Chapter 93

"Thank you very much, Lady Letitia. I'll come visit again soon."

"Me too! I had so much fun today! Please take care of me again next time!!"

Lady Natalie spoke politely and gracefully.

Lady Kate spoke briskly and brightly.

They each said their goodbyes and left in a warm atmosphere.

I watched the carriages until they were out of sight, then returned to the palace with a smile.

It seems we got quite close through making sweets.

When I entered my room in a good mood, Icchan was sleeping by the window.

Icchan has been taking naps in my room recently.

It's to avoid being disturbed by Melen, the black cat Lelena brought.

Icchan's nose twitched,

"Meow?!"

and her eyes snapped open.

Her eyes sparkled as if to say, "Strawberry scent?! No time for sleeping!!"

"Here, Icchan. It's a milk crepe with strawberry jam."

"Meow!!"

Icchan dashed straight to Lucian, who had brought the milk crepe.

"Going straight for the cat...!"

While admiring Icchan, I sat down at the table Lucian had set. Icchan was practically drooling as she looked at the sliced milk crepe. She stabbed it enthusiastically with her fork.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm~"

Icchan narrowed her eyes and moved her cheeks.

With each bite, she nodded, as if saying,

"This is a good strawberry dessert. Satisfied, very satisfied, extremely satisfied!!"

Icchan, perhaps because we often eat strawberry dishes together, seems to be reacting more like a human.

Icchan has a deep interest and passion for strawberry dishes.

At this rate, will she one day speak in human language about strawberry dishes?

...While thinking such whimsical thoughts, I also took a bite of the milk crepe.

A gentle fragrance wafted up, tickling my nose.

Just the scent alone lifted my spirits.

When I bit into it, I felt the texture of the crepe and the smooth cream alternating and blending together.

The gentle sweetness of the eggs and the sweet and tangy strawberry jam burst in my mouth.

I narrowed my eyes and savored the soft crepe when,

"Meow!!"

Icchan seemed to have finished her portion and eagerly reached for the remaining, unsliced milk crepe.

"No, you can't. You won't be able to eat dinner."

Lucian quickly lifted the plate with the milk crepe.

"Mmm, mmm~"

Icchan, making a discontented sound, tried to punch with her paws, but I stopped her and finished my milk crepe.

---

The brown ears in front of me twitched.

They were wrapped in a light brown fur with a slight reddish tint.

They were thick, triangular ears standing straight up.

"Jiro..."

I couldn't help but murmur.

Those fluffy brown ears were just like Jiro, the Shiba Inu.

Even though I knew it wasn't Jiro, my eyes couldn't help but follow them.

"Lady Letitia?"

The one with ears just like Jiro, Keith, called out to me.

A young beastman knight with dog ears and a tail.

Keith was assigned to guard this palace, alternating with his colleagues.

While I waited for the wolves in the front courtyard, we occasionally chatted.

"Are you daydreaming? Is something wrong?"

"...I was just thinking that Keith is very reliable for guarding this palace today."

"!! Thank you very much!!"

Keith's tail wagged vigorously.

Unlike Jiro's, his tail was straight.

Keith's personality was also straightforward, and he was a bright knight whose expressions changed quickly.

"I'm confident in my spear skills!! I'll protect you no matter what enemy comes!!"

"Wow!! That's amazing!!"

The spear cut through the air sharply, moving up and down.

The tip of the spear was too fast for my eyes to follow.

"There's more!! This is just the beginning!!"

The spear swayed and swung even faster, like a storm.

The wind pressure made my hair flutter.

Keith, among the already superior physical abilities of beastmen, was an elite.

As I held down my hair in amazement,

"Grumble..."

A low, disgruntled growl.

It was Goo.

Appearing from the forest connected to the front courtyard, Goo was growling at Keith.

"Hostility?!"

Keith shuddered and gripped his spear tightly, looking tense.

"...Oh, I was startled. It's you, Goo. You're quite intimidating today. Are you really just a wolf?"

"...That's a question I have too."

When I echoed Keith's words, Goo turned his face away from me.

...Suspicious.

Goo seems to understand human language.

It might be a coincidence, but his reactions are always perfect.

"Goo, on a wolf's IQ scale, do you have something like 200...?"

"Grumble?"

"An IQ? What is that? Is it the name of some ingredient?"

Goo tilted his head as if to say that, then approached me, sniffing.

"Goo, I'm sorry, but I don't have any food today. Are you that hungry?"

While looking at the black nose coming closer, I murmured,

"No, it's not that. I'm not that hungry."

Goo snorted in protest.