‘It’s the Duke. The Duke I like. The Duke I want to have.’

Haa…… Yes, I actually remembered having such thoughts. It’s just that I couldn’t bear to recall them again.

I tried to think it was a momentary impulse at that moment. But now I think I know. It wasn’t an impulse of the moment. It was my true feelings that I had constantly suppressed while being by the Duke’s side for three months.

But……

“Then what about wolf beasts? Can’t wolf beasts sleep with someone they don’t care for either?”

What about the Duke? Was the Duke the same as me? Perhaps he had already given his heart to her before we slept together and imprinted, not because we slept together.

The old couple gave an awkward smile at her desperate question.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to lie. That Duke imprinted on you, young lady, right? We thought it was a very small possibility, but since it actually happened, we’re not entirely without responsibility. In fact, wolves are different from tigers. They can sleep together as long as there’s no aversion. Especially during mating season, it’s dangerous. For them, the first time is easier compared to tigers. It’s just that they get bound to their partner due to imprinting after sleeping together. In a word, the habits of tiger beasts and wolf beasts are completely opposite. Tiger beasts tend to have wandering hearts without imprinting, while wolf beasts can’t budge from their partner after imprinting.”

“Ah……”

In fact, it was an answer I already knew. How could the Duke give his heart when he thought I was a man? Still, I asked out of desperate feelings.

“Don’t make such a sad expression again. You said you’re not seeing that man from before. You haven’t found a new man, and you haven’t lost your heart to that wolf Duke yet, so from now on, you should treat the Duke who imprinted on you well. Stick close and dote on him.”

“……”

“Young lady, are you listening?”

Tears seemed to well up in Chloe’s eyes.

How could these people be like this?

“How can you talk so easily after putting the Duke in that state? Letting the Duke imprint on me without any feelings and speaking so irresponsibly!”

“……We’re sorry. But it’s not something we should apologize to you for, is it? You got the man you wanted, right? The Duke may be wrapped around your finger, but we should be cursed by that Duke, not you. Of course, he won’t be able to since he imprinted.”

“What do you mean?”

“In that Duke’s eyes, you will appear as the most perfect and complete woman in the world. Due to the absolute affection for the imprinted partner, wolf beasts can never think the imprinting was wrong. That’s how imprinting is.”

“How cruel. To do such a thing knowing that.”

“Young lady, it wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t think of sleeping with that Duke.”

Chloe was truly angry at this couple. How could they decide the Duke’s life with such a game?

“You are really shameless.”

“If you say that, there’s nothing we can do. Well, hearing you say that at least lightens our burden a bit.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you said you don’t like that wolf Duke already, that would increase our sin. If you leave the Duke, he will eventually die, but thankfully you seem to like the Duke.”

Chloe tilted her head, wondering if she misheard something.

Die?

“What does that mean?”

“If the imprinted partner leaves, they die, don’t they? If they can’t relieve the pain of mating season, the heat builds up and they eventually die young. As far as we know, the previous Duke of Ulpaz died early because of that. You really don’t know anything. Well, maybe we know too much? Anyway, young lady, since you slept with that Duke with feelings, it’s best not to change your mind and take responsibility for the Duke. We haven’t experienced it ourselves, but we heard even suppressants can’t handle that pain for imprinted wolf beasts. If it builds up without relief, they suffer in pain to the point their organs burn up and eventually die. Treat him well. You’re a beast, right? If you’re a beast, you’ll have the stamina to easily handle a wolf’s mating season.”

What’s okay! Right now you’re saying the Duke might die if I can’t relieve his mating season, what’s okay about that!

Chloe felt like crying at such terrible words. Why do tears keep trying to fall out like a fool!

“So…… if I can’t relieve the Duke’s mating season, the Duke might die?”

“That’s right. You really didn’t know. It hasn’t been long since you slept together here, right? Mating season comes once a month, so there must have been one in between. No, it could have been two months by now?”

The couple calmly counted the dates facing each other.

‘Once a month…… two months by now? Ah……’

Suddenly, the image of the Duke suffering from a fever in Solain came to mind. So that was about a month after we first slept together!

“It comes every month? That mating season thing?”

“Yes. Wolves are like that. For tiger beasts, the spring mating season is the most severe and the rest aren’t too bad. Ah! Young lady, that day must have been the spring mating season. You said he was taking suppressants before, so maybe that was when the medicine wore off and it was the first mating season you faced.”

“Ah……”

“That’s probably it. Anyway, wolf beasts suffer severely from mating season. It can be said to be the biggest weakness of wolf beasts. During mating season, they actually can’t do anything. Their senses don’t function properly. They’re just filled with desire for their imprinted partner.”

One month since the Duke was sick in Solain. The injury from battle. Sir Joyce sending for her.

Somehow, the uneasiness grew more and more.

“Is sleeping with the imprinted partner the only way to relieve mating season?”

“Probably? I know small physical contact helps to some extent, but I heard fundamental relief requires sleeping together.”

The lady explained with a strange smile. It was unpleasant wondering what she was thinking, but Chloe was in no position to be picky. They knew a lot of things she needed to know.

“If I’m not there, then the Duke might eventually die?”

“Well, don’t put it so extremely. The heat builds up and they do die, but not right away, they eventually die young as time passes. Young lady, don’t take it so seriously. If you like him, can’t you just go and take care of it?”

“Excuse me! How can you tell me not to take it seriously? You had a decisive impact on someone’s life. And then you speak so lightly as if it’s no big deal. Moreover…… it’s a matter that affects that person’s life.”

Chloe choked up slightly in the middle but managed to regain her composure.

“Oh my, are you going to hit us? If regular people like us get hit by a tiger beast, we might die. Don’t do this here and just go to that Duke. Seeing you get so angry, you must really like him. It’s good for young men and women to like each other and do this and that. I don’t know why you’re getting angry, really.”

The lady rather lost her temper. Chloe bit down on her molars.

Hit them with what! Due to the influence of suppressants, she couldn’t properly use the strength of a tiger beast. She couldn’t even transform into a tiger at will. They even said easily losing consciousness from shock was also the effect of taking suppressants for too long. So even if she hit them, forget about them dying, they might not even get a bruise. Of course, it’s not something that can be solved by hitting anyway.

Calculating the dates, it had been almost a month since the Duke was sick last time. The reason Sir Joyce called for her might not have been because of the injury but something else.

She ran to the second floor guest room to wake up Macle, who was sleeping. Having rested for about two hours, Macle should have recovered his energy to some extent now. She had no room in her heart to consider Macle’s energy any further. She had to go to the Duke right away.

Joyce finished wrapping up the post-war handling with the Schneider side on behalf of the Duke and returned. The Duke was injured in the arm while rescuing Nathan. Under normal circumstances, there was no way he would be injured in such a situation, so all the knights were puzzled. It was because the Duke endured without revealing that his body was abnormal.

So when he instructed Joyce to go in his place, saying he couldn’t attend the negotiation after the victory, Joyce finally realized he was in mating season.

Of all days, that time had to come.

Mating season was the time when wolf beasts were weakest and vulnerable to attacks. It was a miracle that he finished the battle even in that state. Of course, Joyce could only guess as he hadn’t experienced it himself.

The Duke, who had felt something wrong two days ago, said he took five suppressant pills. So his senses must have been completely numbed. His body would be melting from the unrelieved heat of mating season.

In a hurry, he sent Macle to bring Chloe Liden, but even if she left immediately, she would only arrive past midnight due to the absolute distance. By the time she returned, the Duke’s body would probably be exhausted. Moreover, due to the fever from mating season, unlike usual when his wound healing was fast, the injury on his arm could worsen. Anyway, he had to bring Chloe Liden and get her to do something.