Why had I felt such fear from a simple yawn? I looked up at Yeoreum, but she only hesitated, not offering any explanation. It seemed I’d have to ask directly.

“What’s hissing?”

“Well…”

“Well?”

“Well… you know how cats hiss when they feel threatened?”

Yeoreum imitated the hiss of a fierce feline, almost like she was about to pounce on me and sink her teeth into my neck.

“Um, with Levinas here, it’s probably best not to show anything too scary…”

“R-Right. Sorry, that was a bit mean of me.”

Accepting her apology, I glanced over at Levinas, concerned that she might have been frightened. But she just stood there, watching us blankly, showing no signs of fear.

“Levinas, weren’t you scared just now?”

“Scared of what?”

“You know, the hissing.”

Yeoreum, who was known as one of the strongest in the Dawning Guild, had been imitating a threatening hiss like a tiger. If it scared me this much, how could Levinas be unfazed? Given her usual timidness, I was puzzled.

“Why would hissing be scary? Levinas isn’t afraid of it.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

Does she not realize it’s a way big cats intimidate others? As I stood there, puzzled, Yeoreum tapped my shoulder.

“Hey, Gyeoul.”

“Yes?”

“It seems like you might be extra sensitive to feline threats because you’re part of the cat family.”

“…Oh.”

So it was an animal instinct. Startled by this realization, I raised my hand to my head, pressing down the ears that had perked up.

“Maybe it’s because you haven’t been a beast-kin for long.”

“Ah…”

She was right; I hadn’t been part of the beast-kin for long, so it made sense that I’d experience things like this. Adjusting to changes in my body took time, like when I’d first become a girl.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ve heard that as beast-kin grow, they can control their instincts more freely.”

“That’s good to know.”

As a beast-kin, I was practically a child, so I decided to focus on growth and accept my limitations.

“I guess we should avoid yawning in front of Gyeoul.”

“No, it’s fine as long as you’re not yawning right at me.”

“Oh… is that so?”

“Yeah, yawns done alone don’t bother me.”

Now that I thought about it, Sophia always covered her mouth and turned away when she yawned. I’d thought she was just being polite, but perhaps it was also to avoid scaring me.

‘She really has been considerate.’

I decided I’d be nicer to Sophia and followed Yeoreum back into the building.

—

Back at the house, I found Sophia sitting in the massage chair. I wondered how things had gone with Kwon Arin.

As I recalled Kwon Arin crying her eyes out, Levinas quickly ducked behind me.

“Your Majesty! The shark is in the ghost chair again!”

“The ghost chair?”

“Yeah! Last time Levinas sat in that chair, it went ‘bababak’ and tried to attack me!”

Levinas glared at Sophia with intense suspicion—or more accurately, at the massage chair she was sitting in.

“Levinas, that chair is supposed to go ‘bababak’ like that.”

“R-Really? Why would a chair go ‘bababak’?”

“It’s a massage chair. It taps your body to give you a massage, and it feels really nice.”

“Massage…?”

Since Levinas was still young, she didn’t seem to understand the comfort of a massage. Wanting to introduce her to something new, I led her over to Sophia.

“Sophia, may I try it out?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

Sophia got up, leaving the chair warm from where she had been sitting. I took her place, enjoying the lingering warmth.

“See, it taps your back and legs like this.”

Tap, tap, tap—

The massage chair tapped my back, but for some reason, it was far stronger than any massage chair I’d experienced before.

“…!”

The massage was surprisingly intense. I jumped up, my ears and tail standing on end.

“Why is it so strong?”

“It’s not the chair that’s strong, but rather that Gyeoul has delicate skin. After all, you’re still young.”

“Oh…”

Without mana, my body was as fragile as that of a normal child. The massage chair didn’t exactly cater to my young skin.

How silly of me to sit in a massage chair without considering my delicate skin. Embarrassed, I scratched the back of my neck.

“Your Majesty, is it still too hard for us?”

“Y-Yeah, seems like it.”

I decided I’d wait until I was older to try the massage chair again. Just then, Yeoreum approached us with a drink in hand.

“Gyeoul, would you sit with me for a moment?”

“Okay.”

I followed Yeoreum to the sofa. She was holding a stack of unfamiliar papers.

“You know the tea you’ve been selling? I calculated the profits; want to take a look?”

“Yes, I’d like to see.”

Nodding, I accepted the paper she handed me. It was filled with numbers related to the tea’s earnings.

“You only need to focus on this part here. This is the amount you’ll take home.”

I started reading from the bottom, my eyes widening.

Fifty million won.

I’d never seen such a large amount in my life. The number was printed there in bold letters.

“How did it sell so much…?”

“It’s a buff item, after all. Buffs are always in high demand.”

“Oh…”

With earnings like this, I could pay off my debts in no time. My tail began to wag happily at the thought.

“Let’s keep your income at this level for now. We could sell more, but that would mean you’d have to work much harder.”

“I don’t mind working harder…”

“Just hold off a little. Once you grow as an adventurer, you’ll earn much more than this—at least tens of millions.”

“Oh…”

She was advising me not to be swayed by short-term earnings and to focus on training and hunting for a brighter future. Knowing she was right, I decided not to argue.

“And as for the profit…”

“Please use it all to pay off my debt.”

“A-All of it…? You know I don’t mind if you don’t pay it off…”

“No. If you owe someone money, you must repay it.”

Seeing my firm resolve, Yeoreum sighed, making her reluctance clear.

“…Alright, got it.”

“Thank you. Please use this for my debt as well.”

I pulled out a wad of cash from my pocket. It was most of the money I’d earned by hunting, selling empty bottles, and peddling mushrooms and vegetables.

“Gyeoul, what would you do if I refused to take this money?”

“I wouldn’t be able to do anything… maybe just stop talking to you…”

“A-Alright, I’ll take the money.”

Startled, Yeoreum accepted the cash. A sense of relief washed over me, knowing I was chipping away at the debt, however small the progress might be.

“I’ll keep paying it back this way.”

“O-Okay… But, Gyeoul, you don’t need to pick up empty bottles anymore, right? You’re already making plenty with hunting and dandelion tea.”

“Yes, I don’t need to, but Levinas still does, so I help her.”

“Oh… you’re such a good sister.”

Yeoreum, sitting beside me, wrapped her arm around my shoulder. My tail wagged happily for a long time.

—

“I’ll head outside for a bit.”

“Alright. I’ll finish up some work here. Remember to ask someone nearby for help if anything comes up.”

“Yes!”

As Gyeoul and Levinas left, Yeoreum stayed behind, calculating the finances. She had no intention of putting Gyeoul’s hard-earned money into the guild’s funds—a decision made collectively with the guild members.

‘This money is to make Gyeoul happy.’

Yeoreum understood that Gyeoul’s will to live wasn’t particularly strong. Her life felt like something that could be snuffed out at any moment, and Yeoreum knew Gyeoul needed a sense of joy and purpose to keep going.

‘For now, it’s best to focus on helping her grow.’

Few things were as gratifying as witnessing one’s own progress, which was one reason Yeoreum let Gyeoul practice her rugged, beast-kin training in all its messy glory.

‘So that Gyeoul can live a long life, become a splendid adventurer, maybe even get married…’

Wait… married?

‘Absolutely not.’

Thud!

Unconsciously, Yeoreum slammed her hand on the table, startling Sophia, who was dozing in the massage chair.

“Why, why the sudden noise?”

“Oh, sorry. I was picturing Gyeoul living happily, and it made me mad…”

“Why would thinking of a happy Gyeoul make you mad…?”

“It’s just… as I imagined her future, she was getting married…”

Oh.

Understanding dawned on Sophia as she nodded. Yeoreum’s attachment to Gyeoul was borderline possessive.

At that moment, the sound of light footsteps and the front door opening came from the hallway.

“Did someone call for me?”

It was Gyeoul’s voice. Yeoreum whipped her head around, startled

.

“Gyeoul, didn’t you go down in the elevator?”

“No, only Levinas took the elevator. I’m taking the stairs.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yes. I wanted to keep my distance from civilization, but then I heard a loud bang and someone calling my name, so I came back.”

Just how good was her hearing to catch her name through a closed door? Perhaps her sharp hearing had focused on the sound after the bang.

“It’s nothing, really. We were just talking about the future.”

“The future?”

“Yes, a very happy future. You were in it too, Gyeoul.”

“I-I see…”

A bit of embarrassment slipped into Gyeoul’s voice, something both Yeoreum and Sophia noticed.

“Well, I’ll be on my way again.”

“Um, could you take the elevator, just this once?”

“Okay…”

Gyeoul pressed the elevator button, complying with Yeoreum’s request. No one saw her tail wagging with joy as she left.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep