112. Scent of Grass

112. Scent of Grass

“Huhu, the hostess should greet the guest. I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no….”

The Emperor broke out in a cold sweat. Frigg von Lyra, the wife of the Grand Duke who was blocking the door – smiled faintly as she watched the Emperor’s state.

Her voluminous white tail swayed gently.

The Emperor opened his mouth.

“I heard you were so sick you couldn’t get out of bed…?”

“Isn’t this all thanks to my husband’s devoted care? More importantly… it’s been a long time since we’ve met, Viktor.”

Frigg walked gracefully to the Emperor, her hands clasped behind her back. Faced with the Emperor’s sharp blue eyes, which seemed to dissect and expose her innermost thoughts, the Emperor involuntarily took a step back.

“You don’t have to be so scared. We’re not strangers, are we?”

“Uh, um.”

“Or perhaps, are you still suffering from ‘what happened back then’? Hoho, I told you I don’t care at all.”

Frigg took another step forward. Due to the difference in height, the Emperor was in a position to look down at her, but for some reason, he felt like prey being hunted by a wolf, overwhelmed by her aura.

“It’s true. I really, truly, have absolutely no feelings whatsoever about what you said to me 20 years ago, sincerely, not a single one, I assure you.”

“….”

“And I don’t care that you ran away after saying that, never showing your face, never sending a letter, and just hiding like a coward in the Imperial Palace far away, whistling nonchalantly. Really.”

The Emperor’s golden eyes trembled. Frigg slowly released her clasped hands and raised her staff.

“Cough, my dear.”

“-Hoho, shall I stop here?”

At that moment, the oppressive atmosphere instantly dissipated. The Emperor hurriedly moved towards the reception room door.

“W-well, I’ll be going now. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Oh my, are you leaving already? Please have a cup of tea.”

“Thank you, but I’ll have to decline. Hmph, Vidar, see you next time!”

The Emperor ran out of the mansion. A golden trail remained behind him for a moment.

Vidar sighed.

“Tsk. What a shameless fellow.”

“Did I interrupt?”

“You knew the conversation was over, so why are you asking? More importantly.”

“Yes.”

Her white wolf ears perked up, listening intently. Vidar continued.

“I clearly told you to rest in your room. Even though you’ve recovered, I don’t want you to overexert yourself.”

“Oh, my dear, you worry too much. I’ve felt so energetic after so long, isn’t it okay to be with my husband?”

“Haaah… Alright.”

Having received permission, Frigg chose a chair and sat down. Her body sank into the plush chair. She moved her tail to the side so it wouldn’t be pressed by the backrest and slowly poured tea from the teapot on the table.

White steam rose from the plain teacup, which had almost no decorations. After savoring the deep aroma that wafted out, Frigg took a sip of tea and then opened her mouth.

“Drinking tea like this reminds me of the old days.”

“Old days?”

“Yes. The time when Skadi unknowingly ate all the tea leaves. Do you remember?”

“… I can’t forget it. That tea was so expensive.”

Frigg closed her eyes and recalled the past. Thinking of her cute young daughter who had emptied the entire tea caddy into her mouth, she couldn’t help but wear a gentle expression. The Grand Duke, on the other hand, had the opposite expression.

“To think she’d eat it all, powder and all, without even a grimace, despite how bitter it was. Hoho, my child has quite an appetite.”

“It’s not a matter of appetite. The fact that she didn’t feel anything strange while shoving it into her mouth-“

“Oh, it’s enough if the child eats well and sleeps well. Don’t you think? And now she can drink tea properly, can’t she? She was young then, and now she’s all grown up.”

“… I’m not sure about that. I wonder if she’ll just hear something strange and try to gulp down boiling tea.”

“If it’s to that extent, then she’s drinking it properly, hoho.”

Seeing her husband’s displeased expression, Frigg chuckled and changed the subject. She had absolutely no faith that her eldest daughter would actually learn to drink tea properly.

“Speaking of which, are the children doing well at the Academy? I hope they haven’t gotten hurt going so far away.”

“Do they look like the kind of children who would get hurt?”

Frigg’s lips closed. Honestly, even if a dragon came, she didn’t think her daughters would get hurt.

Vidar continued.

“They’re doing too well, that’s the problem. A few days ago, they cleaned out an entire cafe. I don’t know if they thought it was a place to eat or what.”

“Skadi must have been very hungry. You are giving the children their allowance properly, right? If you’re not giving it to them to save money, I’ll get angry?”

“….”

Frigg smiled and continued.

“I’m just kidding.”

“… My dear.”

“Hoho.”

After speaking, Frigg picked up her teacup. For a while, only the sound of tea being drunk could be heard in the reception room.

Having emptied her teacup, Frigg opened her mouth.

“Do you happen to know where Henir is?”

“Henir? Since there’s nothing particular to do right now, she’s probably resting in her room. But why?”

“I had something to ask her.”

Frigg put down her teacup and stood up. Leaving the servants who were tidying the table behind, Vidar said.

“Don’t stay outside for too long. The wind is cold.”

“Hoho, when has it not been cold here? Thank you for your concern, my dear.”

As she left the room, Frigg left one last remark.

“You saw the letter I wrote, right?”

A chilling cold ran down the Grand Duke’s back.

——

“Slurp, haah… Nngh.”

“Ugh….”

In a dark room with the curtains drawn, on the bed, two figures were passionately pressing their bodies together. Both had the silhouette of wolf beastmen.

“Touch my tail too….”

Massaging each other, tickling, and mixing tongues, the two then, under the direction of the person on top, intertwined their tails. After taking a breath, the sordid sounds echoed again.

The squelching sounds that endlessly filled the room.

Just as hands began to undress the other and reach inside-

“Henir~ Are you here?”

“Ughik?!”

The lights turned on, and the room was brightly illuminated.

Henir, the brown-haired wolf beastman on top, hastily sat up and looked at the door. Frigg, the Grand Duke’s wife, stood there.

“Lady Frigg? Wh-what brings you here?”

“I came because I had something to ask. Did I interrupt something? You two seemed to be doing something diligently.”

“N-no! That, uh, well, my friend said they weren’t feeling well, so I was just looking after them!”

Henir pointed to the wolf beastman underneath, who was wearing a maid outfit and was her close friend, the mansion’s servant.

“Hmm, I see.”

Frigg smiled.

Her narrowed blue eyes looked at the thread connecting the lips of the two. The glistening, wet lips, the ragged breaths, and the disheveled clothes were a bonus.

Considering the intense sounds that had been coming from outside the door until just moments ago, it was clear that they weren’t just looking after someone who was feeling unwell.

However, she had no intention of blaming her for lying. It’s naturally difficult to tell the truth in these situations.

And it was a good sight to behold.

Frigg stated her original purpose for visiting Henir.

“Henir, do you know where the teleporter is?”

“Th-the teleporter, you say?”

“Yes. I have something I need to use it for.”

“I was the last one to use it… If no one else has used it since then, it should be in the storage. However, its magic will be discharged, so it will take quite some time to recharge….”

“I can recharge it myself.”

“Yes?”

Henir perked up her ears to confirm if she had heard correctly.

Did she just say she would recharge the teleporter with her own power?

The amount of magic required by a teleporter was enormous. That’s why, despite its usefulness, the teleporter was not widely commercialized and remained a privilege of high-ranking nobles.

Even those high-ranking nobles could not use it frequently, yet Frigg was now saying she would recharge it herself.

With Henir’s astonished, gaping expression, Frigg smiled and placed her hand on her head. Her rough stroking completely messed up Henir’s brown hair.

“You don’t need to worry, Henir.”

“Y-yes… But why are you looking for the teleporter…?”

“Hmm, how should I put it….”

Frigg paused in her speech. After swinging her white tail back and forth for a moment, Frigg opened her mouth.

“Henir, do you know I dislike grass?”

“Yes?”

“I really hate vegetables. That’s why our mansion’s menu always consists of only meat. Did you just find out?”

Henir, who had suddenly learned about the mistress’s picky eating habits, expressed her confusion. Her brown tail wagged as if she didn’t understand.

Frigg continued vaguely.

“But lately… I feel like I keep smelling grass nearby. I think I need to go check it out myself. That’s why I was looking for the teleporter.”

“??”

Frigg left the room, taking her hand off Henir, whose face was still full of confusion.

Just before leaving the room, she left one remark.

“Oh, right, Henir. If you go to the third floor, there’s an unused room in the corner. It’s well soundproofed, so keep that in mind.”

Henir’s face flushed bright red.