Breeding Instinct - Chapter 6: Full Moon III (4)

“You’re just giving up like this?!”

Paula asked again, unable to believe what her husband had just said. Nils trembled as he recalled the Crown Prince, whom he had run into at the palace a few days ago.

“Even Count Liefe is backing off. It’s time we stopped.”

“Kanna—that infuriating brat—you’re saying we just let her go?!”

Despite Nils’ words, Paula couldn’t accept it. Even from that brief glimpse the other day, everything Kanna wore looked outrageously expensive. It must have been worth a fortune. Just selling her worn clothes alone would bring in a huge amount of money.

“Even His Highness the Crown Prince has gotten involved! If we push our luck now, it’ll only bring ruin to the family.”

“Always with the family—family, family!”

Paula had endured her hot-tempered husband for years, but this, she couldn’t take. She jabbed a finger toward him and shouted furiously:

“You always turn into a coward when it really matters! No wonder this family never makes any progress!”

“You think just saying things makes them true?!”

“No, I haven’t even started talking yet.”

“Y-you damn woman…!”

If she thought about all the years she’d held her tongue, she hadn’t even scratched the surface. Storming with rage, Paula let out a loud screech and stomped out of the study.

Outside, she fumed for a while before deciding she couldn’t just leave it at that. She went straight to find Philip and repeated everything Nils had said.

“Only now you realize your father has no backbone?”

“I knew… but I didn’t think he was this pathetic.”

“Ugh, Mother, stop yelling. You’re making my head pound.”

“How long are you going to keep drinking all day?!”

“Mother…”

Philip had lost big at the gambling den again the night before. Still hungover, he absentmindedly blurted out a thought that crossed his mind.

“Let’s send her a letter. Tell her if she doesn’t come home, we’ll spread rumors about her that’ll ruin both her and us. Oh—no, wait. Threatening her with the Duke might work better.”

“…What if she still doesn’t come?”

“Well, we’ll just have to try something else, won’t we?”

As he spoke, Philip started to sober up, and an idea came to him—one that might help recover his gambling losses.

“Oh, Mother, how about this?”

Philip’s eyes lit up with sudden clarity.

“She’s technically still under our family name, right? So let’s say we’re sending a marriage proposal for her to another house.”

At that, Paula lit up and pulled her son into a tight hug.

“My son really is the best!”

With this plan, there was no way that wretched girl wouldn’t come running.

* * *

Kanna received the letter from them several days later. Instead of using the Mecklen family name, they had shamelessly signed it under Penelope Wells Atelier, a dressmaker’s shop.

It was only today that she finally felt somewhat recovered. Not because of physical strain from the nights she had spent with him—but because of the overwhelming melancholy that had drained her of all energy. Still, she tried to act fine whenever Damian was around.

The more she looked at Damian, the more her painfully awakened desires rose up. She didn’t know what right she had to long for such an impossible dream. Restraining that longing was far harder than she imagined.

Whenever she opened her eyes, he was there—looking at her with a gentle gaze. When they ate together, he always took care of her in the smallest ways. The chair he pulled out for her had become something she now expected. Though still a man of few words, he had found his own ways to show affection.

She didn’t want someone like him to suffer even the smallest consequence because of her disgraceful family. That was why she read through the letter again, even though she’d already memorized it.

<Bring back whatever you can sell and return home. Try ignoring your family again—just try it. I’ll send your marriage proposal to some decrepit noble in the borderlands, I swear!>

Kanna was left speechless by the message—short as it was. It didn’t feel like a letter; it felt like a threat. No… it was a threat.

She crumpled the letter and threw it into a corner of the sunroom. It felt like she was sinking into a dark swamp with no bottom. She had only just begun to feel something like happiness, yet it felt like everyone was screaming at her to leave it behind.

“Master…”

She felt like everything would be resolved if she told him—but she didn’t want more rumors or shame to follow him. With her head bowed in silence, Kanna hesitated for a long moment… then slowly stood up.

The place she headed to was Moritz’s room. After checking that no servants were nearby, she knocked—and entered.

“…What?”

Moritz, lounging lazily on the sofa, glared at her. She hadn’t even waited for permission to come in.

“You think I’m a joke too, don’t you?”

Even though he now knew Kanna wasn’t treated like a slave anymore, he still couldn’t stand the feeling that she was somehow looking down on him. Just a few days ago, she would have been intimidated by his barking. But now, she couldn’t afford to back down. There was only one person in this estate who could take her outside—and that was Moritz.

“I’m sorry for coming in so suddenly. But… I need your help.”

“Then go to my brother. Why are you coming to me?”

“…I can’t tell the Master.”

Moritz’s eyes widened a little at her unexpected reply. Kanna had decided: even if it meant betraying her Master, she had no choice but to go where her wretched family wanted. She still… didn’t want to leave him just yet.

She wanted just a little more time by his side—to hold on to this fragile happiness. With a firm expression, she made her plea to Moritz.

“Please… take me outside.”

“…Hah.”

“I’m begging you.”

“If I take you out again, my brother will kill me.”

“…But there’s no one else I can ask but you, Young Master.”

Moritz’s expression hardened at Kanna’s words. Ever since he was young, everyone had always gone to his older brother. No one ever came to him asking for help. Though he’d long decided there was nothing to gain from comparing himself to Damian, he still found himself strangely drawn to Kanna—who, despite seeming unsure, approached him with honesty.

Somehow… he thought he could begin to understand why his brother was captivated by this woman.

“Where exactly do you need to go?”

“…I need to visit House Mecklen.”

“You mean… your family.”

Kanna didn’t want to answer “yes” to that. To her, family meant Damian. But even that, she knew, was just her own selfish wish.

“All right. I’ll take you. So—what will you give me in return?”

“…I don’t have anything. Is there something you want?”

At her response, Moritz realized he did want something. He was curious. If he were to disappear with this woman—who would his brother search for first?

“I’ll tell you after we come back. That’s what equivalent exchange is, right?”

Kanna nodded faintly. She and Moritz quietly climbed into a carriage and snuck out of the Duke’s estate. It wasn’t easy—especially after pulling a similar stunt once already.

“We’re definitely going to get caught when we come back. You better explain it well to my brother—say it was your idea.”

Lying flat on the floor of the carriage earlier, Kanna had only just managed to sit up. She replied quietly,

“I will.”

“What’s that you’re holding?”

Kanna unwrapped a handkerchief to show him the few pieces of jewelry she had tucked inside.

“They told me to bring anything that could be sold.”

“…Hah. I guess that says all there is to say about your life.”

Kanna didn’t respond. Most of the nobles in the capital probably already knew about her life. A girl cast out by her family, fallen from nobility to slavery.

She stared blankly out the window of the moving carriage. Lately, her thoughts had been bouncing around restlessly. She didn’t know how much longer she could live like this—more precisely, how much longer she could stay by his side. The uncertainty made her anxious.

“Have you ever thought about dying?”

Though he’d used Kanna with the idea of upsetting his brother, Moritz wasn’t entirely indifferent to her misery. Maybe her life felt similar to his own.

“…No. I haven’t.”

Though she had human emotions, as a beastkin, her animal instincts were stronger. Ending her own life had simply never occurred to her.

“Guess you’ve got more mental resilience than I thought.”

“…Do you think so?”

“Sure. Coming to ask for help from the guy who tormented you? That’s not just brave—it’s almost shameless.”

At that, Kanna couldn’t help but smile. It reminded her of what Damian once said—that she needed to become more shameless. Sitting across from her, Moritz found himself mesmerized by her beautiful smile.

Though their conversation was quiet and a little awkward, they kept it going. Moritz couldn’t take his eyes off her as they talked. Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of House Mecklen.

Kanna gazed silently at the house she had once lived in. Though she had spent so many years there, she realized she’d rarely looked at it from the outside. The only space that had ever truly been hers was her small, shabby room.