#37. Lion Cub

“Hey! My head…! Don’t touch it.”

At that moment, Clyne pulled away from Traskan’s touch and glanced at Hughgray. Traskan’s gaze also followed Clyne’s to Hughgray.

Nodding with words whose meaning was unclear.

What are those guys doing now?

Though he couldn’t understand their intention, he definitely didn’t like how Clyne and Traskan were exchanging glances at him as if by prior arrangement.

It was like two close people who could act however they wanted when alone were restraining themselves in awareness of an uncomfortable outsider’s presence.

Could it be… Are those two really that close?

Hughgray ground his molars. His face naturally twisted with irritation and discomfort rising from his lower abdomen.

“Clyne, how long do I have to wait?”

“Ah! I’ll serve you right away, Your Grace. Kalkus, hurry and find it, hurry.”

Clyne hurriedly urged Traskan.

The more he watched, the more he couldn’t sit still. Hughgray strode toward the kitchen where Clyne and Traskan were whispering together.

“Your Grace! Why, why did you come here? If you go back and wait there…”

Clyne was trying to drive him away from their space again.

Clyne and Traskan’s space, in the kitchen.

Damn it. How long should I wait? How long must I endure that lion bastard who keeps brushing against you while wandering around the kitchen, clearly knowing where the tea is!

“There, it should be in that drawer.”

Hughgray did something he rarely does. Along with awakening his senses to smell, he also didn’t hide his senses.

“Pardon?”

Clyne tilted his head.

“There, can’t you smell the overwhelming flower scent from that drawer? Can’t you even smell that?”

He spat out irritably, as if being able to smell the scent of dried flower petals stored in the drawer was natural for everyone.

Only Clyne was surprised by Hughgray’s words; Traskan merely raised an eyebrow slightly, calmly watching as Clyne went to the drawer Hughgray had indicated. As expected, Kalkus Traskan knew he was a wolf beast-person.

“Wow! It really is here. Your Grace, though you’re my master, you’re truly amazing. Is your sense of smell developed because you’re a Swordmaster?”

Clyne exclaimed while pulling out and waving the flower petal tea from the drawer.

Tsk tsk. Innocent guy. Not even knowing that lion cub in cat’s clothing has his eye on him.

Ah, could it be.

<I like men!>

<Does that only friend know that you like me?>

<No, but. Even close friends don’t always talk about such things.>

His previous conversation with Clyne suddenly flashed through his mind.

Is that lion cub deliberately acting this way knowing Clyne likes men? Since lion beast-people take multiple partners anyway, is he planning to keep Clyne, who likes men, by his side too?

That promiscuous lion cub dares!

Hughgray was swallowing his anger and disgust while looking at Kalkus.

As if he himself had nothing to do with heat cycles.

As if completely forgetting that he himself was a wolf beast-person who goes into such severe heat for his imprinted target that he could be threatening to non-beast-people.

In fact, beast-people’s breeding habits all had different aspects. Each clan had their own unique characteristics, and these uniquenesses often became their weaknesses.

Whether human or animal, the moment most exposed to danger is during breeding.

If the wolf beast-people’s uniqueness and weakness was that heat was only possible with their imprinted partner, lion beast-people were completely opposite.

To the extent that it could be called the complete opposite of wolves, lion beast-people took multiple partners at once.

Because of this unique breeding habit, the Emperor also had multiple empresses and bore numerous heirs. As a result, throughout history in the imperial family, only one would survive through intense power struggles to inherit the throne while all others were purged.

Traskan’s current situation — hiding his identity as a prince while stuck here in Roizen — was the result of the power struggles derived from the lion beast-person Emperor’s promiscuity. Of course, the lion beast-clan might not consider their way a weakness.

In any case, it was completely opposite to wolf beast-people, where the next Alpha was decided by clan consensus from among the heirs born between an Alpha wolf and their single imprinted partner.

In fact, Hughgray himself, who automatically inherited the Alpha position without clan consensus as the sole heir of his father, the previous Alpha, had never thought of lion beast-people’s ecology as promiscuous or disgusting until now.

Since he had no interest in other clans or families, he naturally had no prejudices or feelings about them.

However, if that lion beast-person prince was coveting his Clyne Liden…

In an instant, lion beast-people’s heat became the filthiest, most detestable behavior imaginable.

It was Hughgray’s conclusion, ignoring all individual differences after considering it his own business rather than others’ since they were coveting what was his.

While deliberately ignoring the fact that since Clyne Liden was male, terms like heat and breeding couldn’t even apply.

“Your Grace, please go sit over there again. I’ll prepare it right away.”

Clyne tried to send him back to the sofa while preparing the flower petal tea.

‘Just me? Then what about that lion cub?’

Hughgray’s gaze naturally turned to Traskan. Traskan smiled gently while looking at Hughgray with his back to Clyne.

That smile very clearly conveyed the meaning ‘Clyne only told you to go.’

“As you wish, Your Grace.”

Though his answer was outwardly so polite and gentle it could caress the ears, all Clyne could hear with his back turned was the sultry voice of a promiscuous lion cub pretending to be a small, cute kitten.

Damn lion cub!

“Clyne, I’ll get the cups.”

Traskan spoke while turning his eyes away from Hughgray’s.

With an infuriatingly kind and gentle voice and tone.

I get it.

Traskan must have been showing only this side to Clyne all along. Hughgray’s fists trembled as he suppressed the urge to transform into a wolf and tear that lion cub to shreds at this artificial attitude.

* * *

Chloe was so preoccupied with thinking how to drive the Duke out of the house that she couldn’t tell whether the tea was going into her nose or mouth.

The sun had already set, and being in the mountains, it was completely dark outside.

Of course, if Kalkus guided him as suggested earlier, it wouldn’t be difficult for the Duke to go down the mountain path. Strangely enough, Kalkus was a lucky person who had never encountered any beasts on mountain paths at night.

Well, the same was true for her too.

Though her mother had earnestly warned her not to go out at night and she was careful, it was strange that she had never been attacked by beasts even while living in these mountains.

So when Traskan mentioned earlier about beasts appearing at night, she almost retorted ‘What nonsense.’

It was probably a lie to help her.

“Your Grace, I… no matter how I think about it, it seems impossible for you to sleep in this house.”

Trying not to sound like she was trying to drive him out into the mountain path at night, Clyne brought up the unfinished issue again with the brightest smile possible.

“What’s impossible about it?”

The Duke responded while putting down his teacup as if he really didn’t understand.

What’s impossible? Everything is impossible!

“The only empty bed is my mother’s, and since you’re so large in build, you’ll be uncomfortable in that bed.”

“That’s fine.”

I’m not fine!

“It’s small even for me. It will be very small for Your Grace.”

Kalkus also started helping her try to get the Duke to leave. But the Duke stared at Kalkus and suddenly looked around at the rooms.

“Tarkan, which room do you use?”

“Ah! Kalkus uses that room over there, br…!”

Chloe stopped mid-sentence.

The room Kalkus was using was her brother’s room. As she was about to point to her brother’s room, she almost let the word ‘brother’ slip out.

Previously, she had almost blurted out ‘brother’ while telling the Duke about her mother and brother being attacked. At that time she hadn’t realized her mistake, and only when she lay in bed that night did she finally realize her slip and turn pale.

She had been relieved that the Duke hadn’t noticed and let it pass, but here she was making the same mistake again.

Focus and be careful! Chloe Liden!

“That room? I suppose that’s the room your sister used?”

Fortunately, since she had stopped mid-sentence, the Duke didn’t seem to notice her slip this time either.

“Yes!”

“May I see it?”

“Pardon?”

Chloe felt a chill down her spine.

Her brother’s things were still exactly as they were in the room Kalkus was using. After her brother’s death, she had to go to the Duke’s mansion right away, so she hadn’t had time to sort through her brother’s belongings.

But she had already told the Duke that Kalkus was using that room and that it was ‘Chloe’s’ room.

Though she couldn’t understand why the Duke wanted to see that room, it would be a disaster if he actually opened it. Because it was full of her brother’s traces.

Moreover, after seeing her brother’s room, he might ask to see the room she was using too, like someone touring the house.

That would be an even bigger disaster since her room was full of women’s clothes and belongings.