“When our eyes met, he grinned and laughed, but it was a funny smile, to be honest. In reality, that made it even scarier. He was smiling with his mouth, but not with his eyes! His gaze was extremely fierce! Moreover, he seemed to have misunderstood something. ‘Is it because the lady came down to the Alphonse region?’ ‘Yes? Well, yes, but—” ‘In that case, imprinting on the lady all of a sudden must have been very awkward for you.’ ‘…?’ Feeling that the conversation was getting tangled, I chose my words carefully, but suddenly, an aide came and said there was an urgent matter, taking Grayan away. Because of that, the conversation ended without a proper conclusion, leaving a lingering discomfort. It should be resolved when we talk properly later, so it’s not a big worry… Well… nothing serious is happening, right? ”
“Lord Constable Namjakjeo had already enjoyed a lively party at Solzberrry Duke’s residence, and without fail, another party was held at Solzberry Mansion.

After Grayan publicly announced that I was his companion, the people of Solzberry Castle worked diligently and successfully organized a party within the day.

They even invited a band and a poet, so at this point, the driving force of the people in Solzberry Castle is truly formidable…

“Madam, congratulations.”

“Congratulations.”

“How fortunate it is for the master to finally find a companion. It’s even more fortunate because you are such a wonderful person, Madam.”

The nobles gathered at the party offered their congratulations, and I accepted them with a smile. Their congratulations felt sincere, not just empty words, allowing me to genuinely feel happy.

‘Now I have definitely gained recognition from the people of Solzberry Castle…’

A bit, no, quite proud. It still doesn’t feel real.

“Duchess! Congratulations once again! Oh, over there, there’s a band. Did you see? Leonaard, the most famous lyrical poet these days, is here!”

April, who looked unusually excited, brightly approached and spoke. … Now that I think about it, this guy has become considerably brighter compared to when we first met. It feels like just yesterday when he was a shy rabbit who would run away and hide at the slightest provocation.

“I didn’t know you liked that lyrical poet… Well, shall we go watch together?”

“Yes! Sounds good!”

And so, holding April’s hand, I headed towards the place where the lyrical poet and the band were. Rodrigo followed closely behind.

“…Oh, what an honor this is! Duchess Solzberry! And the young lady!”

Lyrical poet Leonard was a fox beastman, and for some reason, even though he was in human form, he had his fox ears and tail exposed.

Whenever his ears perked up or his tail swayed, exclamations like “Kyaaak” or “Cute~” erupted from various places. …Could it be that the popularity lies in those ears and tail?

“For the protagonist of today’s party, Duchess Solzberry, I will dedicate a song. Please listen.”

After speaking in a resonant voice, Leonard continued by playing a lilting tune on the lute, and then, with a beautiful voice, he began to sing.

“You are like a midwinter summer rose. An eternal summer resides in your eyes. I am intoxicated by your fragrance…”

I didn’t know what song it was, but the women around seemed to love it. I, without much enthusiasm, wore a perfunctory smile and nodded my head.

“…How was it, Duchess?”
Leonard asked with his long and lush tail swaying, wearing an expression full of anticipation. I replied with the somewhat impolite thought that I wanted to touch that tail.

“That was a truly excellent performance and song. It seems your reputation is not undeserved.”

“Hahaha, you’re too kind.”

Dimples appeared on his smiling face. Leonard continued to smile, seemingly pondering for a moment before speaking indirectly.

“Well… Duchess, if you wish, you can touch my ears and tail.”

“…?!”

What, what is this? Did my inner thoughts become apparent? Did I stare too blatantly at Leonard’s ears and tail? Feeling embarrassed, I blinked rapidly, but Leonard extended his head as if indicating that it was okay to touch.

…Can I really touch them? Glancing around, it seemed like everyone found this situation amusing. It must be okay to touch them.

In the beastman society, depending on the species, touching ears and tails might be considered impolite. Since the atmosphere seemed relaxed and there didn’t appear to be any issue, I couldn’t resist the temptation and reached out my hand.

Just as my slightly trembling fingertips were about to touch the fuzzy ears—

“…!”

Suddenly, a large hand reached out and firmly grabbed my wrist.
The slightly trembling fingertips, about to touch the fluffy ears—

“……!”

A sudden, large hand reached out and firmly grasped my wrist.

I was startled and looked at the owner of the hand. It was none other than Grayan.

He had a gentle smile on his lips, but his gaze was sharply contrasting.

Instinctively, I could sense that he didn’t find this situation pleasing.

“It’s not allowed.”

“Uh…”