Chapter 14: That Shapeshifter, Speculating​

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One week after Rin returned to the castle, Tsuguru came to visit.

He came the conventional way this time, by knocking on the castle gates and reporting his presence to Yuzuru at the guardhouse, instead of scaling the walls and attacking the maid.

Rin had only just woken up when Yoka reported his arrival.

‘Why did he come again?’ she grumbled, her eyes still half-closed. ‘Tell him to leave. Lord Koriki has found the children and escorted them home. Everything else has nothing to do with me.’

Yoka thought Shinji Tsuguru resembled an abandoned dog that had found its owner again and refused to leave. It wouldn’t be so easy to get rid of him this time.

‘Why don’t you take this opportunity to tell him plainly that you won’t marry him,’ she suggested as she helped Rin into a black and yellow patterned kimono.

Her light-grey eyes flashed with amusement when Rin frowned.

‘Or are the feelings mutual?’

Rin glared at her. ‘Damned shapeshifter,’ she spat, pulling her head free of the braid Yoka had already begun to weave at the back of her head. ‘It’s none of your business!’

The shapeshifter grabbed her chin and forced her head back into position.

But instead of redoing her hair, Yoka leaned close to her ear and murmured, ‘It’s very much my business, Ojou-sama. Your soul will be devoured by me, so I deserve to know.’

The young mistress snorted but didn’t struggle.

She lowered her eyes demurely and sipped her osmanthus tea. In a soft voice, she said, ’Don’t worry, shapeshifter. There’s no way I’ll marry him.’ And even softer still, ‘I can’t.’

[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]