#29. I Am Human

Sir Joyce, as if triggered by the Duke’s words “I’m not feeling well,” got out of the carriage and within less than 5 minutes, pulled the Duke out and took him into an inn room.

Took him? No, it was more like he threw him in there.

Of course, neither by status nor physical possibility did Sir Joyce actually use force on the Duke. However, the Duke rushed straight to the inn room without a single word of resistance, following Sir Joyce’s lead.

Eventually left alone in the carriage, Chloe had to enter the inn belatedly and wait for Sir Joyce to come down to the counter.

Since the Duke said he would stay here, she needed to get a room too, but it felt uncomfortable to ask for a room without her master’s permission.

Obviously, she couldn’t share a room with her master or the noble Sir Joyce, so she would need her own room.

Since she was on duty attending to her master, naturally her accommodation should be arranged by him. But with neither the master present nor his permission, it was difficult to say “Give me a room.”

After waiting on the sofa in front of the counter for about an hour like that…

Suddenly there was a clattering sound from the stairs, and Sir Joyce came running down.

“Sir Joyce?”

When Chloe called out to him, Sir Joyce made a single “Ah!” sound as if he had just remembered her existence.

“You! Um…, I need to go somewhere right now, so at least you should guard His Grace for now. Um…, no, my room is right next to His Grace’s, so wait there for now and if His Grace calls, come immediately.”

“Calls?”

“Um…, I mean if His Grace calls for me! Anyway!”

“Ah, yes.”

Sir Joyce ran out of the inn without even properly hearing Chloe’s response.

What in the world was going on with all this?

Chloe headed to Sir Joyce’s room with the vague expectation that he would arrange a room for her when he returned.

However, even after about an hour in Sir Joyce’s room, Sir Joyce hadn’t returned and there had been no call from the Duke.

Actually, about 10 minutes ago, there was a ‘thud’ sound from the next room. It sounded like something heavy had fallen on the wooden floor.

Did His Grace drop something? But still there was no call.

Looking outside, it was getting dark too. It was almost dinner time.

After brief consideration, Chloe decided to ask His Grace about dinner arrangements. Though judging by the Duke’s condition earlier, he would probably ask for it to be brought to his room.

Knock knock.

“Your Grace.”

There was no answer.

“Your Grace, it’s Clyne. May I come in?”

Still no response.

“Then I’m coming in.”

At the Duke’s mansion, even without the Duke’s response, as long as there was no explicit prohibition, attendants were expected to follow their regular duties, so they could enter the Duke’s room without permission during meal times or tea service.

Although the location had changed, since it was dinner time anyway, Chloe opened the door without hesitation.

“……?”

Chloe tilted her head upon entering the room. The Duke wasn’t there.

He wasn’t on the small sofa in the room, nor in the chair at the table, not even on the bed.

Did he go out?

“Your Grace, are you not here?”

There was no answer.

“He’s not here. Where did someone who wasn’t feeling well go?”

Chloe muttered as if talking to herself.

“Haaa…”

“Oh my goodness!”

Chloe screamed in surprise at the groan that came in response to her muttered words, which she thought no one would hear.

“Your Grace?”

The sound seemed to be coming from the narrow space between the bed and the wall. It was a spot that couldn’t be seen from Chloe’s position at the door.

“Clyne.”

Just then the Duke called for Chloe.

“Yes!”

Chloe quickly ran to the opposite side of the bed while mentally reviewing if she had made any mistakes while talking to herself.

“No, don’t come! Don’t come here, Clyne.”

The Duke tried to stop her, but it was already after Chloe had come to where she could see him.

The Duke was lying on the wooden floor right next to the bed. Why in the world was His Grace in such a place?

“Your Grace! Where are you not feeling well? Why are you under the bed like that…!”

Chloe unconsciously took a step closer to the Duke. Even at a glance, cold sweat was running down the Duke’s forehead, and to be more precise, rather than lying down, he appeared to be curled up in what looked like a painful position.

“Clyne!”

The Duke’s voice was as dry as a twisted towel.

“Yes?”

“I told you not to come. I said… don’t come.”

Even speaking seemed difficult for him.

Why has he become like this? And where did Sir Joyce go, leaving his master in this state!

“Where does it hurt? Should I go get some medicine?”

“It’s not medicine. I… want you to leave.”

“……”

Feeling powerless at being treated as an unnecessary presence rather than being able to help when her master was in such pain.

“Joyce went to get… suppress…”

Suppress?

Suppress what? The pain?

“So you… get out!”

Even in this state, the Duke was putting all his energy into driving Chloe away.

“Yes. If you need me at all, I’ll be waiting right outside the door, so please shout.”

Though he didn’t seem to have the strength to shout, it felt like someone in this much pain should at least be told there was someone right nearby.

“Even if I call you! Don’t come! I’m telling you not to come. Absolutely do not come!”

Oh. So he did have enough strength to shout!

Suddenly finding energy from somewhere, the Duke shouted so loudly it resonated through the room, leaving Chloe dumbfounded. She wondered if her offer to wait nearby was really that irritating.

“Yes! Then I absolutely will not enter this room.”

Chloe was somewhat hurt, and since her master wanted it so strongly, she had no choice but to reassure him completely.

So! Why did you bring me here in the first place! Far from being helpful, I’m just a burden, and when I try to help, you chase me away and won’t let me come near.

Chloe grumbled internally as she left the Duke’s room. Apart from her worry, she felt slightly hurt by the Duke.

* * *

His condition grew increasingly serious as time passed.

Since Hughgray was aware that his heat was approaching, he had been carrying suppressants with him. But he hadn’t expected the post-imprinting heat to be this severe. The symptoms far exceeded his expectations in their intensity.

Usually, he could endure with just one suppressant pill, but he carried three just in case. Even after taking all of them at once, there was no sign of the symptoms subsiding.

Joyce had gone to get suppressants, but since the world believed beast-people had disappeared, suppressants weren’t easily available anywhere.

Would he even be able to find any?

“Clyne, ah! Clyne. Chloe…”

Bizarrely, between groans of pain, the names of Clyne and Chloe alternately escaped his lips.

Calling for Clyne, then calling for Chloe. He was so confused he couldn’t even tell who he wanted right now. In fact, he felt more desperate for Clyne, who was within reach, than the imprinted partner he hadn’t even found.

Clyne, you wicked one. Are you trying to kill me? Daring to enter my room, making me go even more crazy…

I should lock that door.

If that guy comes in without permission again, he really didn’t know what would happen, what he might do. But he didn’t dare approach the door.

Not only was it difficult to move his body, but somehow he felt that Clyne’s scent would be stronger near the door.

One day.

Just one day should be enough to endure.

While there would be aftereffects if the heat wasn’t properly resolved, they said the extreme pain wouldn’t last more than a day.

You can endure this, Hughgray Wulfaz. You’re not just a wolf cub, you’re a wolf human.

Hughgray curled up more and more in pain that felt like his body was burning up as the heat that started in his lower abdomen consumed his entire body. Like a fetus curled up in its mother’s womb.

He had to endure no matter what.

‘I’m not a beast, I’m human.’

He kept repeating this sentence as if engraving it in his brain.

* * *

It’s well past midnight, and Sir Joyce still hadn’t returned.

The Duke seemed to have no thought of food due to his pain, as he hadn’t called for Chloe even once in the six hours since she had left his room.

Chloe felt a tinge of self-loathing.

Growl. Gurgle, gurgle.

Because for several hours now, loud sounds had been continuously coming from her stomach. While her master was in such pain, all she could think about was food.

At least to maintain minimum conscience, she hadn’t eaten alone. Actually, rather than hadn’t, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t.

While the Duke had told her to absolutely not enter his room, she couldn’t completely leave her sick master unattended in a place that wasn’t even the Duke’s mansion.

But perhaps because she was too alert listening for any sounds from the next room, her hunger grew worse as time passed.

Moreover, even though she had just been sitting, unlike usual, today she had traveled a long distance. Constantly shaking with the carriage’s vibrations. So it was natural to be hungry.

Chloe tried to defend herself by justifying the screaming sounds of hunger.

However, despite staying alert to hear sounds from the Duke’s room, there had been no particularly loud sounds since she left his room.

Instead, if she put her ear to the wall, she could occasionally hear groaning sounds. But she couldn’t just go check on the Duke who had repeatedly emphasized not to come even if called.

She had already declared loudly that she would absolutely not enter, after all.