Rut Fever - Chapter 2

“…It seems you’re not the one.”

Fortunately, Asha released my wrist, and the light disappeared, as if I didn’t have demonic blood or anything like that. I and Robel, who had been very nervous, simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

That was funny, so I burst out laughing, but I immediately hardened my expression at Asha’s glare.

Even though the Navi tribe hunt had been called off, there were still quite a few humans who thought of the Navi tribe as objects of fear. So, is Asha one of those who hate the Navi tribe? Why is he showing so much dislike from the first meeting? The investigation is over, so we won’t be seeing each other again.

“That brat, her heat hasn’t started yet, has it?”

Asha, who took out a white handkerchief from his inner pocket, asked Robel while wiping the hand that had just grabbed my wrist. I was curious about what “heat” was, but I was so dumbfounded by Asha’s actions that I couldn’t speak.

Is he wiping his hand because he just touched me? No, who asked him to touch me? He touched me first, and what is this bizarre behavior? Am I a bug? A pest? Even if I’m not an ordinary human but a beastman! He’s being too much right in front of me!

Robel, as if amused by my dumbfounded and chuckling reaction, patted my shoulder and smiled as he replied.

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like it yet. It seems like the time is coming soon, but what should we do?”

“Take her. We’ll leave right away, so open the gate, Lord Robel.”

Take her, meaning me?

Robel calmly explained to me, who was still bewildered because I didn’t know what was going on.

“There’s a justification for protecting the Navi tribe. And… the Imperial Palace needs a Navi tribesman right now. Of course, it’s entirely up to you, but if you go, you’ll be able to hear the explanation.”

Whether it was protection or confinement, I didn’t care as long as it meant leaving this boring forest and not having to suffer from hunger. The most important thing was who I would be going with.

“Are you going with Robel? Will Robel be there if I go?”

“Of course. I’ll protect you. Don’t worry.”

Is it because we’re the same Navi tribe? I like the kind Robel. I would like it even more if he was only kind to me. I think it would be very unpleasant if he was kind to other women too.

“Okay. I don’t care where it is as long as I can be with Robel!”

And so, without a shred of doubt, I followed Robel and Asha onto the teleportation gate created with a mana stone.

Without knowing what would happen to me in the future.

* * *

The teleport gate was a wondrous magic that revealed a different place as soon as you passed through the strangely undulating, transparent membrane without any special device. The magic stone that created the gate was said to be usable only once and destroyed immediately after use, never to be used again.

The wonder was short-lived. We arrived at a mansion located in a secluded area. Standing in front of the grand mansion entrance, I was too busy looking around to focus.

‘It’s huge. I’ve never seen anything like this in the village. It’s like a palace from a fairy tale.’

Although most of my past memories were erased, I still had some memories from when I was very young. All of those remaining memories were related to fairy tales. I remembered a few fairy tales, but one in particular stood out vividly.

It was about a woodcutter who accidentally dropped his axe into the river, and a god, feeling sorry for him, found the axe and bestowed a golden axe and a silver axe upon the honest woodcutter, a story about how great fortune comes to those who don’t lie.

The reason that fairy tale stood out so much was because of Robel. Robel’s firm, muscular, tanned body and grayish-brown hair were exactly like the woodcutter in my imagination.

Besides, he had personally chopped down a tree for firewood last year, and seeing him wielding the axe, I had decided, ‘Ah, that man is husband material.’

I wonder if Robel knows how I feel.

“Lua. This is your new home where you’ll be staying for a while.”

“Home? I’m living here?”

“Yes. It’s a place where you can live like a princess in a fairy tale, just like you wanted. You’ll like it.”

A princess in a fairy tale.

My eyes widened at those words.

“Then, do I get to wear fancy dresses and go to, like, like, dancing balls?”

“Well… if you want, you can?”

“Then will Robel be my prince?!”

Robel started to panic at my aggressive question, waving my arms in excitement. He didn’t seem to dislike the idea of me being a princess and him being a prince, as his face turned slightly red. However, I was a little concerned about Asha’s reaction.

Asha, who had been listening to our conversation, snorted, crossed his arms, and stood askew. His arrogance knows no bounds. Is that what happens when you have divine power?

“I see there was a reason Sir Robel was hiding the existence of this little brat? No wonder he wasn’t keen on this important matter.”

Tsk, Robel’s face turned pale as he broke out in a cold sweat at Isha’s cold tone. It was clear that Asha had the upper hand in terms of power. Why is he making our Robel feel so small, really?

I stood a little closer to Robel and pouted at Asha, retorting sullenly with dissatisfaction.

“Robel is my benefactor who saved me and protected me, okay? If it weren’t for Robel, I wouldn’t be breathing and alive like this right now.”

I swallowed the words ‘Why don’t you find out before you talk’ because Asha was glaring at me fiercely with purple eyes filled with blue murderous intent.

Did I say anything wrong? Why does he look like she’s going to eat me every time I say something? Even though he’s pretty!

I think I know why the woodcutter in that fairy tale denied that the silver axe was his, even after seeing it. Looking at Asha’s rude attitude, I realized that even if someone is beautiful, I wouldn’t want them if they have a bad personality.

It’s better to just look at a man like that for eye candy. Robel is the best after all. He’s kind, gentle, and caring. The Navi tribe is more virtuous than humans, I guess.

I ignored Asha’s sharp gaze and continued my sweet conversation with Robel.

“Is this Robel’s house?”

“Ah… it’s not my house. For now, you can think of this as a house for Lua. You’ll be staying here for a while.”

“How long?”

“Well, it could be as long as a year, or even longer? I’ll have to see how things go.”

“Is it okay to live in a house that even the owner doesn’t know about for that long?”

I asked Robel, but the answer came from Asha’s mouth.

“This is the property of the imperial family, and also the mansion where I currently reside. You will be staying here for the time being, and I have been assigned to be in charge of your etiquette training.”

I don’t understand what he’s talking about at all. It’s confusing.

Come to think of it, Robel asked me earlier if I would go to the imperial palace. The fact that Asha called Robel ‘Sir’ means that Robel is a knight who has received a title. His clothes also look expensive, so I expected that and wasn’t surprised. Above all, Robel said that he was ‘serving a high-ranking person.’

…Could it be that the person Robel serves is that eccentric and nasty Asha? If becoming Robel’s wife means serving such a boss, I might have to think about it a little.

No, more than that, if what he said is true, does that mean I have to live with that rude person? In this mansion?

“Why do I have to live with you, Asha? And why do I have to learn etiquette?”

“Stop asking unnecessary questions. Sir Robel, take that child to her room and have her wash up first. She looks like a beggar.”

Wow… he’s really mean. A beggar! He says things he can’t say in front of someone he’s meeting for the first time.

My insides were burning, but I held it in. There’s no point in fighting a great person with divine power, as I’m the one who will get hurt. It’s troublesome to resist, even if it’s dirty and unfair. I can’t let Robel get tired because of me.

So I shut my mouth and quietly followed Robel up the stairs leading to the left edge of the central hall and headed to the second floor. Robel led me to the first room closest to the stairs.

“This is a guest bedroom, so it doesn’t have a separate lounge, but it should be enough for you to stay in for a while.”

Robel’s words, explaining while carefully watching my expression, didn’t register in my ears. Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty. It’s incredibly fancy. And the bed is so big and wide! I could roll around on it!

There were two large windows with elegant curtains on either side of the bed, which was placed right in the middle of the room. Beyond them, I could see a lush forest. I had only imagined living in a room like this, where nobles live, but I never thought I would actually live in one.

Filled with emotion, I moistened my eyes and expressed my overwhelming feelings with my whole body.

“It’s so… so pretty. Amazing! I don’t have to shiver in the cold anymore. I like it so much that I don’t even think about going back to that dilapidated shack! It’s amazing here, isn’t it?”

I was busy running around every corner of the room, carefully touching and looking at the furniture and wall decorations. I was nervous that I might break or damage something.

The bed was so fluffy that I couldn’t feel the hard floor. The airy canopy surrounding the bed also looked expensive.

My torn and worn clothes, which Robel had gotten for me, were my only outfit. They didn’t match this well-decorated room at all, so I felt a little intimidated. I understood what Asha meant when she said I looked like a beggar.

“If you’re done looking around, let’s wash up and get you ready. It will take a while. If you pull this cord, someone will come to help you.”

Robel, who had been watching me closely, pulled a long cord hanging on the wall next to the bed. Then, as if she had been waiting, a woman in a simple priest’s robe knocked and bowed politely.

“Greetings. My name is Jay, and I will be serving Lady Lua from today. I will bring the bathwater soon. Please wait a moment.”

Jay’s priest’s robe was simpler than Asha’s. That must mean that Asha has a higher status.

“Yes. Thank you for your help, Priestess.”

I know that not just anyone can become a priest or priestess. So I bowed deeply and politely, just like Jay did to me. In terms of current status, that priestess is higher than me.

I heard that a Grand Priest is such a noble being that you can’t even dare to look up at their face. I’ve met a priestess and a priest, so I wonder if I’ll be able to see one of the few Grand Priests in the world.