Breeding Instinct - Side story 02 (1)

The child grew up steadily without any major issues. However, hiding the animal ears and tail was still impossible. Because of that, Kanna didn’t leave the room either. She didn’t find it frustrating—spending time with the child was precious and enjoyable.

“But Sian might feel stifled, right?”

Ever since Sian had started to walk, he moved around very energetically. If you looked away for just a moment, he would already be out of the bedroom and into the parlor.

“Abu, adada!”

As she was wondering whether it was right to keep Sian cooped up in the room when he was eating well and so active, a knock came at the door. Thinking it must be Mari, she gave permission immediately.

“Come in.”

The person who opened the door was not Mari. It was Moritz, holding several small boxes and smiling brightly.

“Sister-in-law.”

“Young master?”

“Have you been well?”

He had changed a lot from the past. Moritz, who once tormented her, no longer seemed to harbor any inferiority toward his older brother.

There had been several ups and downs in the meantime. After learning from Damian about beast syndrome, Moritz stayed in his room for a while. After long contemplation and shedding old emotions, the first thing he did when he came out was hug Damian.

Though they were brothers, he hadn’t noticed the real struggle his older brother was going through, and he felt both guilt and shame. At the same time, he seemed fascinated by Damian’s physical abilities that far surpassed humans’. He had even muttered once that if they were truly brothers, it would only be fair if they both had beast syndrome.

In any case, Moritz, who now doted on Sian more than anyone else, had taken advantage of an outing to bring back a bunch of presents for his nephew.

“What is all this?”

“What else? It’s all for our Sian. Here, Sian, this is a carriage. And this is…”

Sitting close to Sian on the floor, Moritz began opening the boxes he’d brought in both hands. They were filled with various toys, but what caught Sian’s attention most was a wooden carving in the shape of a rabbit. It was small enough to fit in Sian’s hand and very intricately crafted.

“Wow, a black panther, and already catching prey?”

“Ah-woo!”

“Right, takes after his dad—so brave.”

At Moritz’s comment, Kanna was struck by a strange emotion. Damian was the first person she had met who had beast syndrome like her. Because of that, she didn’t have the time to worry about their different species—she was simply happy to meet someone similar to herself.

But black panthers are predators, aren’t they?

She wasn’t sure where they lived, but a desert fox was still a fox. And foxes and black panthers were, by simple ecological logic, predator and prey.

“Ah…”

Only then did Kanna realize the source of the discomfort she had felt the first time she saw him. It was her survival instinct warning her. Telling her to run if she didn’t want to get eaten.

“Hey! What are you doing attacking your uncle!”

Lost in thought for a moment, Kanna turned to Moritz’s voice. Sian was on top of him, mouthing the collar of his jacket.

“Sian, no.”

“It’s okay, sister-in-law.”

He smiled as if even having his jacket soaked with drool made him happy.

“But it’s dirty, so let’s stop now.”

“Ah-woo.”

Sian whined in complaint after the jacket was taken away. He didn’t stop there—his little maple leaf-shaped fingers grabbed onto the jacket with surprising force. His tail stood up straight and wagged.

“…What is this? Is he recognizing me as prey?”

Despite being just a baby, his gaze was intense. Moritz felt like he was seeing his older brother in his nephew.

“Wow, he’s just like my brother.”

“…Is that so?”

“You probably don’t know, but when my brother hit puberty, the vibe he gave off was no joke.”

Now he understood why Damian had been so sharp and moody back then, but at the time, Moritz had been terrified of him.

“The way he looked at me back then… it wasn’t how you look at a younger brother. That really hurt…”

Lifting Sian, Moritz stood up from the floor. As he looked at his nephew, who still wouldn’t take his eyes off him, he continued.

“Sometimes I wonder—what if he had told me back then? If I had known his secret, maybe I wouldn’t have felt so hurt.”

“…Maybe.”

“Right. No one can know. That was then, and this is now. By the way, sister-in-law, aren’t you going to talk casually with me? I’d like to speak informally.”

“Well… I’m not comfortable enough yet.”

Kanna answered curtly, clearly not having forgotten the times he bullied her. Moritz looked sheepish.

“I’ll try harder, then.”

“…I’ll be watching.”

“Ha ha.”

“Ah-woo!”

“Man, this kid’s grip is no joke!”

While they were playing happily, Sian suddenly turned his head sharply toward the door.

“Abu! Abu!”

Stretching both arms toward the door, he babbled excitedly and kicked his legs.

“What is it?”

Just as the puzzled Moritz opened his mouth, the door burst open. Damian entered and said,

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my nephew, what else?”

Moritz was slightly annoyed at being treated like an intruder, but he now understood his brother a bit more—or rather, understood the nature of beastfolk.

Among humans, there are some who are especially obsessive and jealous. The kind who can’t stand others getting close to their family. For beastfolk, this tendency was even stronger.

Beastfolk have sharper senses of smell than humans. So they hate having other men enter the space where their wife and child are. Moritz had figured this out by prying answers out of Damian, who rarely spoke his mind.

He spoke confidently to Damian, who couldn’t hide his displeasure.

“Even if I’m a different species than you, I’m still your brother. Your blood. So don’t stop me from seeing my nephew. That’s abuse of authority, seriously.”

“…Hmph. Then come with me from now on.”

“Sure, that works better for me.”

“Hah.”

Damian let out a baffled laugh, but he didn’t glare at Moritz. He was also satisfied that his brother was no longer isolated and was staying at the estate.

“Kanna.”

He walked over to his wife sitting on the sofa.

“You look down.”

“It’s not that…”

Kanna finally confessed what had been bothering her since that morning.

“Sian is getting more and more active. But I can’t take him outside…”

He was full of curiosity and needed to be exposed to more things. Just stepping into the garden, full of flowers, butterflies, and ever-green trees all year round, would make him happy.

“Hm.”

At her words, Damian let out a heavy sigh. In his heart, he wanted to appear before others proudly, in his true form. But even setting aside himself and Kanna, he didn’t want Sian to be seen.

His instinct to protect his young was strong, and he didn’t want his young son to become a spectacle for others. Still, it was clear that keeping him confined indoors forever wasn’t sustainable.

As the two continued to worry, Moritz—now holding Sian—approached them and casually offered a suggestion.

“Take walks at night.”

“What?”

“Hm?”

“I heard you two can see well even in the dark. Then Sian should be able to see well too, right?”

Surprised by such a simple solution, Kanna immediately stood up and walked over to Moritz.

“Thank you so much.”

“…No, it’s nothing, really.”

Answering awkwardly, Moritz glanced over at Damian. He, too, gave a slow nod as if to say well done. Receiving unexpected praise from his brother, Moritz felt a flush of pride and embarrassment rise in him.

“Ahem, ahem! I almost forgot—I promised something. Sian, uncle will bring more gifts next time, okay?”

After covering the top of his nephew’s head and both cheeks with kisses, Moritz handed Sian over to Kanna and hurried out. Damian watched his younger brother quietly until he left the room, then a deep smile slowly spread across his lips.

* * *

That very night, Damian made preparations. He sent the servants home earlier than usual and turned off all the lanterns—not only in the mansion, but also in the front and back gardens. Even though it was so dark they couldn’t see an inch ahead, Kanna and Damian walked confidently.

Sian, too, burst into giggles as if he could see something. The three of them wandered wherever their feet took them.

“Ah-woo, woo!”

When the cool midsummer breeze brushed against the child’s cheeks, Sian reached out as if to catch it. Seeing how delighted he was, Kanna smiled and spoke to him.

“Sian, this is a rose. Smells nice, doesn’t it?”

“Woo-woo?”

“No, no, you can’t eat that.”

Kanna had brought him close to the rose to show it to him, but when Sian quickly swung both hands toward it, she stepped back in a hurry. Disappointed that he’d missed, Sian waved his arms even more vigorously with a pout.

“Oh dear, you mustn’t give your mother trouble.”

Damian picked Sian up from Kanna’s arms, firmly supporting his bottom with one hand. With his view now higher, Sian clapped his hands in delight. Damian wrapped his free arm around his wife’s waist, and the three of them strolled together.

“I can’t remember the last time we came out like this.”

“If you feel even a little uncomfortable, tell me right away.”

“There’s no way I would. This feels amazing. I never realized how refreshing the night breeze could be.”

“I see.”

The only light in the night garden came from the moon, making everything dark, but still full of atmosphere. They had come out for Sian, but both Kanna and Damian had bright expressions, savoring the rare moment of peace. After circling the garden several times, they sat down on a bench.

Sian, who had quietly stayed in Damian’s arms all this time, immediately reached out both arms to Kanna as soon as they sat. The way he boldly demanded to be held was too adorable, bringing a soft laugh from them. Kanna took him into her arms and whispered gently.

“There’s so much that’s amazing, isn’t there, Sian?”

“Ah-woo!”

“It’d be even more different during the day…”

They say there’s no end to wanting more, and it really seemed true. Just coming out like this made her so happy, yet she found herself wanting to show Sian even more. As Damian quietly listened to his wife, a thoughtful expression crossed his face.

He had been grateful just for the safe birth of their child, but now he felt a new determination rise within him—to prepare more for their future.

“I’ll make that happen,” he said softly.

“…What?”

“I’ll make sure you and Sian can move freely—at least within our estate.”

“Damian…”

“We have to take a step forward. Otherwise, the era Sian grows up in won’t change.”

At Damian’s words, Kanna felt her heart stir. It was as if he had just declared he would change the era they lived in. Something she would never have dared to dream of alone—he was now challenging without hesitation.

“You’ll do it. I know you will.”

At Kanna’s words, Damian smiled with quiet satisfaction. Hearing those words of support from his wife, more than anyone else, filled him with joy. He embraced both Sian and Kanna and whispered,

“I love you.”

At his simple confession, Kanna smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I love you, too.”

“Ah-woo!”

Sian giggled at his parents’ peaceful pheromones. They looked just like any ordinary, happy family—completely and utterly lovable.

* * *