Chapter 51

Mr. Husband turned his body towards me and looked at me with a stern expression.

"Risha, do you know about the fur of the Vankuri animal—no, the product?"

"Yes, I know the name."

Confused by Mr. Husband's sudden start, I nodded.

The Vankuri is the precious fur of an animal that can only be found in the neighboring country. To be precise, it's the name of the species.

Living in high altitudes, their fur is fine, smooth, and insulating, making it an ultra-luxury item.

Even though I know the name, I've never seen it, and I can't even handle it.

Moreover, the fur is so rare that only royalty or extremely wealthy nouveau riche can obtain it.

I've heard that in the neighboring country, it makes up a significant portion of their exports, forming a major industry.

"Do you understand now?"

Of course, I couldn't not understand after being told that much.

In other words, both Mr. Husband and Michelle believe that this child is a Vankuri.

"Are you kidding me?"

But... in this country, it's so rare, and I've never even seen the animal itself...

Really?

It's only natural to have such doubts.

"I can't say for sure... but I can tell you that it's almost black. Ragnar, there's a blackish coat in the back of your winter wardrobe. Could you bring it here?"

"Of course."

Mr. Husband asked Ragnar something.

It might be a coat made from Vankuri fur.

"I only saw it once when I was in the territory. At the time, I didn't realize what it was. I found out later."

"But you recognized it well, didn't you?"

"It's not a pleasant story, but it became a target for extermination because it appeared near a village in the duchy. It wasn't particularly causing trouble, but it was a large beast over two meters long. It makes sense to deal with it before it becomes a bigger problem."

As the acting lord, I understand what Mr. Husband means.

I would have done the same.

"Mr. Husband, here it is."

Ragnar brought the coat in no time.

It's a blackish coat, but it would suit Mr. Husband very well if he wore it.

"This is Vankuri fur. It's soft and smooth, with a texture that feels like it's being drawn into your hand."

Mr. Husband handed me the coat to touch.

I slowly stroked it and immediately understood.

It's the same as the child on my lap.

The child seems interested in the coat and is sniffing it.

"By the way, just making one of these costs nearly 500 gold coins."

"Wh-what!"

500! That's crazy!!

I couldn't help but exclaim in unison with Diego!

Michelle nodded, seemingly having anticipated this.

"In other words, it's that rare. It looks like a large wolf, and because it lives in high altitudes, its fur is fine, resulting in such a smooth texture. No one knows why it lives in such a harsh environment. Honestly, it's so strong that it doesn't need to live in such a harsh place."

"Indeed, it's a mysterious creature, Lady Risha. Moreover, how they collect the fur is even more surprising. They apparently come to have their fur cut themselves, every two years, at a specific time."

"Smart... huh?"

"Not just smart. It's actually strange. To be clear, wild animals' fur can naturally shed and groom itself without human intervention. Given the quality of the fur, greedy people would hunt them to extinction, and poaching would be rampant, but that hasn't happened."

That's true.

If it feels this good, at least women would buy it.

Women are more sensitive to such things than men.

If that happens, poaching would be rampant, and extinction wouldn't be surprising.

No matter how much the country manages it, it's difficult to completely eliminate such activities.

"They can appear before people without being harmed—perhaps because they know they can't be harmed. This confidence, this arrogance of the strong, is hard to understand. But looking at this, I can somewhat understand... it's reckless."

Mr. Husband gently took my hand and stroked the bite mark (or scar).

It hurts a little, but it's not a big deal.

"Even as a puppy, compared to other dogs or wolves, its teeth are sharper, thicker, and stronger. If it had bitten seriously, it could have torn off a finger."

Eh...

It must have held back a lot...

Because it only bled a little and stopped quickly.

Mr. Husband gently pressed his lips to the spot he was treating.

Just the touch of his lips made me feel strange and warm.

"Ahh... no"

"Does it hurt?"

It's not that it hurts...

It's more like a tingling sensation that isn't pain!

It makes me feel incredibly embarrassed!!

"Michelle, who didn't stop it, is also at fault, but please don't do such things in the future."

He looked at me with concern, and I averted my gaze.

Because!

Mr. Husband is super handsome!

If he looks at you like that, any woman would fall for him!

Ah, no, no! My cheeks are getting hot!

"Um, guys, we're here, right? Can you do that kind of thing when you're alone?"

A deadpan gaze and a voice that sounded like a complaint. I instinctively pushed Mr. Husband's hand away.

Mr. Husband glanced sideways at Michelle, his eyes saying, "Don't interfere," but I was grateful to Michelle for interrupting.

And, Diego.

Why are you covering your eyes with your hand and peeking through the gaps? That's even more embarrassing!

"Mr. Claude, the conversation went off track, but what are you going to do? The fur itself is a problem, but smuggling and selling live Vankuri is a crime. Are you going to pretend you don't know?"

Mr. Husband put his hand to his chin, thinking.

"I've seen it in the territory. This means it's either a straggler or an outcast that has come here. If we say we found it, no one can complain. After all, we're not keeping it as livestock. It lives in the wild, so such things can happen."

"Is that okay?"

"I don't know all the details either. The neighboring country is the same. Since the animal's ecology is a mystery, no one can refute what we say. Even if they ask us to return it, we can say we don't know. After all, they don't have ownership rights either."

It just happens to live there, and we happen to be allowed to shear its fur.

That's how it seems.

Maybe they think it looks better when someone else does it.

Or maybe it feels good...

Is that okay, wild animals?

"In the end, does this mean the child can stay here without any problems?"

That's what I want to know, Mr. Husband.

Looking up at Mr. Husband, he glanced down at the small fur ball on his lap.

"Even if it's just one, I can't make a definitive judgment. I can't say with 100% certainty. Even if someone says something, we can still pretend we don't know."

In other words, we'll stick to not knowing, Mr. Husband.

"Risha, are you really going to keep this?"

Mr. Husband clearly didn't agree.

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