On a dark night without a single star, a man wrapped in a black robe mounted a black horse.
“It will take another month this time as well, I suppose?”
“Take care of the castle while I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry.”
“…Very well.”
“What’s the matter? Is there something you want to say…?”
After hesitating for a frustratingly long time, the Duke finally opened his mouth.
“It might be good to assign a guard to Diana’s side.”
Benjamin’s eyes grew as big as saucers upon hearing those words.
For the Duke to worry about his daughter’s well-being was as rare as the sky falling.
“But you instructed us to thoroughly ignore her…!”
“Too much of anything is not good. From now on, you take care of it.”
Watching the change in his lord, Benjamin’s eyes reddened with emotion.
This was a man who had stubbornly insisted that the way to protect his daughter was through self-reliance.
‘It seems the young lady kneeling affected him greatly.’
The loyal retainer shed tears as he thought of the pitiful young lady.
“…So you’ve finally decided to look after the young lady.”
“Act discreetly. There are many watching eyes.”
“Of course.”
The Duke loosely gripped the reins and continued speaking.
“And that slave Diana keeps around. He has solid fundamentals. Who taught him?”
“It was Sir Vincent.”
“He’s certainly grown compared to when he first sparred.”
“To the point where the knights’ morale is dropping. Though young, he is a Lycan after all…”
“It wouldn’t be bad to use him as a guard. Since she keeps him close anyway, it won’t stand out if they’re together.”
“Would someone with a grudge against the family safely protect the young lady?”
“He seems to have fallen for Diana, so it shouldn’t matter.”
The loyal retainer nearly fell backwards, trembling at the shocking statement.
“How can you say such an irreverent thing! It’s unacceptable for a slave to harbor feelings for a noble!”
“It doesn’t matter. When the time comes, we can send him to the battlefield. Obedient Lycans are rare. Since we’ve obtained one, let’s make proper use of him. If you’re uneasy, keep watching him a bit longer.”
“…Understood.”
As the Duke kicked his horse’s side, the black steed reared up on its hind legs.
Watching his lord’s back as he passed through the castle gates, Benjamin massaged his temples, sinking into worry.
‘I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do…’
[This is the timeline separator]Diana secretly took out the Dunkel she had hidden under her bed on a moonlit night and pondered deeply.
‘I got lucky obtaining it, but how on earth am I supposed to find land where mana flows?’
Meanwhile, Sebastian kept scratching at the terrace door, constantly looking back at Diana.
“No. Where do you think you’re going?”
The cat, having developed a taste for walks, attempted to escape at every opportunity.
Sebastian whined in front of the firmly shut terrace, then flopped over, exposing his round belly to entice Diana.
‘Just open the door a bit.’
That was out of the question.
“…I’m frustrated too, Sebastian.”
As soon as Diana lay down looking up at the ceiling, Sebastian leaped onto the bed and began kneading her thin cheeks.
Knead, knead, knead, knead.
“That hurts, you little rascal. What are you so displeased about?”
Lacking understanding of cats, Diana was also unaware that kneading was an expression of affection.
She removed Sebastian and held him in her arms, muttering,
“If only Dunkel cultivation was possible, Raoul could escape without a single scratch…”
“…”
“Sebastian, are you sleeping?”
As Diana rose to move the motionless Sebastian to a cushion, suddenly there was a “poof!” explosion, and a pink cloud enveloped her.
Cough! Cough!
Painfully coughing and barely opening her stinging eyes, Diana couldn’t help but scream reflexively.
‘Why is Trian here?’
The male protagonist who should have been in the castle was sitting on Diana’s bed, smiling.
“Kyaaaaa!”
“Don’t be scared! It’s me, Sebastian!”
The loud scream stopped.
Looking closely, though he had Trian’s face, his expression and aura were completely different.
His eyes were so bright and round they seemed to sparkle, and his constantly smiling, cheerful face showed none of Trian’s characteristic sharp demeanor.
“Don’t you like this appearance? If you don’t, I can change it!”
With those words, his golden hair began to rise strand by strand.
As the hair on both sides stuck together in the air like a round sun, Diana exclaimed,
“That’s, that’s enough! Just explain the situation! You’re really… not Prince Trian, right?”
“Of course not. I’m Sebastian. Humans used to call me a divine beast, right?”
At that moment, Anthony’s passing remark flashed through her mind.
‘At first I thought it was a divine official, but it turned out to be a cat.’
“Don’t tell me you escaped?”
“Yeah! I heard a voice telling me to run away, so I moved quickly! That’s how I found the black fruit too!”
He innocently smiled and grabbed Diana’s hand.
“You seemed to like cats so I stayed quiet, but not being able to speak is inconvenient! How’s this form? Do you like it? It’s good, right? Isn’t it cool? Don’t you want to kiss me!”
“W-What are you suddenly saying?”
“But you two kissed on the terrace! I saw it while playing in the garden… Like this!”
Sebastian’s face suddenly drew closer.
Diana startled and pushed his shoulders away with her hands, and at that moment Sebastian’s approaching body fell backwards like a fish speared by a harpoon.
“Ack!”
In front of Diana, who raised both hands in surrender, bright silver hair appeared.
‘Raoul?’
He subdued Sebastian with eyes colder than ice.
Sebastian, with his arm twisted behind his back and face pressed into the blanket, immediately bared his teeth and growled, scratching at his neck.
“No! Don’t fight!”
When Diana shouted, Raoul turned his head with a somewhat shocked expression.
As his grip loosened, Sebastian smugly smiled and clung to Diana’s side.
“Do you know him?”
“Of course I do! Diana hugs and strokes me every day!”
“…What?”
A spark flashed in those cold eyes. Diana startled and pushed Sebastian far away.
“Sebastian! What are you saying?”
At that moment, Sebastian, who had fallen off the bed, turned back into a cat with a “poof!” sound.
Raoul swiftly caught the ball of fur that was flailing about with its belly exposed.
Dangling in midair with its scruff caught, the cat raised its claws and tried to scratch Raoul.
“Raoul, let go…! It’s okay.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Just put him down and let’s talk. Okay?”
Whether the plea worked or not, Raoul reluctantly put Sebastian down at a distance with a displeased expression.
He hid Diana behind him and faced the arrogant cat.
‘How unpleasant.’
A hot flame rose in his calm eyes.
When he rushed over hearing a faint scream, an unfamiliar boy was shielding Diana. His blood ran cold and his heart raced roughly.
The huge fortress that was the castle had never once kept Diana safe.
But what was even more shocking was Diana’s attitude. Even now, Raoul couldn’t understand.
She even poked her head out from behind him to see the hidden cat.
“Diana.”
“Huh…? What?”
“It’s dangerous. Don’t get close.”
“Calm down first. I’ll explain everything.”
While keeping the cat immobilized by its scruff, Raoul listened to Diana’s story.
“So, this thing is a divine beast and has the strange ability to freely change its appearance?”
“…That’s right.”
“In other words, it’s dangerous.”
Raoul briefly defined Sebastian and took an offensive stance.
Diana tried to calm the agitated Raoul while hugging Sebastian.
“Still, we should hear him out. He wasn’t threatening me earlier. I just screamed because I was surprised.”
“If you felt threatened, then it was a threat.”
Poof!
As if answering Raoul’s words, another pink cloud rose.
As they coughed, unable to gather their senses, when the smoke cleared, Raoul and Diana’s bodies simultaneously stiffened.
‘W-W-What on earth…!’
A soft sensation touched the corner of her lips. Diana was so shocked she pushed Sebastian’s body away.
“W-What are you doing!”
And before she could stop him, Raoul lunged at Sebastian.
Ah, no! Diana reflexively wrapped her arms around Raoul’s neck.
“Raoul! Calm down!”
“I need to throw him out right now!”
Aah! What is all this commotion in the middle of the night!
“…He’s not dangerous! He’s just too innocent!”
“You’re the innocent one!”
Sebastian looked down at the two people struggling and smiled innocently.
“What’s wrong? Is kissing not allowed?”
“Of course it’s not!”
Raoul and Diana shouted in unison. Startled by their scolding voices, Sebastian blinked rapidly and puffed out his cheeks.
“Why not? You did it on the terrace.”
“His Highness the Prince did that on his own! I never wanted it.”
Suddenly, Raoul’s expression hardened like stone.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s nothing serious, just that somehow I ended up in a situation where His Highness the Prince might misunderstand… Raoul?”
Raoul’s expression as he listened to the story was as pale as if he had seen the grim reaper.
Diana shook his shoulders in alarm, but Raoul couldn’t regain his senses for a long time.
______
In This Life, I Won’t Be Foolish To Lose You Again (Female-dominant)
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]