*Shiver-shiver–*

Gyeoul’s small body trembled as she clutched her tail tightly, her drooping white ears betraying her fear.

Seeing this precious child express such intense fear, Yoo Sangah and the adventurer standing across from her could only hold their breath in sympathy.

‘First, let’s put the mana stones away.’

Yoo Sangah quickly gathered the Blue Tiger mana stones into a pouch, but each time her hand touched a stone, Gyeoul flinched.

To Gyeoul, it must have felt like watching someone handle corpses without a second thought.

“I’m sorry, Gyeoul. That must have been scary.”

“N-No, it’s okay. I should be the one apologizing…”

Why was this innocent child apologizing? Yoo Sangah patted her stomach gently, trying to soothe her.

“It just happened to be a feline-type mana stone.”

“Yes. I know it’s not the real thing, but… the mana feels too similar to mine…”

Gyeoul understood that only young beastfolk, still unaccustomed to life as a beastkin, experienced this kind of confusion.

She placed a hand over her pounding heart to calm herself.

“I’ll make sure to send any feline mana stones to a different desk when you’re around.”

“S-Sorry for causing trouble…”

“It’s alright. This is how we live, taking care of each other. And next time I’m in trouble, you’ll help me, right?”

“Yes…”

Yoo Sangah truly was a kind person. Gyeoul’s tail began to wag gently, her fear slowly subsiding.

“Gyeoul, come over here.”

*Tap-tap–*

Sophia, who had just finished her transaction, tapped her chair, inviting Gyeoul over. Gyeoul eagerly got up from Yoo Sangah’s lap.

“Hmm…”

Yoo Sangah felt a pang of disappointment; she would have liked to keep Gyeoul with her a bit longer.

But family came first, so she contented herself with having held Gyeoul for a little while.

“Sophia, should I sit here with you?”

“Yes, come and sit.”

“Alright.”

Gyeoul nestled beside Sophia, their small bodies leaning comfortably against each other.

“Did it frighten you?”

“A little.”

“Don’t be too embarrassed. It’s something all beastfolk experience.”

Sophia’s warmth radiated not only from her body but also from her gentle words, making Gyeoul feel secure. She wrapped her tail around Sophia’s waist, this time with intent, not instinct.

Noticing this, Sophia simply smiled without saying a word.

—

After the visit, Sophia returned home to rest, but I still had things to do. I wandered around the park, listening carefully for any familiar voices or sounds.

“Hehe.”

In the distance, I heard Midsummer’s laughter and naturally drifted toward the sound.

“Good boy.”

Arriving, I witnessed a heartwarming scene: Midsummer crouched in front of a golden-furred dog, scratching its head lovingly, while Choi Jin-hyuk held its leash.

‘So, she has a pet now.’

The dog was a beautiful creature with golden fur and looked large enough to easily be taller than me if it stood on its hind legs.

I watched Midsummer play with the dog from behind.

“Such a sweet puppy.”

Perhaps the dog understood that it was being adored, as it wagged its tail energetically. The sight made my own tail wag just as enthusiastically.

*Whoosh–whoosh–*

Noticing the movement, Choi Jin-hyuk turned to look at me, then glanced down at Midsummer, who was focused on petting the dog.

“Midsummer.”

“What?”

She stood up and turned to face me. Her happy expression froze as she noticed me.

“Playing with a dog?”

“Y-Yeah… When did you get here, Gyeoul…?”

“I just got here.”

The big dog looked friendly. Maybe I could pet it, too? I fidgeted with my fingers, and Midsummer beckoned me over, flustered.

“G-Gyeoul, I swear, I’m not cheating on you with a dog! Cats are my number one, dogs come second…!”

“Uh… sure…?”

Why was she acting so strange all of a sudden? I could only blink in confusion.

“I’m not having an affair with the dog, okay? Don’t go thinking weird things!”

“Yes, yes… I won’t…”

An affair with a dog? What was she even talking about? I just nodded along to reassure her.

“Hehe…”

She came over and placed a hand on my cheek, caressing my face the same way she had with the dog.

“Um…”

“Oh, sorry. I got flustered.”

“…I see.”

Everyone has their quirks. I decided not to question it.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“I was just taking the dog for a walk.”

The dog, still on its leash, looked up at me with a gentle gaze, its tongue hanging out as if inviting me to join.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Sure. I’m okay with it if you are.”

“With what?”

“Well, since you’re a cat-type beastfolk…”

Midsummer’s gaze drifted toward the ears perched atop my head.

Was she worried because I was a feline-type? I wanted to reassure her that I wasn’t a real cat, but the words wouldn’t come out. I wasn’t entirely sure how well cats and dogs got along either.

“Think it’ll be dangerous?”

“Who knows? I haven’t seen this situation before.”

“Hmm…”

After a moment of contemplation, I reached out to the dog. It sniffed my hand, then gave it a friendly lick while its tail wagged.

“Seems like it’s fine.”

“Yes.”

If the dog was this well-behaved, I didn’t see any harm in joining their walk. I was grateful that Midsummer had been considerate enough to check.

—

We walked through the park with me holding the dog’s leash. It stayed close by my side, well-trained and obedient.

“Oh wow.”

*Click–*

“So cute!”

*Click–*

Midsummer made little sounds of amazement as she snapped pictures of us, so much so that I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at her. Instead, I stole glances at her out of the corner of my eye.

“Um…”

“Oh, sorry! Got a bit carried away. I just wanted to capture memories with you and the dog.”

“Memories?”

“Yeah, it’s rare to see you walking with a dog. It’s special.”

“I see.”

If she wanted to create memories, I couldn’t say no. I gently tugged on her wrist, bringing her closer.

“Let’s take a picture together.”

“O-Okay!”

We took a photo with me, Midsummer, and even Choi Jin-hyuk, who joined us at the last moment. Midsummer held her phone close to her chest, cherishing the photo.

“Gyeoul, is it alright if I post this on my personal social media?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks so much!”

She tapped on her screen, presumably uploading the picture. Although I couldn’t see her phone screen, her expression told me enough.

She really enjoyed taking photos with me. My tail wagged happily at the thought.

I’d have to take even more photos with her from now on.

As I was lost in these thoughts, a cat’s meow echoed nearby.

“Meow.”

This park was home to many wild animals. Naturally, I looked in the direction of the sound.

“Meow.”

There was a cat lying peacefully on the ground, its relaxed state evident from its calm meowing. It seemed a bit wary of the dog beside me, though.

“Gyeoul, what’s the cat saying?”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh… so you can’t understand it?”

“No, I’m not an actual cat, you know…”

Though I shared some feline traits, I couldn’t communicate with them. Midsummer probably assumed my cat-like features extended to understanding cat language.

“I thought maybe your beastfolk traits might help with that.”

Midsummer looked a bit disappointed. She must have hoped I’d be able to talk to animals. To console her, I shared what little I could interpret.

“I can’t talk to it, but I can sort of sense its mood.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s saying something like, ‘I’m scared of the dog, so please keep your distance. I’m tired, so kindly stay away.’”

“…That sounds like communication to me.”

“…Huh?”

Was it? I supposed words weren’t the only form of communication. Midsummer might be right—I could understand the cat in a way.

‘Amazing.’

I could communicate with cats. It was a surprisingly useful skill.

Just then, I noticed Levinas and Saebyeok running toward us from a distance.

“Your Highness, something’s happened!”

*Pitter-patter–*

The two came racing over like cats themselves, capturing all our attention.

“What’s going on?”

“The seed sprouted! But something weird grew from it!”

“Already…?”

Though Levinas had a natural affinity for plants, they usually didn’t grow this quickly. We all followed Levinas to where she pointed.

When we arrived near a container, we found an unusual gray tree growing there. The bark felt as hard as steel when I touched it.

“What… is this?”

A metal tree? I had no idea what it was. The metallic fruits hanging from the branches were especially curious.

“This is unbelievable.”

Midsummer and Choi Jin-hyuk stared at the tree in

 shock, their hands trembling as they examined it.

“Is this… Gyeoul’s tree?”

“Yes! This is Her Highness’s tree!”

Levinas answered on my behalf, claiming the tree as mine. I was a bit taken aback by her enthusiasm.

“This… looks like an enhancement agent.”

“An enhancement agent?”

“Y-Yeah… something you apply to weapons. Between the dandelion tea and this, Gyeoul, your buff abilities are incredible…”

An enhancement agent… I wasn’t sure what it meant, so I just looked up at the tree in awe.

“This is really valuable.”

“We should call the guild master over to check it out.”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t know much about it, but it seemed like a good thing. And it looked impressive enough to serve as a nice decoration too.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep