Chapter 29
The wolves’ apology, which lacked even a hint of sincerity, only made things worse.
Every time the wolf beastmen showed their bad manners, Dia’s eyes grew darker with exhaustion.
Feeling sorry for her, Perea decided to let it go. The tension in the air was thick, but nothing serious had happened, and Dia was already looking terribly apologetic on behalf of her escorts.
However, their young Rabbit Hero, Theo, didn’t seem to share that forgiving attitude.
“Our Perea’s prettier, okay?! That red-haired lady talked to her first, you know?!”
“Ah… lady?”
Dia staggered slightly. It was the first time anyone had ever called her that.
She’d always been showered with praise like “divine beauty” or “angelic voice,” so being called “lady” hit her like a bucket of cold water.
‘Lady…? Oh no, did I really get old enough for that?’
She immediately touched the corners of her eyes with her fingertips to check for new wrinkles.
As an opera performer, her looks mattered — but she never thought the truth from a child’s mouth could sting this much.
After a moment of stunned silence, the wolf beastmen exploded in outrage.
“How dare you call Lady Eur a lady! Apologize immediately!”
“Lady Eur is revered as the incarnation of the goddess herself!”
Their tone was sharp, though they avoided outright insults — Theo’s fine clothing made it clear he wasn’t from a common background. Still, their hostility was obvious.
Listening carefully, Perea realized something: these wolves weren’t just Dia Eur’s escort knights — they were also her obsessive fans.
No wonder they’d been so defensive earlier and had picked a fight with Ray for no reason.
Seeing through their intentions, Dia flushed with embarrassment — not from shyness but from shame.
She began doubting whether she could truly trust this escort team for the rest of her journey.
“What’s a goddess’s incarshinny?”
Theo, who hadn’t understood their fancy words, tugged on Perea’s sleeve and asked.
The wolves froze. Only now did they realize they had been seriously arguing with a child — one who wasn’t even ten years old.
They let out awkward whimpers and hung their heads. In hindsight, it was humiliating.
Even ganging up on the cloaked man earlier had seemed more dignified than this.
Trying to change the subject and end the argument gracefully, their leader cleared his throat.
“Lady Eur, it’s getting late. We should depart. There have been reports of monsters appearing after sunset lately.”
Hearing that, Dia straightened her posture and replied with elegant composure.
Then she turned to Perea with a worried look.
“Perea. You heard him — monsters have been appearing more frequently these days. Would you like to travel with us? It’s safer that way.”
“Pardon?”
“It must be difficult for one knight to protect you alone,” she said, glancing toward Ray.
Though she had heard he was a beastman knight, his black cloak covered him so completely that she couldn’t tell what kind of beastman he was.
Perea hesitated. She had seen Ray’s strength firsthand — he had single-handedly defeated a Wulphira and even gifted her its monster core.
So she wasn’t worried about her safety.
If anything, she was more worried for Dia — traveling with a group of “bodyguards” who were also fanboys didn’t seem safe at all.
The wolves didn’t look like the trustworthy type.
Still, when she looked around, neither Theo nor Ray voiced any objections.
“Could we have a moment to discuss it?” Perea asked.
“Of course,” Dia said brightly, her dazzling smile lighting up her face.
The shine made Perea squint instinctively. It wasn’t dislike — just her reflex whenever she saw something too radiant.
Seeing this, Dia smiled even more gracefully, and the cloaked figure beside Perea twitched slightly.
And just like that, Perea accidentally ended up eye-flirting with Ray again.
The three of them — Perea, Theo, and Ray — huddled together for a “meeting.”
“What do you think, Sir Ray? I kind of want to go with them. Not because I don’t trust the wolves’ skills, but because… they seem a little lacking in manners.”
Perea frowned slightly. Those wolf beastmen had the same look she used to see in biology class — curiosity mixed with trouble.
Even if they did their job professionally, their attitudes worried her.
Ray shrugged indifferently. He didn’t mind either way. To him, Theo’s opinion mattered more.
“What about you, Theo?”
“I’m fine! ‘Cause Perea wants to go! Perea’s number one!”
The boy wiggled his rabbit ears and hugged her tightly.
Even though Perea knew Theo was actually a tiger beastman, his affectionate behavior made her heart melt — like a cute little rabbit child seeking attention.
‘Ahh, adorable Theo! Our precious young prince! Amur bless you!’ she squealed inwardly.
While she was busy internally fan-girling over him, Ray lightly flicked one of Theo’s fake ears.
“Will these hold up? You sure they won’t come off?”
The disguise was impressively realistic, but Eclit was still at least a week’s journey away.
Would Theo be okay wearing them for that long?
Theo pressed both ears firmly with his small hands.
“They’re fine! Sister Hayu said even if I wash or sleep, they won’t fall off!”
“Really? You can manage them yourself?” Ray asked.
“Yup!”
Where had he even learned to say sister so confidently? Theo proudly sang the word like a song and lifted Perea’s hand.
Of course, in the end, it would be Perea’s job to take care of his disguise.
Both Ray’s sapphire eyes and Theo’s golden ones turned toward her expectantly.
Feeling their combined pressure, Perea nodded quickly and firmly.
Protecting Theo’s secret identity as the prince — that was now her sacred duty.
Their “meeting” didn’t take long, and they decided to travel with Dia’s group.
While Perea’s side had been talking, Dia’s wolves must have had a discussion of their own. The once-arrogant escorts now stood quietly in formation, their tails stiff.
Dia looked genuinely delighted that they’d be traveling together.
“Then we’ll lead the way to the next rest area.”
“Sure. We’ll follow behind.”
“And we can talk more once we get there!” she said, waving gracefully before stepping into her carriage.
Even the way she climbed the steps was elegant.
Watching her shining red hair sway, Perea couldn’t help but admire her.
They had barely left the village, and she had already met such an impressive beastwoman!
What kind of people would they meet in Eclit? The thought alone made her heart flutter with excitement and curiosity.
Her old academic passion — the same curiosity that had driven her nearly mad during her Academy years — began to stir again.
As she made plans to ask Dia all sorts of questions about gazelle beastmen later, Perea turned to Ray before boarding their carriage.
“Sir Ray, if you drive recklessly again, I’m taking the reins next time.”
That wasn’t a request — it was a threat.
Ray felt wronged. It wasn’t as if he wanted to drive like that last time!
It was her fault — all those accidental winks and gestures that had thrown him off!
For once, he raised his voice.
“That’s because you—!”
“Me? What about me?” she asked innocently, tilting her head.
Apparently, she had no idea how flirty she’d been acting unconsciously — which somehow made it worse.
Theo, listening from below, tapped Ray’s thigh with his small hand.
“Hey, Ray! It’s not nice to blame other people for your mistakes! That’s called being mean!”
“…Haah.”
And just like that, Ray, the poor scapegoat, let out a long sigh.
No one here would ever understand his frustration.
Even worse, a tiny part of his mind began to wonder,
‘Wait… what if she wasn’t being flirty on accident?’
