And the duke had chosen the latter. He surrounded the mansion and the surrounding forest with thick thorny bushes and planted illusion devices to prevent easy access. Additionally, with the naturally spreading ominous rumors about the duke, he naturally fell from the Empire in an instant and became a figure existing only in terrible legends. He wasn’t forgotten, but he was essentially erased.

“Isn’t that a bit lonely?”

“No, it doesn’t matter. It’s actually more comfortable since I can avoid most troublesome things. As I’ve said countless times……”

“Yes. Duke, you hate humans, that’s what you mean, right?”

“Right.”

Olivia, being human herself, had heard this so many times that she could now recite it without missing a single syllable.

He doesn’t trust humans.

He hates humans.

He doesn’t want to associate with humans.

Observing from the side, the duke seemed quite satisfied with his current life as a beast, except during the heat cycle. He accepted that the uncontrollable heat cycle was the true curse, and had adapted to the life of a beast that others would consider a curse.

“Duke, you’re really a difficult person.”

Just when she thought she understood his past from his unmistakably arrogant and self-centered attitude, she would notice his subtly fair and rationally kind side to everyone. His methods of dealing with those he judged as enemies were rather cruel, but he never arbitrarily captured and tormented anyone just because he was in a bad mood.

“Hmm, still, I think it’s a bit of a waste.”

At the beast’s puzzled look, Olivia swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of her tongue.

He couldn’t understand why she looked more upset and gloomy when he was the one cursed. Seeing Olivia’s reaction as if she were ready to share everyone’s worries in the world, the duke silently raised the corner of his mouth instead of getting irritated as he would have in the past.

He wanted to return the words “difficult person” right back to Olivia. When they first met, he thought she was the type of human he despised, but the more time they spent together, the harder it became to figure her out.

Now it was ambiguous whether he liked her or not, and the duke sometimes found himself confused about what attitude he should maintain toward Olivia. Perhaps it was because she was the first proper human interaction he’d had in a very long time. Of course, even this relationship would be difficult to consider normal by ordinary human society standards.

Usually, after studying herbs in the greenhouse, playing with animals in the inner garden playground, and checking on injured animals, Olivia’s daily routine would come to an end. The beast, who at first always stuck close to her and somewhat anxiously monitored her behavior, had begun to leave Olivia alone and take time for himself once the routine became familiar.

“Still sleeping?”

It was called personal time, but he was really just letting time flow freely into the void. The beast lying prone on a fluffy rug spread over a large bench in one corner of the garden, where flowers bloomed profusely, looked like a beautiful painting.

Olivia approached carefully so as not to wake the duke and sat curled up at his head, staring intently at the beast’s face as he breathed evenly. Perhaps because she saw him often, she now thought he was charismatically handsome rather than scary. As a human, he had a cold, beautiful appearance, but in beast form, he had a more fierce and wild animal shape.

If his human appearance were to be followed, wouldn’t he be a slightly more slender and elegant beast? If his current form was an appropriate blend of dog and wolf, adding a spoonful each of cat and fox would create an atmosphere similar to his human form…

“Your staring is so blatant that I can’t sleep.”

“Ah, ha, haha. Did you sleep well?”

She had been so lost in admiring his face that she hadn’t realized the beast had awakened and was staring right back at her. She would never admit that she had almost been enchanted by his face, whether in human or beast form, so Olivia covered her slightly rising blush by cupping her cheeks with both hands.

“If you have something to say, you can.”

He was always persistently kind at these embarrassing moments. Olivia frantically searched for something to say to escape the situation, then jumped up as if she’d seen a ghost.

“No way.”

When Olivia showed such an extreme reaction, it usually meant the moment wouldn’t be pleasant for him either, so the duke tensed up and waited for her next words.

“Duke.”

“Yes……”

“What is your name?”

The duke quietly buried his face in his arms. A sigh mixed with inevitable laughter escaped him. Truly, he had no idea how to deal with her.

* * *

“Alois, Alois, Alois Schraien.”

The duke, who had been watching Olivia muttering his name with eyes still full of mischief, hurriedly brushed away the smile remaining on his face when their eyes met. Olivia scurried over to the duke, who wore his usual somewhat bored mask not much different from normal, and sat down on the floor with a very apologetic attitude. Her weight naturally leaned slightly against the beast’s body lying on the rug.

“I’ve always thought about asking but kept missing the opportunity. It’s definitely not that I was indifferent to you, Duke.”

“Weren’t you a resident of my territory, even if only nominally? I didn’t expect you wouldn’t even know my name.”

“Well, I lived in a small village near the forest…… Usually ordinary people like me just say Schraien territory, Duke Schraien, and don’t often talk about your name.”

So she was saying there was an unfair aspect. Alois thought Olivia’s words made sense. Even in rumors circulating in the Empire, he was usually described only as the cursed duke, the beast, or the monster, and cases where his full name was openly discussed were rare. Most people avoided easily mentioning the name of someone cursed because it felt uncomfortable. Olivia, who was burning with enthusiasm not to forget and was muttering his name, was a somewhat unusual case.

“Names have meaning only when they’re called often. It’s a precious name, and it would be sad if it were forgotten.”

“I don’t really care. It’s a name that won’t be called in the future anyway.”

What a shame, it’s a much prettier and more fitting name compared to Olivia. Olivia herself was called ‘Olive’ in the village and ‘human’ or ‘you’ here, so her situation wasn’t much different from the duke’s. Thinking about this made her feel sad, and out of habit, Olivia buried her hands in the beast’s soft fur and brushed it. The feeling of healing that came from the soft texture while brushing his fur had become Olivia’s new hobby recently.

“Let’s call each other by name, at least between ourselves, so we don’t forget.”

“You can call me by my name if you want.”

“No, you should call me by my name too. Please call me Livi.”

It was suspicious in many ways how she avoided eye contact by slightly rolling her eyes to the side, yet couldn’t hide her shy expression. The beast’s narrowed eyes stared intently at Olivia’s profile as she continued to stroke his innocent fur while avoiding his gaze.

“Isn’t your name Olivia Friche?”

“I thought it might be difficult for you to call me by my full name. Please call me Livi for convenience.”

Her beaming smile was still suspicious. As he continued to look at Olivia with dubious eyes, Olivia, who had no talent for white lies, approached with a sulky expression tinged with disappointment. Her hand movements were somewhat rougher than usual as she massaged and brushed the beast’s triangular protruding ears.

“I just wanted to be called that.”

“Is it a nickname from your childhood?”

“No. It’s not a nickname anyone has called me; I just made it up myself.”

Livi. The sound certainly suited her better than Olivia. It had a more lively and cute feeling than Olivia.

What’s in a name? For the duke, who didn’t place much importance on a few letters, calling her Livi wasn’t difficult, but her desperate expression asking to be called that way stimulated the duke’s contrary heart. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see that yearning expression a little longer—an inexplicable, needless desire.

Though she wasn’t the type to act spoiled or play pranks, Olivia’s small actions and expressions always unexpectedly stirred something hidden within the duke.

“I’ll consider it. Olivia Friche.”

At the duke’s cruel behavior of deliberately using her full name stiffly, Olivia rose from her seat with a huff.

“Another escape attempt?”

“I’m going to pick berries needed for making medicine. Mr. A.lo.is.”

Olivia, who had flipped on the cloak hanging on the wall, retorted with a hurt expression. Alois leisurely watched her pick up her ingredient basket and walk out without looking back, then slowly stretched and got up.

“It’ll be dark soon, and she’s forgetting the most important thing.”

She’ll probably fall down on the way back again. Alois grabbed a lantern and followed Olivia at a pace neither too fast nor too slow. The fragrance she left behind led Alois pleasantly, like children in a fairy tale dropping breadcrumbs one by one.

Another short but surprisingly peaceful day came to an end.