scent."

Her small, happy smile, which seemed to bloom unexpectedly, was the first thing that came to mind.

Whenever he contacted her as a silver wolf, Letitia was always smiling and playing happily with the wolves. Her smile, which he had seen many times, should have been familiar. Yet, the smile that bloomed before him in human form, as if it had fallen, was strangely captivating.

It was mysterious and inexplicable, and that's why when Letitia tried to leave, he felt a bit reluctant. That's why he accidentally asked for a second serving of the strawberry dish, leading to a misunderstanding.

But since it would provide more opportunities to observe her in human form, it shouldn't be a problem.

Glenreed convinced himself of this and asked Melvin to check the schedule to arrange the next meeting with Letitia.

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Two days after presenting the strawberry dish to the king,

I was invited to Lady Natalie's place this time.

Lady Natalie was officially punished yesterday.

The punishment for her, as the king had said, was very minor.

A fine and a suspension of her glamorous activities for about two months.

Of course, inviting others to her palace and entertaining them lavishly was out of the question, but today's invitation to me was an exception.

She wanted to formally apologize for the theft of the chiffon cake and to have a direct conversation.

So today, I have temporarily stopped researching the strawberry dish.

I asked the cooks to make strawberry jam and headed out of the palace.

"Phon, I'm going out. Please take care of the place while I'm gone."

"Kya!"

Phon, the griffin, let out a cry as if to say, "I'll take care of it!"

Phon, who recognized me as his master and acted like a knight, was near a wooden box set up in a corner of the palace's front garden. It was a temporary home until the carpenter, arranged by the king, could build a proper house. I felt bad for making him uncomfortable and stroked his neck and shoulder.

When I stroked him with a bit of force, using the pads of my fingers, he seemed to enjoy it. His sharp, predatory eyes closed and narrowed into a thin line, which was quite adorable.

"Envious... No, it's disrespectful to show such a relaxed expression in front of your master, Lady Letitia."

"Phon isn't human, so I don't mind."

"I do. Phon is loyal to Lady Letitia. I need to knock some sense into his bird head."

"Bird head..."

Phon's head is indeed bird-like, but I never thought of it that way. Lucian, who is from the lower town, sometimes lets slip his lower-town curses when we are alone. But in front of others, his words and manners are always perfect, and he never loses his refined demeanor.

Even Lucian, in front of Phon, who is not human, seems to let his guard down. Without words, in front of a soft-furred animal, humans tend to show their hidden sides.

I, too, show a side of myself that I wouldn't show to others in front of the wolves and Goo. In front of fluffy things, people change from their usual selves. This is a fact that doesn't change even in a different world. Confirming this, I said goodbye to Phon and got into the carriage.

After a while, the carriage arrived near Lady Natalie's palace. There was still plenty of time before I was called.

Since I had come out of the forest palace, I decided to take the opportunity to look around Lady Natalie's palace.

The front garden of Lady Natalie's palace was well-maintained, with low shrubs arranged in geometric patterns. As I enjoyed the beautiful flower beds, I heard a faint meowing.

Is it a cat?

I moved quietly in the direction of the sound, trying not to startle the cat, and reached a corner of the garden with many low shrubs, where visibility was poor.

"......A human voice?"

Mixed with the meowing, I thought I heard a small human voice. Curious about who it was, I peeked behind the shrubs.

"Hey, kitty, can you tell me how I should behave today?"

A girl was speaking in a literal cat-petting voice to a tortoiseshell cat.

"Oh, I'm so worried, I don't know what to do......Hey?"

Our eyes met. Her words stopped. Time seemed to freeze.

The girl, speaking in a cute voice and tone to the cat, was none other than Lady Natalie, far from her usual doll-like appearance.

――――――――――――I did say that people change in front of fluffy things.

But even so, I can't help but think this is a bit too much of a change.

Thank you for reporting typos and leaving comments! I plan to correct the nickname of the gardener cat and respond to comments tomorrow and the day after.