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Baroness Kazuha had learned long ago how humans looked at her.
They stared first at her ears, soft, triangular, and covered with pale ash-colored fur. Their gaze would drift to the faint curve of fangs when she spoke, or to the sharp claws she kept carefully polished so they looked almost like elegant nails. Then came the expressions. Curiosity, discomfort, thinly veiled disgust.
No one ever forgot that she was half wolf.
Her family owned vast lands at the northern edge of the duchy, rich with forests and silver streams. They were wealthy, respected even, but never truly welcomed. The wolf-blooded families lived parallel to human society, brushing against it without ever quite belonging.
Kazuha understood this. She had understood it since childhood.
Which was why the duchess was so unusual.
"Stop standing in the corner like a ghost," Chaewon said one afternoon, tugging lightly on Kazuha's sleeve.
Kazuha blinked, pulled from her thoughts. "Your Grace—"
"Oh, don't start that again." Chaewon made a face. "You've known me since we were small enough to get lost in the palace gardens. Don't resort to titles now."
Kazuha allowed a small smile.
It was true. Their lives had intertwined early. When Kazuha's family first pledged loyalty to the duchy, she had been sent to the capital as a companion to the young duchess. At the time, many had protested.
A wolf child near the duke's daughter? Absurd. Dangerous.
Chaewon had simply taken Kazuha's hand and dragged her outside to play.
Years later, nothing had changed.
"You're nervous about tonight's ball," Kazuha said.
"Of course I am," Chaewon groaned dramatically. "Father insists it's essential that I begin meeting suitable husbands."
"Surely there will be many."
"That's the problem."
Kazuha laughed quietly.
Chaewon leaned against the window beside her. Sunlight illuminated her dark hair and bright eyes.
For a moment, Kazuha felt the familiar ache in her chest, the one she never allowed herself to examine too closely.
Because Chaewon was human. A duchess. The center of a world Kazuha could never truly enter. And someday she would marry.
The thought settled heavily in Kazuha's chest.
"Come with me tonight," Chaewon said suddenly.
"I always do."
"Yes, but this time stay beside me," Chaewon insisted. "If I must endure a parade of boring noblemen, I refuse to do it alone."
Kazuha inclined her head.
"As you wish, Your Grace."
But inwardly she thought the same thing she always did when facing human society.
I do not belong there.
<<>><<>><<>><<>>
The duke's estate glittered with light. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the ballroom, casting golden reflections across polished marble floors. Music drifted through the hall while nobles in silk and velvet mingled beneath painted ceilings.
Kazuha stood slightly behind Chaewon, as was expected of a lady-in-waiting.
Even here, dressed in elegant court attire, she felt the familiar weight of glances. A few nobles openly stared at her ears. Others whispered behind gloved hands.
Chaewon noticed immediately. Her smile tightened. "Are you uncomfortable?" she murmured.
"No," Kazuha replied.
It was only partly a lie. She had endured worse than whispers.
The first suitor approached. Then another. And another.
Each conversation followed a similar pattern. Compliments, cautious questions, exaggerated politeness. Most of them barely looked at Kazuha, as if acknowledging her existence might somehow be improper.
Except for one.
He stood across the ballroom, watching them. Kazuha noticed him first.
Tall, well dressed, and surrounded by several companions, he had the air of someone deeply satisfied with himself.
"Who is that?" she asked quietly.
Chaewon followed her gaze. "Oh. Lord Minhyun."
"And?"
Chaewon rolled her eyes. "And he's insufferable."
As if summoned by the conversation, Minhyun began walking toward them. He bowed gracefully to Chaewon. "Your Grace. It is an honor."
Chaewon smiled politely. "Lord Minhyun."
His gaze shifted to Kazuha. The pleasant expression on his face twisted slightly.
"So the rumors were true," he said.
Chaewon's smile vanished. "What rumors?"
"That the duchess keeps a wolf in her court."
Several nearby nobles snickered.
Kazuha lowered her gaze. She had heard worse.
Chaewon stepped forward, her voice suddenly cold. "Baroness Kazuha is a noble of this duchy."
Minhyun shrugged. "A noble, perhaps. But still a beast."
The laughter grew louder and Kazuha felt her ears flatten involuntarily.
Chaewon's hands clenched. But before she could speak again, Minhyun's grin widened. "Oh, don't look so offended," he said lightly. "Surely a creature like that is accustomed to mockery."
Kazuha turned away. She could feel the stares, the whispers, the quiet amusement rippling through the ballroom. Something warm and humiliating burned behind her eyes.
"I should step outside," she murmured.
Chaewon started to follow, but Minhyun suddenly grabbed a plate from a passing servant. Before anyone could react, he hurled its contents forward.
An egg struck Kazuha's shoulder and burst. Another splattered against the back of her dress.
Laughter exploded across the hall. "Look!" someone called. "The wolf's been fed!"
Kazuha froze. Sticky yolk slid down the fabric of her gown.
The room spun.
Then she turned and ran.
<<>><<>><<>><<>>
The cool night air hit Kazuha like a wave as she fled into the palace gardens. Her vision blurred. She didn't stop until she reached the quiet edge of the courtyard, hidden behind tall hedges.
Only then did the tears finally spill over. She wiped at her face, but the humiliation clung stubbornly to her skin.
"Stupid," she whispered to herself. She should have known better than to attend these gatherings. Should have stayed in the forests where wolves belonged.
Footsteps approached quickly behind her. "Kazuha!"
Chaewon's voice.
Kazuha tried to compose herself, but it was too late. Chaewon stopped in front of her, eyes blazing. "That arrogant—!" She cut herself off when she saw Kazuha properly.
Eggshell clung to her hair. Tears streaked through the yolk on her cheeks.
Chaewon's anger softened instantly. "Oh, Kazuha..." She took a handkerchief and gently wiped Kazuha's face. "He shouldn't have done that," she whispered furiously.
"I know."
"No one stopped him." Chaewon's jaw tightened. "I should have stopped him."
Silence lingered between them. Then Chaewon suddenly stepped back, eyes sharp with a new idea. "Kazuha."
"Yes?"
"Stand still."
Before Kazuha could ask why, Chaewon raised her hand. Soft light gathered around her fingers.
"Kazuha," Chaewon said, voice suddenly mischievous, "I've just had a wonderful idea."
The light flared. Warmth washed over Kazuha's body. For a moment the world shimmered. Then the magic faded.
"There," Chaewon said proudly. "Done."
"Done... what?"
"Go look."
Confused, Kazuha turned toward the fountain. She froze. The reflection staring back at her was not the same person.
Her ears were gone. Her claws had vanished. Her face, still hers, yet different, was strikingly beautiful in a way humans admired.
Completely human.
Kazuha stared in disbelief. "What...?"
Chaewon clasped her hands together excitedly. "It's a temporary spell. One week only."
"A week?"
"And during that week," Chaewon said with a gleeful grin, "we're going to make Lord Minhyun fall hopelessly in love with you."
Kazuha blinked. "Why?"
"So that when you turn back into a wolf," Chaewon declared triumphantly, "he'll be horrified!"
She laughed, clearly delighted by the idea. But Kazuha did not laugh. Instead she looked at Chaewon with a quiet sadness the duchess didn't notice.
Because Chaewon believed this would punish the cruel nobleman.
But to Kazuha... Pretending to be someone else felt like a punishment of its own.
Especially when the person she loved most was standing right in front of her.
And had no idea.
<<>><<>><<>><<>>
Kazuha continued staring at her reflection long after the glow of magic faded. Her hands rose slowly to her head. No ears. She touched her mouth. No fangs. Her claws, so carefully maintained her whole life, were gone, replaced with smooth human nails.
The woman in the mirror was beautiful. Elegant. Perfectly acceptable to the world that had always rejected her.
She felt strangely hollow looking at it.
Chaewon, meanwhile, was delighted. "Oh, this is perfect," she said, circling Kazuha like a painter admiring a finished work. "No one will recognize you."
"I don't look like myself."
"That's the point!" Chaewon said brightly.
Kazuha lowered her hands. "And this lasts... a week?"
"Exactly. Seven days." Chaewon leaned closer, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Plenty of time for revenge."
Kazuha hesitated. "Chaewon... are you sure this is wise?"
"Wise?" Chaewon laughed. "Absolutely not. But it will be satisfying."
She grabbed Kazuha's hands. "Imagine it! That arrogant fool declaring his love for you. And then, poof! You turn back into the 'monster' he mocked."
Kazuha tried to imagine it. Instead, she imagined something else.
The look on Chaewon's face when she eventually married someone. The idea twisted painfully in her chest. Chaewon mistook her silence for uncertainty.
"Trust me," she said gently. "You deserve to be admired for once."
Kazuha forced a small smile. "Very well."
But as they returned to the manor, she thought quietly, I don't want admiration. I only want you.
<<>><<>><<>><<>>
At the next ball, Kazuha entered the ballroom as someone new.
She wore a silver gown and her hair was styled differently. With her wolf features gone, she looked like a noblewoman from some distant court.
No one recognized her. The difference was immediate.
Where before she had been avoided, now heads turned as she passed. Gentlemen bowed. Ladies whispered admiringly.
Kazuha felt as if she were walking through someone else's life.
Chaewon watched from across the room, barely containing her excitement.
Then Lord Minhyun appeared. The moment he saw Kazuha, he stopped walking. His expression changed instantly from smug indifference to fascination.
He approached her. "Forgive me, my lady," he said, bowing deeply. "I do not believe we have met."
Kazuha forced herself to remain calm. "We have not."
His smile widened. "Then fate has been most kind tonight."
From across the room, Chaewon nearly choked trying not to laugh.
Minhyun spent the rest of the evening by Kazuha's side. He complimented her wit. Her beauty. Her elegance.
Every word made Kazuha feel more uncomfortable.
Because the same man who now admired her had thrown eggs at her only days before.
<<>><<>><<>><<>>
Over the next several days, Minhyun pursued her relentlessly. Flowers arrived each morning. Jewels followed. Invitations to stroll through palace gardens, to attend concerts, to ride through the countryside.
Kazuha accepted only enough to keep Chaewon's plan moving forward. Chaewon found the entire situation hilarious.
"I can't believe how quickly he fell for you," she said one evening.
"He hasn't fallen for me," Kazuha replied quietly.
Chaewon tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"He's fallen for the illusion."
Chaewon shrugged. "Well, yes. That's the point."
Kazuha looked down. For Chaewon, this was a clever game. For Kazuha, it was becoming exhausting. Every compliment reminded her that the world only accepted her when she hid who she was.
But the hardest part wasn't Minhyun. It was Chaewon.
They still spent time together late at night, talking as they always had. Laughing. Sharing secrets. But now Kazuha watched the duchess with a growing ache. Because soon Chaewon would marry someone.
And Kazuha would return to being the wolf everyone avoided.
<<>><<>><<>><<>>
On the fifth day, Minhyun confessed something unexpected. They were walking through the palace gardens when he stopped beside a fountain. "My lady," he said, unusually serious, "I must admit something."
Kazuha waited silently.
"I have never met anyone like you." He looked almost nervous. "I believe... I am falling in love with you."
Kazuha felt a strange mix of pity and frustration. "You hardly know me."
"I know enough," he insisted.
Later that night, she told Chaewon. The duchess was thrilled.
"It's working!"
"Chaewon..." Kazuha said softly.
"What?"
"This isn't right."
Chaewon frowned. "What do you mean?"
"He believes his feelings are real."
"That's because they are."
"But they're built on a lie."
Chaewon crossed her arms. "He humiliated you. Why do you suddenly care about his feelings?"
Kazuha struggled to explain. "It just feels... cruel."
Chaewon stared at her for a long moment. Then she sighed.
"Just two more days."
The final night of the spell arrived. The ballroom was packed. Minhyun approached Kazuha with a determined expression.
"My lady," he said, loud enough for others nearby to hear, "may I have everyone's attention?"
A small crowd gathered. Kazuha's heart sank.
Minhyun took her hand. "In the past week," he said proudly, "I have come to admire this remarkable woman."
Chaewon watched eagerly from the sidelines.
"And tonight," he continued, "I wish to declare that I—"
"Stop."
Kazuha's voice cut through the room. Minhyun blinked. "My lady?"
Kazuha stepped back. "I cannot let you finish that sentence."
Confusion rippled through the crowd.
Minhyun frowned. "Why?"
Kazuha took a deep breath. "Because you do not love me."
Before anyone could react, the spell ended. Her ears reappeared. Her claws returned. Fangs glinted as she spoke.
Gasps echoed across the ballroom. Minhyun stumbled backward in horror.
"You—!"
"I am Baroness Kazuha," she said calmly. "The same woman you mocked last week."
Silence filled the room. Minhyun's face went pale. Kazuha looked at him steadily. "You never loved me," she said. "You only loved what I pretended to be."
She turned and walked out of the ballroom.
<<>><<>><<>><<>>
Later that night, Chaewon found Kazuha sitting in the quiet garden. The duchess approached slowly.
"I'm sorry."
Kazuha looked up. "For what?"
"For turning it into such a spectacle." Chaewon sat beside her. "I thought it would make you feel better."
Kazuha shook her head gently. "It didn't."
Chaewon sighed. "I just hated seeing someone treat you that way."
There was a long silence. Then Kazuha spoke quietly. "There was another reason I didn't want the plan to succeed."
Chaewon looked at her. "What reason?"
Kazuha's heart pounded. Because she had hidden this truth for years. But now it felt impossible to keep it any longer.
"I couldn't pretend to fall in love with him," she said.
"Why not?"
Kazuha met her eyes. "Because I'm already in love with someone else."
Chaewon blinked. "Oh."
A pause. "Who?"
Kazuha smiled faintly. "You."
The word hung in the air. Chaewon stared at her, stunned. Kazuha quickly looked away. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I shouldn't have said that."
But Chaewon didn't answer right away. Instead she studied Kazuha carefully.
The wolf ears. The quiet strength. The friend who had stood beside her for nearly her entire life.
Finally she said softly, "You idiot."
Kazuha blinked in surprise. Chaewon laughed, a quiet, disbelieving chuckle.
"You should have told me years ago."
Kazuha's heart skipped. "W-what?"
Chaewon leaned closer. "Because I've been trying to figure out how to tell you the same thing."
The world seemed to stop. For the first time that night, Kazuha felt warmth spread through her chest. Not humiliation. Not loneliness. Something brighter. Something hopeful.
And beneath the moonlight, the duchess took the wolf girl's hand.
Not as a lady and her attendant.
But as something new.