Chapter 59: Not For Your Sake
“…Lieutenant, do you have any idea why Hoyeon’s interested in that feeble guy?”
The lieutenant, who had helped carry the luggage to the dorms at Black Wolf’s command, furrowed his brow at the question.
“If you’re asking about the tricks and schemes our enemies might pull, I could give you an answer right away… But asking an old man like me to understand a young girl’s heart is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“So, you don’t know either, huh?”
From the perspective of beastfolk like them, Dogeon was a hopeless man.
He lacked strength, stamina, and, to make it worse, he kept letting his gaze wander to other women. They couldn’t understand why Hoyeon would be drawn to a man like that.
Of course, that didn’t mean they could interfere.
Just like Byeolbi had given Dogeon his orders, the beastfolk had also been commanded — they were not to interfere with Hoyeon unless her life was in imminent danger.
And since Byeolbi’s orders took precedence over even Jeongho’s commands, they couldn’t disobey.
“…Sigh. I really don’t get why Hoyeon’s heart wavers for a guy like that.”
“I feel the same, sir. With how frail he is, he wouldn’t even make it as a warrior. If it were that girl next to him, it’d be a different story.”
They grumbled and complained about Dogeon, but at the very least, they acknowledged his appearance.
“If she’s just into his looks, that’d be fine. At least then she’d wise up once she saw his true nature.”
“It would’ve been better if that were the case, sir.”
After escorting Hoyeon and her group to the front of the academy, the two beastfolk wandered off, but they didn’t head back toward their lodgings.
Already in a sour mood, they decided to blow off steam by hunting down some of the local criminal organizations.
Hoyeon had once said that slave traders and armed robbers were fair game to take down, so they intended to do just that.
Of course, she wouldn’t be happy if she found out, but they both felt like moving their bodies to shake off their frustrations.
They ignored the sound of footsteps following them and played the role of lost travelers. Before long, several men emerged from the shadows and surrounded them.
“That stuff they’ve got is mine. Do whatever you want with their bodies. Beastfolk fetch a high price these days, right?”
“Hey, what’re you talking about? If I catch them, their bodies and belongings are mine.”
“Pfft, keep dreaming.”
The thugs were already drunk on the delusion of a bright future, loudly quarreling over spoils they hadn’t even secured.
Black Wolf and the lieutenant exchanged smiles.
They shared the same thought.
It’s best to weed out anything that could harm Hoyeon ahead of time.
That day, thirty bodies filled with stab wounds were left scattered throughout the alley.
***
“…I’m getting chills.”
It felt like a sudden, inexplicable wave of unease, like the sensation of walking through a place where a lot of people had just died.
“Huh? Hoyeon-nyang, are you cold?”
“…It’s not cold. I just got chills for some reason.”
“Is that so…? I get that sometimes too. Out of nowhere, I start shivering for no reason.”
Since Anya said she’d experienced it too, I decided not to think too hard about it.
Sometimes, your body just shakes out of nowhere. Heart attacks and seizures happen suddenly, after all.
…Or maybe it was Anya’s hands and eyes creeping me out.
Not that she was being weird on purpose, but it was still a little uncomfortable having another girl’s hands on me.
Other than my maids and my mother, I’d never really had anyone else touch me like this.
At noble banquets back home, daughters from other noble families used to approach me, but I pushed them all away.
This was my first time having a girl my age help me pick out clothes like this.
Come to think of it, I’d been experiencing a lot of “firsts” since coming to the academy.
It was the first time I’d made a proper friend. My first female friend, too.
…And my first male friend as well. A friend, not a lover.
A male friend.
…Wait.
“Let’s see… If I tie the ribbon like this… There. It looks a little better, doesn’t it?”
Just because we’d left the department store didn’t mean the “dress-up game” had ended.
Anya was still swapping tops and bottoms, trying to find the perfect casual outfit for me from the new clothes we’d bought.
For an hour.
Dogeon, his whole body sore, had long since gone to his room and collapsed.
I’d tried to follow him, but Anya had grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go.
“By the way, Hoyeon-nyang, you’re not tying your hair back anymore?”
Oh, that.
“…It’s a hassle.”
At some point, I just stopped. It was a pain to tie it up every morning, and I’d even lost my usual hair tie.
I still had a few spares, but I didn’t feel like using them anymore.
“Ah… because it’s a hassle… I see. That makes sense.”
I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but after that, she went quiet and continued working on me in silence.
“…Alright, all done! What do you think of this one?”
I stood in front of the mirror, but my only thought was, “It looks pretty.”
Honestly, I thought the academy uniform looked better.
Even if it was a holiday, I was still inside the academy, so wouldn’t it make more sense to wear my uniform?
“…I don’t really know.”
“Again?!”
Anya had been trying so hard to find a combination I’d like, but I just didn’t get it.
“Excuse me, Lady Anastasia. Are you inside?”
“Anya! Let’s have lunch together!”
“Exipri, you’re supposed to say Lady Anastasia.”
“Ah, right! Lady Anastasia! Let’s have lunch together!”
Just as I was feeling tired enough to collapse, someone knocked on the door.
That voice was familiar.
The first voice was sharp and commanding, but the second, cute one—I was sure I’d heard it before.
“Ah, is that Camilla and Exipri? Just a moment…!”
Anya quickly gathered up the clothes I’d been trying on and stuffed them into a paper bag. Then she called out to the people outside.
“…Alright, you can come in!”
At her signal, I heard a metallic click as the lock disengaged and the door swung open.
Why doesn’t my room have something like that?
“Good day, Lady Anastasia.”
The first to enter was a girl who greeted Anya with a polite bow. But as soon as she saw me, her words briefly came to a halt.
Though she resumed talking right away, I didn’t miss the brief flash of hostility in her eyes.
…I’ve never seen this girl before. Did I do something to make her mad?
“Nice to meet you! Lady Anastasia! And… um… never mind…”
Exipri immediately hid behind the first girl when she spotted me.
I suppose she’s still scared of me because of the whole gymnasium incident.
So, that meant the girl in front of her was probably Camilla.
Did I do something to make Camilla hate me?
“…Actually, we came to see if you’d join us for lunch today, Lady Anastasia. Also… who might that person beside you be?”
Her words were polite, but she was clearly aware of who I was. Her feigned ignorance was too deliberate.
Is this what a real noble looks like?
It seemed Anya didn’t pick up on the mood, as she eagerly introduced me to Camilla and Exipri.
“Oh, you don’t know? This is Baek Hoyeon, a princess from the Eastern Empire. There are some strange rumors about her, but I think they’re all just misunderstandings!”
“So you’re the princess from a foreign land. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
She clearly didn’t like me, but since she greeted me politely, I responded in kind.
“Would you like to join us for lunch, Hoyeon-nyang?”
“Oh my, it would be an honor, but… it’s a reserved seating arrangement. If you were to join us, you’d have to sit alone. Would that be alright with you?”
Basically, she was saying, “You don’t belong, so don’t come.”
I’d forgotten that Anya and Dogeon weren’t the norm for nobles. This was what typical nobles were like.
“No, it’s fine. I have companions waiting for me as well, so it’s better if we part ways here.”
It was the perfect excuse to get away from Anya, too. If I stayed any longer, she’d just keep forcing me to change outfits.
Sorry, Anya, but I never planned on joining you in the first place.
Besides, I had a feeling that Camilla might end up being another Stefania type, calling me over just to mess with me.
Not that Stefania had ever done that, but it felt like something she would do.
And I didn’t want to get any more entangled with nobles than I already was.
“…Yes, as Hoyeon-nim says, it’s better if we part ways here. I hope you have a pleasant meal with your companions.”
Her words were polite, but her tone was as cutting as ever.
With that final passive-aggressive remark echoing behind me, I left the room with both hands full of paper bags.
Even with just a few lightweight outfits, my arms felt like they were about to fall off. I could only imagine how much Dogeon had suffered.
Somehow, I managed to drag the bags back to my room, stuffed the clothes into my wardrobe, and was about to change into my uniform.
But… Anya had put so much effort into picking these clothes, so it felt a bit wrong to just toss them aside.
…To be honest, I was also curious about how Dogeon would react if he saw me in them.
Back at the department store, he’d widened his eyes at first, but by the end, he’d only shown a face that screamed, “I’m so done with this.”
But now that he’d had a chance to rest, I wondered how he’d react.
Not that I was trying to impress him or anything. Absolutely not.
With that thought, I left my room in the same outfit and headed for Dogeon’s.
He must have been completely exhausted because he’d collapsed onto his bed without even pulling up the blanket.
If I woke him up now, I’d feel like a human alarm clock, always being the one to call him for mealtime.
So I waited.
For about 10 minutes.
But he didn’t wake up.
Seriously, if I weren’t here, this guy would probably survive on just one or two meals a day.
It didn’t really matter in this world of fiction, but knowing that this guy had once been a Korean like me, it felt a bit sad.
“…Wake up.”
Just like I did this morning, I tickled the tip of his nose with my tail.
He reacted right away.
“Ugh… My body… Hoyeon… huh?”
His gaze was a little strange. It wasn’t like how he’d looked at me in the department store.
But I figured it was just because he’d just woken up.
More importantly, before I told him it was dinnertime, I had something I wanted to ask.
“…Dogeon, do I… look different to you?”