Chapter 2: Conspiracy

So I ended up attending the coming-of-age ceremony with Narcissus on a leash.

I lowered my gaze to the silk ribbon forcibly placed in my hand. After swallowing the saliva pooled in my throat, I followed the long connected line with my eyes to find Narcissus standing stiffly with a fresh pink silk collar around his neck.

Without thinking, I carefully tugged on the leash. He moved in response.

Overwhelmed by an indescribably strange feeling, I looked up at Narcissus, and the beautiful young man looked down at me with eyes reflecting similar emotions.

We began moving. Walking through the back paths of the imperial palace after leaving the castle felt like taking a dog for a walk. Narcissus silently followed behind me without saying a word.

A beastkin holding a human’s leash—how ironic. Usually, it would be the other way around.

“I-I’m sorry things turned out this way, but I can’t remove this. It’s infused with the Princess’s magic…”

I stammered, trying to break the awkward silence.

Narcissus continued walking without responding. His stride was much longer than mine, so he eventually ended up walking beside me.

Damn it! The leash had to be an eye-catching pink color, and his outfit matched mine perfectly!

Children attending the coming-of-age ceremony were required to wear the white priest robes sold in the market. Only then would they qualify for High Priest Shahan’s blessing.

I wore a white buttoned outer garment with a beautiful, colorfully dyed dress underneath. The problem was the priest robes worn by boys—they exposed the upper body with just a pleated white cloth wrapped around the waist, like something Greek or Roman gods would wear.

His angelic appearance combined with that outfit made it impossible not to attract attention. This no longer felt like walking a dog but like committing a great sacrilege.

We might end up drawing everyone’s stares at the packed ceremony.

I genuinely wanted to release Narcissus. Did the leash have to be the only way to make him obey? Oh, what a mischievous Princess!

We soon arrived at the entrance to the temple forest where the coming-of-age ceremony would take place.

* * *

“There’s something I should tell you first.”

Walking deliberately apart from Narcissus, I explained what was about to happen. It could be quite a culture shock for someone from another country.

“The coming-of-age ceremony hosted by the High Priest includes a ritual called ‘Finale of Courtship.’ I hope you won’t be shocked when you see it. It’s a tradition that has been passed down in Eodiphia for a long time.”

“Finale of Courtship?”

Narcissus asked while looking straight ahead.

“Well, um.”

I cleared my throat unnecessarily, struggling to find appropriate words.

“This might sound strange, but like the Princess said, today is officially the day to lose one’s virginity.”

“What do you mean?”

“After the ceremony, the young people gather in the meadow and ‘do it.’ Not everyone participates—only those with lovers or those who find someone they like during the ceremony. Some go deep into the forest, but most of the time, the priests distribute masks beforehand. So the young people just lie down right in the middle of the forest without feeling embarrassed.”

Narcissus stared at a stone on the ground with a dumbfounded expression.

“And this is officially sanctioned by the country? By their parents?”

This time he asked while looking at a distant tree.

“Yes. Originally, this ritual was meant to recognize children as independent individuals from their parents while following proper s*xual culture to become responsible adults…”

…which is complete nonsense. Eodiphia had long been known as a sexually liberal country.

“A-Anyway, it was abolished long ago for being too promiscuous, but High Priest Shahan revived it five years ago.”

“Truly… this place seems to be filled with abnormal people.”

Yes, he’s always been an eccentric person…

“Since neither of us has a partner, we can just watch from a distance or cover our eyes. It’s quite embarrassing to watch, so I recommend closing your eyes and turning around. We could go home after the ceremony before the Finale of Courtship begins, but people usually don’t. They typically stay and watch.”

Instead of answering, Narcissus stared at a water bird’s nest in a tree.

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

Why had he been avoiding eye contact this whole time? If not for his occasional responses, I would have felt like I was talking to the air.

Annoyed, I joined him in glaring at the tree. What was he looking at so intently?

“Narcissus. Strange women might approach you. You’re handsome, after all. During the Finale of Courtship, people often do it with someone they’ve just met and fallen for at first sight, or out of curiosity even without genuine feelings. Someone might force themselves on you. Many crimes happen on this day, so be careful.”

“Okay.”

He mumbled in a slightly husky voice.

“What about you?”

Finally, Narcissus stopped surveying the natural scenery and turned his gaze toward me.

But within seconds, he turned his head away again. The movement was subtly rigid.

“Then aren’t you in danger too?”

“Silly. That’s why the Princess sent you—to protect me.”

“…Right.”

“But I don’t want to be a burden. Even if something unfortunate happens to me, I can escape. I may not be strong, but I can run incredibly fast.”

“That’s remarkably reassuring. Do rapists announce themselves before attacking?”

“I’ll kick them in their thing and bolt like lightning.”

A brief silence fell between us. Narcissus looked at my fiercely burning eyes and reacted after a beat.

“…You seem experienced.”

“Eodiphia’s s*xual culture is so open that nobody cares about these things.”

“What does that mean?”

“Even if someone becomes impotent, nobody pities them.”

“…”

I was puzzled by Narcissus’s continued avoidance of eye contact, so I suddenly jumped in front of him.

The leash jerked, pulling his body forward.

“Narcissus, why won’t you look at me?”

“Sorry.”

I didn’t know what he was apologizing for, but he offered an apology, and I found myself nodding slightly in response.

“Why did you always wear a mask until now?”

Narcissus suddenly asked.

“Well, that’s…”

How should I explain this? In the original story, Princess Kesera didn’t want to reveal my appearance, which shone as brightly as hers, to the palace people.

This doesn’t seem like jealousy, though…

Not knowing the answer myself, I gave a vague response.

“I work as the Princess’s night attendant. It was necessary to prevent my identity from being exposed.”

Narcissus stared intently at my face for a while, measuring my reaction, then carefully asked:

“Are you perhaps a beastkin?”

“Half-beastkin, to be precise. People usually can’t tell just by looking at me—how did you know?”

“I overheard palace people talking about it in passing.”

Then, an emotion distinctly different from before briefly flickered in his eyes before disappearing.

Looking into the curiosity that momentarily appeared in his ruby-like eyes, I asked indifferently:

“I guess you’ve never seen a beastkin before.”

“…They weren’t common in my country. I’ve only seen them occasionally in books.”

“I don’t have the ears or tail you’re imagining. And the beastkin in books always have enormous br*asts and wear only scraps of cloth. They’re portrayed as nothing more than entertainment for people at night. That’s pure prejudice. Of course, some beastkin sell their bodies without reservation, but it’s wrong for people to only describe beastkin that way.”

I got excited without realizing it and passionately spoke about things nobody had asked about.

Imperial citizens view beastkin too lightly. Despite being a different race, beastkin have rights too.

Just because they have ears and tails, they become s*x slaves, and if they end up with a bad master, they rot away their entire lives until dying from sexually transmitted diseases.

Then people call beastkin dirty and promiscuous. They make such a fuss about it. But supply exists because there’s demand, which leads to exploitation.

“By the way, you read some strange books.”

“Ah, that’s…”

Are there any books featuring beastkin that aren’t that kind of book?

“I understand your taste now.”

At my words, Narcissus looked extremely embarrassed. Finding it amusing, I couldn’t help but tease him further.

“Well, you’re at a vigorous age. Yet why did you dislike sharing a bed with the Princess so much?”

I immediately realized I had misspoken.

After a moment of silence, Narcissus slowly opened his mouth, his expression noticeably darkened.

“Should I enjoy relations with an unwanted woman? With a princess who sees me as nothing but a plaything?”

“I’m sorry. I misspoke.”

I apologized.

I shouldn’t have said such a thing when I myself had my disgusting first experience forced upon me by an unknown man at fifteen.

If Narcissus had lost his first time to the Princess, I should have been even more careful with my words.

My toes curled involuntarily as discomfort rapidly grew between us.

What should I do? While I hesitated about apologizing again, Narcissus had already started walking ahead slowly, so I quickly followed.

Glancing up at him, I saw he had returned to his previous expressionless face.

“I should probably stay away from beastkin literature from now on.”

I realized that Narcissus had deliberately changed the subject to avoid making me uncomfortable.

“Yes. Try to develop a more wholesome fan… I mean, wholesome fantasy instead.”

We continued walking side by side along the path to the temple.