Warm steam was still curling from the crack of the bathroom door as the handle turned. Moments later, Calian and Wolvin stepped out. They were fresh from their bath, their hair still damp, with towels wrapped around their waists.
Wolvin dried his hair with a small towel while looking at the woman sitting and waiting for her turn.
"Mother, we're done!" he called out.
Elara, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed checking her gear, looked up and smiled. "Yes, get ready." Elara ordered gently. "After I finish bathing, we'll have breakfast at the inn's restaurant before heading to the Adventurers' Guild."
"Yes, Mother!" they answered in unison.
Elara entered the bathroom, leaving her son and son-in-law to get dressed.
Wolvin touched his storage necklace. With a small flow of mana, two sets of clean clothes appeared on the bed. They were Calian's spares. Since Wolvin didn't have any decent clothes of his own yet, he had to wear his husband's shirt and pants.
Wolvin put on Calian's white shirt quickly. The shirt looked slightly oversized on Wolvin's slender frame, creating a loose look that Calian found rather attractive. However, a problem arose when Wolvin tried to put on the thick black trousers.
He held the pants, then glanced back at his fine-furred tail, which should have been free to wag. Human pants were not designed for his kind.
"Darling, can I cut a hole in the back of your pants for my tail?" Wolvin asked to make sure. "Otherwise, it feels really awkward, and my tail gets very stuffy inside these pants."
Calian, who had just finished buttoning his shirt, turned and smiled. "Better that way, right? Rather than you being uncomfortable."
Hearing his husband's permission, Wolvin didn't hesitate to grab his dagger.
Shhhkk... Shhhkk...
With a swift movement, he slit the back of the black trousers.
Moments later, a hole was made. Wolvin immediately put on the pants, letting his tail protrude freely through the opening.
However, after fastening the button, Wolvin sighed softly, fingering the hole near his tail.
"Darling..." Wolvin called out hopefully. "Can we buy some proper clothes for me later?"
He looked at Calian with sparkling eyes. "These clothes... well, they're yours. I feel bad wearing your clothes all the time."
"Don't you like my clothes?" Calian asked teasingly.
"N-Not like that!" Wolvin denied quickly, his face reddening slightly. "I just feel uncomfortable using your clothes like this all the time. Especially the pants. Look at this!"
Wolvin turned around, showing his backside and pointing at the rough hole in the pants. "Like this, for example! Do you want me to cut holes in all your pants one by one? What if you run out of pants!"
Calian chuckled. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Wolvin's waist from behind.
"Okay, we'll buy some." Calian replied. "But only pants and underwear, okay?"
"Eh? Why?" Wolvin looked back in confusion.
Calian smirked faintly. "As for the shirts, I prefer you wearing mine. The slightly oversized fit on your body... somehow looks perfect, and you look even cuter to me. Besides, I have plenty of clothes."
Hearing that reason, Wolvin's face flushed red to his ears. He turned around and hugged Calian tightly, hiding his shy face in his husband's chest.
"Thank you, Darling!"
Not long after, Elara came out of the bathroom, fresh and neatly dressed. She saw the intimacy between the two young men and simply smiled knowingly.
"Let's have breakfast at the inn's restaurant!" Elara invited, breaking their romantic moment.
Calian and Wolvin released their embrace and nodded in agreement. The three of them left the room and headed to the restaurant on the ground floor.
Upon arriving, the restaurant was quite busy with guests enjoying breakfast. However, the noise suddenly died down as the three of them stepped inside. Instantly, all eyes turned toward them.
Not at Calian or Elara, but at Wolvin.
The sight of a male beastfolk walking casually without a slave chain or ownership bracelet in the middle of a human city was a rarity. The twitching animal ears on his head and the tail protruding from his black pants became the center of attention.
Whispers began to circulate.
"Hey, look at that..."
"Why is there a beastfolk here?" whispered a male customer at a corner table. "Is he lost? Or an escaped slave?"
"Shhh, but look at his face!" whispered the female customer beside him. "He's really sweet, isn't he? His face is adorable for a guy."
Hearing this, Wolvin lowered his head slightly, pressing his body closer to Calian's side. Calian swiftly grasped Wolvin's hand, providing a sense of security.
They continued walking to find a table. As they passed an aisle, a male restaurant employee stopped working. He looked Wolvin up and down with a cynical gaze filled with disgust. His lips curled into a sneer, as if Wolvin's presence was vermin.
Elara, walking in front, caught the look. Her footsteps stopped abruptly. Her motherly aura vanished, replaced by the cold aura of a woman ready to tear apart anyone who disturbed her family.
She approached and stared sharply right into the waiter's eyes.
"Why are you looking at him like that?" Elara asked firmly. She began acting as a protector for Calian and Wolvin. "Is a beastfolk not allowed to stay at this inn or eat at this restaurant?"
The waiter flinched, but his ego made him answer arrogantly. "Of course n—"
"SILENCE!" Elara cut off the waiter's words with a loud shout. "He eats here, he pays! He stays here, he pays too! He is also a living being who breathes just the same as you! What's wrong with his race? Answer me!"
Elara's voice echoed throughout the restaurant, silencing every conversation. The customers froze.
The waiter's face went pale. He hadn't expected to be berated that hard in public. His tongue was tied, unable to answer the argument of the woman radiating such a dominating aura before him.
"Why are you just silent?!" Elara exclaimed again, pressing further. "Answer me! What was the meaning of that cynical look you gave my companion just now?! You have a problem with paying customers, huh?!"