The moment he faced that emotion directly, dirty desires popped out from inside the hole. Alkaid struggled not to growl and said.

“Let’s go back now.”

“……Ah, yes.”

“Forget what just happened. I’m not telling you to apologize.”

How did he know I was about to say sorry? Spica followed behind Alkaid with her mouth tightly shut after opening and closing it.

Every time the two passed by, people’s gazes flew and stuck to them. While thinking they should leave quickly, Alkaid stopped abruptly.

“Why are you walking behind.”

“Well, since I’m the adjutant……”

“Come beside me, Spica.”

The surroundings became quiet.

Spica froze with her face bright red.

‘He called my name. This time…… this time it’s not even an urgent situation.’

What should I do? Should I quickly go to Alkaid’s side and link arms? Shouldn’t I stamp my mark on people telling them not to even think about this man?

But Alkaid seemed like he would hate it.

The man who would have quickly extended his arm telling her to hurry if he had read Spica’s mind moved his steps instead of her who couldn’t move.

Spica’s shoulder touched his arm and fell away.

“Go.”

The moment she heard those words, her feet that hadn’t moved came unstuck. Spica left the banquet hall side by side with Alkaid like being enchanted. She didn’t even have the leisure to notice the fans surrounding them fluttering like they would fly up. Only the moment their arms touched kept repeating in her head.

The firm arm clearly felt even over the uniform. The back of his hand that softly brushed past. The large hand that lingered around her hand area then moved away.

Alkaid was definitely holding back something.

‘Perhaps, that…… because it’s that period?’

According to Mizar, if the heat period doesn’t occur, they wouldn’t lose control of themself at night either.

Then Alkaid was currently in heat period.

But if he loses self-control at night because of that, yet won’t even hold hands, he seemed to have more patience than ordinary human men.

‘If that’s not it, surely he doesn’t have…… a separate partner to relieve it with.’

The absurd speculation came to mind the moment she got in the carriage following Alkaid’s lead, but Spica quickly shook it off. Alkaid wasn’t that kind of person.

That moment, the cynical self within her whispered.

‘Did you think Lepus was that kind of person?’

The color completely drained from Spica’s face. Soon after, anger and despair surged simultaneously.

Alkaid sitting across from her said nothing. The light from sparsely installed streetlamps came in through the slowly moving carriage window and darkened repeatedly.

‘When we arrive home like this, will Alkaid drop me off and go somewhere?’

If so, Spica rather hoped the carriage wouldn’t stop.

But when the carriage arrived home, a different situation from her imagination occurred. Alkaid escorted Spica until she got off and then sent away the empty carriage.

“We’re co-coming in together?”

“If you knew, there’s no need to avoid it particularly.”

Alkaid wasn’t unaware of Spica’s complexion that turned red then pale. The reason was probably himself.

He had to spend another agonizing night with just a wall between him and her, but it was somewhat comforting.

Then Spica, who had been staring up at him intently, said.

“Are you going to speak casually to me now too?”

“……Speak?”

Only after asking back did Alkaid realize his mistake. Holding back strong impulses seemed to have made the other side relax instead.

But Spica showed an unexpected reaction.

“You’ve been treating only me politely all this time. So I wondered if there was some reason.”

For instance, liking me.

However, Alkaid didn’t meet her expectant eyes.

His uncharacteristically polite pretense was, simply put, because of Spica’s preferences. A man who was at least outwardly gentle, calm, and noble like a fairy.

Yes, Lepus Arneb.

Alkaid couldn’t become such a willow-like flexible human. So he at least adopted that attitude. Nobly. So he could yield space beside him. So he would seem like a safe partner to spend a lifetime with.

……The moment he voiced such words, he would become more pathetic than inadequate. Alkaid rather kept his mouth shut.

Spica didn’t mind. Just having him together with her made her anxiety fly away. She turned her body around.

“Let’s go up.”

It was late at night when Mrs. Hudson and all the maids had gone to bed.

The inside of the house was dark. Spica began climbing the stairs relying on the dim wall lamp light. Alkaid quietly followed behind her.

Compared to him who made hardly any sound like he had truly become a wolf, various small sounds came from Spica. The step board lightly creaked under her feet as she lifted her heels slightly, her quiet breathing and the sound of her heart beating a little faster than usual.

Alkaid’s gaze lingered on Spica’s nape. Because of her long neck, white skin showed even above the stiffly raised collar. Her hair tied up in a single bundle swayed left and right matching her steps. Like tempting him.

A distance where he could place his lips right now. The desire to suck on soft skin and bite above where hot blood flowed raised its head once again.

Deep at night, losing self-control wasn’t a lie. Alkaid’s eyes slowly began to glisten. His imprint partner’s scent was encouraging him. Even if he embraced her waist and stripped off her uniform, Spica wouldn’t refuse now.

Alkaid was just about to reach out his hand.

Thump thump thump.

What stopped him was ironically Spica’s heartbeat that had become much faster than before.

She too was feeling Alkaid’s gaze. Like prey with a natural enemy before its eyes.

Her father’s gaze overlapped with her appearance of looking back like paralyzed with fear.

〈A beast child was born instead of a human.〉

Before they knew it, they had climbed all the stairs. Alkaid clenched his hand tightly. His head became cold like cold water had been poured over him, but his body didn’t. However, it was even less the time for him to pounce first.

He said in a cracking voice.

“It’s late. Sleep well.”

“Ah, yes…… You too, Commander.”

Spica entered her room like being pushed. Shortly after, the sound of the next room’s door opening and closing came. She realized she was perking up her ears toward that direction and hit her head.

‘Let me just wash up.’

But even after washing with cool water and changing into stiff new pajamas, the feeling from before didn’t disappear. Spica rubbed her nape roughly. Alkaid must have stared so intently that it felt like she was being licked by his gaze.

She had actually been secretly expecting. That even now Alkaid would confess to her, and instead of just enduring and watching, he would kiss her.

She had opened her eyes as brightly as possible with such feelings and looked at him, but far from confessing, he suddenly said good night in a voice that seemed sick.

‘……Is my face the problem? Or my eyes?’

She was looking in the mirror with her lips pouted sullenly.

“Huu……”

It was the usual sigh. Because it stuck in her ears like thunder today, startled Spica dropped her towel. When groaning followed, she made a worried expression.

‘He said it wasn’t a duel, but…… didn’t Senior Sobek throw punches or something? He’s not the type to not fight back after seeing blood.’

But like telling her to stop thinking nonsense, Mizar’s words came to mind once again. It was a voice like hitting one’s chest after eating three sweet potatoes in a row.

〈If the heat period doesn’t come, we’re no different from ordinary people, you know?〉

The hand picking up the towel stopped abruptly.

It was a continuation of the thought she had at the banquet hall. If the heat period doesn’t come, there’s no losing self-control at night either. So this sound right now is……

‘That…… lewd…… anyway that kind of sound?’

Spica covered her mouth with her face bright red.

The sound that only came in the deep night. He looks fine during the day but groans at night, it was nonsensical.

But if she thought he was in heat, everything fit. It wasn’t pain but s*xual desire surging.

‘Wh, what should I do.’

The person she likes is breathing heavily beyond the wall. It was natural that she would imagine how he would look like right now.

Would Alkaid, who was always in uniform, wear clothes buttoned up to the neck even in his private space? No, conversely, he might not be wearing anything. Sweating over his bare chest that had turned red from enduring surging desires……

Suddenly his scent brushed past her nose.

‘I have to go.’

Blind impulse surged simultaneously. She wanted to see Alkaid. It didn’t matter if he was in the middle of heat.

Because.

Spica’s reason, crushed by instinct, struggled desperately to find a reason even in the midst of this. The struggle didn’t last long. There was only one reason she could find.

‘Because…… I like Alkaid.’

I like him.

It was really strange words. Once she said it out loud, her heart grew bigger. The more she said she liked him, the more she thought about it, the more. Like a snowball rolling in a snowfield.

With her growing heart, Spica thought.

‘Alkaid likes me too.’

He said it wasn’t that level of emotion, but it had already been several months since Spica moved here. Alkaid was someone who had endured all this time without barging into her room despite suffering.

Spica knew better than anyone.

Power was the optimal tool for burying incidents. And Alkaid could use it anytime.

That’s why his heart reached her more.

‘He’s being careful. In case the heat period overlaps and he confuses emotions.’

But Alkaid likes her.

The proof was that he tried not to show his eyes in case even she would fear him.

So Spica had to go to him now. She was most confident in going straight forward.

〈Continued in Volume 2〉