Episode 30
Laria’s mind went blank.
When she finally came to her senses and looked closely, she saw clothes under the little wolf.
They were Zenox’s clothes.
And those rare golden eyes… they reminded her of someone.
“…Don’t tell me… Your Excellency?”
The little wolf nodded.
Laria let out a silent scream.
“W-why are you like that?”
Could Zenox actually do a full beast transformation?
Unlike the flustered Laria, Zenox was calm.
“I don’t know. I felt strange for a moment… and then suddenly changed.”
But full beast transformation shouldn’t be possible… Was this a side effect of the potion?
All the color drained from Laria’s face.
She had never heard of such a side effect before.
She held out the antidote in her hand.
“Please… try drinking this first.”
The golden eyes just stared at the bottle.
“Oh… right.”
She had forgotten — in front of her was a little wolf, but his voice was still perfectly normal, so she had acted without thinking.
“I washed my hands.”
She opened the bottle and poured a little antidote into her palm.
Then she brought her hand to Zenox’s mouth.
He shifted his position a little, then stuck out his tongue and licked the antidote from her palm.
So small…
Laria couldn’t help staring at him.
He was only the size of two cupped hands, with fur as black as Zenox’s hair.
Because he was a pup, his fur was fluffy and uneven like dandelion fluff.
Each time he licked the antidote, his still-folded ears twitched slightly.
“…Cute.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Zenox stopped licking and looked up at her.
Laria quickly shut her mouth and looked away.
Even if he’s a puppy now, he probably wouldn’t like being called cute, right?
She had almost never seen a man — except her father — who enjoyed being called cute.
Especially Herdin — he hated it.
“I mean… uh… handsome and dignified! That’s what I meant.”
“…Do you think I’m cute?”
Instead of answering, Laria pulled out a hand mirror and held it up to him.
Honestly, even if he looked himself, the word “cute” would come to mind.
Zenox examined his reflection, then said flatly, “Small. About the size of Hayan.”
At that name, Laria tensed.
Zenox tilted his head, not noticing her reaction.
“I’m not sure about cute, though.”
Laria almost said it again without thinking.
Since she had always been weak to small, adorable things, if this little wolf weren’t Zenox, she would have hugged him already.
Zenox, noticing her struggling reaction, looked oddly satisfied.
He glanced at the empty bottle.
“What exactly did I drink?”
He seemed to realize that whatever he drank caused this transformation.
After a moment’s hesitation, Laria answered honestly.
“It’s a potion that makes you stop loving the person you love.”
The golden eyes blinked slowly.
Ah, so that’s it.
Zenox recalled the Countess’s sudden change in attitude earlier — from warm and friendly to demanding a divorce.
It had happened right after she ate a cookie, so the cookie must have been laced with the potion.
Now it all made sense.
Of course, it was natural the potion didn’t work on him — he didn’t love Laria in the first place, so the basic condition was wrong.
Still, even though he was relieved the potion hadn’t worked, he felt… something else.
He didn’t know exactly what it was, but it wasn’t pleasant.
Shaking off the thought, Zenox looked up at Laria.
It felt strange to be looking up at her instead of down.
From this angle, he noticed a tiny mole on the line from her chin to her neck — something he would never have seen otherwise.
As he quietly observed her, Laria murmured,
“I’m sorry… I didn’t know my family would do something like this.”
Zenox raised his gaze to meet her eyes.
Her lake-blue eyes wavered slightly, like ripples on water.
He thought of Hayan.
The eye color was the same, and that apologetic look after causing trouble was just like hers.
He imagined that if Laria had fox ears, they’d be drooping right now.
He hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility that she was involved.
After all, she hadn’t been happy about the idea of a fake relationship at first.
Maybe she’d changed her mind and decided to join forces with her family to pull this stunt.
But looking into her eyes now… she really did seem innocent.
“I would have been worried too, if I were you. If someone suddenly announced an engagement, you’d wonder if you’d been caught by a bad man.”
Of course, objectively speaking, Zenox was a bad man.
Most of the rumors about him were true.
“My reputation isn’t exactly good, after all.”
His fluffy tail drooped low.
Maybe because he was in puppy form, the sight of him looking downcast hit Laria’s heart harder.
“Your reputation’s fine. My family just misunderstood.”
Both of them knew it was a white lie.
Zenox’s reputation really was terrible.
After acting pitiful for a while, Zenox lifted his head.
“But why did I turn into a wolf?”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask my father later.”
Since Theodore had made the potion, she planned to ask him.
The recipe seemed fine — after all, it had worked on Semella.
“So, will I be changing back soon?”
Zenox seemed to have guessed that the drink was the antidote.
“Probably. Should I step outside for a bit?”
Since he had been sitting on his clothes, when he changed back he would be naked.
“Please turn around, just in case.”
Laria moved a few steps away and turned her back.
I should’ve touched his fur while I had the chance.
When else in her life would she get to see a wolf pup?
“Your Excellency?”
After waiting a while with no sound, she called him.
“…Hm. There seems to be a problem.”
Her heart sank at his words from behind her.
She turned her head — and saw Zenox still sitting on the sofa in puppy form.
Why hasn’t he turned back?
Laria picked him up and checked him all over, even his paw pads, but found nothing unusual.
While she panicked, Zenox remained perfectly calm, as if it weren’t his problem, just letting her handle him and occasionally wagging his tail.
“…I can’t go home like this.”
Indeed, no one would believe that this little wolf was the Duke of Crasseum.
“I’m sorry. I’ll find a way to change you back.”
Laria hung her head like a wilted sunflower.
Then something soft pressed against the back of her hand.
She looked down and saw a small black paw, its squishy pad gently pushing her hand.
Even without words, the quiet comfort made her relax a little.
“…Can I stay hidden in the Rohan estate for now?”
“Hidden?”
Zenox’s tail drooped again.
“Our enemies won’t miss this chance.”
If they found out he had turned into a wolf pup, they would not let it pass.
It was the perfect opportunity to kill the man who was feared for his strength — especially now that he couldn’t defend himself.
Understanding his situation, Laria nodded.
“Stay here as long as you need, until you change back.”
Laria had taken the bait, and Zenox didn’t waste the opportunity.
The little wolf smiled with a pure, innocent face.
“Thank you, Lady Rohan.”
From now on, he planned to use this time to search for clues about Hayan.
