***

Tan, who had been enthusiastically playing with the disc, flopped down next to Leticia who was sitting exhausted.

“Tan. I told you not to lie down like that, you’ll get grass stains.”

At Leticia’s scolding, Tan rolled over and comfortably rested the back of his head on Leticia’s thigh. Then he looked up at her and smiled.

“Then I’ll lie down here.”

Although he could feel a familiar, cold gaze from somewhere, Tan pretended not to notice.

Over the past 10 years, Tan had learned how to deal with Chamuka.

Since he couldn’t win with skill, his only option was to use tricks.

Tan smiled brightly at Leticia.

That expressive face was Tan’s advantage that other Basilinte people didn’t have.

And Leticia definitely found such a Tan adorable.

“There’s already a lot of grass in your hair.”

The proof was that while she scolded him verbally, her hands were gently stroking his hair.

As her kind hands removed the grass blades one by one from his hair, Chamuka’s gaze grew even more fierce, but Tan paid no attention.

Anyway, as long as he stayed close to Leticia, Chamuka wouldn’t treat Tan too harshly.

That is, as long as he didn’t violate Astrid’s order not to make skin-to-skin contact.

Using Astrid’s orders as an excuse, even Chamuka would drop his pretenses and throw Tan around.

In the beginning, Tan fought back against such treatment from Chamuka, but now he would fight a little and then pretend to be hurt. Then Leticia would naturally take the side of Tan, who was younger and weaker than Chamuka…

Since we were fighting over Leti in the first place, the moment he takes my side, I win.

Tan glanced at Chamuka, who, for some reason,n had been “less” attached to Leticia than before for nearly a year.

Of course, he was less attached, not watching less.

If, in the past, he would stay by her side almost all day and ward off anyone who approached, now it felt like he was just observing intently.

Like the calm before a storm, Chamuka had become dramatically more docile over the past year.

Leticia naively said things like, “It seems like Chamuka has become more composed as he’s gotten older,” but to Tan, that was nonsense.

Honestly, to Ta,n who had grown up with almost no loss of emotion despite being a Basilinte, the other Basilinte people except himself seemed to have the mental age of 5-year-olds.

Their emotions and desires had been castrated, leaving them expressionless, which might make them appear mature to others, but that didn’t change their low mental age.

Especially when they couldn’t even resist simple provocations.

“Letiii…”

Tan touched Leticia’s sparkling blonde hair while drawing out the end of his words. Hair wasn’t skin, so it was okay to touch it.

Tan carefully played with the ends of her hair, cautiously avoiding her ears or cheeks.

The blonde hair that had been cut short in spring had already grown long enough to cover her ears.

She would probably cut it again soon. Leticia always maintained the same hair length she had when she first came to Basilinte.

“Can’t you grow it out? Grow it for just a year, then cut it and give it to me.”

“It’s uncomfortable, so no. And what would you even do with someone else’s hair?”

“These days, they make accessories like bracelets from hair, you know.”

“That sounds a bit creepy…”

Leticia’s expression turned sour.

Tan giggled and, pretending it was an accident, touched Leticia’s ear with his finger. It was such a light touch that even she didn’t notice it.

“It might look pretty like golden thread, unlike someone else’s hair.”

“Not at all.”

As Leticia firmly replied, Tan’s fingers “accidentally” brushed against her ear or cheek several times.

Chamuka’s gaze, which had been fierce from the first touch, grew increasingly sharp.

And finally, when Tan’s hand almost completely grasped Leticia’s cheek, Chamuka, who had been half-hidden in the tree shade observing Leticia, sprang out.

Chamuka easily snatched Tan and threw him to the ground, and Tan deliberately tumbled down dramatically.

Seeing this, Leticia shouted:

“Chamuka!”

Over the past year, Tan had excellently mastered the method of summoning Chamuka, who secretly watched Leticia from behind.

“How could you throw Tan like that!”

And also how to make Leticia take his side.

Tan rested his head on the shoulder of Leticia, who had quickly run over to help him up, turning his back to Chamuka.

In any case, Leticia’s shoulders were well covered with clothes, and Chamuka wouldn’t find an “excuse” to throw Tan just for resting his head there.

“Are you okay? It seems like you fell harder than usual…”

Leticia asked worriedly while dusting off Tan’s clothes, and Tan quietly raised one corner of his mouth while looking at Chamuka.

Of course, the words coming from his mouth were different from his expression.

“Yes. I’m fine. Don’t worry, Leti.”

Although Tan was often called dog-like, people sometimes overlooked that foxes are also canids.

Tan inwardly enjoyed Leticia’s concern and thought:

Ah. This is fun.

Before being cursed, the Basilinte people were originally bad-natured. That nasty temperament was so strong that it hadn’t been diluted for generations.

***

Astrid’s workshop had now essentially become Leticia’s workshop.

Astrid still couldn’t use magic, and Leticia’s research abilities had improved remarkably.

Honestly, she had been good at handling magic since the moment she awakened her magical power, but magical research was a different field.

Many genius magicians who instinctively controlled magic with finesse often had no interest in research. This was because research, even in a very small field, required effort as its foundation.

And everyone in the castle knew about Leticia’s diligence, as she practically lived in the workshop.

She rarely went to her room and sometimes fell asleep while studying there.

Today was no exception.

Leticia, alone in the workshop at night, furtively looked around.

Just a year ago, she would often be with Chamuka, but lately, he seemed busy and that rarely happened.

‘No one’s here, right…?’

After confirming once more that the workshop and its corridors were truly empty, Leticia quickly took out a syringe.

Then she hurriedly rolled up her sleeve and drew blood.

Since Astrid absolutely hated Leticia using her own body for research, she would surely be severely punished if caught, possibly being banned from the workshop for a while.

So Leticia moved very quietly.

After drawing enough blood to fill a small glass vial, she removed the needle.

While stopping the bleeding, she roughly poured water into the syringe to purify it, then dried it, making it look as clean as if it had never been used.

This was why magic was convenient.

“Your Highness?”

Leticia, who was about to complete her perfect crime by putting the syringe back in its place, froze at that small call.

“Ah, it’s Aina.”

Fortunately, it was someone whose mouth Leticia could keep shut.

Leticia breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the drawer containing the syringe and secured the glass vial.

Aina’s gaze followed the vial of blood.

“Did you just draw blood?”

“Yes. I need it for something.”

“I think Astrid will be angry.”

“That’s why it needs to be a secret. You’ll keep the secret, won’t you, Aina?”

As Leticia grinned, Aina sighed and shook her head.

She couldn’t help but worry.

“You were drawing blood the day before yesterday, too. Secret or not, are you really okay?”

“Don’t worry. I regulate myself, too. If I draw too much, my head gets fuzz,y and I can’t do anything with the blood I’ve drawn.”

She draws less blood not because she’s worried about her body but because she’s worried about not being able to conduct research. How reassuring.

“Do you really need to go that far?”

“What?”

Leticia asked nonchalantly.

Aina brought up the issue she had pointed out many times over the past 10 years.

“I’m asking if you really need to go that far for Basilinte, Your Highness.”

And Leticia’s answer had always been the same for the past 10 years.

Even now, when she had grown taller, more beautiful and gained more abilities, it remained the same.

“If I can do it, there’s no reason not to.”