“The Duke will be sent to the Moon Garden, where assassins tried to harm Chloe Liden last time. As it’s the darkest place, it will be suitable for the two to transform into a lion and a wolf. I believe Your Majesty will appropriately block access to that place.”

“I may not go out.”

“Yes, whether you come or not is Your Majesty’s decision. I have shown all my cards. Now I just wait. Tonight I will lure the Duke to the Moon Garden, and after the fight with Your Majesty, I will send someone to bring the Duke. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Reina Tilbert left the Emperor’s reception room, leaving behind the Emperor who seemed deep in thought.

All preparations were complete. She had instructed Joyce, the Duke’s closest confidant, to inform her when the Duke’s heat came. After some deliberation, that person finally succumbed to her persuasion that it was for the Duke’s best interest, and promised to cooperate.

She had even prepared an aphrodisiac that works on therianthropes in case of any unexpected situations. Now all she had to do was wait for the Duke’s heat.

“Have you talked to Reina Tilbert again? Haven’t the wolf therianthropes changed their minds?”

Chloe carefully asked Hugrey. She had no doubt about Hugrey’s abilities. However, what if he were to die trying to escape this imperial palace alone? If Calcus wanted her, Hugrey might die alone. If Hugrey died trying to take her out, she felt she couldn’t live.

“I haven’t met her. She’s not really a woman I want to see again either.”

Hugrey’s disgruntled reply made Chloe feel both disappointed that talks with the therianthropes hadn’t progressed, and pleased with his attitude towards Reina Tilbert. After all, she disliked Reina Tilbert just as much. This wasn’t the time, but her negative feelings towards that woman were problematic.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

Hugrey, perceptive as ever, noticed the fleeting smile on Chloe’s face and asked.

“I dislike that woman.”

“She’s a hard woman to like.”

“But she was pretty, doesn’t she look pretty to you?”

Chloe asked out of genuine curiosity. After all, Reina Tilbert was a beauty by anyone’s standards.

“Why are you asking that question now? Are you trying to test me?”

Hugrey instead suspected her intentions. Chloe inwardly reflected on whether she had such intentions, but there were none particularly.

“No, it’s just that woman is really beautiful, isn’t she? Though I’m pretty too, of course.”

“Hahaha, I don’t know. To my eyes, only you look pretty. My eyes might be wrong.”

“Your eyes can’t be wrong, so I must be pretty.”

“Alright, let’s go with that.”

“It’s not just ‘going with that’, it’s really true. Unlike that woman, I have a decent personality too.”

“Hahaha, let’s just say it’s like that.”

Chloe barely resisted the urge to hit Hugrey’s stomach again.

“But how do you know that woman has a bad personality? Ah! You went out with her that time, right? Did she treat you badly?”

Hugrey suddenly stopped chuckling and asked.

“Ah, I didn’t tell you. That woman thought I pounced on you, Hugrey, knowing you were a wolf theriantrope. That I deliberately seduced you. Ah! That’s right. Come to think of it, didn’t that woman say something? That when wolf therianthropes are in heat, they imprint on any woman in front of them, is that not true?”

Chloe finally asked the Duke about Reina Tilbert’s words that had troubled her for so long. Whether he had really slept with her without any feelings at all.

She had resolved not to mind, since she loved him and he had imprinted on her, but still, that fact wasn’t particularly pleasant. Until now she hadn’t dared to ask, but somehow, facing a big event, she found the courage to ask about his true feelings.

“…?”

But the Duke’s eyes looked strange. He was looking at Chloe with distorted eyes, without saying anything.

Why is he like that? Could it be that they really do imprint on anyone during heat?

“That woman… said that you deliberately seduced me?”

“Yes, she did. Even thinking about it now makes me feel bad. I didn’t even know therianthropes existed, she should have limits when slandering people.”

“Wait, then that woman already knew you were a woman at that time? Then, she also knew that you were my imprint partner?”

“…Ah, you didn’t know. Well, I didn’t tell you….”

At that time, she was hurt by that woman’s words, and her mind was complicated, wondering if she should leave the Duke. She didn’t have the confidence to open up about her honest feelings to the Duke like this.

“Why didn’t you tell me then, after hearing such words? Was it because of that woman that you left me and returned to your hometown at that time?”

“…Tell me. Can you really do that with any woman when you’re in heat?”

“Ha! So you really tried to leave me because of that woman. Thinking I was a beast who would go into heat with anyone.”

“No, that’s not it….”

Chloe hesitated, confused about why the conversation was going this way.

“Chloe Liden, haven’t you viewed me too much as a beast? It’s too insulting that my companion thought of me as such a beast.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“What do you mean it’s not? You saw me as someone who would pounce on any woman, didn’t you?”

“No, that’s not it!”

“Then explain why you left me after hearing that woman’s words.”

She couldn’t understand why we were having this argument. Right now, even exchanging only good words and good looks would be regrettable given how precious our time is.

“It’s because I love you too much! I was afraid that you might not love me as much as I love you. That you might be bound to me just because of physical imprinting. I was afraid of that. Because I love you too much! So don’t get so angry.”

Hugrey’s fierce face instantly relaxed to the point of looking foolish.

“Anyway, do I always have to explain everything for you to understand? You’re really a stupid wolf when you get to know you!”

Chloe pouted, embarrassed by her feelings that she had completely revealed. Suddenly, the Duke hugged her.

“Yes, I’m a stupid wolf. And you’re my lovely woman. And about wolves in heat, while their state is different from usual, it doesn’t mean they can sleep with a woman they’re not at all attracted to. I was drawn to your scent. If I really wasn’t attracted to you, I might have thrown you out the window no matter how much you pounced on me.”

‘He remembers everything about me pouncing on him.’

Her face must have turned red, but fortunately Hugrey was hugging her so he couldn’t see.

“Among wolf therianthropes, I have a particularly sensitive sense of smell and I really dislike the scent of tiger therianthropes. So if I wasn’t attracted to you, I couldn’t have kept you as a valet. But I couldn’t smell your scent before that. Your scent was too comfortable for me, and I only realized later that it meant I was already attracted to you. Of course, I didn’t recognize it as such feelings since I thought you were a man. So don’t treat me like a beast.”

“…”

Enveloped in his gentle tone and warm body, Chloe felt somewhat breathless and couldn’t respond.

“Hmm?”

Hugrey gently asked again. His tone was almost like coaxing.

“Yes. Okay.”

As soon as she answered, the Duke’s lips landed on her forehead like a dot.

At last, Chloe realized that heat was spreading from his face that had brushed against her forehead, from his body that was embracing her.

It’s the heat period!

It seemed the Duke’s heat period was just beginning.

If this were at the Duke’s mansion, he would have already carried her to bed. Right now they were inside the Central Palace, so he must be holding back. Waiting for it to get a little darker. Somehow, just imagining it made her throat dry and her body hot.

It would be nice if it got dark a little faster.

At that moment, suddenly someone knocked on the door.

“Your Grace, it’s Joyce.”

“Was Lord Joyce in the imperial palace too?”

Chloe asked in surprise. She knew Lord Joyce had been busy going back and forth between the imperial palace and Roizen, but he had never once come to her room inside the Emperor’s palace.

“What is it? I’ll come out, so wait.”

Hugrey kissed Chloe’s forehead once more and was about to get up when he suddenly looked at Chloe.

“What is it?”

“That woman, Reina Tilbert, you said she already knew you were a woman back then, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did that woman say anything else to you at that time? Did she mention any therianthropes other than wolves…?”

“No, there wasn’t anything like that particularly. She was just surprised that I could speak Tigrium, but…”

“What? That woman knew you could speak Tigrium? How did she know that?”

Hugrey’s eyes widened, but at the same time they emitted a sharp light like a honed blade.

“Well, that woman, she said something about me carrying all sorts of smells, saying it was strange. I understood her muttering to herself and asked back, that’s how she found out. Yes. It was from that moment.”

“Smell? She said you had a smell? You?”

“I think so. Why is that… Ah, could it be that woman smelled tiger therianthrope on me?”

For a moment, a flash of killing intent was visible in Hugrey’s eyes.