The Archduchess’s Loyal Shapeshifter
Chapter 3

In the early hours of the morning, Rosalin suddenly awoke. As she sat up, the blanket slipped off her body. Instead of looking for her clothes or pulling the blanket back up, she turned her head and looked out the window. Outside was a deep blue dawn. It was still too early to get up.

While gazing at the scenery that was neither bright nor dark, she heard faint breathing beside her. Turning her head, her eyes fell upon the large form of a beast lying stretched out. The creature had black fur—a rare find in the empire—and a slender build.

Rosalin ran her hand from the back of its neck down its spine, feeling the solid, leather-like hide beneath the soft fur. Perhaps sensing her touch, the beast perked its ears and purred softly. Instead of pondering what the noise meant, Rosalin continued to stroke its fur. The beast then opened its eyes slightly, seeming to wake.

“Sorry. Go back to sleep.”

Rosalin scratched the beast’s chin before lying back down on the bed and turning away. Soon after, a hand reached out from behind and wrapped around her waist, turning her around. Fenrir climbed on top of her, cupped her face, and kissed her deeply.

As Rosalin smiled and accepted the kiss, his hand fell away from her cheek. She quickly grabbed the hand that was moving toward her chest.

“Let’s just cuddle and go back to sleep.”

Fenrir blinked a few times while looking down at her, then withdrew without protest. He lay close beside her, giving her neck a gentle kiss before closing his eyes again.

Rosalin held him close and caressed his back, feeling the rugged scars under her fingertips. The scar in the middle of his back had shrunk a little as his body grew. It had once been large enough to cover his entire back.

As Rosalin recalled how Fenrir got his scar, she suddenly wondered if it was all right for her to be doing this. These scars were inflicted by humans. Humans were the reason anthromorphs had become targets for slave hunters. She herself was one of the leaders of those very people. Did she have the right to do this?

Unlike most anthromorphs, Fenrir could pass as a human due to his unusual lack of animal ears and tail. While this allowed him to blend in and be treated as a human, Rosalin questioned whether that was truly right for him in the first place. Was it wrong for her to accept his affections even if he said he had feelings for her?

They never would’ve met under normal circumstances. Sometimes, she wondered if Fenrir chose her not so much because he liked her, but rather because he had no other choice. Would he have chosen her if he had had other options? Although she didn’t doubt Fenrir’s feelings for her now, Rosalin occasionally had such thoughts.

The idea that she had ruined Fenrir’s life also crossed her mind.

You’d say that’s not the case, of course.

Rosalin closed her eyes, holding Fenrir’s body close. She recalled their first meeting. Even now, she wasn’t sure if she made the right decision back then.

***

In the capital of the empire—Apellodina—there was a historic residence known as the Azure Mansion. In reality, it was more akin to a castle. While it also had a more fitting name, most people living in the capital simply referred to it as the Azure Mansion.

However, the nickname wasn’t due to the building’s color—the marble dwelling had a brilliant ivory hue. Rather, it was the immense fir forest encircling the estate that gave it its name. Even in the harsh winter of Apellodina, the trees there retained their color, and so the mansion got its name.

Like an ancient castle in a fairy tale, the mansion stood majestically in the forest and was the oldest of the imperial family’s summer residences. People paid it little attention because it had always been there. Its remote location, even in the capital, and its quiet, timeless ambiance contributed to this indifference.

Originally a summer residence for the imperial family, it was rarely inhabited except by the caretaker, with occasional visits from the emperor and empress. Though there were visitors, no one had ever spent their entire life there. For a long time, it had known no other master than the emperor. Now, the only exception was Rosalin Idris Apelluden.

Rosalin sighed. Sitting with her legs crossed and reading the newspaper, she frowned and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

The maid who was refilling her empty teacup looked at her cautiously and asked, “Are you feeling unwell, Your Highness?”

“No, it’s just a headache.”

Perhaps it was because of a dream, but she had had a headache since the morning. She couldn’t even remember whether the dream was a nightmare or not, but a lingering discomfort had been troubling her all morning.

Throwing the newspaper onto the table, Rosalin pressed on her throbbing temples with her index finger. She couldn’t even focus on the words in front of her.

“Shall I fetch a doctor?”

“There’s no need for that.”

The pain wasn’t severe. Rosalin shook her head at the maid’s repeated offer to bring medicine and brought the teacup to her lips. While she swirled the tea in her mouth, she heard someone softly clearing their throat behind her. Turning, she saw her loyal butler standing at the door.

“Lady Ellen wishes to see you, Your Highness.”

The butler delivered the message, bowing politely.

Rosalin sighed again at the name, Lady Ellen. She had received news of Lady Ellen’s visit by letter that morning. Apparently, she was stopping by briefly to give a gift. It was quite rude to inform someone of a visit on the same morning, but Lady Ellen paid no heed to such trivial rules. To put it nicely, she was bold. Put another way, she was rude.

Although she was poorly regarded in high society due to this, Rosalin didn’t particularly dislike her. Although she was a bit annoying, she was often entertaining. Occasional incidents were a welcome diversion in the otherwise uneventful mansion.

“Show her into the parlor.”

Rosalin wondered what kind of entertainment Lady Ellen had in store for her today. The anticipation made her headache—which had been troubling her all morning—feel somewhat less painful. However, she should’ve realized that the butler who was nodding dutifully looked rather uneasy.

* * *

Rosalin entered the parlor, and Lady Ellen greeted her warmly.

“Rose!”

Lady Ellen approached with a manner somewhat frivolous by noble standards, and embraced Rosalin tightly. Nearly swallowed by her voluminous dress, Rosalin couldn’t even respond to Ellen’s lively greeting.

“It’s been a while.”

After finally breaking free and exchanging greetings with her, Rosalin turned her attention to a large box that the servants were setting down. The dirty, dust-covered box was so large that it required two strong men to carry it, and it looked heavy. Rosalin couldn’t guess what might be inside.

“Your gift is quite impressive this time.”

“I couldn’t sleep for the past few days because of this gift.”

Ellen smiled brightly and began to explain as if she had been waiting for Rosalin to notice the box.

“As soon as I saw this at the auction, I thought it was perfect for you, Rose! I paid a high price and won the bid right away. The packaging could be better, but it’s what’s inside that matters.”

The packaging didn’t matter? That wasn’t something Lady Ellen would usually say—she preferred opulence. Rosalin had a bad feeling and raised her eyebrows. However, Ellen had already turned around and was addressing the servants carrying the box.

“Open it.”

The box was designed like a cage for pets, and the servants swung the front of the box open. As the contents of the box were revealed, Rosalin was frozen in shock, which was an unusual reaction for her.

“It’s really one of a kind, isn’t it?”

Walking to the side of the box, Lady Ellen pointed inside with a swipe of her fan, as if she was showing it off.

“His skin is smooth, and with proper care, he’ll surely be worth the price.”

Crumpled up inside the box was a child with a tanned complexion. Not only were the child’s eyes covered with a blindfold, but a muzzle was also strapped to his mouth. Had Lady Ellen finally lost her mind in her endless pursuit of pleasure?

As Rosalin looked at Ellen with suspicion, she belatedly noticed something. The child had black ears and a black tail, resembling those of a cat. His tan skin and black hair had made it hard to notice at first, but upon closer inspection, the child’s head and bottom did indeed have those appendages.

Ellen smiled shyly when she realized where Rosalin’s gaze was headed.

“I happened to find this at the auction and remembered that you don’t have any anthromorph slaves in your household. Anthromorphs are very useful in many ways. If properly trained, they can defeat three trained knights, making them especially good bodyguards.”

Rosalin was aware of this. However, the scene before her eyes was too shocking for her to appreciate Ellen’s goodwill.

“Bodyguard…? He’s still a child.”

“Don’t you know that anthromorphs grow up quickly? In just two years, he’ll be as strong as any grown man.”

Rosalin thought for a moment.

Ellen approached her and whispered softly, as if sharing a secret, “You can’t use them if they’re fully grown. They can only be tamed when they’re young.”

Rosalin had never employed an anthromorph before, but she had a general understanding of how they were treated. If anthromorphs were not tamed while still young, they could not be made to serve. Once an anthromorph reached adulthood without choosing a master, they would not pledge loyalty to anyone.

Instead, they would become blindly devoted only to their chosen companion. Therefore, if one wished to keep an anthromorph slave, one had to bring them in as a young child and tame them. The most straightforward and swift method was the use of drugs to disrupt their cognition.

As Rosalin gazed at the child in the box, bound at the eyes, mouth, and hands, she wondered if he even understood his situation. She wasn’t sure if he was even breathing.

Her headache returned with a greater intensity.

“Sorry, but I…”