Breeding Instinct - Side Story 01 (2)

“Um…”

“If it’s difficult to say, you don’t have to.”

“It’s not that… I just really hate my father, my lady.”

“…I see.”

Kanna completely understood—she, too, had distanced herself from her family.

“Sometimes, it’s even harder when it’s family.”

“You’re right, my lady.”

“…If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to say so.”

Kanna said it as casually as she could, not wanting Mari to feel burdened. She genuinely wanted to help someone who had always treated her with respect and fairness.

“Just hearing you say that means a lot, thank you.”

“Oh—huh? Sian, you’re already done?”

Seeing that Sian was now simply staring up at her, she wiped his mouth gently with a handkerchief and carefully adjusted her hold on him. As she lightly patted his back, a loud burp escaped.

“Our young master sure has a strong burp. I bet he’ll grow up big and strong.”

“…You think so?”

“Definitely. He’s already larger than other babies his age.”

“Really?”

Kanna had never seen other babies, so she had to take Mari’s word for it. Especially since Mari had several younger siblings and knew much more than she did.

After helping Kanna tidy up her loose top, Mari prepared the meal she had brought on a table next to the bed.

“My lady, you should eat too. I’ll take care of the young master for now.”

“Hmm…”

Kanna knew Mari meant no harm, but she still felt uneasy handing Sian over. It was a lingering fear that someone might find Sian’s beastkin features strange.

Mari seemed to sense her hesitation and spoke gently,

“…I hope this doesn’t sound presumptuous, but I find the young master’s ears and tail incredibly cute, my lady.”

“Mari…”

“I’ve always thought it was fascinating, really. You and the master don’t speak much, yet it feels like you know everything about each other.”

“Ah…”

At Mari’s words, Kanna recalled the emotional connection they shared through pheromones. They had grown so used to it that now they could read each other’s feelings and thoughts without words. It probably did seem odd to humans.

“Learning the reason behind it cleared up a lot of things. So… I hope you won’t worry too much.”

In most noble households, a wet nurse would care for the baby from birth. But for Kanna, that wasn’t an option. For now, Mari was the only one she could trust.

“I don’t doubt you. But… the anxiety won’t go away so easily.”

Until Sian could hide his ears and tail on his own—no, until he was fully grown—that anxiety would likely linger. She could only hope he wouldn’t be hurt simply for being different from humans, unlike what she had gone through.

“No one can enter this floor unless they’re authorized. Knights are guarding the hall before this one, and the master has strictly warned all staff. You can rest easy, my lady.”

“Alright. Could you watch him just for a bit while I eat?”

“Of course.”

Mari quickly received Sian from her arms. His warm little body made her face melt with joy.

“I have a feeling our young master will grow up to be even more handsome than the master. His features are already so defined.”

“Fufu…”

One never tires of hearing compliments about their child. As Kanna slowly ate her warm beef stew, her eyes remained fixed on Sian, who was giggling in Mari’s arms. The happier he was, the more his little tail wagged energetically.

Just then, the door opened soundlessly. As expected, it was Damian who entered.

“You’re here?”

He often dropped by. Whenever he had a break, he would come straight to where his wife and son were.

“Don’t tell me you’re only just having lunch?”

It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner—he couldn’t help but question it. Kanna swallowed her food and answered,

“I did eat, just not much earlier. Mari brought me more.”

“Well done, Mari.”

“You flatter me, my lord.”

Mari, having observed up close just how well the Grand Duke treated the Grand Duchess, was no longer afraid of him. Sometimes, she even felt a bit envious of the world they shared.

‘If I had beastkin syndrome too, would I feel more naturally included among them…?’

As she was briefly lost in her thoughts, Kanna’s words brought a bright smile to her face.

“Now I see why you brought more food.”

“Nursing always makes you hungry, right? Everyone around me said the same.”

“You seem to know everything,”

Kanna said as she picked out only the beef from the stew, avoiding the onions, and brought it to her mouth. Seeing her still picky about green onions, Damian let out a soft chuckle.

“Mari, would you take Sian to the nursery?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Kanna paused eating and looked up at him, her cheeks faintly flushed. She had realized why he was sending Mari away.

“Are you… sleepy?”

“Oh dear…”

“I’ll sing you a lullaby, young master. Lulla~ lulla~…”

As Mari left the master bedroom with Sian, her playful singing could be heard. Once Damian closed the door, the sound was completely shut out. Kanna, seeing him approaching, hastily began scooping stew into her mouth.

“Eat slowly.”

He had reached her in no time, removed his jacket and draped it over the chair beside her, then sat down leisurely in front of her, quietly watching her eat.

It amazed him every time he saw her chewing with that small mouth. How could such a small mouth take me all the way in?

He continued watching her eat with satisfaction. But as he did, her pace with the spoon seemed to slow.

“What’s wrong?”

He worried that maybe she had suddenly lost her appetite. During her pregnancy, she had suffered from severe morning sickness, so he was about to call for Mari to bring something else.

“It’s not that.”

Quickly stopping the suddenly serious Damian, Kanna poked at the stew awkwardly and added in a small voice,

“It’s just… I’m nervous…”

At her words, Damian’s stern expression softened. It seemed clear she was nervous about what was going to happen next.

“Even though it’s a checkup we do every day, you’re still nervous?”

She nodded with the spoon still in her mouth. Resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, Damian gave her a mischievous smile and whispered,

“The midwife and the physician both said we need to check the inside frequently.”

“…I think I’m fine now.”

As a beastkin, Kanna’s recovery was faster than that of an average human mother. Still, for three months now, she had been lying down, spreading her legs for him to examine her inside. Once a day might’ve been bearable, but having to do it three times a day was just overwhelming.

“Whether you’re fine or not, I’ll be the one to decide that.”

“I really am fine…”

“Come on now, finish your meal, wife.”

“….”

Every time he called her wife in that formal tone, her heart would flutter. Though she never minded him speaking casually, being treated specially like this made her happy in a different way.

After finishing the remaining stew, Kanna picked up the orange that had been prepared for dessert. Its fresh citrus scent spread through the air.

Damian had to suppress a laugh watching her eat the orange. Her pheromones carried a scent very similar to oranges—it felt like watching an orange eat an orange. Would that be… cannibalism?

“I heard it’s good to drink water often, too.”

He poured water into her empty glass and handed it to her. Kanna, already parched with nerves over what was coming next, accepted it eagerly and drank. Damian watched her gulping it down with a curious expression.

“Finished?”

“…Yes.”

As soon as she answered, Damian stood up. He had been waiting all along, and his eagerness showed in the way he moved. He lifted the cushioned chair she was sitting on and turned it around.

“Ah—darling…”

Surprised by the sudden shift, she instinctively grabbed his shoulders. He placed the chair by the sunny window and knelt before it on one knee. Kanna knew what he wanted—but she couldn’t bring herself to spread her legs first.

Blushing to the tips of her ears, she hesitated. Damian lowered his voice and coaxed her gently.

“Come on. You need to show your husband.”

“…Do you have to look at it in this bright light?”

It was already mortifying enough to show him down there—but to do it in broad daylight by a sunlit window made her want to cry.

“This way, I can apply the ointment properly.”

Even though Damian could see just fine in the dark, he spoke shamelessly with a sly smile. As he took a jar of ointment from inside his jacket, Kanna sighed in surrender and relaxed her body.

After giving birth, their physician had crafted an ointment at the midwife’s request. It was made from herbs known to be effective for the wounds that inevitably came from delivery. Every time he applied it, the cool sensation inside her made her feel strange.

And the way his hands slowly and thoroughly applied it to every crevice—though she never wanted to feel anything from it, her body always responded. The shame was beyond words.

But as she looked down at her husband patiently waiting between her legs, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. A husband who worries too much is still better than one who doesn’t care at all.

Kanna slowly shifted her hips downward and lifted her legs. Hooking her arms under her knees, she buried her face in the folds of her dress. She didn’t bother pushing the fabric away—maybe not seeing would make it feel less embarrassing.

“Well done.”

He praised her, subtly caressing the inside of her thigh. Soon, the straps of her underwear came undone, revealing her vulva. Feeling the air, Kanna involuntarily tightened her inner flesh.

“It’s twitching.”

Though her labia majora were pressed together, obscuring her vaginal opening, it was as good as visible to him. Spreading her labia majora with two fingers, he grasped and shook the opened vulva with his fingertips, as if a flower were blooming.

Her vaginal opening quivered and fluttered. He was driven mad with love for her submissive state, completely tamed by his hand. Exposed to the bright sunlight, her pussy revealed even its innermost flesh.

Her labia minora were still a pinkish flesh color, while her vaginal opening was a deep crimson. The sight reminded him of peaches and strawberries, and though he usually detested fruit, anything related to his female made his mouth water first.

He slowly rubbed her protruding clitoris with his thumb. Her spread legs startled, closing and then opening again. After acting shy, she now spread her legs to their limit, as if worried he might be uncomfortable, and he felt his cock swell.

Whenever his wife showed such obedience, he wanted to bite every inch of her skin. Not only that, but he wanted to ensure there was no place his tongue hadn’t touched.

He occasionally felt such urges. The urge to lick her pussy all day long…

He figured it was probably because he was a leopard beastman. His wife, unusually for a fox, was a fennec fox. Fennec foxes, with their different appearance from ordinary foxes, had one unique characteristic.

They had no pubic hair.

According to the information he had gathered, female fennec foxes shed the hair around their vulva when they entered heat. But Kanna had never had pubic hair to begin with. Perhaps it was her own unique trait, different from true fennec foxes, but he didn’t care.

When he first encountered that information, he felt a strange emotion. It was the moment he realized that, though they were both beastmen, they were of different species.

What would happen if others suffering from beastman syndrome appeared like them? Imagining a future where beastmen of various species lived in the territory he had established, he shook off his thoughts and focused on the cute pussy before him.