I couldn’t take my eyes off him and was silently scolding myself when Ain’s voice came from beside me.
“Pervert, Ailet.”
Ain muttered with a sulky look, and I waved my hands in denial.
“What are you talking about!”
“I’m pretty decent too, you know.”
I quickly stopped Ain as he tried to take off his top to show off his own body. Just then, sensing our presence, Seith turned his head and smiled brightly.
“You’re back, doctor. And who is the gentleman beside you?”
“Ah, it’s Ain. Apparently, he was actually a fox beastman.”
“A fox… beastman?”
Seith looked genuinely surprised. He touched his forehead as he spoke.
“As far as I remember, beastmen are rare. I’ve heard they possess exceptional abilities. And that becoming one requires undergoing harsh training.”
At that, Ain lifted his chin proudly.
“That’s right. I went through all of it. I have a special bloodline among foxes.”
“A special bloodline?”
“There’s such a thing.”
I found him cute and scratched under his chin.
“Yes, yes. Good job, Ain.”
“…I’m older than you, Ailet.”
“How do you know how old I am?”
“You’re nineteen, Ailet. I’m a year older!”
As we bickered, Seith cleared his throat.
Only then did I realize he was awkwardly watching us, so I hurried over to him.
Without even blushing, Seith said,
“You should praise me as well. I cleaned the house and chopped firewood.”
Praise… really.
Honestly, these men.
“Yes, yes. Good job, Seith. But why did you chop so much firewood? We’re fine for now.”
It was still summer, so we had no immediate need for firewood, which made me curious. Seith smiled gently.
“We should prepare little by little before winter comes. Please allow me to help.”
“I’ll help too, if needed.”
Ain chimed in as well.
“No, Seith, Ain. Still…”
“Does it burden you that I’m doing this?”
Seith made a dejected expression and looked at me like a pitiful puppy.
“I just want to be of help to you, doctor.”
Goodness. Seeing a man that big act so endearingly like a large dog made my face flush, and I stepped back.
“N-no! It’s not that! I’m just really grateful!”
“If that’s the case, then please let me help. I’m very happy living like this.”
“But you’re still a patient. Your body hasn’t fully—”
As I said that and checked his status window, my mouth fell open.
??? (24 years old): Mostly recovered. Status window will disappear soon (Gauge 90/100)
???
He had been so badly injured, yet he was practically back to normal in just a day. Was he even human? I let out a disbelieving laugh.
At that moment, Ain spoke first.
“Seith’s basically recovered, right?”
“That’s correct, Mr. Fox Beastman.”
“Call me Ain.”
“Alright, Ain. Then you can call me Seith.”
As Seith casually switched to informal speech, Ain raised an eyebrow.
“Why does that feel annoying?”
“What’s the problem?”
Seith replied indifferently, and Ain growled back.
What’s with them?
They seemed to get along fine when Ain was a fox, but now that they were both human, their relationship didn’t look so great.
I stepped between them and said,
“Seith, you must feel much lighter now. You’ve fully recovered.”
“Indeed. Ah—”
Suddenly, Seith hesitated, glancing at me nervously.
“D-does this mean you’re going to send me away now that I’ve recovered? Doctor, I… I still haven’t regained my memories, so it would be difficult for me to leave like this…”
“Send him away. I’ll handle all the heavy work from now on, Ailet.”
I soothed Ain, who was grumbling and urging me, by gently rubbing under his chin.
“Shh.”
“Hing… Ailet.”
“Hm. What should I do?”
“Doctor…”
I narrowed my eyes and smiled, intending to tease Seith a bit.
But then, suddenly, Seith dropped to his knees and clung to me.
Startled, my eyes widened.
W-what?!
And then, his eyes even began to well up with tears.
“Doctor! Once I regain my memory, I will compensate you generously. Please take me in for a while! I’ll cook, do laundry, clean, chop firewood, I’ll do anything you ask!”
“O-okay! Seith, get up!”
Panicking, I helped the crying man clinging to me to his feet, and it took quite some time to calm him down.
“That’s acting, acting!”
Ain exclaimed in disbelief, but to me, Seith looked genuinely sad, and I felt like I had to comfort him.
Besides, it didn’t really matter if Seith stayed.
The ruby brooch he had given me was obviously very valuable. Even if I fed and housed him for a year, it wouldn’t be a loss.
Also, since I lived alone, it had been a bit unsettling. Having a reliable man like Seith around for protection wasn’t a bad thing.
‘Ain is here too, but two is better than one, right?’
If things continued like this, I could send Seith off once his memory returned. And if it didn’t, it might not be bad for the three of us to go to the capital together and open a clinic.
I extended my hand toward Seith and Ain.
“Alright. Then let’s all get along from now on.”
“Thank you!”
“Sure.”
Seith and Ain smiled brightly.
Their smiles were handsome in completely different ways, and before I knew it, I found myself smiling along with them.
And so, the three of us—Seith, Ain, and I—began living together.
Rowells Empire, the capital.
Rowerita Imperial Palace.
In the splendid audience chamber, a man with golden hair sat on the throne, resting his chin on his hand as he listened to a report.
“The Archduke is missing?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Edun rubbed his chin with an irritated expression.
Another failure.
To eliminate the threat to his throne, he had sent elite assassins to kill his younger brother, Archduke Beriart.
He had even hired assassins from foreign lands.
And yet, they had not even found the Archduke’s body, only returned with news that he had disappeared.
‘This is truly displeasing.’
He slowly closed his eyes.
Edun had always hated his younger brother.
From a young age, his brother Servil had surpassed him in ability, yet showed no desire to become Crown Prince.
That indifferent attitude toward the throne only made Edun more uneasy.
When the previous emperor passed away, Servil accepted the title of Archduke and quietly left the palace to live on his own.
That, too, displeased him.
People praised Servil as the model of a royal, and Edun envied every bit of it.
So he decided to kill him. To erase him from his world entirely.
And yet, he had vanished like this.
If he disappeared, there was no way to confirm whether he was truly dead.
‘Hmph.’
Lost in thought, Emperor Edun decided to instead prepare another event to elevate his authority while the Archduke’s fate remained uncertain.
“Attend me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Summon Saintess Yurabella.”
His expression remained indifferent.
“Prepare an official event and procession for the people with the Saintess.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With his angelic appearance, he was adored by the people. His platinum-blond hair and golden eyes were his weapons.
But that alone was not enough. To further increase public support, he needed to frequently appear in official events with the equally beautiful Saintess.
That was why he had become engaged to Saintess Yurabella.
Not because he loved her.
But because he pretended to.
With his beautiful lips, Emperor Edun uttered cruel words.
“Make sure to find the Archduke’s body. He is more tenacious than expected.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor’s secret assassins swiftly departed. They intended to comb through the capital once more, thoroughly.
The Archduke might have survived and be hiding somewhere, preparing to strike the emperor.
They had to find him quickly.
A month passed.
We gradually grew accustomed to our way of life.
“Hmm. Seith, this herb can only be cultivated. Could you till a field? Just about thirty meters by thirty meters in front of the yard.”
“Of course.”
Seith answered energetically.
With a hoe in hand, fully recovered, Seith had practically become a proper farmer.
