I slumped against Grill’s back without an ounce of shame, resting my head on him. And just like that, my eyes began to close. Can you blame me? My body was exhausted, and his fluffy fur brushing against my cheek was way too comforting. Half-asleep, I rubbed my face into his back like a sleepy kid. Grill twitched.
“…Please hold still.”
“Ah, sorry. Your fur’s just so soft.”
Honestly, though—it was really soft. Isn’t bear fur supposed to be kind of rough? I had a feeling, and sure enough…
“Do you take care of it regularly?”
“Take care of what?”
“Your fur. It’s incredibly smooth.”
“……!”
“Whoa!”
Suddenly, Grill let go of me and spun around. I managed to tighten my arms around his neck just in time, narrowly avoiding a fall—but my heart was pounding like crazy. Well, that woke me up.
Seeing me dangling off his neck, Grill quickly reached out to support me again.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Just got a little startled, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry. You surprised me, saying something like that out of nowhere.”
“What, about your fur care? I was just complimenting how soft it is… Wait—don’t drop me again just because of that!”
“You’re misunderstanding. I don’t… take care of it or anything. Elizabeth Noona gave me something, and it felt wasteful not to use it after bathing, so I applied it a few times. That’s all. I couldn’t go against her. It wasn’t my idea.”
Sure, but if you’re using it on your own even when no one’s watching, doesn’t that totally count as your choice? I thought it, but decided to keep that one to myself. Grill’s back felt warmer than before—just like that time he started rambling again.
“I swear, I have no intention of trying to improve my appearance. Especially not to make my fur look better so I could get Ellie Noona’s attention. That kind of arrogant thinking never even crossed my mind. Not once.”
Well, I wasn’t thinking that either… but thanks to his unprompted confession, I just learned something pretty interesting.
So Grill likes Elizabeth. Huh. Didn’t see that coming.
Now this is getting good. I wonder if anyone else knows? The way he’s spilling everything, there’s no way they haven’t noticed. And Elizabeth… could she know too? No way—they’re not already dating, right?
Totally absorbed in unraveling the surprising pink-tinted mystery of Grill’s feelings, I ended up missing the rest of his rambling excuses—but it didn’t really matter.
“…So that’s how it is. Understood?”
“Yes, understood. Looks like it was all just a misunderstanding on my part.”
“Exactly.”
Still, if I told him I hadn’t actually heard any of it, he’d probably start over from the top. And honestly, I wasn’t about to turn this bear-fur cushion into a furnace. Better to change the subject.
“Now that I think about it… Grill, why don’t you wear clothes? Is it to avoid getting spotted by strangers?”
“Yes. The castle staff are fine, of course, but I do interact with outsiders from time to time. A bear wearing clothes might attract a bit too much attention.”
Well, yeah. Makes sense. If Grill had been dressed when we first met, I might’ve just assumed he was someone from our side instead of freaking out and trying to run.
“We’re here.”
“Thank you so much, Grill. You really saved me.”
“Think nothing of it. I’ll be off now.”
After dropping me off at the castle gates, Grill turned and walked off without another word. I’d thought about giving him a bottle of honey shampoo as a thank-you gift, but I had a feeling he’d jump three feet in the air denying he “maintained” anything. Better to save the gesture for another time.
Once inside, I spotted Marianne cleaning the front hall.
“Briel! Welcome back!”
“I’m home.”
As soon as she saw me, Marianne bounced over, still holding her cleaning rag. Her bright smile made the corners of my mouth tug up too.
I headed over to the garden table, set down my bag, and started pulling things out.
“Here, this is for you.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I stopped by a cosmetics shop and got this. It’s a brand-new product—they haven’t even launched it yet.”
“What is it… ‘Just one use for silky, flowing hair’…? Wait, this is shampoo! Thank you so much, Briel!”
“But there’s only one, so keep it a secret from the others, okay?”
I put a finger to my lips and gave her a wink. Marianne giggled, then brought one of her little feet up to mimic the gesture. Was that fluffy little nub actually supposed to be her finger? Adorable.
“But you’re back earlier than usual today.”
“Ah, I happened to run into a certain knight in shining armor.”
As we cleaned the entrance together, I told her about my encounter with Grill.
“He didn’t just carry my luggage—he offered to carry me too!”
“Ahaha, well, Grill is super strong.”
“No kidding. And while I was on his back, I got a feel for his fur—it’s unbelievably soft.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he’s secretly keeping up with the latest beauty trends. Oh, but don’t tell him I said that, okay? For some reason, he’s really touchy about anyone knowing he takes care of his fur.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul… Still, I’m glad you ran into Grill. That trip must’ve been exhausting.”
“……?”
Wait, wasn’t she just smiling? All of a sudden, Marianne’s face had clouded over.
Was she feeling bad because of all the trouble I went through? Maybe she was blaming herself for asking me to buy the safflower seed oil. After all, since then, people had started piling on more requests.
But none of this was her fault.
Wanting to cheer her up, I spoke brightly.
“Honestly, I think it’s great that this trend has caught on in the castle. Everyone seems so energized and happy. Their coats are shinier, their fur’s softer—petting them feels so nice. It’s actually healing me, you know? And it’s all thanks to you, Marianne. Really—thank you.”
“…Mm.”
Huh? That was sincere—okay, a little dramatic maybe—but I meant it! Then why was she giving me that blank, soulless stare? Did I accidentally say something wrong?
While I was still quietly panicking to myself, Marianne finished up cleaning the front hall. She gave me a small thanks for the help, then trudged away with noticeably slower steps. It was a stark contrast to the cheerful bounce she’d had earlier.
Wait… could Marianne be going through a rebellious phase or something?
***
“Haaah… Nothing here either.”
I let out a deep sigh and closed the book in my hands. It was a children’s spellbook I’d borrowed from Leon. I’d gone through every page, hoping for even the slightest clue about spells that could turn people into animals, but came up completely empty.
Well, I’ll admit—it was pretty entertaining, at least.
The part I thought would be about transformation magic turned out to be more like beauty tips. Stuff like how to make your lips sparkle, or how to make your eyes look sharper. The only remotely useful part was the tip on how to make your hair silky and glossy. Not that I’m holding my breath, but considering how obsessed everyone here is with fur care lately, who knows?
“Another dead end.”
The notes Kalz gave me were useless. The treasure vault—pointless. Every library and archive I’d checked so far had come up short. Where else could I even look for clues?
I sat there slumped in defeat, and that’s when Gold trotted over with his signature prancing steps.
“Whine!”
“Aw, Gold… are you trying to cheer me up?”
“Whiiine!”
“You sweet little thing!”
I slid down onto the floor, wrapped Gold in a big hug, and ran my hands all through his golden fur. He didn’t resist, just sat calmly and let me ruffle him as much as I wanted.
Now this was therapy. Feeling better already, I grabbed one of his soft paw pads and gave it a playful sniff—mm, that familiar warm, toasty smell.
Just then, the door creaked open.
“Briel…?”
“Marianne?”
I shot up from the floor like I’d been caught red-handed. Marianne stood frozen in place, eyes wide at the sight of me sprawled out on the floor with Gold. Welp—so much for keeping my dignity intact.
“Ahaha… What brings you here?”
I gave her a sheepish laugh as I dusted myself off. Marianne averted her eyes slightly and answered softly.
“Well… I noticed your afternoon schedule was open. If you’re free, I was wondering if you could help me wash the cleaning cloths.”
“Of course! I’d be happy to help.”
“That’s a relief. It’s such a sunny day, and I really wanted to get them all washed and hung out to dry.”
“Then let’s get to it. We’d better move fast!”
As we made our way down the stairs together, we ran into Butler Squawk. He greeted us warmly, his feathers puffed up in their usual elegant flair.
“Briel, Marianne. Working together today, I see.”
“Yep! And wow, Butler—you’re looking especially fabulous today!”
“Hahaha, so you noticed?”
At my compliment, Butler Squawk twirled mid-air in a showy spin, clearly enjoying himself.
“That shampoo you got me worked wonders.”
“Oh, that one!”
I nodded, remembering the specialty bird shampoo I’d picked up from the village cosmetics shop. Birds here were usually the prized pets of aristocratic ladies, so that stuff had been outrageously expensive. But apparently, worth every coin.
“I can’t believe a simple shampoo made your feathers so much more vibrant.”
“I was surprised too! And the texture? So much smoother now. Honestly, I should’ve switched to a proper bird shampoo ages ago.”
“I’m glad to hear it helped!”
“Would you like to feel them?”
“Can I really?”
“By all means.”
Without hesitation, I reached out. I’d been secretly dying to touch those fluttery tail feathers.
Running my fingers down the sleek plumage, I was greeted with a cool, silky sensation. So smooth, so satisfying. I went in with both hands, petting to my heart’s content.
And that’s when I felt it—a sharp gaze from below.
Marianne’s looking at me like… Oh no.
