The Archduchess’s Loyal Shapeshifter
Chapter 2

Seeing Fenrir’s brows furrow, Rosalin smiled to herself. She patted his elbow gently to soothe her sulking partner.

“I’m going to go pay my respects to his majesty briefly. You stay here.”

“You want me to wait here by myself?”

“Would you rather come with me?”

“Actually… I’ll pass.”

His companion being the emperor’s sister and his meeting the emperor were two entirely different matters. It was one thing if the emperor was simply Rosalin’s brother, but meeting the highest authority in the empire was something Fenrir would rather avoid.

“Go over to the balcony if you don’t want to deal with people. If you draw the curtains, no one will disturb you. That’s how it works around here.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll join you there later.”

“All right.”

When Fenrir agreed to accompany Rosalin, she had already expressed concern that people would be treating him like a spectacle. He had anticipated this and was prepared, but in reality, it was much more exhausting than he had imagined.

Due to his childhood, he was sensitive to the gaze of others. Perhaps it would have been better if he had been completely ignored as a mysterious stranger. The furtive glances of people pretending not to look somehow made him more uneasy than outright staring.

I better step outside quickly.

Fenrir picked up a soft beverage instead of wine and went to the balcony. He swiftly drew the curtains before anyone could come outside. The sound of footsteps following him stopped, replaced by sighs full of disappointment. Fenrir made sure to secure the curtain ties tightly, so they wouldn’t accidentally fall open.

“That’s better.” He sighed softly and leaned against the railing to look out over the garden.

It was dark, making it hard to see clearly, but Fenrir could sense movement here and there. Seeing how they were walking down a set route in pairs, they were most likely the imperial guards on duty.

“Tonight is a ball celebrating the young princess’s birthday, so everyone will be on their best behavior. Even so, people usually hide in the garden to do naughty things.”

Rosalin had snickered and teased, advising him not to be too startled by any sounds coming from the bushes, but the two of them had been doing something naughty themselves when they were discussing this.

While Rosalin made sure he didn’t leave marks above her shoulders since she had to wear a dress, she left Fenrir looking like a mess, saying it would disappear soon enough. True to her word, Fenrir’s resilient anthromorph body quickly healed from her hickeys and scratches. Sometimes, it was almost a shame how quickly they faded.

Oh, well. If they disappear, she can just make new ones, Fenrir mused as he rubbed the spot on his neck where Rosalin’s lips had been.

Just then, he felt a presence sneaking toward him. He tensed, but the person he sensed was not very good at concealing themselves. Their footsteps were simply trying to be cautious, and their movements were too clumsy and inexperienced to be considered a real threat. Above all, they were far too light.

Fenrir decided to ignore whatever was happening behind him, but he noticed that the person was trying to lift the curtain to enter the balcony. Unable to ignore this intrusion, he sighed and turned around slowly.

Since Rosalin had assured him that no one would come past the curtain, it must have been common courtesy in high society. Fenrir squinted, wondering who this audacious person was who dared to break unwritten rules that even Rosalin considered common knowledge.

Unexpectedly, the figure peeking through the curtain was a small girl. She was so tiny that her head barely reached Fenrir’s waist, and she looked no more than five or six years old. Her elegantly styled golden hair and pale green eyes were a familiar combination that reminded him of Rosalin. It wasn’t just a resemblance—their eyes looked strikingly similar.

“What’s that?” the girl asked, pointing a small finger through the curtain.

Fenrir’s gaze followed her fingers. She was pointing at his glass.

“It’s a drink.”

“Is it wine?”

“No.”

“Can I try it?”

“There’s plenty over there.”

Fenrir assumed the girl was having trouble finding a drink, so he pointed to where he had found it. However, the girl didn’t look behind her and kept staring at him.

“Pretty please?”

He thought for a moment. He was puzzled why the girl would want to drink from his glass when there were fresh ones available, but since he hadn’t drunk from it yet, he handed it to her willingly.

The girl, who had only peeked through the curtain, finally emerged by parting it with both hands before taking the glass. She seemed to think she had permission to come out onto the balcony.

“Thank you.”

The girl smiled brightly and brought the glass to her lips. Perhaps the taste was different from what she expected because she tilted her head and frowned slightly, looking down at the glass.

“This is…”

“Your Highness!”

The curtain was pulled open on either side with a loud exclamation. The tightly tied strings gave way, and light poured outside. From the other side, gazes poured in as if they had been waiting for this moment.

The attention was overwhelming, but what made Fenrir take a step back was the word “Highness” spoken by a woman who looked like the girl’s nanny. In the meantime, the woman hurried over, knelt before the princess, and extended her hand.

“Why are you accepting drinks from strangers? Give that to me.”

I didn’t give that to her—she took it from me.

Fenrir felt wronged, but now wasn’t the time to argue. He just stayed quiet and watched.

The princess briefly glanced at Fenrir before handing the glass to the woman, who placed it on the table as if she was discarding trash, and then gently picked up the princess.

“If you want a drink, there are plenty of new glasses inside. If none of them suit your taste, you can let me know, Your Highness.”

“I thought it’d be something special since a prince from a foreign continent was drinking it.”

The nanny shot a glare at Fenrir. She seemed to think that he had somehow tricked the princess by using the word “prince.” Fenrir felt seriously wronged this time, but had no chance to explain himself. The nanny gave him a once-over and then briskly took the princess away.

The princess waved goodbye over her nanny’s shoulder while hugging her neck. Fenrir, taken by surprise, stood there blankly, unable to respond with a wave of his own. Fortunately, no one else tried to come through the curtain that had been forcefully pushed aside. Instead, murmurs about a “foreign continent” and the “prince” began to circulate.

Amid the whispers, someone was making their way toward Fenrir—it was Rosalin.

“That’s my niece. She’s cute, right?”

Rosalin entered the balcony and closed the door behind her. She left the now partially torn curtain as it was. No one dared to enter the balcony, where the archduchess and her partner were alone. However, the transparent glass door made of reinforced crystal couldn’t block the gazes of the onlookers. Even so, Fenrir could relax a bit with Rosalin by his side.

“She called me a prince.”

“Oh, that’s my fault.”

Fenrir looked at her, confused.

Rosalin explained with delight, “When she asked who you were, I said you were a prince from a faraway land who had been falsely accused and exiled during a fight for the throne.”

“What?”

“I mentioned that you had come to our empire seeking refuge and would soon return to your kingdom to reclaim it by overthrowing your treacherous uncle. I also said I was planning to fight in that war as a general in the name of justice. I told her that if my identity were to be revealed, it could be seen as the empire’s involvement, so I would wear a mask while I fight.”

Fenrir’s mouth dropped open in shock, and Rosalin patted his back reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. My niece is smarter than she looks, so she probably won’t believe it. She just enjoys daydreaming.”

Fenrir felt relieved and sighed quietly.

“She’ll be disgusted once she finds out I’m a slave.”

“I’m not disgusted, and Melody is a lot like me, so she probably won’t mind either. Besides, you’re not a slave.”

Rosalin pulled Fenrir by the waist, making him stand with his back to the hall, and kissed him on the lips. Fenrir heard the sound of people gasping from behind the closed door. Not just one, but several people seemed to be shocked.

“Everyone’s staring at us,” Fenrir whispered as soon as Rosalin’s lips parted. She touched the corner of his mouth with her finger and smiled.

“Of course they are. They must be incredibly envious of me.”

Rosalin took Fenrir’s hand as if she was showing him off.

“Now that I’ve paid my respects and done everything I needed to do, let’s go home.”

Fenrir loved it when she said the word “home.” He extended his arm toward her, unable to hide his smile. As Rosalin gracefully placed her hand on his arm, and they turned around, it was clear that all eyes were on them. However, Fenrir met none of their gazes as they left the hall.