Breeding Instinct - Chapter 5: Full Moon II (7)

Kanna waited anxiously for Moritz, who showed no sign of coming out. Her vision blurred and returned repeatedly from lack of sleep.

Though she was usually unaffected by the heat, today her body felt unusually weak—sweat poured down her face. She stood still, directly under the scorching sun.

She could feel the contemptuous stares thrown her way now and then, but she never turned her head toward the doorman.

“Tough little bitch, aren’t you.”

The man eventually picked a fight first. But Kanna didn’t react—she was already desensitized to contempt and insults. She knew well that people like him wanted her to react.

As she continued to wait for Moritz to come out, she sensed a group approaching. When she cautiously turned her gaze, she saw the beautiful red-haired woman she had previously encountered at the Duke’s residence, now approaching with a group of similarly aged young noblewomen.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Leonie greeted her first. Kanna forced a weak smile and gave a polite nod in response.

“I regretted not getting a proper introduction last time… But now I think I understand why.”

At those words, Kanna lowered her gaze to her own outfit.

“The dress suited you so well before. But I suppose, since you have such a great figure, even this outfit suits you quite nicely.”

At Leonie’s remark, the noblewomen around her burst into laughter. Though it was clear they weren’t laughing in kindness, Kanna simply curled the corners of her lips faintly.

They were different from her, after all. And Leonie hadn’t exactly said anything untrue.

What mattered most to Kanna was not causing any trouble for Damian. Truthfully, he was the one she feared most—but also the one she cherished above all.

She deeply desired his praise. Though it hurt when he scolded her, she still felt grateful for even that. What terrified her more than reprimands was his indifference.

So Kanna couldn’t say anything in response to Leonie. There wasn’t a single thing she was allowed to decide for herself.

“Listen closely. Do you even realize how much trouble you’ve caused the Duke?”

“…Pardon?”

But at Leonie’s next words, Kanna instinctively lifted her head. The noblewomen who had been sneering earlier fell silent when they got a good look at Kanna’s face.

Even in her disheveled state, her beauty shone brilliantly, untarnished.

Leonie, too, was briefly speechless. But she quickly came to her senses and reminded herself to make use of the opportunity her father had given her.

“The Crown Prince was furious when he heard that a sex slave was purchased. And rumors have spread that your household has acted violently—that news has even reached His Majesty the Emperor. Do you understand what that means?”

Whether the emperor really knew or not, Leonie didn’t care—she deliberately spoke in a threatening tone.

“If this goes wrong, it could mean that Duke Royce alone will be held responsible for your and your family’s actions.”

“…Ah…”

“I’ve admired him for a long time. We’ve even exchanged engagement letters. I’ve endured a lot for his sake… but this, I can’t let go. So I’m telling you clearly now.”

Kanna shook her foggy head, trying to make sense of her words. From beginning to end, everything Leonie said was news to her—none of it made any sense.

But there was one thing Kanna could now clearly understand—her very existence was bringing harm to her master.

It felt like the ground beneath her feet was crumbling. She had finally been allowed to wear new shoes, but what was the point if there was no ground left to step on?

As Kanna blinked blankly, Leonie secretly scoffed. She pitied the woman for being just as naive as she had been that first day. But it was time to say the words she’d been holding back the most.

“And I heard you suffered from a terrible illness. Do you even realize what kind of history the House of Royce carries? You’re not seriously dreaming of a future with the Duke with that kind of defective body, are you?”

Kanna stared blankly at Leonie standing before her. She understood exactly what Leonie meant. And yet, she had never once allowed herself such thoughts.

Or had she?

Had she really never dreamed of a future with him?

The shameless thought she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding was now laid bare by Leonie, and it made Kanna want to vanish on the spot. In a panic, she looked around, desperate for escape.

But the young noblewomen had surrounded her, ensuring she couldn’t run—and that no one else could hear what Leonie was saying.

Kanna gasped for air as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her mind had gone blank. She was about to flee when a voice cut through, grounding her for a moment.

“Excuse me, but do you ladies have business with my family’s slave?”

The deep, gentle baritone made the noblewomen blush and turn toward the sound. Moritz had anticipated Leonie might act, but he hadn’t expected her to be this bold and conspicuous. Internally, he was taken aback.

And Kanna—she was clearly in bad shape. He’d only meant to tease her a little, not push her to the edge like this. Alarmed, Moritz moved to take her arm.

Then a voice, low and chilling, sliced through the moment.

“Don’t touch her.”

Both Moritz and Leonie recognized the voice immediately and masked their expressions, though their shock was evident. Especially Moritz—his body went stiff at the sight of his brother after so many years.

That same unnatural aura had clung to Damian ever since they were young. So intense it made one question whether they were truly siblings. Standing before his brother, Moritz once again felt like a helpless prey before a predator—swallowed by a familiar sense of humiliation.

Leonie, too, revealed a flustered expression. Unlike before, Damian now gave off an aura so chilling, she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

The Duke—who was said to return no earlier than the next day—stood in the center of the capital, drenched in blood. Black blood, at that.

He always wore black, but now, having been splattered with the blood of beasts, the fabric had darkened to a glistening sheen, and the stench was so foul it turned the stomach.

He hadn’t even had time to clean up. He had driven his horse desperately back to the capital. That Moritz would return now, of all times—it was clearly the work of someone behind the scenes. But more than that, Damian couldn’t afford to waste any time—he had been worried about Kanna.

He had yet to reveal his true identity to her. I’m one of your kind. A beastkin, just like you. If he said those words, she would belong to him completely. But rather than telling her, he wanted her to recognize it first—just as he had recognized her.

And so, for now, she remained as the Royce family’s property. She may not have listened to the words of others, but coming from someone like Moritz—also of House Royce—those words would have landed.

Fine. He understood. He accepted all of it. But… why was she still standing there in that condition?

Her pale face, drained of blood, stared directly at him with eyes like clear lakes. But those blue eyes, which usually sparkled like a bright sky, were now shadowed—filled with tears.

Ah. Whoever brought rain to his lake, he would destroy them all.

“Kanna, come here.”

To be honest, Leonie didn’t want to go anywhere near the Duke in his current state. And she was sure no one else did either. She looked around for support.

Even Moritz, fear aside, couldn’t bring himself to approach his brother reeking of blood.

But Kanna was different.

She didn’t think. She didn’t hesitate. That space beside him was her place. And she simply returned to where she belonged.

“M-Master…”

Though he staggered, Damian embraced Kanna as she ran into his arms and took a deep breath. Along with the sharp burst of citrus-like pheromones, her heavy sorrow washed over him.

He cradled the back of her head and gently held her jaw, pressing his lips to hers. As he infused her with his pheromones, her trembling body gradually began to calm… then slackened in his arms, limp and faint.

There was no one around them. No one dared approach.
The atmosphere was so heavy, so uncanny, that people instinctively kept their distance.

Even Landon and Hermann, who had belatedly come to fetch Kanna, found themselves frozen where they stood.

Damian lifted Kanna effortlessly in his arms. Her snow-white face and arms were smudged with black blood, but he didn’t pay it any mind.

Before leaving, he turned and scanned the faces of every person who had been there.
He even locked eyes with the doorman last.

Then, looking to his brother, he issued a command:

“Moritz von Royce. Come with me.”

“…Yes, brother.”

Even after they disappeared from sight, the nobles who had been watching remained rooted to the spot. Their fear of the Duke of Royce had only deepened.

Leonie, who had been watching him without even daring to breathe, suddenly lost all strength and collapsed to the ground. For some reason… she no longer wanted to marry him.

An irrational, primal fear had begun to consume her.

* * *

Upon returning to the ducal estate, Damian headed straight to the bathroom, carrying the barely conscious Kanna. Landon followed behind with a heavy expression and asked quietly,

“What shall we do about the young master?”

Landon couldn’t even bring himself to say he was sorry—he simply awaited Damian’s answer.

“Put him on hold.”

Damian spoke curtly and shut the bathroom door behind him. He undressed Kanna first and placed her in the tub, then began removing his own blood-crusted clothes. As he peeled them off, dried clumps of gore flaked to the floor. Grimacing at the stench, he grabbed the nearest bath salts and poured them generously into the water.

Then he stepped into the tub and gently pulled Kanna onto his body. When he finally heard her ragged, wheezing breaths, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

“That bastard…”

Damian muttered under his breath as he glared at the maid’s uniform discarded on the floor. He could vividly imagine the kind of cruelty Moritz had inflicted on Kanna. That same pathetic posturing from childhood—clearly, he hadn’t grown out of it even as an adult.

“Shall I fix you, as your brother? Or…”

Should I cast you out completely this time?

In truth, Damian had given Moritz several chances to live. Perhaps it was a lingering attachment from when they were young, always together as brothers. Maybe it was fear, knowing that cutting off his own blood would leave him even more alone in the world.

But touching what was his—that, he could never tolerate.

Especially when Moritz had clearly come here under someone’s influence. And Damian knew exactly who was behind it. He just hadn’t expected them to be this petty, this shallow.

“Hm…”

The only reason he hadn’t severed ties with Count Liffe’s family sooner was because it wasn’t yet strategically advantageous. As Duke, he had a responsibility to uphold his title, whether he liked it or not.

That was the only way he could continue to exist.

So, quietly and carefully, he had been poaching the artisans connected to Count Liffe’s house—one by one. These artisans were all notoriously stubborn, and unless they were presented with materials that met their impossibly high standards, they wouldn’t budge. That’s why it was taking time.

But after today, his mind had changed.

He had chosen to let things slide for Kanna’s sake, thinking retaliation over something minor might endanger her. But now they had gone too far. If these fools didn’t know their place, crushing them would be neither difficult nor regretful.

Damian, too, had barely slept. His body felt heavy with exhaustion. But Kanna, nestled in his arms and releasing calm, stable pheromones, made his eyes slowly begin to droop.

Even as sleep crept in, he thought of her running toward him earlier. Leaning an elbow on the edge of the tub, he rested his face against his hand and smiled.

* * *