The day of the festival was approaching and the preparations were almost finished. To enter, you needed to register your information, so that morning I headed toward the registration office.
I did not get very far.
Before leaving the castle, something leaped at me from a nearby rooftop and knocked me to the ground.
"Master! Master, master, master!"
Leila had grabbed me by the neck of my shirt and had no intention of letting go. Her wolf ears moved up and down with every word, and her dark tail slammed against the ground with force.
She was wearing the same light outfit as always: a thin blouse that barely contained her generous chest and long pants that still showed her firm, toned thighs. She had received almost no attention since last month, and it showed.
"Leila… let me go."
"No! You left me alone again! Leila has been looking for Master everywhere!"
She started growling at the air and then bit my shoulder hard enough to hurt, but without breaking the skin. Exactly like a jealous dog.
"You're acting like a dog," I said through gritted teeth.
She only growled louder and clung even tighter, pressing her chest against my arm.
Princesses Alicia and Lillie were watching us from the entrance of the courtyard. They looked at each other, and then Alicia raised a hand.
"Let her go with you, Razel-sama. It will get worse if you leave her behind."
Lillie sighed, but nodded.
I didn't want to. Registering with a beast-woman who couldn't read was going to be a problem. But Leila wouldn't stop biting my shoulder and rubbing her body against mine as if she wanted to mark her territory.
"…Fine. Come on."
Leila let out a cry of joy and stuck to my arm like a leech, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder.
When we arrived at the registration office, Zack and Gilbert were already there. Zack had that attack-dog face ready to bite, and Gilbert was adjusting his tie with a bored expression.
"What are you two doing here?" I asked.
Zack snorted.
"The queen ordered us to register. Extra security."
"It's not necessary. I can handle it alone."
Gilbert answered while filling out the form.
"We know you're strong. But the Phantom Troop isn't weak either. Extra hands never hurt."
I couldn't argue with that. I registered myself and then tried to get Leila to sign. She stared at the paper as if it were an enemy.
I whispered to her.
"Didn't Amy teach you how to read and write?"
"Yes… but Leila forgot."
She lowered her ears and moved her tail sadly.
"Mom used to teach me… but after that she couldn't anymore because… she died."
I remembered how I found her: kidnapped, sold as a slave, angry at humans. I sighed and took the pen.
"I'll sign for you."
Leila immediately lifted her head and smiled with all her teeth, sticking to my arm again and rubbing her chest against me without any shame.
"Together! Leila and Master together again!"
◇
Before returning to the castle we came across a man who was helping some children fighting over candy in the street. Gilbert and Zack immediately tensed up.
"Be careful," Zack muttered.
The man turned around. He had an extremely feminine appearance: short, wavy soft-pink hair, delicate features, painted lips, and a melodious voice. He wore an elegant cloak and white gloves. If it weren't for the barely visible Adam's apple, anyone would have taken him for a beautiful woman.
When his eyes met ours—
"Well, well. It's you. I haven't seen you in a while."
Gilbert was also tense.
"It's been a while."
He was clearly an acquaintance of theirs and a knight. When he noticed Leila and me, he introduced himself with a perfect smile.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Angelo Lovecnot, Grand Knight. You may call me Love. And you are…?"
"Leila is Leila."
"I'm Razel."
We introduced ourselves. When I said my name, his eyes lit up with interest and he looked me up and down as if evaluating merchandise.
"So you're the one from the rumors… the one who defeated several members of the Phantom Troop in the city."
"Yes."
(Wait. How do you know that?)
Love stepped too close and started touching my arms and chest with complete naturalness.
"I'm checking your muscles," he explained in that sweet voice. "You're very well trained."
Then he asked.
"Why were you coming from the direction of the registration office?"
When we confirmed it, he sighed dramatically.
"I also wanted to register… but I need to stay on security duty. What a pity."
"Why did you want to register?" I asked.
Love smiled sideways.
"Because it's a festival and participating is the normal thing to do… but in your case it's different."
"I understand that you are doing it to act as bodyguards. In the palace they are already talking about using the festival as bait against the Phantom Troop."
Gilbert tensed.
"How do you know that?"
"Someone on the inside leaked the information."
(So they have eyes and ears inside the palace… is it still a good idea to go ahead with the plan?)
Love noticed my gaze and smiled more broadly.
"Don't worry. The queen doesn't make decisions arbitrarily."
I offered him my hand to end the encounter.
"I know. I'm counting on you for security."
"Same here. Also, sorry in advance."
"…?"
He shook my hand firmly… and suddenly I felt a foreign hand squeeze one of my buttocks with complete shamelessness.
Zack and Gilbert covered their butts at the same time.
I froze.
Love squeezed a little harder and sighed with pleasure.
"What magnificent buttocks. So firm and well-trained… they have nothing to envy from a woman's."
"I didn't need to know that!" I shouted, jumping away.
"It was a pleasure meeting you~."
When the guy left whistling, I turned to the other two.
"What the hell was that?"
Zack growled.
"He's excellent at his job… but he has certain tastes that make everyone avoid him."
Gilbert nodded.
"It's because of things like this that no one, not even women, wants to get close to him."
Now I understood why they had gotten so nervous when they saw him. I touched my still-sore rear and sighed.
(I want to cry… Eli, a man just massaged my ass in the middle of the street.)
◇
When I returned to the palace I only wanted to throw myself on the bed and forget the day.
But before I could, Iris entered my room without knocking. She was wearing an elegant light-colored dress that highlighted her figure, and her hair was perfectly styled.
"How did it go?"
"Everything's ready. Now we just have to wait for the day."
She played a little with her fingers.
"Are you busy right now?"
"Not particularly."
"Then… can we go on a date?"
I blinked. I looked her up and down. She had clearly changed on purpose.
"That's fine… but why the rush?"
Iris lowered her gaze for a second and then looked me straight in the eyes.
"I want to make the most of every moment I have left… now that I know I don't have much time."
I had forgotten. I'm sorry.
◇
The date went without any problems. We walked through the illuminated streets, ate festival sweets, and talked about trivial things. When night fell, the atmosphere became more intimate.
Suddenly I stopped when I saw a couple embracing in the distance. Iris noticed my gaze, grabbed my hand tightly, and dragged me into a dark alley.
Before I could ask anything, she kissed me.
It was a desperate, trembling kiss. When she pulled away, her eyes shone with held-back tears.
"I can't wait any longer…"
She started lifting her blouse. The white fabric rose, revealing the curve of her waist and the lower edge of her chest.
"Iris, what's wrong with you?"
"I can't wait. I don't know how much time I have left. I want to make many memories with you… including this."
I stopped her before she could completely remove the blouse, grabbing her wrists.
"Don't."
She trembled.
"You don't want to…?"
She was looking at me the same way Eli and Lily did when they wanted me to hold them at night, even when I was exhausted and had no choice… but this was different.
"I didn't say that. But I don't want us to do it out of obligation. And much less under these circumstances. If we do it, it has to be something normal… something we both truly want."
The tears finally fell.
"I don't have time!"
I hugged her tightly, pressing her face against my chest.
"Yes, you do. I still don't know how… but I'll save you. I won't let you die."
Iris has a deadly disease that will kill her in a short time. I have no idea how it originated, but I must find a cure and save her.
At that moment a familiar melodious voice echoed from the entrance of the alley.
"If you're going to get romantic, at least go to a hotel."
I got so startled that I covered my buttocks on reflex.
Iris quickly pulled away, still red-faced.
"I-it's nothing…"
Love approached with that same feminine smile. He recognized Iris immediately.
"You're Iris of the Rosenthal house, aren't you? I saw you at a knight ceremony."
"Yes, that's right… and you are?"
"Angelo Lovecnot, a Grand Knight in service to Her Majesty the Queen."
Love spoke to her softly, almost as if speaking from woman to woman.
"I heard about what happened that day. I'm truly sorry. No one should have to go through something like that."
"I understand your situation was difficult… but don't let that stupid prince keep ruining your life. You deserve to be happy."
Iris smiled with gratitude and, to my surprise, told him about her illness. Love remained silent for a second.
"You're very brave. You know…"
He touched his chin as if remembering something.
"I once heard that in the city of the Holy Principality there are ancient writings about that disease. That's where the first outbreaks occurred. The information should be in their libraries… although they are under lock and key."
Iris's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"That's right. After this festival… it might be worth going."
When Love left, Iris looked at me.
"The Holy Principality. I suppose I should go there after the festival."
"By the way. Are you still planning to go ahead with the queen's plan?"
"It doesn't matter. I've already taken care of three of them. According to that weird guy there were thirteen. I still have ten left plus the leader. It'll be a piece of cake."
Love, who hadn't completely walked away yet, raised his voice from a distance:
"Don't underestimate the enemy! If they're dangerous, it's because they have strong people!"
I sighed.
"…Fine. I'll keep that in mind."
We said goodbye to him and returned to the castle. The festival was approaching, and with it, everything that would come afterward.
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The fanservice is for Leila, who didn't receive any affection in the previous volume.
https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/11513020
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Download the PDF with illustration here: https://mega.nz/file/WgA0DZIA#CSznGl-V35RZ_WrpCCwpNbL_Cmabdg2nHntjjCH23B0