Jasper threw the clothes he was holding to Ettensel.
He grumbled after getting hit by the clothes and then put the fallen clothes on his arms and legs.
“Is that enough? Now, take a look at my present.”
Ettensel ran to Jasper, buttoning up his shirt by one button.
The immature younger brother opened the box himself and showed off his present to his older brother.
“A brooch.”
Jasper answered indifferently after seeing the contents inside.
“Yeah, that’s the same color as my eyes. Isn’t it pretty?”
Ettensel held the box up to his eyes.
His younger brother’s eyes were green, and the brooch looked closer to lime green.
Still, since they were in the same color, Jasper guessed you could say they were similar.
Jasper nodded roughly.
“Yes. It seems to be some kind of emerald.”
He reached out to look at the gem in detail.
Then Etennsel pushed back the box containing the brooch.
“Don’t touch it. What if it wears out?”
“...No, why did you show it to me when you were going to be so picky?”
When Jasper asked back in bewilderment, Etennsel answered with a shameless face.
“That’s because I just want to show off.”
Jasper, who was shocked by that blunt answer, washed his face dry.
“You... How long have you been around the palace? How did you even get to the Empress’s Palace?”
Etennsel Kruds.
He was the sore finger of the Kruds family.
All beastmen are born in their true forms.
After that, they go through a week-long transformation period and transform into human children.
During childhood, they go back and forth between their true forms and beastmen, but after they turn three, they can control their transformation.
That was an instinct that didn’t even need to be learned.
However, Etennsel couldn’t escape the form of a fox. For a month, two months.
Even after he passed childhood and became an adult.
They heard that it happens very rarely.
There is a very small chance that a beastman cannot be transformed into a human being.
In such cases, they are usually abandoned and live as animals.
However, the Kurds couple did not give up on their youngest son. They used precious medicines, holy water they had brought from the sea, and even various superstitions.
They would do anything for Ettensel.
But there was no improvement.
The Marquis, and especially the Marchioness, were completely burned to ashes.
It was only recently that Jasper had convinced the Marquis and his wife to give up on Ettensel’s illness.
But there was a change.
The younger brother, who had always been a fox, had become a beastman.
It was a happy event for the Kruds family.
The Marquis and his wife shed tears, and Jasper was also genuinely happy about his brother’s transformation into a human being.
However, when the couple asked him how he could change, Jasper almost fainted when his younger brother mentioned the Empress.
“I hid in the carriage that my brother used to commute to work, and I came back in the same carriage.”
“What the...! Are you some kind of rat?”
When Jasper screamed in shock, Ettensel made a wounded face.
“You’re being too harsh, brother. What do you mean by a rat to your beloved little brother? And don’t you feel bad for your little brother who just stays at home? Even if you take him out and show him the world yourself, it’s not enough, and you’re killing him.”
Ettensel, who seemed to be intimidated, slumped his shoulders and looked pitiful enough to arouse fatherly love.
However, Jasper wasn’t fooled. He had already experienced too much of his little brother’s cleverness hidden behind that pitiful expression.
“That’s because you, huh... should have kept the accident to a minimum.”
Jasper had no choice but to grit his teeth. Contrary to everyone’s worries, Ettensel grew up bright and energetic.
However, perhaps because of his excessive personality, whenever he went outside, he would constantly repeat unimaginable thoughts.
Last time, he almost ended the family line by biting a precious part of a certain young man who had been ignored as if he were some kind of beast.
Etennsel muttered as he looked at his brother, perhaps remembering something that pricked him.
“That’s because he pointed his finger at me and called me an animal or something. So I did something animalistic to him, so what’s wrong with that? And I’m the one who got hurt. I guess he doesn’t wash up. Ugh, after thinking about it again, it was so disgusting that I wanted to throw up...”
“Etennsel.”
“...Anyway, sorry about that. But I didn’t cause any trouble in the palace. It’s true.”
Etennsel immediately tucked his tail between his legs and held up both palms as if to prove his innocence.
Jasper clicked his tongue at his quick-witted younger brother.
“Of course. Not yet. If I hear even one thing, I’ll know to put a leash on you and tie you to a pole.”
Who wouldn’t call him a fox? His younger brother was quick-witted and had a weak side.
After getting scolded several times, he even acted boldly by pretending that he didn’t cause the accidents he had caused.
By the time Jasper noticed his younger brother’s accidents, it was often too late.
Just like now.
“Oh, seriously, what are you talking about? And you shouldn’t treat me so harshly anymore. I know how to be a person now, don’t you? I’m not an animal anymore.”
Ettensel, who had once been treated like a dog on a leash, was not offended by his brother’s words, but rather proud.
Jasper, who had experienced that confidence firsthand, let out a deep sigh.
“Is this what it means to be exhausted?”
He grumbled after getting hit by the clothes and then put the fallen clothes on his arms and legs.
“Is that enough? Now, take a look at my present.”
Ettensel ran to Jasper, buttoning up his shirt by one button.
The immature younger brother opened the box himself and showed off his present to his older brother.
“A brooch.”
Jasper answered indifferently after seeing the contents inside.
“Yeah, that’s the same color as my eyes. Isn’t it pretty?”
Ettensel held the box up to his eyes.
His younger brother’s eyes were green, and the brooch looked closer to lime green.
Still, since they were in the same color, Jasper guessed you could say they were similar.
Jasper nodded roughly.
“Yes. It seems to be some kind of emerald.”
He reached out to look at the gem in detail.
Then Etennsel pushed back the box containing the brooch.
“Don’t touch it. What if it wears out?”
“...No, why did you show it to me when you were going to be so picky?”
When Jasper asked back in bewilderment, Etennsel answered with a shameless face.
“That’s because I just want to show off.”
Jasper, who was shocked by that blunt answer, washed his face dry.
“You... How long have you been around the palace? How did you even get to the Empress’s Palace?”
Etennsel Kruds.
He was the sore finger of the Kruds family.
All beastmen are born in their true forms.
After that, they go through a week-long transformation period and transform into human children.
During childhood, they go back and forth between their true forms and beastmen, but after they turn three, they can control their transformation.
That was an instinct that didn’t even need to be learned.
However, Etennsel couldn’t escape the form of a fox. For a month, two months.
Even after he passed childhood and became an adult.
They heard that it happens very rarely.
There is a very small chance that a beastman cannot be transformed into a human being.
In such cases, they are usually abandoned and live as animals.
However, the Kurds couple did not give up on their youngest son. They used precious medicines, holy water they had brought from the sea, and even various superstitions.
They would do anything for Ettensel.
But there was no improvement.
The Marquis, and especially the Marchioness, were completely burned to ashes.
It was only recently that Jasper had convinced the Marquis and his wife to give up on Ettensel’s illness.
But there was a change.
The younger brother, who had always been a fox, had become a beastman.
It was a happy event for the Kruds family.
The Marquis and his wife shed tears, and Jasper was also genuinely happy about his brother’s transformation into a human being.
However, when the couple asked him how he could change, Jasper almost fainted when his younger brother mentioned the Empress.
“I hid in the carriage that my brother used to commute to work, and I came back in the same carriage.”
“What the...! Are you some kind of rat?”
When Jasper screamed in shock, Ettensel made a wounded face.
“You’re being too harsh, brother. What do you mean by a rat to your beloved little brother? And don’t you feel bad for your little brother who just stays at home? Even if you take him out and show him the world yourself, it’s not enough, and you’re killing him.”
Ettensel, who seemed to be intimidated, slumped his shoulders and looked pitiful enough to arouse fatherly love.
However, Jasper wasn’t fooled. He had already experienced too much of his little brother’s cleverness hidden behind that pitiful expression.
“That’s because you, huh... should have kept the accident to a minimum.”
Jasper had no choice but to grit his teeth. Contrary to everyone’s worries, Ettensel grew up bright and energetic.
However, perhaps because of his excessive personality, whenever he went outside, he would constantly repeat unimaginable thoughts.
Last time, he almost ended the family line by biting a precious part of a certain young man who had been ignored as if he were some kind of beast.
Etennsel muttered as he looked at his brother, perhaps remembering something that pricked him.
“That’s because he pointed his finger at me and called me an animal or something. So I did something animalistic to him, so what’s wrong with that? And I’m the one who got hurt. I guess he doesn’t wash up. Ugh, after thinking about it again, it was so disgusting that I wanted to throw up...”
“Etennsel.”
“...Anyway, sorry about that. But I didn’t cause any trouble in the palace. It’s true.”
Etennsel immediately tucked his tail between his legs and held up both palms as if to prove his innocence.
Jasper clicked his tongue at his quick-witted younger brother.
“Of course. Not yet. If I hear even one thing, I’ll know to put a leash on you and tie you to a pole.”
Who wouldn’t call him a fox? His younger brother was quick-witted and had a weak side.
After getting scolded several times, he even acted boldly by pretending that he didn’t cause the accidents he had caused.
By the time Jasper noticed his younger brother’s accidents, it was often too late.
Just like now.
“Oh, seriously, what are you talking about? And you shouldn’t treat me so harshly anymore. I know how to be a person now, don’t you? I’m not an animal anymore.”
Ettensel, who had once been treated like a dog on a leash, was not offended by his brother’s words, but rather proud.
Jasper, who had experienced that confidence firsthand, let out a deep sigh.
“Is this what it means to be exhausted?”
He didn’t seem this tired even after working night shifts for a week straight.
He pressed his temples against his throbbing headache and said,
“...Who wanted to treat you like that? If you hadn’t caused the accident, it wouldn’t have happened. Don’t you remember that you chewed up the string and ran away in just five minutes?”
“I don’t know.”
He was really good at leaving out everything he did.
Jasper, who barely managed to control his anger, got to the point.
“...Congratulations on transforming into a beastman. But not the Empress.”
“Why? What’s wrong? I heard that the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress isn’t that good.”
Etennsel, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly hardened his expression.
This was how he looked whenever the Empress was mentioned after transforming into a beastman.
In fact, it was Jasper who told him that the relationship between the two wasn’t good.
Who would have thought that the gossip he had told his brother, who was bored at home, would come back to haunt him?
“Anyway, now that you know how to transform into a beastman, don’t go around in fox form anymore.”
“Since no one will know anyway, isn’t it okay?”
“I’m telling you to be careful from now on. Since you’ve recovered, your body odor will come back.”
His younger brother, who had lived as a fox since birth, had lived without the shame of revealing his true identity as a beastman.
That was fine, but he couldn’t just pretend to be an animal anymore.
Beastmen had a way of recognizing each other.
Those with a keen sense of smell could even tell the species.
“Yew. I’ll be careful.”
Ettensel nodded. Jasper let out a sigh of relief as he watched his younger brother answer obediently for the first time today.
However, he couldn’t let his guard down.
“The Empress must have cured my illness.”
“...I said no.”
Ettensel started to sing again, “The Empress worked a miracle. ”
His younger brother was completely convinced that the Empress had cured his illness, but to Jasper, it was just an inevitable coincidence.
He knew that she had a special star of Ishtar, but that couldn’t have cured his younger brother.
It was a blessing from heaven that his younger brother was able to escape the life of an animal, but it was a problem that he had a great delusion.
“Would the Empress be interested in you? The Emperor and the Duke were her males.”
“But fate is different. Even the Emperor had a woman with a name. The Empress was pushed back because of the government.”
Even if they were a couple, if they weren’t destined for each other, what’s the point?
Huh, Etennsel, who had snorted, suddenly had his eyes sparkle.
“Maybe the Empress’s name is going to appear to me?”
“...Etennsel. I’ll tell you again, the Empress is human.”
Jasper pressed the vein on his forehead.
His younger brother, who had been living well even as a fox, had suddenly become a fatalist.
“I know. But you don’t know.”
Because she was a woman born with the fate of a beast, even though she was human.
The reason he went to the Empress’s palace was purely out of curiosity about the human Empress.
The Empress’s golden hair stood out in the pure white garden.
Her blue eyes were affectionate, unlike her known personality, and her smile and touch toward him were extremely gentle.
‘There was a reason I kept being attracted to her.’
He pressed his temples against his throbbing headache and said,
“...Who wanted to treat you like that? If you hadn’t caused the accident, it wouldn’t have happened. Don’t you remember that you chewed up the string and ran away in just five minutes?”
“I don’t know.”
He was really good at leaving out everything he did.
Jasper, who barely managed to control his anger, got to the point.
“...Congratulations on transforming into a beastman. But not the Empress.”
“Why? What’s wrong? I heard that the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress isn’t that good.”
Etennsel, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly hardened his expression.
This was how he looked whenever the Empress was mentioned after transforming into a beastman.
In fact, it was Jasper who told him that the relationship between the two wasn’t good.
Who would have thought that the gossip he had told his brother, who was bored at home, would come back to haunt him?
“Anyway, now that you know how to transform into a beastman, don’t go around in fox form anymore.”
“Since no one will know anyway, isn’t it okay?”
“I’m telling you to be careful from now on. Since you’ve recovered, your body odor will come back.”
His younger brother, who had lived as a fox since birth, had lived without the shame of revealing his true identity as a beastman.
That was fine, but he couldn’t just pretend to be an animal anymore.
Beastmen had a way of recognizing each other.
Those with a keen sense of smell could even tell the species.
“Yew. I’ll be careful.”
Ettensel nodded. Jasper let out a sigh of relief as he watched his younger brother answer obediently for the first time today.
However, he couldn’t let his guard down.
“The Empress must have cured my illness.”
“...I said no.”
Ettensel started to sing again, “The Empress worked a miracle. ”
His younger brother was completely convinced that the Empress had cured his illness, but to Jasper, it was just an inevitable coincidence.
He knew that she had a special star of Ishtar, but that couldn’t have cured his younger brother.
It was a blessing from heaven that his younger brother was able to escape the life of an animal, but it was a problem that he had a great delusion.
“Would the Empress be interested in you? The Emperor and the Duke were her males.”
“But fate is different. Even the Emperor had a woman with a name. The Empress was pushed back because of the government.”
Even if they were a couple, if they weren’t destined for each other, what’s the point?
Huh, Etennsel, who had snorted, suddenly had his eyes sparkle.
“Maybe the Empress’s name is going to appear to me?”
“...Etennsel. I’ll tell you again, the Empress is human.”
Jasper pressed the vein on his forehead.
His younger brother, who had been living well even as a fox, had suddenly become a fatalist.
“I know. But you don’t know.”
Because she was a woman born with the fate of a beast, even though she was human.
The reason he went to the Empress’s palace was purely out of curiosity about the human Empress.
The Empress’s golden hair stood out in the pure white garden.
Her blue eyes were affectionate, unlike her known personality, and her smile and touch toward him were extremely gentle.
‘There was a reason I kept being attracted to her.’
Since meeting the Empress, his joints kept tickling and he felt a strange sensation.
It had been a week since Etennsel met her.
That day, he felt particularly excited. The Empress’s touch toward him also felt different than before.
Just then, the Duke appeared.
Etennsel knew as soon as he smelled it. That they would be competing for something like that.
That was his male instinct.
That night, Etennsel succeeded in personification.
The fox’s eyes, which had been reminded of the Duke, turned cold for a moment.
“Etennsel, what are you thinking that makes you look like that? Are you going to cause trouble again...”
“It’s nothing.”
At his brother’s worried voice, Etennsel quickly returned to his characteristically boyish expression.
“Oh, change a little later. Then I’ll just have to live in the Empress’s palace.”
Of course, it was good to be able to change, but it was also regrettable since the Empress herself had asked him to live together.
Etennsel said as if it was nothing to his brother’s surprise.
“Isn't my brother captain of the guard? As a captain, do you think there’s any chance of meeting the Empress?”
It had been a week since Etennsel met her.
That day, he felt particularly excited. The Empress’s touch toward him also felt different than before.
Just then, the Duke appeared.
Etennsel knew as soon as he smelled it. That they would be competing for something like that.
That was his male instinct.
That night, Etennsel succeeded in personification.
The fox’s eyes, which had been reminded of the Duke, turned cold for a moment.
“Etennsel, what are you thinking that makes you look like that? Are you going to cause trouble again...”
“It’s nothing.”
At his brother’s worried voice, Etennsel quickly returned to his characteristically boyish expression.
“Oh, change a little later. Then I’ll just have to live in the Empress’s palace.”
Of course, it was good to be able to change, but it was also regrettable since the Empress herself had asked him to live together.
Etennsel said as if it was nothing to his brother’s surprise.
“Isn't my brother captain of the guard? As a captain, do you think there’s any chance of meeting the Empress?”
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